Illustrative stock photo (source: SITA/AP)
The last quarter of 2024 was busy when it comes to Slovak scientists receiving recognition for their work.
It started with the ESET Science Award and continued with experts from the Slovak Academy of Sciences (SAV) receiving prizes in their particular fields.
Slovak Egyptologists also came back with important finds from their latest season, polymer scientists created an elastic DNA model and have applied for a patent, while materials scientists snatched one up in mechanochemistry.
In this overview, you will also find a selection of research conducted at universities and other institutions, including on bioplastics, how the town of Trenčín is becoming more energy efficient, as well as science stories that have appeared on the Slovak Spectator website.
Interviews with ESET Science Award winners
Last October, the ESET Science Award once again brought attention to exceptional scientists in Slovakia. Continuing with the tone set by the Starmus science and art festival earlier in 2024, the theme of the award was "The Future of Our Planet" and as such the winners' work and research reflect the challenges our planet is facing.
The main category was won by computer scientist Mária Bieliková from the Kempelen Institute of Intelligent Technologies. In her research, she focuses on human-computer interaction, the trustworthiness of AI, among other things.
At the beginning was the computer mouse, then came the pen, then gestures. When it came to language, people needed keywords and a computer understood how to communicate with them. Now we can communicate with machines using our own language, but that means we have to recognise the nuances of that communication, Bieliková told The Slovak Spectator.
Igor Farkaš, who won the award in the Outstanding Academic in Slovakia category this year, is one of the leading Slovak experts on AI. A professor at the Faculty of Mathematics, Physics and Informatics at Comenius University Bratislava, the robotics research he and his team are doing is unique in the country.
"Robots should perceive us as humans and be very sensitive to human signals. We don't want humans to adapt to robots, we want robots to adapt to humans so the former's behaviour suits the latter's needs," he said in an interview.
Physicist František Herman, who studies superconductivity, won The Outstanding Scientist in Slovakia Under the Age of 35 category. He works at the Faculty of Mathematics, Physics and Informatics at Comenius University in Bratislava.
After doing his postdoc in Switzerland, he returned to Slovakia since he wanted to work on his own project and liked the challenge. In the meantime, he hopes for a world that will not need to be reminded of the importance of science. In an interview, he shared his opinion about what that means and what to do about it.
Oncologist Michal Mego won the Public prize. He is the head of the 2nd Department of Oncology at the Faculty of Medicine of Comenius University and the National Cancer Institute in Bratislava. Prior to taking up the post he had worked abroad and he has used the knowledge he had gained at the Translational Research Unit.
The Slovak Spectator talked to him about what he learned abroad, the goal of the Unit, how patients are involved in oncology research, and teaching students.
Mária Bieliková during the ESET Science Award 2024 ceremony. (source: TASR)
Shedding light on Ancient Egypt
A group of Slovak Egyptologists, as part of a joint Polish-Slovak mission, have been investigating the archaeological site of Tell el-Retaba in the Nile delta since 2007. During Pharaonic times, Tell el-Retaba was part of a system of fortresses that protected Egypt from various Asian and Beduin tribes. It also provided access to raw materials and water supplies.
Over the course of 14 seasons, the discoveries have shed light on this part of the Ancient Egypt.
"[The finds] have filled gaps in knowledge about the Hyksos, the rise of the New Kingdom around 3,550 years ago, biblical history, the fortifications, civil engineering, military logistics, fauna and flora, climate change, soil formation, trade in the eastern Mediterranean, art, religion, and other areas," Jozef Hudec, of the Institute of Oriental Studies at the Slovak Academy of Sciences and head of the Slovak part of the team, told The Slovak Spectator.
This autumn, the group concluded its 14th season excavating the site. In addition to learning more about the fortress architecture, they also continued research on finds from previous seasons, including a considerable Hyksos grave, in the pit of which were found the remains of a buried donkey. This discovery is very significant, according to Hudec. Find out more here.
