ENCOURAGING SCIENTIFIC THINKING AND FOSTERING SCIENTIFIC CAREERS IN THE ENVIRONMENT OF THE SLOVAK UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY IN BRATISLAVA

The Advanced Technologies Research Institute (ATRI) as a scientific institute has a unique position in the environment of Slovak universities. One of ATRI ambitions is to spread knowledge and foster science in the environment of the faculty and university with the expected outcome to wake and encourage interest in science among students and the public, promoting education and training in materials science, chemistry, information technologies and create a well-educated workforce for the future. The measures and tools implemented and planned to execute at ATRI, personal as well as institutional, to reach that goal are, among others presented here, the Minerva Group platform for undergraduate, graduate and PhD students, Young Trainees programs, Seminars with invited scientists, Science With a Glass of Wine meetings or pilot for faculty interdisciplinary R&D project. First success stories are the Think and go project developed by students in the Minerva Group resulted in a prototype of a brain-controlled electric wheelchair; individuals and teams of students with topics from Minerva Group won two independent sections in the faculty contest in student’s scientific activities; the faculty dean’s award for the best master thesis; two members of the Minerva Group are continuing in their studies as PhD students, first two trainees are finishing their scientific work at the ATRI.