On 2nd November, 12th-grade students from Talsi State Gymnasium, who acquired chemistry, physics, and information technology in an in-depth course, visited the ISSP UL. The students aimed to learn what the everyday life of the institute’s scientists looked like and see the laboratories where science is made.
The students were welcomed by Lāsma Gaile, ISSP UL’s digital marketing and public relations specialist, who introduced the visitors to the institute’s most important facts and numbers, research directions, projects, and the impact of ISSP UL research in the Baltic region and beyond.
After the introductory part, students took a tour around the ISSP UL laboratories. First, they were welcomed into the largest laboratory of the institute, the Laboratory of Spectroscopy. Young researcher Kaspars Vītols explained to the visitors a variety of research methods related to optical, magnetic and electron spectroscopy that scientists use in characterizing the range of materials, including both bulk and polycrystals, glass, thin films, nanomaterials, liquids and gases.
Next, the students were taken to the Laboratory of Materials for Energy Harvesting and Storage, where research assistant Ināra Ņesterova informed the visitors about the battery research carried out in this laboratory.
At the Laboratory of Optical Materials, the students learned about the optical properties of the materials, saw some examples of luminescence, and the most feasible applications of optical materials were shown and explained.
In the last part of the excursion, students were introduced to the Nanotechnology Center of the ISSP UL. They learned about the research in microfluidics and microfluidics devices, such as organs-on-chips, and their role in the future of precision medicine.
After an almost two-hour excursion, during which students gained an overall insight into the everyday life of researchers and learned about education and career opportunities at the institute, students were given souvenirs. It is possible that these small gifts will remind the participants of the visit and an exciting experience at the ISSP UL and encourage them to choose a scientific career in the future.
