The Academy of Sciences has seven winners of the Werner von Siemens Prize, four of them are from the J. Heyrovský Institute.
In the twenty-third year, the Werner von Siemens Awards were selected by juries from 712 entries and 900 000 Czech crowns was distributed among the twenty-one winners. Women made up 35% percent of the entries, among the winner´s women represent 33%. The most, seven winners, are from the Academy of Science of the Czech Republic, of which four from the J. Heyrovský Institute of Physical Chemistry, followed by Charles University (6 winners), the third place is shared by ČVUT, VŠB-TU Ostrava and VUT Brno (2 winners each).
In the category of the most important result of basic research, the Werner von Siemens Prize was awarded to a team of authors led by RNDr. Martin Srnec, PhD, from the J. Heyrovský Institute of Physical Chemistry of the CAS and the Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry of the CAS for their work entitled A new thermodynamic factor controlling the kinetics of reactions with hydrogen atom transfer. Members of the winning team are also Ing. Daniel Bím, Ph.D., Carlos Mauricio Maldonado-Domínguez, Ph.D., and doc. Mgr. Lubomír Rulíšek, CSc., DSc.
Winning work is available here: ti-cws-2020-nejvyznamnejsi-vysledek-zakladniho-vyzkumu.docx
In the category of the best diploma thesis won Mgr. Lukáš Petera from the J. Heyrovský Institute of Physical Chemistry of the CAS and the Faculty of Science of Charles University. He received the award for his diploma thesis entitled Consequences of heavy bombardment for chemical and prebiotic evolution on early Mars and Earth. The thesis was created under the guidance of RNDr. Martin Ferus, PhD from the J. Heyrovský Institute of Physical Chemistry. It summarizes and interprets the results of laboratory experiments dealing with the consequences of the effects of asteroids on the evolution of young planets just before the possible emergence of life.
The diploma thesis is available here: ti-cws-2020-nejlepsi-diplomova-prace-1-misto.docx
The twenty-third year of the prestigious Werner von Siemens Prize, in which the Czech Siemens awards the best students, teachers and young scientists, took place in coronavirus pandemic conditions. This did not affect the quality of the submitted works, which was extremely high. Independent juries selected the best works, projects and personalities from the field of technical and natural sciences in these categories: the best result of basic research, the best diploma thesis, the best dissertation and the best pedagogical worker. Along with students, the supervisors of their work also receive a reward. This year, a special award was given for overcoming obstacles in the study, for the excellent quality of women´s scientific work and for the graduate work on the topic of Industry 4.0. For the first time, an award was given for a graduate thesis on smart infrastructure and energy.
About the Werner von Siemens Prize competition
The Werner von Siemens Award is organized by Siemens together with important representatives of universities and the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic who are also guarantors of individual categories and participate in the evaluation of the best works. The awards ceremony was provided by the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports, the Ministry of Industry and Trade and the Prime Minister of the Czech Republic. The partners of the competition are Siemens Mobility s.r.o. and Siemens Energy s.r.o. The Werner von Siemens Award is with its scope and amount of financial rewards and history one of the most important independent initiatives of its kind in the Czech Republic.
“Discoveries and innovation are the foundation of every company’s prosperity. We appreciate excellent students, young scientists and their teachers because without quality education, discoveries and innovations could not have arisen“ says Ing. Eduard Palíšek, PhD, MBA, CEO of Siemens Czech Republic.
“Transport sustainability and the associated reduction of the carbon footprint are key issues for Siemens Mobility. We are also directing investments in the development of alternative drives in the field of rail vehicles, such as battery and hydrogen alternative drives. That is why I am very pleased that the category of Smart Infrastructure and Energy was won by work dealing with the re-use of discarded batteries” says Mgr. MgA. Roman Kokšal, CEO of Siemens Mobility Czech Republic.
“Today’s energy, transport and industry are changing dramatically. The Czech Republic has taken the first steps on the path to sustainable emission-free development and it is a path that offers many opportunities. I see that thanks to quality teachers, a generation of young and passionate scientists is growing up. The scientists are finding these opportunities so we can benefit from them together“ says Ing. Jaroslav Lahoda, MBA, CEO of Siemens Energy, s.r.o.
