IP/08/1409
Brussels, 25 September 2008
Meet tomorrow's top researchers at EU Contest for Young
Scientists!
This year's EU contest for Young Scientists (EUCYS), which was held in Copenhagen,
Denmark, rewarded contestants aged 14 - 19 who shared the € 46.500 prize pot. Three
projects received first prizes of 7.000 € each shared by Magdalena Bojarska from
Poland for “Hamiltonian cycles in generalized Halin graphs", Martin Tkác from
Slovakia for “Tilting of bulk materials based on gravitation principle in cargo railway
transport”, and Elisabeth Muller from the United Kingdom for "From Microcosm to
Magma Oceans: A Lunar Meteorite Perspective". Other prize winners came from
Czech Republic, Germany, Ireland, Belarus, France and Latvia. For this 20th
anniversary of the EUCYS, the European Commission decided to award a Prize for
International Cooperation, for the best project from a Third Country1 team. In doing
so, the Commission underlined the importance of international scientific cooperation
in research. The prize, worth € 5.000, was won by Pipa Grierson from New Zealand for
"Fighting Facial Eczema".
"The EU Contest for Young Scientists is about supporting the rising stars of tomorrow's
European research” says European Science and Research Commissioner Janez Potočnik. "It
shows that Europe is a real reservoir of talents which is crucial at a time of global competition
for knowledge. It also makes young people enjoy the experience of working together, beyond
national borders, in the spirit of the European Research Area we strive to build".
The contestants, with ages ranging from 14 to 21, and representing 39 countries across
Europe - as well as Brazil, Canada, China, Mexico, New Zealand and the USA - presented 86
winning projects from national competitions covering a wide range of scientific disciplines from
engineering and earth sciences to biology, mathematics, chemistry, physics, medicine,
computer and social sciences. The standard of entries is consistently high, and several past
participants have achieved major scientific breakthroughs, or set up businesses to market the
ideas developed for the Contest.
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Third countries: Brazil, Canada, China, Mexico, New-Zealand and USA
Background
The European Union Contest for Young Scientists is part of the EU's Science in Society
programme. Its aim is to encourage young people to pursue their interest in science and
embark on scientific careers. This year the winners were announced at Copenhagen's superb
19th century Circus Building, in the presence of the EU Commissioner for Science and
Research, Janez Potočnik, HRH Prince Joachim, Princess Marie and the Danish Minister for
Science and Technology, Helge Sander.
More information about the EU Contest for Young Scientists, including photos, success
stories, biographical details of the jury and descriptions of all entries can be found at:
http://ec.europa.eu/research/youngscientists/index_en.cfm
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Annex 1
Prize-winners
20th European Union Contest for Young Scientists
FIRST PRIZES (€7 000 per project)
Country: Poland
Contestants: Magdalena Bojarska (17)
Field: Mathematics
Project title: Hamiltonian cycles in generalized Halin grap
Halin graphs are special class of planar graphs. It is well known that each
such graph contains a Hamilton cycle. Magda introduces a more general
notion of Halin graphs of degree n and proves a new and interesting
theorem which gives a necessary and sufficient condition that a Halin graph
of degree two is Hamiltonian. She also describes a simple combinatorial
polynomial time algorithm which checks whether a Halin graph contains a
Hamilton cycle going through a prescribed set of edges
Country: Slovakia
Contestant: Martin Tkáč (20)
Field: Engineering
Project title: Tilting of bulk materials based on gravitation principle in cargo railway
transport
This project is about a new tilting equipment and wagon. This new tilting
equipment can tilt new wagons using a continual process without electric
energy, great number of workers or damages of wagons. It will save
energy, time and materials.
The project deals with new ways in transport and discharge of bulk
materials in railway transport.
Country: United Kingdom
Contestant: Elisabeth Muller (18)
Field: Earth science
Project title: From Microcosm to Magma Oceans: A Lunar Meteorite Perspective
Unlike the Earth, the Moon does not have plate tectonics or erosion so all
the rocks are preserved. This project investigates the mineralogy of lunar
meteorite MIL 05035. This formed over 4 billion years ago giving evidence
of planetary accretion and volcanicity on the moon. A thin section was
analysed using an electron microprobe identifying different mineral phases.
Results shoed unbrecciated basalt with a gabbroic texture, dominant
mineral phases include pryoxenes and plagioclases with interstitial
sulphides and iron-titanium oxides. It is possibly paired with Asuka 881751.
3
The main aim of this research was to understand the mineralogy and
petrology of a new lunar basalt meteorite (MIL 05035). Based on the
acquired mineralogical dataset to draw inferences about the origin of MIL
05035 and interpret the data in the context of global volcanism on the
Moon.
SECOND PRIZES (€5 000 per project)
Country
Name
contestant
Czech
Republic
Michael Mikát
Germany
Ireland
of Age
Field
Title
Biological
science
Ecology and Ethology of family
Lestidae (Insecta: Odonata)
David Wittkowski 18
Physics
Polygonal structures on rotating
fluid surfaces
Émer Jones
Engineering
Research and Development
Emergency Sandbag Shelters
19
14
of
THIRD PRIZES (€3 500 per project)
Country
Name
contestant
Belarus
Aliaksandr
Minets
France
Latvia
of Age
Field
Title
16
Mathematics
Orbital origamis and stabilizers of
stair origamis
Etienne Lalique
17
Physics
Phaethon, the solar balloon
Axel Talon
17
Eriks Zaharans
19
Physics
Monitoring of cardiovascular system
Janis Zaharans
19
THE INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION PRIZE (€5 000 per project)
Country
Name
contestant
of Age
New
Zealand
Pippa Grierson
16
Field
Title
Biological
science
Fighting Facial Eczema
HONORARY AWARDS
Stockholm
International
Youth
Science
Seminar
2008
to attend the 2008 Nobel Prize ceremonies, meet the Nobel Laureates and take part in a
series of other scientific/cultural activities during the week.
