The 18th Freiberg Colloquium of Young Researchers was held at Technische Universität Bergakademie Freiberg from June 3rd to 7th, 2024, focusing on "Responsible Consumption and Production in the Use of the Earth's Resources."
Twelve PhD students from different partners universities spent a week in Freiberg, where they visited Siltronic AG - one of the world's leading producers of hyperpure silicon wafers - and participated in a laboratory tour. This included visits to the Centre for Efficient High-Temperature Material Conversion, the Metal-Free Cleanroom Laboratory at the Institute of Mineralogy, and the Mining Simulators & Digital Mine Lab.
Students also enhanced their intercultural communication skills by participating in a training session led by Kristin Ziegner-Llewellin from Mittweida University of Applied Sciences. They then delved into cutting-edge trends and tools needed for young researchers through the "Research Toolkit" training provided by Dr. Maria Machevariani, Dr. Jiangxue Liu, and Prof. Dr. Jan C. Bongaerts.
PhD students presented their current research and competed in a contest showcasing their scientific and presentation skills. The quality of the presentations was so high that the jury decided to award two prizes for each category.
The prize for best research was awarded to:
Magdalena Gwóźdź, Silesian University of Technology "Tuning Thermal Properties of Sustainable Phase Change Materials Using Hydrogen Bonding Interactions"
Nina Oehlsen, TU Bergakademie Freiberg "Replacing Commodity Plastics: Using Aspergillus niger Mycelium Biomass as a New Engineering Material with Tunable Mechanical Properties."
The prize for best presentation was awarded to:
Komal Aziz, Silesian University of Technology "Recycling of End-of-Life Tires: A Greener Way of Energy and Sustainability."
Dickson Wachira, TU Bergakademie Freiberg "Enhancing Traceability in Gemstones Artisanal and Small-Scale Mining (ASM) Using Blockchain Technology."
The students also selected the best presentation among themselves:
Sofía Peláez, Universidad de León "Challenges and Opportunities for the Development of Sustainable Practices for Additive Manufacturing Techniques for Ceramics UV Laser Vat Photopolymerisation (VPP-UPL/C)."