The Slovak team with the Slovak Ambassador to Egypt Lenka Miháliková (third from left). Jozef Hudec is fifth from left. (source: Veronika Verešová)
Recognition of more scientists
Martin Kahanec, the founder and scientific director of the Central European Labour Studies Institute, was elected to the Board of Trustees of Academia Europaea. In addition, he was appointed Vice-President of Academia Europaea. The institution serves as a pan-European academy of sciences.
According to RePEc, an international repository of economic publications, Kahanec is the most productive Slovak economist, among the top 9 percent in Europe. His research focuses on economic policy, labour and population economics, migration, among other things.
In recognition of his contributions to light pollution research over the past 15 years, professor Miroslav Kocifaj from the Institute of Construction and Architecture of the Slovak Academy of Sciences (SAV) won the Galileo Award. The contributions include the important research of skyglow, which helped us to better understand light pollution and its effect on the environment.
The award recognises individuals, groups and communities who try to preserve nighttime environment around the world. This is the second time the award has been given to someone from the former Eastern Bloc in the 21 years since its creation, and the first time a Slovak scientist won.
Scientific director of the Institute of Experimental Endocrinology at the Biomedical Research Centre of SAV, Daniela Gašperíková received a prize from the Slovak Endocrine Society and Czech Endocrine Society for her long-term contribution to systematic research in the field of endocrinology.
At the centre she leads a team that studies monogenic diabetes, monogenic obesity, the genetics of primary mitochondrial diseases, and hereditary hearing loss. She has also made significant contributions to the study of the etiology of the diseases, for which she has received several awards.
Two more scientists from the Biomedical Research Centre received awards. Professor Barbara Ukropcová and Doctor Jozef Ukropec won the Sečanského Cena award, given by the Obesity Section of the Slovak Diabetes Society.
Barbara Ukropcová is the founder and head of the Centre for Physical Activity and the Centre for Obesity Management. Her research focuses on systemic, cellular and molecular integration mechanisms of the body's adaptive response to exercise.
Due to its activities, the former won several awards. The latter is the first centre of its kind in Slovakia to be accredited by the European Association for the Study of Obesity.
Jozef Ukropec leads the Department of Metabolic Disease Research and specializes in molecular mechanisms that regulate metabolism in energy-demanding situations, such as cold adaptation, energy deficiency or energy excess, or intense muscular work. He was also nominated for the ESET Science Award in 2021.
Daniela Gašperíková. (source: TASR)
Overview of other research and development activities at universities:
Polymer scientists created an elastic DNA model; Slovak Academy of Sciences. It is difficult to come by a DNA model that one could touch and see its real mechanical and structural properties. The ones that exist are often incorrect in several ways. Slovak scientists have managed to create an elastic model that avoided the known deficiencies and disadvantages, and accurately depicts the key properties of DNA. SAV submitted a Slovak priority patent application for the model. Read more here.
Significant enhancement in GaAs HEMT thermal performance; Institute of Electrical Engineering of SAV and Slovak University of Technology. Together with their Chinese colleagues, the team achieved a significant advancement in high-electron-mobility transistor technology prepared from the GaAs semi-conductor. These devices are crucial for applications in space and defence technologies, communication, and quantum computing. Read more here.
Wastewaters treatment using innovative nanomaterials: Elucidation of mechanisms, Comenius University, lead scientist Olivier Monfort. Wastewater from municipalities, industries, agricultural activities should be treated before being released into the environment. However, current technology is not 100 percent efficient in this regard. The research group is investigating the use of nanomaterials to increase the efficiency of treatment employing advanced oxidation processes, as these can be integrated into current technologies. Read more here.
Development of innovative vegetable chips in the SUA Food Incubator, Slovak University of Agriculture in Nitra, lead scientist Adriana Kolesárová. A team from the university's AgroBioTech Research Centre have made it to the finals of the Challenger Science competition, held by the ESET Foundation and European Institute of Innovation and Technology. They have come up with a way to produce vegetable crisps with less salt, oil and without frying, while retaining vitamins, minerals and fibre. Read more here.
