Over PLN 1.5 million for young scientists from the UPWr

The minister's scholarship is awarded to young scientists who conduct innovative, high-quality scientific research and have impressive scientific achievements with international visibility. The lucky winners will receive a monthly scholarship of PLN 5,390 for 3 years. In total, young scientists from the University of Environmental and Life Sciences in Wrocław will gain over PLN 1.5 million for the development of their research.

The total number of scholarship applications was 1897. They were evaluated by an advisory panel using a scoring method – within the framework of particular fields of science and art – so that the scholarships could be awarded to scientists from various scientific backgrounds.

To obtain a scholarship from the minister of education and science you need to have the status of a young scientist, i.e. be a doctoral student or academic teacher, without a doctorate or with a doctorate, but not for longer than 7 years.

Eight scholarships were awarded to scientists from the UPWr. The winners are:

• Paweł Hordyniec, PhD, an assistant professor at the Institute of Surveying and Geoinformatics. He conducted research on remote sensing techniques based on GNSS earth stations and radio occultations using GNSS receivers located in low orbit satellites, and their impact on more accurate studies of atmospheric phenomena. Dr. Hordyniec is not only on the list of winners of the minister's scholarship, but also among 135 scientists who received the NAWA scholarship from the Mieczysław Bekker program.

• Joanna Kozłowska, PhD – her activity is related to food and nutrition technology, and she conducts research at the Department of Chemistry of the UPWr. She is the co-author of 17 patents and 37 patent applications concerning the preparation of new flavonoid derivatives by classical chemical synthesis and biotransformation. Dr. Kozłowska is the winner of the "Student-Inventor" National Competition, as well as the winner of two gold medals – one awarded at the 13th International Warsaw Invention Exhibition IWIS, and the other at the "Geneva Inventions" International Exhibition of Inventions, Modern Technology and Products.

• Jacek Łyczko is currently a PhD student at the Department of Chemistry at the University of Environmental and Life Sciences in Wrocław. He conducts research in the field of biotechnology, food science and analytical chemistry. The latest publication in which he participated concerns the confirmation of the concept of using pelletisation to reduce the emission of volatile organic compounds from carbonised fuel derived from waste. In addition to the minister's scholarship, the doctoral student also received a nearly 1.5 million grant from the National Centre for Research and Development under the LIDER program to create a new generation of safe appetite-regulating products.

• Kamila Pawłuszek-Filipiak, PhD, works at the Institute of Surveying and Geoinformatics, and has already had many successes: she has won two grants from the National Science Centre – PLN 103,000 from the Preludium 13 program and PLN 108,000 from the "ETIUDA 6" program, as well as an award from the Minister of Development, Labour and Technology in a competition for the best diploma theses, doctoral dissertations, publications and innovative solutions in the field of geoinformation, in which she came first in the doctoral dissertations category.

• Sylwia Prochowska, PhD, works at the Department of Reproduction at the Farm Animals Clinic and conducts research on the immunolocation and expression of the gene and protein of adrenergic receptors, as well as the oxytocin receptor in various sections of the epididymis of the domestic cat, where she explains the mechanisms responsible for sperm discharge in cats. In addition to the minister's scholarship, Dr. Sylwia Prochowska, together with two other scientists from the UPWr, also won a grant of almost PLN 350,000 in the National Science Centre's competition for research as part of the Miniatura 3 research projects.

• Karolina Tkacz, a PhD student at the Department of Fruit, Vegetable and Plant Nutraceutical Technology. As part of her doctoral dissertation, she deals with sea buckthorn in food design with a targeted health potential. She is also a Diamond Grant winner and a participant of the Innovative Doctorate program.

• Igor Turkiewicz, a PhD student at the Faculty of Biotechnology and Food Sciences, focuses his research on Japanese quince. Similar to Karolina Tkacz, he also received the Diamond Grant, although in his case the grant is intended for research on the potential use of quince in obtaining innovative products with programmed pro-health properties.

• Radosław Zajdel, a PhD student at the Institute of Surveying and Geoinformatics not only received the minister's scholarship, but also cooperated with a group of UPWr scientists who, together with the European Space Agency, managed to solve Einstein's riddle concerning the general theory of relativity. They described what happens to artificial satellites orbiting the Earth and how general relativity affects orbits and the movement of satellites.

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