[OSGeo-Announce] Malena Libman receives the 2021 Sol Katz Award

News item 2021-10-04
https://www.osgeo.org/foundation-news/malena-libman-receives-the-2021-sol-katz-award/

Malena Libman is the Sol Katz Award winner 2021. The prize was presented at the FOSS4G closing session and handed over to her friends & family who accepted the award on her behalf since we sadly lost Malena in April 2021 to COVID-19.

It’s a time-honored OSGeo tradition to present the annual Sol Katz Award for Geospatial Free and Open Source Software to individuals who have demonstrated leadership in our community. This year, the award ceremony was part of the online FOSS4G2021 conference and was presented by last years’ recipients Anita Graser and Even Rouault.

The call for nominations is open to the whole OSGeo community and many great candidates are nominated every year. (Thank-you to everyone who submitted a nomination!) The winner is determined by the Award Selection Committee made up by former recipients of the award.

The nomination presented for Malena (Nomination Malena Libman https://wiki.osgeo.org/w/images/b/b0/Sol-Katz-2021-Malena-Libman-nomination.pdf) stood out on more levels than just one. It was signed by 147 members of the OSGeo community.
The final voting of the past awardees who represent the selection committee showed overwhelming support for Malena Libman.

Malena Libman was the President of OSGeo Argentina Local Chapter’s NGO Geolibres, Chair of FOSS4G + SOTM 2017 Argentina. She was an SDI specialist involved in the National SDI working towards building better FLOSS solutions. She inspired so many of our community.

Some quotes from the nominations should show the great role of Malena Libman.

“We believe that the Sol Katz Award is the recognition that Malena deserved, for her trajectory and for her incomparable spirit dedicated to the OSGeo community; sadly we lost her suddenly in April to COVID-19, may her soul rest in peace.”

“This request seeks to honor, not only the memory of Male, but also all of her efforts that she made during her lifetime to expand the geo community in Argentina, Latin America and worldwide.” […]

[…] “She was a reference for many people, especially women in the Geomatics and OpenStreetMap communities, and she will always be remembered as a great teacher, companion and above all, a wonderful friend.”

Malena’s dream was FOSS4G 2021
“Through this award, we want to thank and acknowledge her efforts, her always constructive leadership as chairwoman of the FOSS4G 2021 (Buenos Aires), her compassion, and at the same time share all the learning and knowledge that she imparted in life to all communities.”

“Among her great achievements is her research work on Spatial Data Infrastructure (IDE) designed by the Spatial Data Infrastructure of the Argentine Republic (IDERA), as well as the cartographic editing automation project for the Institute of Geography of Argentina.”

Malena’s friends Andrea Trovant, Ariel Anthieni and Horacio Castellaro joined the award ceremony and took the award on behalf of Malena.

Andrea assigned some words to remember Malena.

“It’s an honour for me to receive this award on behalf of Malena. We were not only colleagues, we were friends too.
Honestly, it’s difficult to talk about her, (that’s why I prepared a text, in case Male wins the award)… I am grateful that the FOSS4G team and her family are present today, listening and supporting such a special moment, on the other side of the screen.
Malena’s arriving to the geospatial world was only by chance, in 2011, as part of her long search for his vocation … She was always curious about the world around her!!
Then, she began her studies in Geographic Information Systems at the General Sarmiento University in Buenos Aires, becoming the first graduate of the career.
In those years, Male participated in a volunteer service and presented his project at the National Cartography Congress. During the event, she met the “Geoinquiet@s”, the GeoGeeks, from the local communities.
From this days, her career was on the rise, and we were the privileged ones to be able to see its growth up close.
Her work experience was infinite, she worked at the Argentina Center for Cartography, in the National Educational Map Program, in different municipalities of the state. She worked for almost 3 years at the National Geographic Institute of Argentina, while she focused in Spatial Data Infrastructure.
Malena gave GIS and SDI workshops for different institutions, she was part of Geochicas OSM and more and more things.. I could talk about her for a whole day..
At every step she took, she was always promoting free and open source software and the strengthening of the geospatial communities.
No more, no less… She was part of the organization of FOSS4G 2016, FOSS4G 2017, FOSS4G 2019. She travelled to represent us at the global FOSS4G 2018 in Dar Es Salaam, and Bucharest too, but apart from all this, I know how much she deserves to win this award. Male was an exemplary leader, she was an honest, transparent person…and she excited all the people who crossed her (it is my case, thanks to her I got to know the community).
Finally, she became President of “Geolibres Asociación Civil”, an association that organizes this FOSS4G together with OSGeo.
And here we are, last year we sent the proposal to become the host of FOSS4G this year… despite the difficulties, we are here making Male’s dream come true… in every step we take, Malena is present, pushing us.
Thanks OSGeo and thanks to male, for everything she taught us and gave us.
If there was a beautiful person award, she would win it too.”

We will miss Malena.

About the award
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The Sol Katz Award for Free and Open Source Software for Geospatial (FOSS4G) is awarded annually by OSGeo to individuals who have demonstrated leadership in the FOSS4G community. Recipients of the award have contributed significantly through their activities to advance open source ideals in the geospatial realm. The award acknowledges both the work of community members, and pay tribute to one of its founders, for years to come.

https://www.osgeo.org/community/awards/