Third place was won by Faculty of Science student Eliška Zgarbová in the national final of the international FameLab competition, held in the Prague Castle Ball Games Hall (Míčovna). She impressed the jury with her work Farmers’ Market: Freshly Grown Human Intestine focused on organoid technology that can be used to investigate intestinal inflammation. An organoid is a miniaturised and simplified version of an organ produced in vitro that exhibits realistic microanatomy.
“The feelings I am experiencing now are mainly shock, surprise, and excitement. I never expected to get anywhere near third place. I really appreciate that the jury awarded my contribution. It is a great honour for me. The hardest thing was to prepare myself to talk about my research at Prague Castle in front of 300 people. I had to prepare my presentation in such a way that it would cover all the important information but would not bore the audience. There was a time limit of three minutes,” said Zgarbová.
Zgarbová, a PhD student in the Department of Cell Biology and Genetics and also a UP Endowment Fund scholarship holder, commented, “Probably everyone has heard of Crohn’s disease, which can turn patients’ lives upside down. We scientists still do not know exactly how this disease arises. However, how can we study the mechanism of such a complex disease as inflammation taking place inside the human body? Simple – thanks to organoids, we can grow a model of the human intestine directly in the lab. This allows us to investigate disease mechanisms and new treatments in the laboratory without the presence of a living patient. In a way, we can say that we are ‘cultivating’ miniature versions of human organs,” she added.
Zgarbová was inspired to enter the competition by the UP Endowment Fund, which supported her student project in 2023. “It was an internship at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, where I was able to work alongside world-leading scientists and improve my knowledge of organoid technology. Thanks to the Fund, I then attended several lectures and workshops, where I presented the results of my project,” the student added.
The UP Endowment Fund financially supports the implementation of projects by scholarship holders; the UP Career Centre aims to support self-development, career direction and popularisation of science. “Students can take advantage of career counselling, coaching, and participate in workshops tailored to the needs of the scholarship holders. I am very glad that Eliška accepted the challenge and that I could accompany her in the preparations for the competition. I would like to remind everyone that the support of the Talented Palacký project is open to all university students and those who wish to popularise science can contact me at any time,” said Katrin Stark from the UP Endowment Fund.
FameLab is a “stand-up” science competition organised by the British Council in the Czech Republic since 2011. The competition has its roots in England and aims to find new talents in the field of science popularisation. Nine contestants advanced to this year’s national final. They had three minutes to explain their scientific topic to the jury and the audience, with clarity and charisma – and without using audio-visual equipment.
FameLab is a “stand-up” science competition organised by the British Council in the Czech Republic since 2011. The competition has its roots in England and aims to find new talents in the field of science popularisation. Nine contestants advanced to this year’s national final. They had three minutes to explain their scientific topic to the jury and the audience, with clarity and charisma – and without using audio-visual equipment.