Three people from the University of Gdańsk academic community were awarded in the contest for the best diploma thesis, organized by the Students' Parliament of the Republic of Poland (PSRP) and the Ministry of Science and Higher Education (MNiSW).

The contest’s jury, headed by prof. dr hab. Zbigniew Marciniak, Chairman of the Main Council of Science and Higher Education, selected the winners. Bachelor/ engineering, Masters and doctoral theses, defended in the 2019/2020 academic year, were awarded for the following categories:

• Innovative solutions for the economy
• Science to the benefit of the local community ( at the district, commune level, or lower)
• Teaching, science and higher education

The winner of the ‘Teaching, science and higher education’ category was the doctoral thesis of dr Tamara Walczak-Kozłowska, assistant researcher at the Institute of Psychology of the Faculty of Social Sciences of the University of Gdańsk. The awarded thesis, ‘Funkcjonowanie mechanizmów uwagi jako predyktor gotowości szkolnej dzieci urodzonych bardzo przedwcześnie’ (Functioning of attention mechanisms as predictor of very preterm babies education readiness) was written under supervision of prof. UG dr hab. Michała Harciarek and dr Magdalena Chrzan-Dętkoś.

Within the same category, among Master’s theses, mgr Marta Ryduchowska, 2nd cycle Pedagogy graduate at the Faculty of Social sciences of the University of Gdańsk, finished second with her thesis titled ‘Przemoc w liceum ogólnokształcącym w narracjach jego absolwentów’ (High school violence narrated by graduates) written under supervision of dr hab. Maria Groenwald, prof. UG from the Division of Research on Childhood and School.

The third place award, for the ‘Science to the benefit of the local community’ category, went to dr Ilona Kamińska from the Dean’s Office of the Faculty of Oceanography and Geography UG, for her doctoral thesis, titled ‘Oszacowanie wartości ekonomicznej procesów równoważenia skutków eutrofizacji - relacyjnej usługi ekosystemowej Zatoki Gdańskiej’ (Estimating economic value of balancing processes for eutrophication effects – Gdańsk Bay relational ecosystem service).

Monetary awards for the best 1^st cycle diploma thesis: PLN 4 000 (1^st place), PLN 3 000 (2^nd place) or PLN 2 000 (3^rd place). Awards for Master’s thesis: PLN 6 000 (1^st place), PLN 5 000 (2^nd place) or PLN 4 000 (3^rd place). Awards for doctoral thesis: PLN 10 000 (1^st place), PLN 8 000 (2^nd place) and PLN 6 000 (3^rd place).

Details on the PRSP website.

Translation: Adam Myzyk