A large number of elementary and high school students, but also students of Montenegrin faculties, had the opportunity to learn about "technologies of the future" for the first time at the Science Days last week.
Among them are two of which Montenegro and the region could greatly benefit from shortly - three-dimensional (3D) printing and hadron cancer therapy.
All those interested in the 3D printing booth were greeted by many items made with the help of a special printer, including a bust of Nobel Prize winner Albert Einstein.
Visitors of the Science Days had the opportunity to become familiar with the application of 3D printing, learn the basics of modeling in specialized software, and look directly at the printer to create 3D figurines.
According to the Master of Science student at the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Luka Radunovic, interest in 3D printing has been overwhelming, partly attributable to the fact that this technology is relatively new.
"It is a new area in Montenegro. Even in the world is a new area and is under-explored. 3D generators are now being created for printing metal-based on generative design. This is a new method of element optimization. For example, if some mechanical elements, such as wheels, are taken, using certain wheelbase programs will completely disperse - they will have up to 20, 30 percent less mass and higher strength," Radunovic explained.
Radunovic with one of the made objects (Photo: Luka Zekovic)
For the last two years of the respective studies, he has been involved in 3D printing and its application in the university projects.
He added that in this area, they focused mostly on mechatronic devices, that is, they made various gears for transmitting power and energy and the like.
Radunovic is now on his master's degree in the direction of mechatronics.
He told “Vijesti” that he has already noticed progress in the direction of developing this technology in Montenegro.
“Starting from last year with the opening of the Open box studio and 3D room and other businessmen who produce certain elements of plastic, as far as I can see, it has been tremendous growth over the past year. And factories are about to open. Firstly because it is a lucrative business from their point of view, and secondly is useful from the point of view of a consumer," he explained.
Visitors to last week's Science Days had the opportunity to peer into one of Europe's largest research centers and beyond. The center that is the dream of all physicists - CERN.
One of those who has repeatedly visited this center based in Switzerland and has worked on several of its projects is Master of Physics Itana Bubanja.
Visitors at the booth where she was located had the opportunity to see animations from CERN in one place, as well as a demonstration of how to use particle therapy software for cancer treatment.
"The technique used at CERN - particle acceleration - is applied. So high-energy particles, high enough that they can be applied to humans, are sent to cancer cells where they ionize the environment and kill those cells," Bubanja explained.
She also had the opportunity to introduce high school students to the opportunity to attend a masterclass in Podgorica, which should be held this year.
3D printing interested even the youngest (Photo: Luka Zekovic)
"Where they will have the ability to treat the patient in a simplified way by using certain applications, i.e., to choose the mode and intensity of the beam, set the required angle, etc. "
State-of-the-art hadron cancer therapy is at the heart of the project to establish the International Institute for Sustainable Technologies in Southeast Europe (SEEIIST).
The location of the Institute should be known by the end of next year, or beginning of 2021, construction would start in 2023, and some five years later, the first patients would be treated.
The SEEIIST Managing Committee is chaired by the Minister of Science Sanja Damjanovic.
Text by Milos Rudovic, on October 13th, 2019, read more at Vijesti
