On the eve of the 444th birthday of Vilnius University, the second Science Sprint, a science communication competition, took place. This year, nine lecturer-student teams participated in the competition, in which they had to make a three-minute presentation of their research.
Representatives from the Faculty of Philosophy at Vilnius University – Odeta Geležėlytė, PhD, and doctoral student Augustė Nomeikaitė, achieved first place with their presentation, “Smart psychology: can an online application created by scientists help overcome stress?” Another team from the faculty – Assoc. Prof. Jurgita Lazauskaitė-Zabielskė and doctoral student Rita Jakštienė were awarded second place with their presentation, “Do we know how to accumulate psychological capital?”
From left to right: prof. M. Vengris, dr. I. Gendvilienė, E. Stankevič, A. Tarailaitė. © VU archive.
The Science Matters! team from the Faculty of Medicine achieved third place, and consisted of Professor Janina Tutkuvienė, Head of the Department of Anatomy, Histology and Anthropology, and students Lea-Annabell Storch, and Lauryna Abraitytė. They prepared a presentation on “Body image in children”. According to Professor Tutkuvienė, although the body image of adolescents and young people is a rather widely studied topic, it still remains unclear how the components of body image are formed during early childhood and what provokes negative body image. The professor further explained that the study of body image – a complex, multifaceted construct where biological, social, economic, cultural and many other factors interact – is very important in order to avoid negative attitudes, poor self-esteem, and even the development of depression in adolescence and adulthood.
The students of the Science Matters! Team shared their impressions of the competition. “Science Sprint was an incredible experience which provided an opportunity for me to speak on topics that really are of great interest to me,” L. A. Storch enthused. She was pleased that their team was among the best that had presented such excellent research at the competition. The other participating student, L. Abraitytė, explained: “For me, this topic was very attractive in its scope: I think it covers not only the field of medicine, but also psychology, public health, and even sociology. This was my first research project, where I was able to contribute by preparing a questionnaire adapted for children”. Both students enjoyed the opportunity to collaborate in the preparation of the research and thanked Professor Tutkuvienė for being a supportive and inspiring supervisor.
Third place winners: L. A. Storch and prof. J. Tutkuvienė. © VU archive.
Note that in the first Science Sprint, student Milda Vitosytė and Ieva Gendvilienė, PhD, team from the Faculty of Medicine, achieved the first place with their presentation, “3D printed bone – the future of medicine?”
Congratulations to students Lea-Annabell Storch and Lauryna Abraitytė, as well as to Professor Janina Tutkuvienė on their victory!