Michaela Lastovickova (3rd-year Materials Science and Engineering) and Fasika Bekele (3rd-year Chemical Engineering) successfully passed the highly competitive first selection stage with two high-quality abstracts and attended the local heat of the competition, hosted by the London Materials Society (LMS) at Imperial College London.

They delivered the following lectures based on their ongoing research at QMCUR:

Michaela Lastovickova: Characterization of Electrically Active Defects in Ferroelectric Materials

Her lecture focused on the combination of experimental techniques used to better understand the influence of defects on the structure and properties of lead zirconate titanate (PZT), a prototype ferroelectric material.

Fasika Bekele: Living Microalgal Paint

Her lecture introduced a novel approach to creating sustainable living paint by encapsulating the green unicellular microalga Nannochloropsis oculata using a combination of biomimetic mineralization and cross-linking gelation.

Michaela and Fasika were the only undergraduate participants in the competition and courageously competed against more experienced master's and PhD students from various universities. They have honourably represented our team maintaining a high standard of presentation. According to IoM3 affiliates, both students performed phenomenally, delivering presentations that were nearly at the level of PhD or master's research. A relevant quote from Dr Melissa Tiskaya, Chair of the LSM, reads: "The judges and I were extremely impressed by the high-level talks delivered by undergraduate students, and their enthusiasm for their research was truly inspiring".

QMCUR's team congratulates them on this outstanding achievement. Their participation not only promoted the centre's initiatives and showcased the high-quality research being conducted but also provided them with invaluable experience. This accomplishment marks the beginning of QMCUR's track record in these competitions, building experience to further enhance the competitiveness of our students in future editions.