For the 17th year in a row, L’Oréal ADRIA and the Croatian Commission for UNESCO at the Ministry of Culture and Media awarded a total of four young scientists from the field of natural sciences, including interdisciplinary fields, with individual scholarships worth 5,000 EUR. One of this year’s proud laureates is our colleague Antonija!
Antonija Mravak is a research assistant/PhD student at the Center of Excellence for Science and Technology – Integration of the Mediterranean Region (STIM) at the University of Split on the project STIM-REI (Research, Education, Innovation) K.K.01.1.1.010003 in activity IA New catalyst for hydrogen storage based on metal-organic framework. Antonija is in the final stages of obtaining her doctorate at the Post-graduate university study of Biophysics at the Faculty of Science of the University of Split. The topic of her dissertation is Design of new heterogeneous catalysts for applications in renewable energy based on metal quantum clusters within the surrounding. The research is based on design of new nanostructured materials for hydrogen production and storage, as well as elimination of carbon monoxide. With the goal of elimination of carbon dioxide, new materials are proposed to convert carbon dioxide into useful products. The research contributes to the rapidly growing field of nanocatalysis, enabling the development of new solutions for a sustainable future. More about Antonia’s research work at https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1252-7390
The L’Oréal – UNESCO National Scholarship Program “For Women in Science” recognizes young scientists for their dedicated effort and work, and at the same time encourages and stimulates them to further research and scientific training.
“I am impressed by the fact that there are hardworking, conscientious, gifted young people who work patiently and selflessly, which makes us optimistic about the development of society in the future. Today, we are witnessing that in many areas the criterion of professional level and professional responsibility is being lowered, and these young scientists disprove this. These scholarships have a significant impact on changing stereotypes and demolishing traditional prejudices about female preferences for certain professions, and the awardees are important as role models, encouragement, and messages in society. They encourage young women to start doing science in today’s age of entertainment and spectacle when self-effacing scientific work is not popular among young people. We hope that this scholarship will be an incentive for many young girls to enroll in the faculties of natural sciences and to continue doing science. There is no doubt that science needs women”, pointed out academician Zvonko Kusić, president of the Selection Committee of the Program.
Sincere congratulations to our colleague Antonija and all the winners!
