Slovakia has once again achieved success on the international stage of high school scientists! At the 35th edition of the prestigious European Union Contest for Young Scientists (EUCYS) in Katowice, Poland, our young scientists Adam Kovalčík and Ľudmila Kvašňovská ranked among the elite of 38 countries and 90 projects thanks to their innovative scientific and technical solutions. Both have been promoted to EUCYS as winners of the Science and Technology Festival AMAVET 2023.
Adam Kovalčík, a student of the Grammar School in Nové Zámky, took and won 2nd place with the project ‘Design and synthesis of new hemisynthetic perfume compounds based on furan structure from agricultural waste’. “I focused on the development of new perfume compounds. From corn waste, I created 23 new furan compounds that can be used as fragrances. If the process is industrialised, it could make perfumes greener and cheaper, with up to 2,400% less carbon footprint,” explained Adam. Participation in EUCYS brought him new contacts, ideas and opportunities for conferences and study visits. “Difficult to choose one particular experience, but I was most enriched by new friendships and memorable moments during leisure activities and trips,” he added.
Ľudmila Kvašňovská, a student of the Faculty of Medicine at Masaryk University in Brno, presented the project ‘Potential biomarkers of age-related chronic inflammation’ in the category of medicine. “I received great feedback from the evaluation committee, which also gave me suggestions on how to develop the project further. In addition, I had the opportunity to get to know other competitors, which brought me a lot of new international friendships,” said Ľudmila about her experience. She described the ‘farewell party’ as the best experience on the last day of the competition, when the stress fell after the results were announced and everyone enjoyed it to the fullest. Winning the CNIC prize means for her: “A great start to my academic career. I will be able to get to know the prestigious CNIC research centre in Madrid and gain valuable experience and contacts.”
Head of the Slovak delegation AMAVET, Mgr. Mária Babinčáková, Ph.D., added: “Katowice surprised us with their beauty. Although it rained throughout the week, it did not affect the enthusiasm of Ludwig and Adam, who resolutely presented their results. Participation in EUCYS is not only about winning, but especially about communicating and making new friends with people with similar interests. We look forward to next year’s edition in Riga!”
We are extremely proud of the achievements of our talents and look forward to their further, even higher goals in the world of science and research. Their dedication and passion are an inspiration to future generations of young scientists. Congratulations!
The trip of the winners of the AMAVET Festival of Science and Technology to Katowice was supported by the Association of Friends of the History of Technology and Inventions, namely the Tabachik Foundation. Thank you for your support!
Barbora Cíchová, Coordinator of the Science and Technology Festival AMAVET
Source: European Digital Skills & Jobs Platform
