Winners of UkrNS National Essay Contest Took Part in the 4th European Nuclear Competition for High School Students

On 14–18 July 2025 in Bologna, Italy, the 4th European Nuclear Competition for Secondary School Students was held within the ENEN2Plus project. The event brought together young people from across Europe, giving them the opportunity to present their vision for the future of nuclear science and technology.

A team from Ukraine also participated—representing V. N. Karazin Kharkiv National University. The team included Associate Professor Inna Afanasieva (Educational and Scientific Institute “Physical and Technical Faculty”) and two prospective students, Kateryna Chkuaseli and Mariia Pcholkina—winners of the UkrNS All-Ukrainian essay contest “Nuclear Energy and the World” in 2023 and 2024.

The final stage of the competition brought together 15 teams from different European countries. The Karazin University team presented a project focused on PET-CT.

In addition to the competition, participants enjoyed a rich educational and networking programme: meetings with representatives of leading nuclear-industry companies and organizations, lectures on career opportunities in nuclear science and engineering delivered by speakers from SCK CEN, the European Nuclear Education Network (ENEN), the European Nuclear Society (ENS), and the FuseNet Association, as well as a visit to the Brasimone Research Centre of the Italian National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and Sustainable Economic Development (ENEA).

During the visit, participants attended lectures on the current state of development of Generation IV small modular reactors and toured research laboratories, where they learned about the latest research and developments related to lead-cooled small modular reactors.

We congratulate Mariia Pcholkina and Kateryna Chkuaseli on taking part in this inspiring and informative event and wish them continued success in the future!