Every year in April, the Institute of General Chemical Engineering organizes a sub-section of the RTU Student Conference of Applied Science “General Chemical Engineering and Chemistry and Engineering of Biomaterials”.
This year, on 28thof April, 64th Student Conference of Applied Science within the RTU took place.
The guest lecture “Tiny Titans: How Nanomaterials are Revolutionizing Medicine and Biology” was by leading researcher Antons Sizovs from Latvian Institute of Organic Synthesis.
23 students presented their research results, and the selected winners of the Student Conference for the best oral presentations were:
1st place – Anna Rubīna – 1st year master student (study programme: Chemisrty and Chemical Engineering), “Injectable hyaluronic acid/ε-polylysine composite hydrogels containing strontium hydroxyapatite nanoparticles for the treatment of osteoporotic bone fractures”, scientific supervisor: Prof., Dr.sc.ing. K.Šalma-Ancāne, Assist.prof., Dr.sc.ing. L.Stīpniece.
2nd place – Elīza Kauliņa – 4th year bachelor student (study programme: Chemical Engineering), “Epoxidation of a cellulose production by-product – tall oil fatty acids – and their methyl esters in a rotating packed bed reactor”, scientific supervisor: science assistant, Mg.sc.ing. R.Pomilovskis, consultant: Prof., Dr.sc.ing. J.Ozoliņš.
3rd place – Kārlis Grindulis – 4th year bachelor student (study programme: Chemical Engineering), “PDMS free organ on a chip device fabrication”, scientific supervisor: Prof., Dr.sc.ing. J.Ločs, consultant: Leading researcher, Dr.sc.ing. R.Rimša.
Certificate of Appreciation were issued:
- Ilva Lazdiņa – 4th year bachelor student (study programme: Chemical Engineering), “Studies of the impact of technological process of tire pyrolysis on environment and implementation possibilities in accordance with Latvian legislation”, scientific supervisor: Assist.prof., Dr.sc.ing. J.Mālers, consultant: senior consultant, Mg.sc.env. R.Veinbergs (Ltd. “ELLE”).
- Eleonora Rieksta – 2nd year master student (study programme: Chemisrty and Chemical Engineering), “‘Effect of the solid-to-liquid phase ratio on the properties of α-tricalcium-phosphate bone cements”, scientific supervisor: Prof., Dr.sc.ing. D.Loča.
- Renāts Vasiļjevs – 3rd year bachelor student (study programme: Chemisrty and Chemical Engineering), “Crystallization kinetics of gallium-containing amorphous calcium phosphate in different media”, scientific supervisor: Research., Mg.sc.ing. M.Ščeglova, consultant: Assist.prof., Dr.sc.ing. L.Stīpniece.
Previous student conferences
On 29th of April, 2022, 63rd Student Conference of Applied Science within the RTU took place.
The guest lecture “Individual biomaterials solution in Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery” was delivered by Ingus Arnolds Apse – researcher, medical assistant of the RSU Institute of Dentistry.
21 students presented their research results, and the selected winners of the Student Conference for the best oral presentations were:
1st place – Signe Zemjāne – 2nd year master student (Chemisrty and Chemical Engineering), “Effect of synthesis method and structural water content on the sinterability of amorphous calcium phosphate and properties on the ceramics obtained”, scientific supervisor: Assist.prof., Dr.sc.ing. K. Rubenis
Two 2nd places – Alise Švarca – 2nd year master student (Chemisrty and Chemical Engineering), “Calcium phosphate/hyaluronic acid composite hydrogels for local antiosteoporotic drug delivery”, scientific supervisor: Prof., Dr.sc.ing. D. Loča and Mairis Iesalnieks – 2nd year master student (Chemisrty and Chemical Engineering), “Photocatalytic activity of TiO2 coatings obtained a polymethyl methacrylate substrate at room temperature”, scientific supervisor: Prof., Dr.sc.ing. A. Šutka
3rd place – Anna Rubīna – 4th year bachelor student (Chemical Engineering), “Development of functional composite hydrogels for antiosteoporotic drug delivery”, scientific supervisor: Prof., Dr.sc.ing. K. Šalma-Ancāne
On 27th of April 2021 RTU 62nd Student conference took place remotely online.
The guest lecture “Possibilities of reconstructive microsurgery in Latvia” was delivered by Dr. Jānis Zariņš, plastic surgeon from the Microsurgery Centre.
