The Neuron Foundation supported the Junior Science Conference and will make a scientific dream come true

Almost 60 young people aged 10–19 presented their projects at the two-day Junior Science Conference held by the Faculty of Science of Charles University in Prague. As part of its support for young researchers there was also the Children's Scientific Dream award, which the foundation traditionally presents at this conference. Who will turn their dream into reality?

Support for the Junior Science Conference falls under the Neuron Junior pillar, through which the Neuron Foundation helps beginning scientists among pupils and students. The point of the conference is to give young people a taste of the scientific environment and to motivate them to go on studying science and technology.

A presentation on preparing a nanofibre dressing for wound healing won the Children's Scientific Dream

Choosing among the talented presenters was not at all easy; the special Neuron Foundation award Children's Scientific Dream 2023 went to Terezie Štěpánková, a final-year student at the grammar school in Žamberk. The Neuron Foundation was struck by her project on preparing a nanofibre dressing for wound healing, above all by how well she combined science with practical use. But also by her expertise and her ability to present her main conclusions and respond readily to the jury's questions.

"From the start I liked the way the subject brings together chemistry, physics, biology and medicine; I was drawn by the possibility of translating laboratory research into a real application. I wanted to get to know nanofibres from the practical side too," Terezie Štěpánková says of why nanofibres in particular appealed to her.

Jaroslav Řasa, founder and patron of the Neuron Foundation, presented Terezie Štěpánková with a cheque to fulfil her scientific dream

And what scientific dream will Neuron make come true for her? Terezie is considering a specialist placement at one of the prestigious research institutions.

The winners of the 12th Junior Science Conference, or when the entries are so good that three places are not enough

The concept of the junior conference is based on the traditional idea of a scientific conference, only adapted to young participants. Young scientists become researchers who meet real experts, attend specialist lectures and workshops, have the chance during the "welcome juice" or "cocoa break" to talk with peers who share their interests, and then face the most important part — presenting their findings before an audience and a jury exactly as if they were at an ordinary conference.

The two-day whirlwind of science is divided among three age categories and five thematic areas: Earth Science, Living Nature, The Human Body and Medicine, Chemical and Physical Magic, and Hi-tech. From each age category the jury then selects the three best projects and their presenters.

Year by year the presentation skills of these young researchers and the quality of their work improve, which the jury members confirmed repeatedly this year, praising in particular their ability to convey even complicated subjects comprehensibly. Choosing only three winning presentations from each category was a superhuman feat, which is why special jury prizes were added.

The conference juror Daniel Svoboda tells the young scientists how he made his own scientific dream from Neuron come true

Daniel Svoboda: "Support from Neuron opens doors that would normally stay closed"

Incidentally, among the jurors of the 12th Junior Science Conference was Daniel Svoboda, who made his own Children's Scientific Dream from Neuron come true in 2018. Five years on, he still likes to recall how the activities that came with the "dream" set him on the concrete path towards being a scientist that he is now following.

"Thanks to the support, doors open that would normally stay closed. This support also often motivates you beyond the field you would normally be interested in. In my case I was always interested in security technology," Daniel Svoboda answers when asked how much Neuron influenced his subsequent steps in science.

Finding information on this subject in 2018 was not easy; what was available Daniel already knew by heart. So Neuron sent him into practice — as part of the Children's Scientific Dream he tried out his interest in security technology at the company Jablotron, where he was shown around by its founder and Neuron Foundation patron Dalibor Dědek himself.

Daniel still visits the Jablonec company for a summer placement today; in the summer he also develops young talents as an instructor at an electrical engineering camp, in the autumn he serves as a juror at the Junior Science Conference, and after his school-leaving exams he is heading for the Faculty of Electrical Engineering of the Czech Technical University in Prague, where he wants to focus on home automation to raise living standards. We are glad he stuck with his childhood scientific dream and look forward to hearing more about him!

Photo source: Faculty of Science, Charles University