Agata Kołkowska, a student of the Faculty of Chemistry at the Silesian University of Technology, took third place in the competition for the best poster, which was organized during the Annual Meeting and Expo.

The conference was held in Nashville. The competition was attended by 71 students and PhD students, mainly from the USA

- “I was one of two people, among twelve awarded, coming from outside the United States” – recalls Agata Kołkowska. - “It was a great opportunity for me to present my research to specialists and people closely associated with corrosion. The trip resulted in many scientific discussions, invaluable contacts, and proposals for cooperation.”

A student of the Silesian University of Technology presented a poster entitled “Plasma Electrochemical Oxidation for Enhanced Corrosion Resistance and Bioactivity of Nitinol.”

- "My poster included research on how to modify Nitinol's surface to increase its biocompatibility and resistance to corrosive agents. The research was conducted under the supervision of Prof. Dr Hab. Eng. Wojciech Simka as part of the Hybbistent project - M.ERA.NET 2” – explains the laureate. – “Receiving the award was a huge surprise. There were 71 posters at the poster session, so the competition was fierce. The biggest surprise was to receive the award in the same category as doctoral students, who often have much more experience in presenting their results, although a separate category was provided for students”.

In addition to Agata Kołkowska, Aleksander Olesiński, a PhD student of the Faculty of Chemistry, who presented his work: “Plasma Electrolytic Oxidation of Shape-Memory Nitinol Alloy for Biomedical Purposes” also took part in the event.