17 students presented their research results, and the selected winners of the Student Conference for the best oral presentations were:
1st place – Kristīne Beļūne – 4th year bachelor student (Chemical Engineering), “Effect of composition on the properties of hyaluronic acid/ɛ-polylysine hydrogels“, scientific supervisor: Prof., Dr.sc.ing. D. Loča
2nd place – Elīza Tračuma – 2nd year master student (Chemical Engineering), “Development of controlled release gentamicin sulfate delivery systems based on calcium phosphate bone cement”, scientific supervisor: Prof., Dr.sc.ing. D. Loča
3rd place – Signe Zemjāne – 1st year master student (Chemisrty and Chemical Engineering), “Cold sintering of weakly crystalline apatite: effect of crystallinity and water content in the structure on its sintering ability”, scientific supervisor: Assist.prof., Dr.sc.ing. K. Rubenis
On 24th of April 2020, RTU Rudolfs Cimdins Riga Biomaterials Innovations and Development Centre organized the 61st Student Conference of Applied Science in the General Chemical Engineering and Biomaterials Chemistry and Engineering Section. The conference took place online.
The guest lecture “Application of Biomaterials in Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery” was delivered by Ģirts Šalms – the Doctor of the Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Clinic of the RSU Institute of Dentistry, Associate Professor of the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery of RSU, President of the Latvian Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons.
22 students presented their research results, and the selected winners of the Student Conference for the best oral presentations were:
1st place – Mārīte Skrinda – 2nd year master student (Materials Science), “Calcium phosphate cement for filling 3D printed porous titanium substrates”, scientific supervisor: Prof., Dr.sc.ing. J. Ločs
2nd place – Signe Zemjāne – 4th year bachelor student (Chemical Engineering), “Sintering of amorphous calcium phosphate with cold sintering process”, scientific supervisor: Resear., Dr.sc.ing. K. Rubenis
3rd place – Marika Mosina – 2nd year master student (Chemical Engineering), “Synthesis of amorphous calcium phosphate with controlled Ca/P molar ratio”, scientific supervisor: Prof., Dr.sc.ing. J. Ločs
RTU 60th Student Conference of Applied Science, in the section of General Chemical Engineering and Biomaterials Chemistry and Engineering, took place on 26th of April 2019.
Professor Anda Brinkmane, Head of the Department of Conservative Dentistry and Oral Health, RSU Faculty of Dentistry, Head of the Clinique of Conservative Dentistry, Ltd RSU Institute of Stomatology, gave a guest lecture “Oral Prevention Throughout Life”.
The authors of the three best oral presentation were:
1st place – Alīna Reķēna – 4th year bachelor student (Chemical Engineering), “Research and optimization of mammalian cell culture conditions”, scientific supervisor: Assist.prof., Dr.sc.ing. K. Veģere
2nd place – Artemijs Ščeglovs – 4th year bachelor student (Chemistry), “In situ synthesis of chemically cross-linked ɛ-polylysine and hydroxyapatite composite hydrogels”, scientific supervisor: Assoc.prof., Dr.sc.ing. K. Šalma-Ancāne
3rd place – Elīza Tračuma – 4th year bachelor student (Chemical Engineering), “Biomaterials for chronic wound care”, scientific supervisor: Assoc.prof., Dr.sc.ing. D. Loča
On 27th of April 2018, RTU Rudolfs Cimdins Riga Biomaterials Innovations and Development Centre organized the 59th RTU Student Conference of Applied Science in the section of General Chemical Engineering and Biomaterials Chemistry and Engineering.
The head of center, associate professor Dagnija Loča introduced the students to the lecture “Baltic Biomaterials Center of Excellence” dedicated to the H2020 project. Opportunities and challenges!”.
The guest lecture “Human Anatomy under Optical Magnification or the Science of Microsurgery” was given by microsurgeon Dr. Dzintars Ozols from the Microsurgery Centre.
20 students presented their research results.
The authors of the best presentations in 2018, together with the head of the department Assoc.prof. K. Šalma-Ancāne and the chairman of the conference A. Dubņika, are shown in the pictures.
1st place – Artūrs Šuleiko – 2nd year master student (Chemical Engineering), “Research of magnetic stirrers’ application in viscous environments”, scientific supervisor: Prof., Dr.sc.ing. J. Vanags
2nd place – Alīna Reķēna – 3rd year bachelor student (Chemical Engineering), “Recombinant cytokine mammalian cell biotechnology”, scientific supervisor: Lect., Dr.sc.ing. K. Ruģele
3rd place – Marta Lapiņa – 2nd year master student (Materials nanotechnologies), “Calcium ion supply systems based on hyaluronic acid/calcium phosphate hydrogels”, scientific supervisor: Assoc.prof., Dr.sc.ing. J. Ločs, consultant: Resear., Mg.sc.ing. M. Sokolova
The General Chemical Engineering and Biomaterials Chemistry and Engineering sub-section 2017 was opened by the guest lecturer Dr.med. Aigars Reinis, with the lecture “To be vaccinated or not to be vaccinated? That is the question!”
16 students participated with oral presentations including one international exchange student.
In the period from 2007.-2017. on average 24 students take part in this subsection each year, and in 2008., 2011. and 2012. the number of participants even exceeded 30.