Abnormal Autonomic Nervous Regulation in Patients with Globus Pharyngeus, Comenius University, lead scientist Peter Lipták. Globus is the persistent sensation that one has something in their throat when there is none. The cause is not yet certain, a combination of factors is believed to play a role. This study, a joint work of a clinical workplace and a theoretical institute, found that patients with globus have abnormal unconscious responses to stress, which can influence their symptoms. Read more here.
Method for the production of composite magnetic powders by autonomous grinding, Institute of Materials Research of SAV. Materials scientists obtained an important patent in the field of mechanochemistry, in which chemical reactions are initiated by mechanical forces such as grinding, shearing, milling, or mixing. Their research involves generating mechanical force by acoustic energy. Read more here.
skQCI - Slovak Quantum Communication Infrastructure; Comenius University, SAV, the International Laser Centre, the Slovak National Center for Quantum Technologies; lead scientist Miroslav Grajciar. The goal of the project is to build a secure quantum communication infrastructure to serve as the basis for the Slovak national quantum network. Read more here.
Stylistics of multimodal virtual communication, Comenius University, lead scientist Michal Zoller. Due to a large part of our everyday communication taking place via digital technologies, the project studies how communication is changing within the electronic environment and how its common (but also scientific) perception needs to change in order for us to function healthily within it.
Plants along roads in Slovakia, Comenius University, lead scientist Božena Šerá. Native to North America, the invasive species Amorpha fruticosa used to be planted to reinforce the soil along the edges of roads, which are a potential source of seeds. However, its capacity for high reproduction and growth means it can displace native vegetation and reduce biodiversity. This paper studied its spread along all Slovak highways and expressways. Read more here.
Towards Sustainable Land-Use in the Context of Climate Change and Biodiversity in Europe, Slovak University of Agriculture in Nitra, lead scientist Danka Moravčíková. The project examines why actors decide on a certain way of using land and how these decisions can be guided towards socially oriented benefits. Researchers have collected the latest land use data across Europe and created a database for European countries to reveal how land is used. Guidelines were also created. Read more here.
The International Climate Psychology Collaboration: Climate change-related data from 63 countries, Comenius University, lead Slovak scientist Andrej Findor. The goal of the project was to help understand the psychology behind public opinion on climate change. This dataset can be used to further understand the psychological, demographic, and national factors associated with climate action at the individual level and their differences across countries. Read more here.
The interaction of aspectual values in speakers of Slavic, Germanic and Romance language; Comenius University; lead scientist Tomáš Hlava. The goal of the project is to study how the development of verb categories of tense and aspect in the interlanguage of learners of English and Italian.
Other Slovak science stories on Spectator.sk:
SPACE: Building on previous success, the Slovak space industry takes off. Slovak companies have more opportunities, with one sending its small satellite into orbit to continue the astronomical observations of its successful predecessor.
PHILOSOPHY: The Upanishads, philosophical texts older than ancient Greek texts, have been translated to Slovak for the first time. "The word upanishad refers to that which removes ignorance and brings self-knowledge. It also means a mystery. According to the Upanishads, knowing oneself is the greatest mystery," says the translator.
ASTRONOMY: Slovak astronomer helped discover a star which destroyed its own planetary system. Observations from the High Tatras were also important to the new study.
EDUCATION: Award-winning teacher Martina Gánovská on her hands-on approach to learning: Students beat climate anxiety by looking for solutions. The teacher, who says she tries to pass on her experiences of chemistry, talked to The Slovak Spectator about her educational journey, what she teaches her students, and a NASA project they are involved in.
ARCHAEOLOGY: A recent discovery in southern Slovakia has revealed gaps in our knowledge about the introduction of pottery in Central Europe. Around two dozen pottery fragments found in lake deposits have been dated to roughly 300 years older than previous known pottery in the region. What is surprising is that the pottery was not made by settled farmers, but by hunters and gatherers who moved from place to place.
OVERVIEW: Better cancer detection, diabetes cure, in the sights of Slovak scientists who try to improve people's lives.
ARACHNIDS: Venomous Black Widow detected in Slovakia for the first time in history. A female spider arrived in the country in a package with machine parts from California.
This article is supported by the ESET Foundation, whose annual ESET Science Award recognises exceptional scientists.
