Rosatom announced the Global Hackatom in Nuclear Medicine competition for the second time, in which teams of university students from around the world are tasked with developing solutions covering the diverse fields of application and the latest achievements of nuclear energy, within 24 hours.
The first competition was held online three years ago, but this year the competitors are required to participate in the Global Hackatom in person. The nuclear energy corporation asked the University of Debrecen to hold the Hungarian round, co-organized by Tomsk Polytechnic University.
At the opening of the competition, Rector Zoltán Szilvássy praised the cooperation between the University of Debrecen and the top nuclear technology corporation, which was founded on a letter of intent signed in 2017.
“Thanks to Rosatom, we have upgraded our institution’s nuclear energy training facilities and we train various specialists in the fields of nuclear energy and nuclear medicine. In addition, our university is perhaps the only one in Hungary that deals with the research, production and distribution of radiodiagnostics and radiotherapeutics. At the Institute of Nuclear Medicine, we produce diagnostics containing short half-life positron-emitting isotopes and we practically supply most of Central and Eastern Europe. Thanks to the alliance between the university and Rosatom, the young people who have entered this competition will get close to cutting-edge technologies in the field of medicine, among others”, said Rector Zoltán Szilvássy.
In addition to the students from the host University of Debrecen, teams from Óbuda University also participated in the domestic competition, which was announced as Global Hackatom Hungary.
“One of the pillars of our cooperation with the University of Debrecen is nuclear medicine, the technologies of which are bringing extraordinary advances in the treatment of serious oncological diseases and the reduction of complications. In this field, young people who have applied for the competition receive information during introductory lectures that will greatly broaden their horizons and will certainly be decisive for their careers”, said Rosatom’s PR Manager, Lóránt Kóti.
The opening ceremony was also attended by Vladislav Biriukov, Attaché of the Consulate-General of the Russian Federation in Debrecen, who spoke highly of the initiative and the partnership between the University of Debrecen, Rosatom and Tomsk Polytechnic University.
The competition task for the teams was introduced by the director of the Nuclear Research Reactor of Tomsk University with a presentation.
Artem Naimushin presented in detail the current state and development directions of nuclear medicine technologies, the production of medical isotopes, nuclear and radiation facilities, and non-energy applications of nuclear and radiation technologies. After that, the competitors were tasked with developing a digital patient management system from diagnosis through the stages of treatment to rehabilitation and complete recovery.
“The goal is to motivate young researchers to learn about nuclear technologies and their safe use. We would like to see creative, novel case studies, solutions that serve the diagnosis and effective treatment of cancer patients. Nuclear technologies can also be a way out in situations where other technologies are ineffective”, said Vera Verkhoturova, Head of Department at Tomsk University.
Six teams from the University of Debrecen and two from Óbuda University began work after the opening and then presented their ideas the next day in a ten-minute time frame before a jury consisting of researchers from Rosatom, Tomsk Polytechnic University, and the University of Debrecen.
“The judges evaluate the most innovative, most effective and most adaptable solutions here, in the Hungarian round, and the winning team will have the opportunity to compete at an international level, in the international final in September, representing our country”, said Okszána Kiszil, Director of Coordination and Strategy of the University of Debrecen.
That team is called IsotopeX, a Philippines-Morocco-Pakistan trio of Sophia Palma, Mahnoor Riaz and Jomana Ben Khadra from the Faculty of Health Sciences of the University of Debrecen winning first place. Rector Zoltán Szilvássy offered all three students a two-year scholarship at the university’s Institute of Nuclear Medicine.
The members of FenntartAtom, representing Óbuda University, won second place, and the team called H2Hope from the University of Debrecen came in third.
Besides the winners, the most creative and the bravest speaker were also awarded at the closing ceremony of Global Hackatom Hungary in the Aula of the University of Debrecen.
Press Centre - TH
