The first scholarships from the "Implementation Master’s at UPWr" program have been granted

The aim of the "Implementation Master's at UPWr" program is to support students whose master's theses carried out during their studies are creative, have high scientific potential and are innovative. The submitted projects must meet the economy, labor market’s and society’s needs, and create items for a market focused on knowledge and innovation.

Students of second-cycle, full-time and part-time master's studies, as well as students of the last four semesters of full-time master's studies (veterinary) at Wrocław University of Environmental and Life Sciences can all take part in the program.

The students, who receive a scholarship of PLN 1,500 per month from the program, work on their scientific papers closely with their supervisors.

This year, the scholarships from the program were awarded to seven graduate students.

Aleksandra Dołęgowska – a student of the Faculty of Biotechnology and Food Sciences, received a scholarship for her master's thesis written under the supervision of prof. Monika Bronkowska. It is entitled "Assessing the influence of diet on the composition of the human microbiome in selected diseases." The aim of her thesis is to assess how a person's diet and nutritional status affect the quality and efficiency of the human gut microbiome, as well as to find a nutraceutical which will inhibit the development of civilization diseases by modulating the intestinal microbiota. 

– For my thesis, I will be analyzing the relationship between a person's diet and the state of the intestinal microbiota in terms of preventing and developing selected metabolic and autoimmune diseases. My dissertation will hopefully allow the development of an individualized nutritional strategy together with a nutraceutical supplementation, which will enable the implementation and proper prevention of selected metabolic and autoimmune diseases – explains the graduate student.

Another awarded thesis was a dissertation by Anna Tomańska, a student of the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, which is titled: "Innovative beehives - testing new technologies and opportunities for the economy". Her thesis is focused on creating an innovative bee farm. Anna Tomańska’s supervisor is prof. Paweł Chorbiński.

– Smart hives and technology are slowly entering bee farms. Observing this environment and testing the utility of certain methods and techniques with modern devices allows us to have a more visionary perspective on honey production and beyond. The aim of my thesis is to show the consequences of using particular technologies in beekeeping in relation to the economics of production in the field of bee breeding and maintenance. This will assess the profitability of running amateur bee farms and the possible impact on bee farms with larger numbers of bee colonies - says Anna Tomańska, whose project also has a creative and artistic side. The use of scientific data in the form of sound recordings will result in an interesting ready-to-publish soundtrack.

Maciej Szczepański, who also studies at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, was granted a scholarship for his science project which focuses on the use of 3D printing technology in the production of prostheses for animals after partial limb amputations. The supervisor of Maciej Szczepański’s scientific project is prof. Jakub Nicopoń.

– In my research paper, I’m using 3D printing technology to produce custom-made prostheses, which use impressions and digital scans of dogs which have suffered a partial limb amputation. I am currently creating a prosthesis for 3-year-old Sonia, which lost part of her hind limb under the knee as a result of a car accident, and 8-year-old Leto, part of whose right front leg was crushed and then amputated after a train accident. I created this project in order to stop the progressive degeneration of the muscular system and joints and to improve the quality of life of these dogs. I hope that in the future I will manage to develop my project to such a stage where I can help more animals – says Maciej Szczepański about his scientific research.

Another dissertation that was awarded the scholarship was a master's thesis written by student Bartosz Matyjewicz under the supervision of prof. Andrzej Białowiec. It is titled: "Hydrothermal carbonization of selected organic waste". In his thesis, Bartosz conducts research on the transformation of selected organic waste into structured carbon, in a chemical process called hydrothermal carbonization.

– For my thesis research, I chose household kitchen waste, which is a mixture which has a known composition. My master's thesis is aimed at analyzing the production process of hydrochar (structured carbon) and comparing the hydrothermal carbonization process with the torrefaction process (torrefaction removes moisture and volatiles from biomass, leaving bio-coal) in economic and technological terms – explains Bartosz Matyjewicz.

Piotr Patynowski, whose thesis is titled: "Improving the methods of satellite precision positioning with the use of low-cost multi-GNSS receivers" also won a scholarship from the  "Implementation Master’s at UPWr" program. His thesis focuses on improving the methods of precise satellite positioning with the use of low-cost GNSS satellite receivers (Global Navigation Satellite System). Piotr Patynowski is a student of the Faculty of Environmental Engineering and Geodesy, and the supervisor of his thesis is prof. Krzysztof Sośnica.

– Currently, one is able to find devices on the market with prices up to 20 times lower than the price of dedicated geodetic receivers. I hope that my research will allow me to find a solution that will turn out to be up to 40 times cheaper compared to professional geodetic devices – explains the graduate student.

Zuzanna Żabińska, a 5th year student of veterinary medicine, who is working on a project at the Department of Internal Medicine with Horses, Dogs and Cats Clinic under the supervision of Prof. Artur Niedźwiedź was also granted a scholarship. Her awarded project is titled "The influence of a horse's balance on its discomfort during training, assessed by using an ethogram".

– The research for my project will be focusing on the influence of balance training on relaxation and the number of behaviors manifested in the ethogram, the assessment of the horse's training compared to the rider's expectations and its impact on the horse's discomfort. I’ll also be working on rehabilitation training recommendations to restore the horse's balance in four dimensions – says Zuzanna Żabińska, whose project will be carried out together with dutch veterinarian Karin Leibbrandt.

And last but not least, the seventh scholarship was awarded to Piotr Rudnicki, a student at the Faculty of Biology and Animal Breeding, who is preparing a scientific project under the supervision of Dr. Katarzyna Kornicka-Garbowska. The science project is titled "Development of an innovative cyclosporin A (CsA), alginate, hyaluronic acid and polyvinyl alcohol based transplant material to use in ophthalmology".

– The aim of the project is to develop an innovative transplant material that, if implanted into the body of a sick dog, would solve its health issue by releasing medication in a long-term and controlled manner. My research plan includes physicochemical processes aimed at developing the material, and then analyzing and evaluating the obtained implants, as well as conducting molecular tests that will be carried out on corneal epithelial stem cells as they play an active role in the regenerative processes of the eyes. The cells will be placed on implant prototypes in various concentrations. The aim of the biological research is to evaluate cell apoptosis, viability and proliferation. The use of the implant in the treatment of eye diseases in animals is a novel technology, and the development of an eye implant would provide veterinarians with an innovative method of treating canine eye diseases with cyclosporin A. It would increase the therapeutic possibilities of the medication, and the implant itself would be safe for the dog and fully biodegradable. At the moment, there is no similar technological solution on the market – explains the UPWr student.

The "Implementation Master's at UPWr" program was entirely developed and implemented by the UPWr Academic Business Incubator.