Three young female researchers - dr. chem. Daniela Godiņa, Dr. Phil. Anne Sauka and Mg. League Ignatāne - form Latvia have become laureates of the "Baltic scholarship for women in research 2024" competition announced this year by the Latvian Academy of Sciences and the Latvian National Commission for UNESCO.
The president of the Latvian Academy of Sciences, Ivars Kalvinņš, emphasizes: "The scholarship jointly established by the Baltic Academies of Sciences and the UNESCO national commissions of these countries is a support for our country's most talented and highest-performing young researchers who have earned this honor in fierce competition with their colleagues. The fields of activity of the winners of the competition represent both humanities and social science blocks, as well as research into the possibilities of using biotechnology and nanotechnology. I can note with satisfaction the very high level of applied research projects and the significance of the expected results in the development of Latvian research. We can also be proud of the fact that Latvian female researchers, despite all the difficulties, have managed to become important players not only in the Latvian research community, but also to successfully integrate into the international research environment."
"May the Baltic scholarship for women researchers be a breeding ground for new ideas and discoveries for the growth of society and help continue the research path," wishes Baiba Moļņika, Secretary General of the Latvian National Commission for UNESCO.
The Academies of Sciences of the Baltic States, in cooperation with the UNESCO national commissions, announced a joint scholarship competition for women researchers "Baltic Scholarship for Women in Science 2024" in June. Nine outstanding Baltic women researchers will each receive a scholarship of 7,000 euros.
The goal of the joint scholarship is to support female researchers so that they can build a career in the field of scientific research in the Baltic States, as well as popularize the achievements of young female researchers and encourage the most talented female students to choose the profession of a researcher.
The scholarship competition in Latvia was organized by the Latvian Academy of Sciences in cooperation with the Latvian National Commission for UNESCO and the financial support of the Ministry of Education and Science. In Latvia, 63 applicants applied for the scholarship. 50 applications were received in the field of natural sciences, engineering and technology, medicine and health sciences, and 13 applications were received in the field of humanities and social sciences.
DANIELA GODIŅA
In the Biorefining Laboratory of the Latvian State Institute of Wood Chemistry (LVKĶI), Dr. chem. Daniela Godiņa started working in 2014, while simultaneously studying in the natural sciences program at the Faculty of Chemistry of the University of Latvia.
The institute developed a bachelor's thesis "Studies of the stability of the main components of ethanol extracts of birch" and a master's thesis "Determination of biomass-derived levoglucosenone and its degradation products in fast pyrolysis products using the UHPLC-UV-QDa system". Daniela completed her doctoral studies at the Faculty of Chemistry of the Lithuanian University, combining them with work at LVKĶI. The aim of the doctoral thesis "Characterization of valorization products and process optimization of birch (Betula pendula) biomass growing in Latvia", which was defended as a set of 9 SCOPUS indexed publications, was to promote the complete valorization of birch (Betula pendula) biomass - both wood and bark - with high added value in products and develop a set of analytical methods for the quality control of processed products.
In total Daniela has participated in the implementation of 13 projects, mainly ERDF and ERANET. Along with working in research projects and developing a doctoral thesis, in January 2022, Daniela founded the LVKĶI Student Council and is its chairperson. Daniela is also a member of the Association of Young Researchers of Latvia and head of Nucleate Latvia. Speaking at several events, such as the Deep Tech Atelier and the Lampa talk festival, gave Daniela the opportunity to share her experience of research and science communication. Daniela regularly publishes in high impact-factor scientific journals, participates in international scientific conferences, as well as goes on experience exchange trips.
The Baltic States scholarship for women in research will be used in the development of the planned project "Synthesis of bio-polymer sorbents from extracts and suberin depolymerization products obtained from birch bark", which will provide valuable insights in environmental research and analytical chemistry, promoting cooperation and promoting sustainable development.
ANNE SAUKA
Dr. Phil. Anne Sauka is a leading researcher and associate professor in ethics at the Department of Philosophy and Ethics of the Faculty of Humanities of the University of Latvia.
Anne Saukas' interests in philosophy are basically related to the fields of environmental philosophy and ethics, biophilosophy, body phenomenology and new materialism. In the project, Anne Sauka emphasizes the importance of humanities and their contribution to ensuring a sustainable future, especially when looking for ethical solutions to improve human-nature relations. The researcher emphasizes that the lived materiality, that is, the environment around us and within us, is also significantly influenced by people's values, practices and attitudes - and therefore also by the dominant narratives, or stories we tell about the world. This guiding principle drives the researcher's interest in searching for new and already existing but marginalized stories that reflect our experience in relation to the world, in order to describe and experience the relation with nature in a non-hierarchical and symbiotic way.
As part of the awarded scholarship, Anne Sauka will work on the project "Life, environment and situated knowledge: Baltu mythology as a source of knowledge in environmental philosophy". In the project, the researcher will consider the significance of folklore as a situated, community-experienced knowledge in environmental philosophy, including highlighting philosophy and folklore as mutually complementary fields.
LĪGA IGNATĀNE
Since 2015, Līga Ignatāne has been a researcher at the Institute of Solid State Physics of the University of Latvia (LU CFI) and a candidate for a doctorate in science. The topic of the dissertation is the production of nanostructures with a focused ion beam. The availability of the latest generation dual-beam microscope right here in Latvia and the increasingly close cooperation with biologists allow creating new and more accurate solutions for the detection of various substances, even at low concentrations. During her master's degree, Līga worked as a physics teacher at the Valmiera State Gymnasium, while during her PhD, she worked part-time as the coordinator of the Physics Research Center of Taiwan and the Baltic States. Līga acknowledges that the received scholarship is a high evaluation of her research work so far, as well as a financial reward that will help her devote more time to the topic of her dissertation.
Līgas' hobby is folk dancing. Līga ended her career as a dancer as part of the dance ensemble "Daiļrade", but since 2021 she has been leading the youth dance group "Sadancis", where she also danced.
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