Two “Evrika 2023” awards for young scientists of BAS

A ceremony for the winners of the Evrika (Eureka) Awards 2023 took place at the National Palace of Culture. The prizes were awarded in the presence of Vice President Iliana Iotova, the President of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences Prof. Julian Revalski, Member of BAS, the Chairman of the Council of Evrika Foundation Acad. Kiril Boyanov, the Vice-Rector of Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski” Prof. Madlen Danova, representatives of the scientific and academic community.

The Award for Achievements in Science was awarded to Asst. Prof. Eng. Dessislava Gerginova, PhD from the Institute of Organic Chemistry with Center of Phytochemistry of BAS. The scientific output of Dr. Dessislava Gerginova is impressive. She is an active participant in 22 scientific projects and is the leader of three. She has co-authored 14 publications and one book chapter. The aim of Dessislava Gerginova’s dissertation is to create new methods for detection and proof of adulteration of different types of food by NMR metabolomics. The main object of research is bee honey and wine from different geographical regions. As a result of the study, the optimal conditions and parameters for honey and wine analysis are established. For the first time, the presence of the reducing monosaccharide quinovose in bee honeys has been demonstrated, as well as the presence of significant amounts of trehalulose in honey from stingless bees. A wide range of chemometric analyses have been carried out to prove the botanical origin of the bee honey and the country of production. It has been found that wine from typical Bulgarian varieties is characterised by a higher amount of sugars and higher alcohols than wines from foreign grape varieties. By means of proton NMR spectra, methods have been established to prove diluted honey and wine. For the first time, the profiles of two types of pine jam and mead were determined by NMR metabolomics.

The Young Inventor Award was presented to Martin Ralchev from the Institute of Robotics of BAS. He is a co-author in three protected patents for inventions. These are a biaxial magnetic sensor containing Hall elements, a robot for cleaning floor surfaces and a robot for UV-disinfection. Martin Ralchev is co-author of two more inventions which are in the process of registration – a device for determining the physical and mechanical state of deformed rocks and building materials and a device for determining the mobility of current carriers in semiconductors. Martin Ralchev’s share in the five inventions is 75%. He has 30 publications refereed in Scopus and WoS and 62 citations.

The President of BAS Prof. Julian Revalski, Member of the Academy, noted how important it was to encourage young people at the beginning of their careers. In recent years in Bulgaria, more and more attention has been paid to science, to technology and inventors, to young entrepreneurs, and I hope that this trend will continue, he said.

Vice President Iliana Iotova congratulated the organizers and winners of the awards and stressed that science and university education go hand in hand in the name of and with faith in young people. The Chairman of the Council of Evrika Foundation, Acad. Kiril Boyanov, and the Vice-Rector of Sofia University Prof. Madlen Danova also delivered congratulatory addresses.

The Evrika Prizes are awarded in four categories – Young Manager, Young Farmer, Young Inventor and for Scientific Achievements. Scholarships were awarded to 43 pupils and students with outstanding abilities in science and technology. The prizes are awarded to young people for their significant achievements in science, for inventions of great social significance, for achievements in the management of business organisations, and for top results in the development of agricultural activities. Candidates for the Evrika Prizes must not be older than 35 years. They are nominated by public and business organisations, universities and scientific institutions.

For more information visit http://www.evrika.org/