CIMAT student Gerardo Montaño places second at LATAM 2026 Quantum Water Hackathon

Gerardo Alejandro Montaño González, a master's student at the Centro de Investigación en Matemáticas (CIMAT) in Zacatecas, earned second place in the LATAM 2026 Quantum Computing for Water Challenges Hackathon held in Puebla. His multidisciplinary team of five created a hybrid classical‑quantum algorithm to optimize weekly water releases from the Falcón International Dam on the Río Bravo, a key reservoir on the Mexico‑United States border.

The competition attracted roughly 400 participants from five countries, with only 15 teams reaching the final round. The algorithm aims to improve water distribution under the binational water treaty amid severe drought conditions in northern Mexico and could be adapted to other water‑management scenarios. The achievement highlights the quality of quantum talent fostered by the state‑run Quantum Ciudad del Conocimiento initiative, overseen by Governor David Monreal Ávila and the Zacatecas Council of Science, Technology and Innovation (Cozcyt).