One of the winners of this year's CRYTUR Award for the best thesis in materials science, selected from more than fifty entries from Czech and Slovak universities, was Ing. Monika Kotyková, who, while studying at the Faculty of Nuclear Sciences and Physical Engineering at the Czech Technical University in Prague, also works in the Department of Optical Materials at the Institute of Physics of the Czech Academy of Sciences.
Martin Nikl from the Institute of Physics of the Czech Academy of Sciences received the Czech Technical University Medal, First Class. He received the award for his significant contribution to the development of scientific and educational cooperation between the Faculty of Nuclear Sciences and Physical Engineering of CTU and the Institute of Physics of the Czech Academy of Sciences in the field of materials research and applications (lasers, sensors, scintillation materials).
Scintillation materials play a crucial role wherever ionizing radiation or accelerated particle beams need to be monitored. There are increased requirements on them for example in accelerators in industry, electron beam detection in scanning electron microscopes, or in hybrid detectors for the new generation of medical imaging devices in positron emission tomography.
The prestigious prizes of the Technology Agency of the Czech Republic for the best projects accomplished in applied research in 2015 were awarded at the official ceremony in the new building of the National Museum in Prague on October 22nd, 2015. Among four award-winning projects, there were two projects that included teams from the Institute of Physics of the Czech Academy of Sciences (CAS).
Vítězslav Jarý won the first prize in the H. Becquerel competition which aims to stimulate Czech PhD students and to recognize their successful research activity in the development of utilization of nuclear energy.