Country
Name
of Age
contestant
Field
Title
United
Elisabeth Muller
Earth science
From
18
4
Microcosm
to
Magma
Kingdom
Oceans: A
Perspective
Lunar
Meteorite
London
International
Youth
Science
Forum
2009
to meet young scientists from around the world and take part in the annual two-week intensive
summer science festival during July-August 2009.
Country
Name
contestant
Poland
Magdalena
Bojarska
Slovakia
Martin Tkáč
of Age
Field
Title
17
Mathematics
Hamiltonian cycles in generalized
Halin grap
20
Engineering
Tilting of bulk materials based on
gravitation principle in cargo railway
transport
SPECIAL DONATED PRIZES
There are 25 special donated prizes: a five-day visit of a technical and cultural nature to the
European Patent Office in Munich and a one-week stay at each of the seven members of
EIROforum:
CERN: The European Laboratory for Particle Physics
EFDA: The European Fusion Development Agreement
EMBL: The European Molecular Biology Laboratory
ESA: The European Space Agency
ESO: The European Southern Observatory
ESRF: The European Synchrotron Radiation Facility
ILL: The Institut Laue-Langevin
The
European
Patent
Office,
Munich,
Germany
A five-day visit of a technical and cultural nature to the European Patent Office in Munich
Country
Name
contestant
Austria
Christoph
Wiesinger
Switzerland Julien Bellot
United
Kingdom
of Age
19
18
Robin Oswald
18
Lucien
Segessemann
18
Teleri Edwards
19
Field
Title
Engineering
Physics
Sensor for organic residues on
aluminium surfaces
Simulation,
Construction
and
Optimisation of an Unmanned Aerial
Vehicle Based on the Coanda Effect
Physics/Electro F.L.A.S.H – Five Laser Accentuated
nics
Security Holder
5
EIROforum prizes
CERN: The European Laboratory for Particle Physics
Country
Name
contestant
of Age
Greece
Nikolaos Passalis 17
Field
Title
Computer
Science
Developing
using XO
Distributed
Systems
EFDA: The European Fusion Development Agreement
Country
Name
contestant
of Age
France
Helena Lacroix
18
Field
Title
Physics
Physics from breakfast
EMBL: The European Molecular Biology Laboratory
Country
Name
contestant
Denmark
Cecilia
Thomas
of Age
Engel 19
Field
Title
Microbiology
Antimicrobial Peptides - the New
Weapon against Multiple Drug
Resistance?
Field
Title
Physics
Opening shock of braking parachutes
ESA: The European Space Agency
Country
Name
contestant
Switzerland Carmen Muller
of Age
18
ESO: The European Southern Observatory
Country
Name
contestant
France
Marion Derio
of Age
18
Field
Title
Physics
Physics from breakfast
ILL: The Institut Laue-Langevin - ESRF: The European Synchrotron Radiation Facility
Country
Name
contestant
of Age
Sweden
Gunnar Peng
19
Karl Larsson
19
Field
Title
Physics
The properties of magnetically
induced repulsion in simple media
A five-day visit of a technical and cultural nature to the International Sustainable World
Project Olympiad
Country
Name
contestant
of Age
Germany
Anja Massolle
16
Lisa Schowe
17
Field
Title
Biological
science
When leaves turn red… Chlorophyll
fluorescence as a quantitative
indicator of plant damage
6
Host Organization Special Donated Prizes
The Danish Government Prize
Country
Name
contestant
of Age
Poland
Pawel Maryniak
19
Field
Title
Biological
science
Differences between spatial orientation in
male and female of Madagascan hissing
cockroach (Gromphadorhina portentosa)
The Danish Climate Prize
Country
Name
contestant
of Age
Portugal
Ana Moreira
18
Sergio Almeida
19
Vasco Sa Pinto
18
Field
Title
Biological
Xenobiotic danger: Paracentrotus
science/Environmental lividus and the Barrinha de
Science
Esmoriz
The Danish Technological Institute Prize
Country
Name
contestant
Israel
Roei
Shachar
of Age
Yishak 18
Alon Ghelber
18
Field
Title
Computer
Science
Computerized
System
for
the
Identification and Diagnosis of
Pressure Sores
Field
Title
Medical
Science
Protecting of Neurons against Injury
using
Neuro-receptor
targeting
Nanoparticles
Field
Title
Biological
Science
Microarray
Profiling
of
Gene
Expression in the Normal Aging Brain
of Drosophila
18
Inbal Flisher
The Lundbeck Special Award
Country
Name
contestant
of Age
USA
Jared Goodman
17
Jonathan Wang
17
The Novozymes Special Award
Country
Name
contestant
Canada
Aarom Hakim
of Age
17
The Vestas Power Award
7
Country
Name
contestant
Luxembourg André Wilmes
of Age
19
Field
Title
Physics
Heat energy storage using the latent
heat of fusion of salt hydrates
8