CATRIN and Fort Science held lectures for the Week of the Academy of Sciences
The Czech Advanced Technologies and Research Institute – CATRIN of Palacký University joined this year’s Week of the Czech Academy of Sciences with two lectures for high school students. At first, Lukáš Spíchal, head of the Phenotyping group, discussed the role of automated systems and robots in plant research, and a day later Jana Soukupová from the Nanomaterials in Biomedicine research group presented the possibilities of using nanomaterials in the medical field.
The Week of the Czech Academy of Sciences took place in the first week of November. The first lecture directed by CATRIN was given by Lukáš Spíchal, an expert in phenotyping, on Wednesday, November 3. “Automation and robotics are applied in many sectors of human endeavour. They speed up or streamline various procedures and processes in industrial production. However, they also find their firm place in plant research, where, in combination with remote sensing, they significantly increase the capacity and resolution of describing the properties of plants being studied,” Spíchal summarized the content of his speech. He also explained to the high school students how plant properties change depending on the environment and why it is necessary to study the phenotype of plants.
Author: Jan Andreáš/Pevnost poznání.
A small excursion into the nanoworld led by Jana Soukupová was taken on Thursday, November 4, by a group of high school students. Among other things, they learned that nanomaterials and nanoparticles in the size of viruses, proteins or cells can be effective helpers in the fight against various diseases. In the human body, they can act as probes that detect disease earlier than existing classical diagnostic methods. Similarly, they can treat, for example, cancer or bacterial infections more effectively than the drugs used so far.
“The topic was new to me. I haven´t come across much information on this subject before, I had only read a few articles. However, I was very interested and would like to learn more about these things. I enjoy natural sciences and I would like to pursue them in the future,” said Valérie Hoňková from the Silesian Gymnasium in Opava.
The Week of the Czech Academy of Sciences was linked to the Week of Science and Technology of the CAS, the largest science festival in the Czech Republic. It included lectures, exhibitions, events at workplaces, documentary film screenings, workshops and many other activities across the country and all scientific disciplines.