Outstanding green visionaries from all over the world meet Germany´s sustainability research elite on a two-week science tour in October
New Delhi, 16/10/2018: The 25 winners of this year’s Green Talents Competition have arrived in Germany to attend the international Science Forum for highly gifted researchers from the field of sustainable development. Starting today, their individual research profiles will be presented on our website: https://www.greentalents.de/awardees-2018.php.
The Green Talents programme is under the patronage of the Federal Minister of Education and Research, Anja Karliczek. The award has been honouring talented researchers since 2009 and provides young scientists with a platform for sharing their views on green concepts to make our world a better place. This year, a high-ranking jury of experts selected 25 up-and-coming researchers from among the 736 applicants from more than 100 countries. For the first time ever, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Belgium, Ecuador, Mauritius, Sri Lanka, and Zambia are among the winners’ countries of origin. The prize comprises one of the treasured tickets to the “Green Talents – International Forum for High Potentials in Sustainable Development”.
In the coming days, Green Talents will be visiting hotspots of green science in eastern Germany and meeting with sustainability research elite and some of the most renowned research institutions and companies, including Dresden University of Technology, the Max Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry, the HEINZ-GLAS GmbH & Co. KGaA, the Energieavantgarde Anhalt, the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research as well as the Institute for Social-Ecological Research in Frankfurt/Main. By establishing contacts with the science community and exchanging ideas with its key innovators the awardees will be able to lay the foundations for future cooperation. These efforts are supported by the invitation to return to Germany in 2019 for a fully funded research stay at an institution of their choice.
The 25 Green Talents will be honoured during a festive award ceremony attended by representatives of the participating institutions, jury members, embassy representatives and other distinguished guests.
Ishani KHURANA, PhD student in Synthesis of Graphene Based Materials for the Removal of Water Pollutants; Research Focus: synthesis of graphene based composites for the removal of water pollutants; UNIVERSITY OF DELHI, INDIA. In the face of an increasing global population, water shortages and knock-on effects on ecosystems, biodiversity and landscape functions, the maintenance of sustainable supplies of clean water will be imperative for the wellbeing of societies. The jury especially appreciated Ishani’s sustainable approach, which aims to decontaminate water by using catalysts which are generated from plastic waste. Further efforts in promoting a green economy are essential and Ishani’s research is valuable in the pursuit of this goal.
Mohit SARAF, PhD student in Nanotechnology/Materials Science; Research Focus: nanomaterials for electrochemical energy storage and sensors; INDIAN INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY INDORE, INDIA
The jury recognised significant value in Mohit’s long-term aim and acknowledged the competitive results of his study. They were also impressed by his orientation on low cost and sustainable development of supercapacitor electrodes. The exchange with international experts and building of professional networks with Green Talents will help him attain his long-term goals.
Vishal TRIPATHI, PhD student in Environmental Science and Technology; Research Focus: bioremediation of contaminated soils for achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals; BANARAS HINDU UNIVERSITY, INDIA
The jury was impressed by the ambition and far reach of Vishal’s project, which will be invaluable not only for India’s ecology but for the global ecology. They see his work as related to sustainable cleanup technologies, which can be further used and developed by the knowledge he gains during the Green Talents Science Forum.