Michał Papaj the University of Warsaw received the Gold Medal of Chemistry. The young researcher was able to enclose the cobalt atom in a single nanoparticle. His research may find applications in the creation of quantum computers.
The purpose of competition "Gold Medal in Chemistry" is to select the authors of the best undergraduate and engineering diploma papers in chemistry and on related topics.
"Michał Papaj uses single nanoparticles, objects with sizes ranging from a few to a hundred nanometers, not visible to the naked eye, to enclose the even smaller objects, namely cobalt atoms. He achieved unprecedented precision - one atom of cobalt per one nanoparticle. World championship, no less! His work would be a point of pride at MIT, Harvard or Oxford. This is world-class scientific research" - commented in an interview with PAP Prof. Robert Hołyst, director of the Institute of Physical Chemistry of the Polish Academy of Sciences, competition co-organiser.
The structure the winner has managed to develop, has interesting properties. "With light we can operate the state of a single cobalt ion, which is enclosed in a quantum dot, and use it to build a quantum memory, which might perhaps be a key component of a quantum computer" - told PAP Michał Papaj, who wrote his undergraduate paper at the Faculty of Physics, University of Warsaw. The winner received a prize of 10 thousand zlotys.
Silver Medal in Chemistry and 5 thousand zlotys went to Adam Aleksander Zieliński from the Faculty of Chemistry, University of Warsaw. The researcher has designed new ruthenium-based catalysts, which may be used in the synthesis of drugs or plastics. "During my research, I was able to synthesize new and previously not described metathesis catalysts, with higher catalytic activity than those currently commercially available" - said the winner of the Silver Medal in Chemistry.
The winner of the Bronze Medal in Chemistry, Renata Kasprzyk from the Faculty of Physics, University of Warsaw (2.5 thousand zlotys prize) in BA thesis focused on markers that in the future could be used to detect cancer. The method developed by the bronze winner uses graphene.
According to Prof. Robert Hołyst, the competition is a tribute to young researchers. "We are telling them: we care about you. Bachelor degree is the moment in life when a young person, perhaps for the first time, considers whether he of she wants to be a scientist. We want to help young people to take this decision" - said Prof. Hołyst.
"Chemistry is one of those fields in which Poles have a strong brand. The more reason to support talented young researchers who already at this early stage of their careers are developing this area of science. The Foundation for Polish Science supports the best, so that they can become even better. I hope that those awarded the Gold Medal in Chemistry will be the future winners of our programmes, such as the START programme for the most talented young scientists" - said the President of the Foundation for Polish Science Prof. Maciej Żylicz.
In addition to the main prizes, awards and cash prizes of 1000 zlotys went to four other winners. All finalists will have an internship opportunity at the Institute of Physical Chemistry PAS and free implementation of research in its laboratories in the form of projects. In addition, DuPont, the sponsor of prizes awarded this year, granted four additional awards and a prize of 2.250 zlotys.
PAP - Science and Scholarship in Poland
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