Young Science Congress: BMBWF and OeAD award science awards to schools from all over Austria

Most committed citizen scientists were awarded prizes for their contributions to one of 8 research projects

How do you create a dialect dictionary? How does plastic get into the environment? And how can pupils recognise advertising in Instagram posts? Researchers answered these and other highly interesting questions for the more than 600 people present at the 2nd Young Science Congress on 19 October. This year the event was held for the first time in cooperation between the OeAD and the Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA) in Klosterneuburg. Highlights of the event were the awarding of the Citizen Science Awards and the Young Science Inspiration Award by the federal minister Martin Polaschek (BMBWF) and the OeAD’s managing director Jakob Calice.
The minister of education, science and research, Martin Polaschek, is confident: "It is encouraging to see the great enthusiasm with which pupils and citizens of different ages and social backgrounds contribute to research and actively take part in scientific processes. This active involvement makes science tangible and understandable for the participants. In this way we create transparency and enable direct access to science, which in turn strengthens trust in scientific findings."
Citizen Science Award 2023
From 1 April to 31 July around 165 school classes and more than 3,300 pupils, six families and approximately 50 individuals took part in eight citizen science-projects. In 2023 families were also able to take part in intergenerational research teams in a separate category for the first time. 22 school classes, one family and two individuals were awarded the coveted Citizen Science Awards by the federal minister Martin Polaschek (BMBWF) and the OeAD’s managing director Jakob Calice.
The winners of the Citizen Science Award
The following schools won prizes:
From Vienna: TGM (Technologisches Gewerbemuseum), GRg 17 Parhamergymnasium, RG Feldgasse, HTLW13 Bergheidengasse, BRG6 MarchettigasseFrom Styria: HLW FSB Weiz, KLEX Klusemann externFrom Upper Austria: MINT-MS Wartberg, HAK Lambach, Adalbert Stifter Gymnasium/ORG der Diözese Linz, PTS UrfahrFrom Lower Austria: BG/BRG Stockerau, NÖMS Schwechat-SchmidgasseFrom Carinthia: HBLA PitzelstättenFrom Burgenland: BG BRG BORG OberpullendorfFrom Salzburg: Fachschule Holztechnikum KuchlFrom Tyrol: VS ArzlFrom Vorarlberg: BG Dornbirn
The winning classes received cash prizes of up to 1,000 euros from the BMBWF towards their class funds.
Persons present at the award ceremony in the category "Individuals": Jure Buric and Sabrina Piras. In the category "Family" the winner was the Cubela family. They received non-cash prizes donated by the respective projects.
"For the first time schools from all federal provinces were among the prize-winners in the Citizen Science Award. One of the great successes of the award is that it can enthuse citizens of all ages for research and science. The project leaders, in turn, gain new perspectives on their research subjects through the contribution of the citizen scientists. This is what is unique about the Citizen Science Award: science, schools and society come together in a relationship that is profitable for all participants," emphasises the OeAD’s managing director Jakob Calice.
Young Science Inspiration Award
The Young Science Inspiration Award was also awarded. All young people who had written their pre-scientific papers (grammar schools (AHS)) or diploma theses (colleges of vocational education (BHS)) on a topic suggested on the Young Science thematic platform were eligible to take part. Pupils who had used the platform can submit their completed papers for the Young Science Inspiration Award until 30 April of every year. This year 34 papers were submitted, 13 of which contained an inspiring or innovative aspect for researchers. From these a jury selected two pre-scientific papers and one diploma thesis for the finals. These young people had four minutes on stage at the Young Science Congress to convince the audience of their work.
Luka Crnov from the HTBLA Vöcklabruck (Upper Austria) won the first prize – with his presentation of the diploma thesis on "Planning and conception of a green modular house", which he had written together with Dominik Mandic, he not only convinced the researcher from the Vienna University of Technology but also the audience. He received the award endowed with 500 euros. Second place went to Liya Peceny from BRG Linzerstraße in Vienna. She presented her pre-scientific paper "Sports and menstruation – A contradiction? Effects of the menstrual cycle on performance and training of ball sports" based on the University of Vienna’s research project "Sports bra optimisation through simulation of movements". Helena Klein from the Lise Meitner Realgymnasium (Vienna) also came in second place. She wrote her pre-scientific paper, "The physiological properties of sharks and their applications in medicine and pharmacy", based on the research project "Marine pollution as a building block", which was carried out by the association "Project Manaia". The two in second place each received 250 euros.
The Young Science Congress also offered the opportunity to meet the researchers of the Citizen Science Award projects and the Institute for Science and Technology Austria during lectures, workshops and a science parcours.
Gaia Novarino, neuroscientist and vice president for science education at the Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA), warmly welcomed all guests: "We are pleased to be not only a cooperation partner but also the physical host of the Young Science Congress with our new ISTA Moonstone Seminar Center. It is a pleasure to see the young participants interacting with researchers from ISTA and researchers from the OeAD’s Citizen Science Award projects. Our institute will now engage in collaborations like this and in science education in general even more intensively with our new brand, VISTA."
Outlook for 2024
In 2024 it will be possible to participate in the Citizen Science Award again – this time schools, individuals, families and, for the first time, also youth groups are invited to take part in the projects and win prizes. The selected projects will be available on the OeAD’s Young Science website as of February 2024. The award ceremony will take place on 24 October 2024 in cooperation with the University College of Teacher Education Vienna/Krems at the Vienna-Strebersdorf campus.
Pupils using the OeAD’s Young Science thematic platform for their pre-scientific paper or diploma thesis can again submit their papers for the Young Science Inspiration Award until April 30.
Link to the APA photo gallery: https://www.apa-fotoservice.at/galerie/34650