SPONSORS AND PARTNERS: ® ® WWW.EUCYS2017.EU CONTENTS WELCOME TO EUROPEAN UNION CONTEST FOR YOUNG SCIENTISTS 2017 3 EUCYS 2017 ADVISORY COMMITTEE 8 EUCYS IN TALLINN 10 EUCYS 2017 PROGRAMME 13 OPEN DAY PROGRAMME ON 24 AND 25 SEPTEMBER 17 ESTONIA 19 TALLINN 21 VENUES 23 PROJECTS 28 PROJECTS BY FIELD 29 PROJECTS ABSTRACT 35 THE JURY 80 THE JURY FOR EUCYS 2017 82 THE PRIZES 93 THE TEAM 101 EUCYS 2017 – HOST ORGANISERS 102 EUROPEAN COMMISSION EUCYS TEAM 103 EUCYS 2017 ORGANISING TEAM 103 VOLUNTEERS 104 NATIONAL ORGANISERS 105 WINNERS 2016 - 1989 114 EUROPEAN UNION INITIATIVES FOR RESEARCH AND YOUTH 132 WELCOME TO EUROPEAN UNION CONTEST FOR YOUNG SCIENTISTS 2017 Dear Young Scientists Congratulations! You are here at the 29th European Union The Contest is about encouraging your talents. It is about Contest for Young Scientists because you won first prize at encouraging you to pursue careers in science, research and your national science competitions and are now representing innovation. It is also a great opportunity for you to meet new your countries at this prestigious contest. This is a fantastic people, learn about new countries and cultures and discover achievement and you should be very proud! the research being carried out by other young scientists. The European Union Contest for Young Scientists moves to When this contest started in 1989, the internet did not exist; a different European city each year. This year, the contest is smart phones did not exist and PCs were only getting off taking place for the first time in Estonia and we are delighted the ground. Can you imagine life without social media? The to be here. It is a very special time for Estonia as it currently contestants in 1989 relied on paper and telephones to talk to holds the Presidency of the Council of the European Union. In their friends and families. this role, the Estonian Presidency sets the agenda determining the topics and major issues that will be addressed in the These days, you can use FaceTime and Skype to contact your European Council in the coming months – and one of its friends - in fact, did you know that Skype was invented by priorities is young people and science! Estonian software developers Ahti Heinla, Jaan Tallinn, and Priit Kasesalu? Ebay acquired Skype for €2.3 billion in 2005 As European Commissioner for Research, Science and and Microsoft bought it in May 2011 for €7.5 billion! These Innovation, one of my priorities is also young people and days, most of the Skype development team and 44% of all the science. To solve the great challenges of our time, we need division’s employees are still situated in Tallinn and Tartu in more scientists and innovators in Europe. You are our future Estonia. scientists and innovators and you are the reason why the European Commission invests millions of euros in science Have a great time in Tallinn! I wish you well in your pursuit education every year through Horizon 2020, which is the EU’s of science, and I hope that participating in the Contest will research and innovation programme, and through the ever encourage you to go on to even greater things! popular ERASMUS programme. Carlos MOEDAS European Commissioner for Research, Science and Innovation page 4 EUCYS 2017 Tallinn Dear Young Scientists, Ladies and Gentlemen I am very glad to heartily welcome you to Tallinn on behalf of I firmly believe that young people, who are more adventurous the Estonian Government. and willing to go beyond convention, are the most valuable source of future discoveries in research for the benefit of the Estonia is a very exciting country, full of contrasts and I hope society and economy. This is why education and research need you can see and experience at least some of these when you’re to remain a high priority in the European Union. Initiatives, here. While about 50% of Estonia is covered with forests, we such as the EUCYS, are a great way to attract more young are proud of our digital society—e-Estonia, which includes people to research and showcase the great talent that we e-government, e-school, e-health systems, etc. Estonia’s have. In Estonia, we value education and research very highly. capital Tallinn is the best preserved medieval city in Northern We have one of the strongest education systems among all Europe, and at the same time it has been called the world’s OECD countries with very good results in PISA tests. Estonian start-up capital. We are famous for innovative thinking and research belongs to the upper 50% in the world in 22 science fast action—Estonia has more start-up companies per person fields and to the top 1% in many fields. We have universities than any other country in Europe. We owe all of this to smart among the top 2% of the world’s best educational institutions people like