EURECA-PRO organized the 18th Freiberg Colloquium of Young Researchers, which was held at TU BAF from June 3rd to 7th, 2024. The conference focused on "Responsible Consumption and Production in the Use of the Earth's Resources"
This event aimed to foster discourse on social, environmental, economic, and engineering sciences related to resource management, with a particular emphasis on Sustainable Development Goal 12. The colloquium promoted responsible consumption and production practices.
Twelve PhD students from different partner universities spent a week at TU BAF, where they visited Siltronic AG — one of the world's leading producers of hyperpure silicon wafers, and participated in a laboratory tour. The tour included visits to the Centre for Efficient High-Temperature Material Conversion, the Metal-Free Cleanroom Laboratory at the Institute of Mineralogy, and the Mining Simulators & Digital Mine Lab.
Students also enhanced their intercultural communication skills in academia by participating in a training session led by Kristin Ziegner-Llewellin from Hochschule Mittweida. Through the "Research Toolkit" training provided by Dr. Maria Machevariani, Dr. Jiangxue Liu, and Prof. Dr. Jan C. Bongaerts, they delved into cutting-edge trends and tools needed for young researchers.
During the last two days, PhD students presented their current research and competed in a contest showcasing their scientific and presentation skills. The level of presentations was so high that the jury awarded two prizes for each category.
The best research prize was awarded to:
- Magdalena Gwóźdź, Silesian University of Technology
"Tuning Thermal Properties of Sustainable Phase Change Materials Using Hydrogen Bonding Interactions"
- Nina Oehlsen, TU Bergakademie Freiberg
"Replacing Commodity Plastics: Using Aspergillus niger Mycelium Biomass as a New Engineering Material with Tunable Mechanical Properties"
The best presentation prize was awarded to:
- Komal Aziz, Silesian University of Technology
"Recycling of End-of-Life Tires: A Greener Way of Energy and Sustainability"
- Dickson Wachira, TU Bergakademie Freiberg
"Enhancing Traceability in Gemstones Artisanal and Small-Scale Mining (ASM) Using Blockchain Technology"
Students also selected the best presentation among themselves:
- Sofía Peláez, University of León
"Challenges and Opportunities for the Development of Sustainable Practices for Additive Manufacturing Techniques for Ceramics UV Laser Vat Photopolymerisation (VPP-UPL/C)"