The international activity of the Department of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering is an important aspect of the educational process and professional training of specialists. Staff and students of the department actively participate in international scientific events, competitions, and projects.
From 25 June to 7 July 2025, Professor Olha Paraska, Head of the Department of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, undertook advanced training and an internship at AGH University of Krakow, Poland. The internship programme included participation in the work of an international delegation of Ukrainian scholars at foreign higher education institutions (HEIs), in particular AGH University of Krakow, Jagiellonian University (Poland), ETH Zurich (Switzerland), and Sorbonne University (France). The purpose of the visit was to familiarise participants with the organisation of educational, methodological, and research activities abroad, documentation related to teaching processes at foreign HEIs, and to present biomedical engineering start-ups.
At the beginning of the internship, Professor Paraska became acquainted with the activities and research conducted in AGH laboratories of materials science, ceramics, robotics, mechanical engineering, bioengineering, space technologies, and astrobiology.
During her stay at AGH University, meetings were held with Professor Mariusz Giergiel, Honorary Doctor of Khmelnytskyi National University, and Professor Tomasz Buratowski, where prospects for cooperation were discussed.
As part of her visit to ETH Zurich (Switzerland), Professor Paraska delivered a lecture entitled “Life, Research Activity and Scientific Legacy of Microbiologist Sergei Winogradsky”.
The lecture sparked active discussion, as Zurich was the very place where Winogradsky conducted his detailed studies of nitrifying bacteria and the processes of nitrification, and laid the foundations of chemosynthesis. Professor Andrii Horban, President of the public association “Up to Future” (Kyiv), highlighted the importance of chemosynthesis in the transformation of chemical elements within biogeochemical cycles, underlining its relevance in ecosystem processes and today’s innovative technologies.
Together with Professor Fritz Gassmann, President of the Natural Sciences Society, and representatives of the Ukrainian Student and Scholars Association in Zurich, opportunities for cooperation and the development of start-up projects for students and young researchers were discussed.
In France, visits were organised to educational and cultural centres in Paris and Brie-Comte-Robert. Members of the international delegation attended the opening of a symbolic memorial plaque to the city of Horodok, which is a twin town of Brie-Comte-Robert. This event continued the tradition of international cooperation and confirmed France’s support for Ukraine in these challenging times.
During a warm meeting with Martine and Michel Piechaczyk, leaders of the association Les Amis du Vieux Château de Brie-Comte-Robert, the delegation for the third time took part in initiatives to preserve cultural heritage, the environment, and archival research, with opportunities for practical application of research results.
The delegation also visited the estate and laboratory in Brie-Comte-Robert, where the prominent microbiologist Sergei Winogradsky lived and worked during the last years of his life. It should be noted that Ukrainian researchers and members of the Winogradsky Club, Winogradsky School, and Winogradsky Hub, within the framework of cooperation, have the opportunity to take part in international events organised by the Up to Future Association (Kyiv), which enables the integration of modern European experience into the educational process.
Professor Olha Paraska expressed her gratitude to the Up to Future Association (Kyiv), Professor Mykola Humeniuk and his family for their constant support of Ukrainian scientists, talented youth, and educational and research projects in the field of natural sciences, as well as for organising the international internship programme.
The implementation of such initiatives will contribute to strengthening existing contacts and establishing new ones, improving professional training, forming new professional competences in teaching and research, familiarising participants with innovative educational technologies, the organisation of the educational process at foreign universities, R&D activities, and the adoption and integration of new forms and methods into the educational process of Ukrainian higher education institutions.