Alexandra K. Hafsteinsdóttir, a geology student at the University of Iceland, has received the President of Iceland’s Innovation Award for the project Mapping Groundwater on the Reykjanes Peninsula. She accepted the award from Halla Tómasdóttir, President of Iceland, at a ceremonial event held at Bessastaðir today.
Alexandra carried out the project under the supervision of Sveinborg Hlín Gunnarsdóttir, Finnbogi Óskarsson, Auður Agla Óladóttir, and Sigurður Garðar Kristinsson, geologists at Iceland GeoSurvey, ÍSOR. This year’s prize is the LAVA Vase, a hand-blown vase made from recycled glass by Fólk Reykjavik.
The President of Iceland’s Innovation Awards are awarded to students who have carried out outstanding work on projects funded by the Student Innovation Fund in 2025. The fund operates under the Ministry of Culture, Innovation and Higher Education.
The aim of the award-winning project was to map groundwater flow on the Reykjanes Peninsula by measuring conductivity (salinity) and analysing anions in freshwater across the peninsula, while also developing procedures for the use of a new electric water pump. A total of 24 groundwater samples were collected from shallow freshwater boreholes around the peninsula in the summer of 2025. In 10 boreholes, samples were collected using the new pump, nicknamed “Perlufestin” (“The Pearl Necklace”). It is an exceptionally convenient and compact tool for sampling, unlike traditional water pumps, which are bulky, heavy, and powered by large generators. Perlufestin is well-suited for sampling from narrow freshwater wells where conventional borehole pumps cannot be used, and it is easy to carry on foot between otherwise inaccessible locations.
Conductivity and anions were measured in the water samples, and the results were presented in maps showing their distribution across the peninsula. The findings are in good agreement with previous research on the peninsula’s hydrology. Clear boundaries were identified between water catchments linked to different geological formations in each area.
The ninth volcanic eruption in the Sundhnúkur crater row began during the study. A number of samples were collected near the eruption site while the eruption was ongoing and compared with earlier data from the area. The results of the chemical analyses do not indicate that volcanic activity had a significant effect on groundwater chemistry, as little to no change was observed in the area from the beginning of the measurements.
Five other projects received special recognition:
Efnisheimar
The project was carried out by Bjarki Þór Wíum Sveinsson and Gísli Hrafn Magnússon, architecture students at the Iceland University of the Arts (LHÍ). Their supervisor was Anna Kristín Karlsdóttir at Lúdika Architects.
Biochar: a bridge between aquaculture and agriculture
This project is part of the Food Fund project Soil improving biomaterials under the supervision of the Iceland Ocean Cluster and was carried out by Ásdís Agla Sigurðardóttir, a food science student at the University of Iceland. Supervisors were Jónas Baldursson and Katrín Hulda Gunnarsdóttir at Matís.
TENGJA – utilising return water from district heating for the public good
The project was carried out by Janek Beau, Max Greiner, Katla Taylor, and Tumi Valdimarsson, students in Design, Environment and Challenges at Iceland University of the Arts (LHÍ). Supervisors were Heimir Tryggvason at Veitur and Jón Helgi Hólmgeirsson, assistant professor in the Design Department at LHÍ.
Monitoring the spread of vapour cushions in high-temperature geothermal areas
The project was carried out by Hugo Alejandro Arteaga Vivas, a geophysics student at the University of Iceland. Supervisors were Þorbjörg Ágústsdóttir and Egill Árni Guðnason, geophysicists at Iceland GeoSurvey, ÍSOR.
3D-printed training models for ultrasound
The project was carried out by Altina Tinna Zogaj, a student in biomedical engineering at the University of Iceland, and Guðbjörg Lára Magnúsdóttir, a student in health engineering at Reykjavík University. Supervisors were Valgerður Guðrún Halldórsdóttir, associate professor at the Faculty of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Iceland, and Dr Paolo Gargiulo, director of the Medical Technology Center (MTC) at Reykjavík University and Professor at the School of Engineering, Reykjavík University.
Further information on all nominated projects.
More on the President of Iceland’s Innovation Awards
The President of Iceland’s Innovation Awards were first presented in 1996. The fund’s board for 2023–2026 consists of: Björgvin Stefán Pétursson, Chair, appointed without nomination; Sævar Helgi Bragason, nominated by the Science Committee of the Science and Technology Council; Ásdís Jóhannesdóttir, nominated by the Federation of Icelandic Industries; Alexandra Briem, nominated by the Association of Local Authorities in Iceland; and Erla Guðbjörg Hallgrímsdóttir, nominated by the National Union of Icelandic Students.
Each year, the Student Innovation Fund board selects around 10 projects completed during the year as outstanding. From these, four to six are then selected as leading projects and receive nominations for the President of Iceland’s Innovation Awards.
The board bases its evaluation on the assessments of the fund’s expert committees, of which there are six:
- Expert Committee for Social Sciences, Law and Education
- Expert Committee for Life Sciences, Clinical Research and Public Health
- Expert Committee for Humanities and the Arts
- Expert Committee for Natural and Environmental Sciences
- Expert Committee for Physical sciences and Mathematics
- Expert Committee for Engineering and Technology
