In February, fourteen students from nine countries attended a seminar for recipients of the Fischer scholarship, which is awarded annually by the Faculty of Science to foreign students of doctoral study programmes. Young scientists from France, Iran, Iraq, Spain, India, Cameroon, Ukraine, China and Italy presented their projects focused on, for example, the study of prebiotic chemical reactions, optical tests of quantum thermodynamics, and 2D materials for energy storage.
“We are very pleased that the participation was greater than last year. It’s a good thing that the academic community is regularly acquainted with the activities of foreign doctoral students who have received the Fischer scholarship,” said Miloslav Dušek, Vice-Dean for International Relations.
Students individually presented their projects in which they outlined the course of their project and expected results. One of them was Rebar Mahmmud from Iraqi Kurdistan. “I presented the first progress report on my dissertation. As part of the project, I am preparing required maps of various kinds, such as geological, hydrogeological and aquifer maps or groundwater flow pattern maps,” he said.
After graduating from Sheffield University in the UK in 2014, Rebar decided to continue his studies. “After the Czech Academic City was opened in Erbil, I applied for a Fischer scholarship and they have supported me. When I got it, it was such a nice feeling, because one of my biggest dreams came true – studying at one of the high-ranking universities in the world – here now at Palacký University in Olomouc, in the field of Hydrogeology at the Department of Geology. This will allow me to serve and support the Czech Academic City project in Erbil and in the future even in the Czech Republic,” he said.
During the seminar, students also discussed stochastic nonlinear dynamics of optically trapped particles, the biomechanics and acoustics of human voice production, chemical and physical properties of molecular nanostructures on surfaces investigated by means of scanning probe microscopy, climate change and the agricultural potential of selected legume crops in East Africa, and Mass Spectrometry of Drugs of Abuse and Beverages.
The Fischer scholarship seminar was held at the faculty for the fourth time, this year under the auspices of Dean Martin Kubala. “The seminar was perfect, some of the students had very detailed presentations. For me, as a first-year student, it was a chance to get to know older students and get valuable advice from them,” added Rebar Mahmmud.