UG scientists support young researchers!

NAUKA POMAGA - POMÓŻ NAUCE (SCIENCE HELPS - HELP SCIENCE) - with this slogan, the Foundation for Polish Science encourages you to donate 1.5% of your tax to young researchers! Three female scientists from the UG joined the campaign: prof. dr hab. Natalia Marek-Trzonkowska, dr hab. Danuta Gutowska-Owsiak, prof. UG, and dr hab. Karolina Pierzynowska.

prof. dr hab. Natalia Marek-Trzonkowska

I have the pleasure of taking part in the campaign of the Foundation for Polish Science, the aim of which is to support the most outstanding female researchers at the initial stage of their scientific professional development. I am the second letter ‘U’ in the important message NAUKA POMAGA - POMÓŻ NAUCE,’ says prof. Natalia Marek-Trzonkowska. ‘Without hesitation, I agreed to take part in this campaign. Scientific work is not only a job, but a way of life. Nobody chooses this work because of the money. It is not directly linked to good salaries in any country. Nobody chooses it because of power. This work is demanding and never ends, because more can always be done. This work promises a solution but never guarantees it. This work teaches humility, thoroughness and attentiveness.’

For more than two years, prof. Natalia Marek-Trzonkowska has headed the International Centre for Cancer Vaccine Science at the UG (ICCVS), where researchers from all over the world are working on cell therapy for non-small cell lung cancer. U’ is not an accidental letter here, as ICCVS researchers are looking to harness the power of the immune system (Polish: Układ Odpornościowy) as part of their research.

Interview with Prof. Natalia Marek-Trzonkowska

dr hab. Danuta Gutowska-Owsiak, prof. UG

In turn, the second letter ‘N’ in the slogan is represented by dr hab. Danuta Gutowska-Owsiak, prof. UG from the Intercollegiate Faculty of Biotechnology UG and MUG, who researches the mechanisms of proper functioning of the epidermis (Polish: Naskórek). Her research may lead to new ways of treating atopic dermatitis or preventing the development of allergies. The scientist and her team collaborate with, among others, the University of Oxford, the Karolinska Institute, and Imperial College London.

Interview with Prof. Danuta Gutowska-Owsiak

𝐝𝐫 𝐡𝐚𝐛. 𝐊𝐚𝐫𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐚 𝐏𝐢𝐞𝐫𝐳𝐲𝐧𝐨𝐰𝐬𝐤𝐚

The third UG researcher involved in the Foundation for Polish Science campaign is dr hab. Karolina Pierzynowska. The scientist presented the letter 'G' as Genistein, a chemical compound with great potential in the fight against neurodegenerative diseases. The researcher from the UG Biology Department wants to contribute to the development of new therapies for Alzheimer's and Huntington's diseases. For her scientific achievements, dr hab. Karolina Pierzynowska was included in Forbes magazine's list of 100 Women of the Year 2021, won the prestigious international award Future Science Future Star, the Jan Uphagen Award of the City of Gdańsk for Young Scientists, and the L'Oréal-UNESCO Scholarship for Women and Science.

Interview with Dr hab. Karolina Pierzynowska

The awareness campaign aims to encourage Polish taxpayers to donate 1.5% of their tax to support young scientists. In the case of the Foundation for Polish Science, all funds will be used to finance START scholarships for the most talented young scientists working in Poland. Such support for the first research projects was received, among others, by the above-mentioned dr hab. Karolina Pierzynowska. To donate 1.5% for the benefit of young scientists, in your tax return (PIT-28, PIT-36, PIT-36L, PIT-37, PIT-38 or PIT-39) in the appropriate column, please enter:

KRS of the Foundation for Polish Science: 0000109744.

Edit. MJ/ZP