Winners of the 2016 European Union Contest for Young Scientists Announced

The winners have been announced of the 28th European Union Contest for Young Scientists (EUCYS).

Between 15 and 20 September 2016, close to 140 young scientists aged between 14 and 21 presented a total of 80 projects from 37 countries to a panel of international judges at the Tour & Taxis Sheds in Brussels, Belgium.

The three first prizes of €7000 each were awarded to: Ane Espeseth and Torstein Vik from Norway for their Mathematics project on “Motivic Symbols and Classical Multiplicative Functions”; Valerio Pagliarino from Italy for his Computing project “LaserWAN: laser broadband internet connection”; and River Grace from the USA for his Biology project “Shining a Light on the Blind: Evolutionary Regression and Adaptive Progression in the Micro-vertebrate Ramphotyphlops braminus, a Model for Understanding Brain Organization and Complex Neurological Disorders”. The second prizes went to teams from Germany and Canada and the third prizes were awarded to projects from Ireland, the Czech Republic and South Korea.

As a member of the EIROforum, which comprises eight major European Intergovernmental Research Organisations, ESO donated a special prize for the best project in the field of astronomical and space physics. The winner in this category was Tassilo Schwarz of Germany. For his project on a drone detection system, Tassilo will receive a trip to ESO’s sites in Chile, including visits to the Paranal Observatory and the ESO facilities in Santiago. The trip will offer unique insights into life at the most advanced astronomical observatories in the world, a dream experience that could inspire Tassilo to pursue astronomy and astrophysics in the future.

Set up in 1989, the EUCYS aims to promote the ideals of cooperation and interchange between young scientists and guide them towards future careers in science and technology.

Courtesy of European Southern Observatory