Today, during the DIES Natalis, Mariana Belgiu (ITC) was presented the 2023 Professor De Winter Award. Dr Mariana Belgiu is associate professor in the department of Earth Observation Sciences (EOS) of the Faculty of Geo-Information Science and Earth Observation. Dr Belgiu won the award for her article entitled PRISMA and Sentinel-2 spectral response to the nutrient composition of grains, which was published in the journal Remote Sensing of Environment: the leading journal in this domain.
Around the world many people suffer from malnutrition, so it is very important that basic products such as rice, soy and wheat are as nutritious as possible. Quality measurements of crops must be carried out to ensure that this is the case. Conventional measurement methods are costly and time consuming and can only be performed after the harvest, which eliminates the option of interventions during growth. Belgiu’s article demonstrates that satellites can collect much more information using remote sensing and at a higher speed, with a greater frequency and for much larger surface areas than before. This makes early fertilisation possible which improves the nutritional quality of grains. The jury praised the inventive research question, the excellent execution and the top-notch presentation of her work.
BACKGROUND OF MARIANA BELGIU
Dr Belgiu grew up in Romania and obtained her PhD in the field of remote sensing from the University of Salzburg, Austria, in 2014. She joined the ITC in 2017 as an assistant professor and over the years has become an expert in this field. She has published articles in leading journals and has already received many research grants. She also coordinates important research projects and supervises PhD candidates. In addition to the above, Dr Belgiu has continued broadening her professional development beyond being an excellent researcher; for example as a member of ITC’s Committee on Impact, her involvement in the reorganisation of the curriculum, and she has been nominated twice for the ITC education award.
Professor de winter award
The Professor De Winter Award, named after the professor who passed away in 2005, is a publication prize for top female talent. The prize money of 2500 euros is intended as an incentive for the further development of a scientific career. This year the prize was awarded for the fifteenth time.