The last week of May belonged to the 11th Annual Spring School for Doctoral Students at UPJŠ. The university management, teachers, scientists, and researchers met with doctoral students at the SAV Academia Congress Centre in Stará Lesná from 26 to 29 May 2025. The event was officially opened by the Vice-Rector for Academic Qualifications and Doctoral Studies, prof. MVDr. Monika Halánová, PhD., who wished the doctoral students successful presentations, stimulating discussions, and a pleasant time: “I am convinced that this year’s event will also be full of inspiration, enriching you not only professionally but also personally, and will become an impetus for new ideas and cooperation.”
The program featured six plenary lectures by leading experts from Pavol Jozef Šafárik University in Košice:
Dr. h. c. prof. MUDr. Pavol Jarčuška, PhD.: HIV and other infectious diseases: facts and hoaxes
doc. MUDr. Silvia Timková, PhD.: From smoke to steam: The illusion of safety in the light of oral medicine
prof. RNDr. Renáta Oriňaková, DrSc.: Batteries vs. hydrogen: A clash of titans or just a bubble?
doc. PhDr. Beáta Ráczová, PhD.: Mental health: Weakness or strength?
doc. Ing. Silvia Ručinská, PhD., university professor: Internationalization of UPJŠ and mobility opportunities for doctoral students
Mgr. Martin Škára, PhD.: On possible worlds and possible beings – the case of Leibniz
Pre doktorandov boli pripravené aj dva workshopy so zameraním na čoraz aktuálnejšie témy a praktické poznatky z oblasti bezpečnosti a poskytovania prvej pomoci:
npor. Bc. Branislav Brdársky, npor. Bc. Ivan Blicha, nprap. Bc. Jakub Blicha: Nenechaj sa prekvapiť: Mysli ako obranca, nie ako obeť
MUDr. Ester Tomajková, MDDr. Jakub Jánošík: Záchrana začína tebou
Two workshops were also prepared for doctoral students, focusing on increasingly relevant topics and practical knowledge in the field
of safety and first aid:
npor. Bc. Branislav Brdársky, npor. Bc. Ivan Blicha, nprap. Bc. Jakub Blicha: Don’t be caught off guard: Think like a defender, not a victim
MUDr. Ester Tomajková, MDDr. Jakub Jánošík: Rescuing starts with you
The results of their research work to date were presented by 51 full-time doctoral students, of which 26 were doctoral students in the medical and natural sciences section (Faculty of Medicine and Faculty of Sciences) and 25 were doctoral students in the social sciences and humanities section (Faculty of Law, Faculty of Public Administration, Faculty of Arts). All participating doctoral students demonstrated the ability to clearly formulate the results of their work. “The Spring School for Doctoral Students has become an integral part of academic life at our university. It was created with the aim of providing a space for mutual meetings, exchange of experiences, and presentation of research results across disciplines. Our doctoral students are an integral part of the university’s research teams, participating in the discovery of new knowledge, pushing the boundaries of knowledge, and learning from their supervisors and colleagues,” said prof. Halánová, the Vice-Rector and editor of the proceedings of research papers that are the output of the Spring School. In many cases, networking among young researchers helped to form contacts that led to closer cooperation in interdisciplinary research teams. In addition to the presentations, those present also tested their knowledge in a quiz, in which they answered 40 questions from various fields. The first three teams with the highest number of points were rewarded (1st place: Biofyzikálni chvostoskoci team, 2nd place: Bio záťaž 3 team, 3rd place: Blondínky team). Congratulations!
Proceedings of the 11th Annual Spring School for Doctoral Students
We would like to thank all participants for a great program full of inspiring ideas.
