On 15 June, L'ORÉAL Baltic, in cooperation with the Baltic Academies of Sciences and the UNESCO National Commissions, awarded seven talented women scientists from the Baltic States as part of the prestigious Women in Science program. For their contribution to science and for further research the €6,000 prize is awarded to Dr.biol. Vita Rovīte, Mg.phys. Inga Pudža and doctoral student dr. Dana Kigitoviča from Latvia, Dr. Ieva Plikieniene and Mg.Sc. Joana Smirnoviene from Lithuania, as well as Dr. Kaija Pohako-Esko and Mg.Sc. Mari-Ann Lind from Estonia.
Mg.phys. Inga Pudža works in our institute's EXAFS spectroscopy laboratory as a scientific assistant. Inga Pudža is awarded the "Women in Science" prize for her work on the research of smart material copper molybdate (CuMoO4). It is a multifunctional material, with several promising properties, for example, it changes its color under the influence of temperature, pressure and pH. The aim of this project is to investigate and explain the relationship between the structural and functional properties of complex molybdate-based materials. The application of the research result is diverse, including the use of this durable and inexpensive material as a temperature indicator to control storage and transport conditions for products that are sensitive to certain temperatures, such as vaccines, chemicals, food and others.
Inga comments: "Receiving such an award is a good reason to eat a cake! I want to smile and am so happy about this achievement! The work is always better with supportive and nice colleagues. I would like to thank my adviser Dr.phys. Alexei Kuzmin, with whom I was so lucky to work with! And even though science has the potential to succeed for everyone, I really like the slogan of For Women In Science Awards: "The world needs Science and Science needs Women"!"
Since 2005, when the L'ORÉAL Baltic program was introduced in Latvia, 51 Latvian scientists have received recognition for their contribution to the field of science.
For women in science award program was launched 17 years ago in Latvia by the patroness of the program, Dr. Vaira Vīķe-Freiberga, L`ORÉAL Baltic, Latvian National Commission for UNESCO and Latvian Academy of Sciences. Today, the L`ORÉAL Baltic Awards Program for Women in Science, together with the three Baltic academies of sciences and the UNESCO National Commissions in Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania, promotes the professional development of Baltic women scientists, helping to achieve new goals and increase contribution to both science and society.
