Youth Foundation
Carolina Coelho, 18, won the Eucys Silver Medal – I Contest for Young Scientists, which presses young scientists
Carolina Coelho won the silver medal from a European Commission for young scientists. The Portuguese student presented an alternative model viable to the canon model λcdm, to explain the dark energy.
The 100% Portuguese project “Observational Constraints on Vector-Like Dark Energy” received, this Friday, the second prize EUCYS – EU Contest for Young Scientistsorganized by the European Commission, equivalent to 5000 euros.
Carolina Coelhostudent at Carolina Michaëlis Basic and Secondary School in Porto, is the 18 -year -old phenomenon that raised the name of Portugal higher.
Coordinated by the teacher Elsa Alves and by the investigator Carlos Martinsthe “Observational Constraints on Vector-Like Dark Energy” analyzes an alternative model to the canonical model λcdm, called cosmic triadwhich uses vector fields instead of scalar to explain the dark energy.
For the first time, these models were compared to observational data, using statistical analyzes and cosmological data, concluding that vector fields are a viable alternative to λcdmwhich is an approximate description of cosmological evolution.
In this 36th edition of Eucys, organized annually by the European Commission, they presented themselves to the contest 85 projects in various areas of knowledge. This week, more than 150 young scientists, aged 14 to 14 and 20 years, were in Riga.
In addition to the “Observational Constraints on Vector-Like Dark Energy”, Portugal took the project “Use of human hair in the adsorption of polluted water dyes”developed by Madalena Silva and Neuza Rodriguesstudents from Azambuja Secondary School, with the coordination of Margarida Soares.
Young scientists have studied the use of human hair as an adsorbent material through their ability to remove dyes (methylene blue) from aqueous solutions, testing different parameters and evaluating the process in adsorption models (Langmuir and Freundlich).
The results showed Income of about 90% in just 30 minutesproving that the hair can be a promising adsorbent of dyes in industrial effluents.
In a statement sent to ZAP, the Youth Foundation recalls that these participations are ensured by the National Contest for Young Scientists and Researchers, organized by the 1992 Foundation itself, and is intended for young people between 15 and 20 years old, high school and higher education students (in the first year).
The Portuguese delegations in Eucys have frequently achieved distinctions. In the 2023 edition, the project Spider-Bach2 won the first prize. In addition to the 7500 euros, Afonso Nunes, Inês Cerqueira and Mário Onofre were also distinguished with the Special Award XFEL that guaranteed access to a one week experience in the European XFEL – European X-Ray Free-Electron Laser Facilityin Hamburg.
