Alice became interested in chemistry as early as the seventh grade. Her interest was encouraged by her teacher, Tetiana Anatoliivna Syrotkina, while new opportunities for practical work emerged after she became acquainted with the laboratories of the Ukrainian State University of Science and Technologies.

In autumn 2025, a student of Dnipro Lyceum No. 144 named after Levi Yitzhak Schneerson, together with her team, took part in the Second USUST Hackathon. The team’s university mentor was Yaroslava Koltsova, Associate Professor of the Department of Chemical Technologies of Ceramics, Glass, and Biomedical Materials. In the “Engineering and Materials Science” section, the students presented the project “Eco-Friendly Porous Glass-Ceramic Materials” and took first place.

For Alice, the hackathon marked the beginning of further research. Having become interested in the properties of foam glass, she continued her research together with Yaroslava Koltsova. In the laboratory, she produced and fired samples, determined their porosity, studied chemical processes, worked with scientific literature, and compared the characteristics of different thermal insulation materials. At one stage of the research, a ratio of approximately 80% glass to 20% slag at a temperature of about 850 °C proved optimal. Alice presented the results of her work at the Junior Academy of Sciences competition.

Thus, Alice decided on the direction of her further development and, during the 2026 admission campaign, submitted her application to the USUCT SEI. There, she met Yaroslava Koltsova once again — this time as a member of the institute’s admissions committee.

Today, Alice is already a first-year student in the “Biomedical Engineering” specialty at the Department of Chemical Technologies of Ceramics, Glass, and Biomedical Materials of the USUCT SEI, and her story demonstrates how introducing school students to university laboratory facilities and working with lecturers can develop into a genuine educational and research trajectory.

For the department, this is also an example of the results of systematic career guidance: the school student came to the university hackathon, gained research experience, found a scientific mentor, continued her experimental work, and ultimately chose the university to pursue higher education.

Alice’s first university laboratory classes, new subjects, and research assignments lie ahead. Meanwhile, the Department of Chemical Technologies of Ceramics, Glass, and Biomedical Materials has gained a student who, even before enrolling, had already become acquainted with its laboratories, lecturers, and research activities.

More details are available on the USUST website via the link