you. as well as universities belonging to the top 10 in Eastern Europe. We have a long-standing cooperation experience with It is a great honour to have such brilliant young scientists the Young Scientists’ Association, which provides secondary from all over the world here today and to organize the 29th school students the opportunity to get acquainted with the European Union Contest for Young Scientists, which coincides academic world as well as scientists’ activities in companies. with Estonia holding the Presidency of the European Council In addition, the Estonian Academy of Sciences established the for the first time. As the Minister of Education and Research I Estonian Young Academy of Sciences this year and I hope to am very happy to be able to organise this event here together hear more from young researchers in the future. with the Estonian Research Council. I sincerely hope time spent here will enrich your scientific life The EUCYS is a great platform to promote cooperation and and provide many good ideas. Estonia is a perfect place for interaction between young scientists. The Contest is the annual this—a combination of beautiful and pristine nature, a highly showcase of European students’ scientific achievement. The networked and innovative environment and a world-class EUCYS gives you good opportunities to compete with the best education system. of your contemporaries on the European level. I am certain that the Tallinn event will foster a creative atmosphere for I wish you unforgettable experiences in Tallinn. new ideas and opportunities. You can meet peers with similar interests and some of the most prominent scientists in Mailis Reps Europe. The EUCYS offers useful experiences for life and the Minister of Education and Research of the Republic of Estonia opportunity to get acquainted with diverse areas of science. You have already achieved a lot at home, having been chosen from amongst the best to represent your country at the EUCYS. I wish you the best of luck at this final international competition! EUCYS 2017 Tallinn page 5 Dear Young Scientists Welcome to Tallinn! In addition, Tallinn has excellent universities, why not look into them—maybe you would like to continue your education You are here during a significant time: it is the year we here? Take a look at our e-residency programme; it might be celebrate the 100 years of independence of the Republic of useful for your future ventures and connect you to Estonia Estonia. During the Centenary, Estonia holds the presidency more closely than a visit during this competition. of the EU Council for the very first time. These two—the Centenary and EU Council Presidency—suggest something You are here because you have invested significantly into about Estonia. Despite the young age of our sovereign state, learning and science in particular. Your chosen path has it is possible to assume responsibility and a leadership role in allowed you to succeed at something already. I would like to the union of European countries. congratulate you for your achievements and encourage you to continue on your path to learn, gather knowledge, and Tallinn is a city with a long history and rich culture. You will see eventually, create new knowledge. The latter is a difficult it everywhere here. Tallinn as a capital of Estonia upholds the mission. However, Estonia as a young country has proven values of the entire country. 2017 is dedicated to children and one thing—it is when we are still too young to realize certain youth; this year, we also celebrated high scores received by things are impossible that we achieve them anyway. Estonian children in the international PISA test—a recognition to our education system. Estonian basic education was Enjoy the competition and our city! deemed the best in Europe and the third best globally. It is not only education we value here, but also sports, music, and Mihhail Kõlvart the arts. For youth, there are many opportunities to engage Deputy-mayor of Tallinn in athletic activities, try different hobbies, master a musical instrument, sing in a choir, take dance lessons—to discover their passion. A vivid and powerful expression of this is the 12th Youth Song and Dance Celebration, which took place this summer. 8,500 young people came together to dance and more than 26,000 sang in a choir or played an instrument. page 6 EUCYS 2017 Tallinn Dear Young Scientists, dear National Organisers, It is a great honour for the Estonian Research Council to You are contestants but all of you are winners! The best have been given the opportunity together with the Estonian thing about this contest is that you will be able to meet many Ministry of Education and Research to organize EUCYS fellow students from other countries and make new friends.