It's Hard to Believe How Much They Managed in Just One Week
Every year, students from Park Lane International School spend a week at the Droplet Laboratory as part of their work-experience programme. Our goal is to give them a glimpse of university life, scientific research and the surprisingly diverse world of chemical engineering. This year's group, however, proved to be exceptionally motivated and talented. Over the course of just five days, they not only explored our laboratories but also became active contributors to a real outreach project developed within the COST Action EuroCurvoBioNet (CA22153).
The project began with a visit to the Botanical Garden of the Faculty of Science, Charles University. There, the students collected pollen grains and other microscopic plant structures from a variety of species. Back at UCT Prague, these samples were examined using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), revealing a hidden world of remarkable shapes, textures and curvatures invisible to the naked eye.
But collecting samples and taking images was only the beginning. The students helped transform the raw microscopy data into a complete educational resource. They selected images, processed them, researched information about the plants and prepared materials that connect photographs of whole plants with SEM images of their microscopic structures. Some specimens were imaged in stereoscopic 3D mode, allowing viewers equipped with red-cyan glasses to experience the three-dimensional architecture of pollen grains and other natural surfaces.
The final result is the Hidden Curvature of Plants collection, an educational outreach activity developed within EuroCurvoBioNet. The collection will be used during outreach events at UCT Prague, in educational activities at the Botanical Garden, and as part of the EuroCurvoBioNet Teaching & Outreach Activity Box, where it will be freely available for anyone interested in microscopy, plant biology and the hidden geometry of nature.
Of course, the week was about much more than microscopy. The students spent time in teaching laboratories of the Department of Chemical Engineering, learning about unit operations and discovering what studying chemical engineering at UCT Prague actually looks like. They also visited laboratories of several research groups across the university and quickly learned that the range of topics explored at UCT Prague extends far beyond what most people imagine when they hear the word "chemistry".
Since they were hosted by our Droplet Laboratory, droplets naturally played an important role. Radim Ivanovič introduced the students to the topic of his Bachelor's thesis, demonstrated a robot he had constructed and showed them the fascinating pattern formation phenomena that can be observed in systems containing ethyl salicylate droplets. The students then carried out several experiments of their own, observing how surprisingly complex behaviour can emerge from seemingly simple chemical systems.
On Monday, Jitka assigned the students an unusual homework task: to read Karel Čapek's famous play R.U.R.. Throughout the week they occasionally wondered why they had been given literature homework during a science internship, but the answer arrived on Friday afternoon. A quiz awaited them, filled with challenging questions about R.U.R. Among the questions were: What was the name of the builder in R.U.R.? What gift did Harry give Helena? And which prestigious American publishing house released the English edition of Robot 100? The winner was Nina and she received a copy of Robot 100, a book edited by Jitka Čejková and featuring contributions from one hundred personalities from around the world.
The timing of the internship brought another unexpected opportunity. During the week, the annual Campus Dejvice Safety Day took place, filling the campus with rescue vehicles, emergency equipment, police demonstrations and technology exhibits. The students enthusiastically explored the event and experienced aspects of public safety and emergency response that are rarely encountered in a classroom environment.
And then there was Trip. Between laboratory sessions, microscopy, experiments, quizzes and outreach activities, the students somehow also found time to play with and walk Trip, Jitka's future guide dog, who is currently undergoing puppy training. Unsurprisingly, Trip quickly became one of the most popular members of the team.
Coincidentally, the students visited UCT Prague during a week when the latest QS World University Rankings were released. The university once again confirmed its position among the world's leading institutions, ranking among the top 30 universities globally in the faculty-to-student ratio and placing first among Czech universities in this category. While rankings are one way to measure success, we hope the students experienced the meaning of this result firsthand. Throughout the week, they had the opportunity to work closely with researchers, PhD students and undergraduate students, ask questions, explore laboratories and take part in activities that went far beyond a typical school visit. The personal approach, openness and friendly atmosphere that characterize life at UCT Prague are difficult to capture in statistics, but they are among the reasons why studying and conducting research here is such a rewarding experience.
Looking back, it is remarkable how much this group managed to accomplish in only five days. They explored university laboratories, learned about chemical engineering, performed experiments, discovered microscopy, contributed to an international science outreach project, read a classic science-fiction play, competed in a literature quiz and even helped exercise a future guide dog. We hope they leave UCT Prague with new experiences, new knowledge and perhaps even a greater curiosity about science and engineering.
Finally, we would like to thank Daniela, Oliver, Natálie, Nina and Alain for their enthusiasm, curiosity, creativity and hard work throughout the week. It was a pleasure to have you in our laboratory and to work together on a project that will continue to inspire future visitors, students and microscopy enthusiasts. We are grateful that you chose the Droplet Laboratory for your internship and wish you every success in your future studies and adventures.
