Yñiguez was named one of the 2022 Outstanding Women in Nation’s Service awardees for her contributions to marine science research. Yñiguez works with local communities to advocate sustainable fishing practices and has most recently collaborated with the local fishing and agricultural bureau to propose the use of artificial intelligence as an early-warning system for harmful algal blooms. Interestingly, her systems make use of accessible and inexpensive components like underwater cameras, lasers, depth sensors and global positioning devices to gather and process data. Yñiguez believes it is important to educate local fisherfolk and provide the infrastructure and support necessary to enable sustainable fishing.

(Photo: Daily Guardian)