13 Young Scientists of the European Union. Competition

2001/09/24 Agirre Ruiz de Arkaute, Aitziber - Elhuyar Zientzia

• Sariak

This year three works of medicine, biology and earth sciences have received the first prize in the 13th edition of the Young Scientists of the European Union. In competition. Among the 65 papers presented, the winners have worked on the treatment of images of skin diseases, yeast resistance to drugs and the study of clouds.

95 young Europeans aged 15-20, including geology, biology, chemistry, computer science, mathematics, biochemistry, environmental science, medicine, physics and engineering. The first prize will consist of 5,000 euros, 3,000 euros the second and 1,500 euros the third.

Victor James Lee Mitchell, an 18-year-old from the UK, discusses in this paper the biochemical mechanism of resistance of Candida tropicalis yeast to various drugs. The 18-year-old German winner, Sebastian Abel, has analyzed the images of the terrestrial atmosphere obtained via satellite. He has compared land and sea clouds to determine their influence on cloud images. In this way, comparing photographs taken at different wavelengths in the same territory, has found the way to differentiate clouds from surface snow. On the other hand, the projection of the shadows of the clouds has intended to determine its upper and lower limits. This project can provide an intelligent solution for image processing.

Austrian youth Thomas Aumeyr and 19-year-old winners Thomas Morocutti have presented a project to treat skin diseases with the application of ultraviolet radiation. The devices currently used greatly affect the healthy skin of the area to be treated. In the system proposed by both young people, the digital camera and the radiating apparatus have joined each other by a computer. The digital camera will help to properly define the environment of damaged skin and allow devices connected to it to transmit radiation only to that part of the skin.

To participate in this European competition it is necessary that these works have been awarded in the Young Scientists Competition of your country. This year about 30,000 young people have presented their work at state competitions, of which only 65 have been able to participate in the European Union competition.

However, the European competition is held annually, the next one will take place in Vienna in September 2002.

More information at http://www.eucontest.org.