37 medals for HZB athletes at the Atomiade
From the 5th to the 8th of June, 1,200 sports enthusiasts from 36 European research centres came to Mol, Belgium, for the Atomiade. The HZB team’s trip was an outstanding success.
3rd place overall in the Games
“We were only so far from overall victory because some of the teams came with twice to three times as many members, but our performance could be seen for itself. And maybe next time, even more sports enthusiasts of the HZB will come with us,” says Martina Stephan. The President of the HZB Sports Association coordinated the HZB team’s trip to the Atomiade.
In her short travel report, she writes:
“We set off at 6 a.m. on Friday, the 5th of June. After ten hours, at around 4 p.m., we reached 35 °C sweltering Mol in Belgium safely and comfortably, thanks to the nicely air-conditioned bus. The team was still in a good mood and full of anticipation. The hosts from JRC - Geel welcomed the teams of the 36 participating centres with an opening ceremony. And then on Saturday, at 8:30 a.m., the “work” began for the 14 light athletes, 9 badminton players, 2 tennis players, 4 swimmers and 1 cyclist. This was, thank God, at an agreeable 24 °C. Then on Sunday, the 7th of June, three HZB runners took part in the 10-kilometre run and three athletes in the triathlon sprint. The day’s programme also featured the end games for badminton and tennis. On Sunday evening, the 15th Atomiade came to an end with a closing event. The next morning, we set off back home and reached Berlin at 6 p.m. We had had a terrific few days. The friendly Games were greatly enjoyed by all the participants.”
In the coming weeks, the colleagues of the HZB Sports Association want to exhibit the cups and medals at the two HZB locations and are putting together a small slide show of the best moments. Martina Stephan and colleagues hope this will promote the Atomiade and, most importantly, the singular occasion to meet with people from different countries.
The greatest moments of the Games on YouTube
- New joint leadership for BESSY IIAndreas Jankowiak as new Technical Director and Facility Spokesperson Antje Vollmer share management responsibilities.
Prof. Andreas Jankowiak has been appointed Technical Director of BESSY II with a term of office of three years as of 1 June 2024 by resolution of the HZB board of directors. Antje Vollmer will start her second term as BESSY II Facility Spokesperson on 1 July 2024. Together, they form the new management duo to coordinate the scientific and technical development of the BESSY II X-ray source on behalf of the HZB management.
- Best Innovator Award 2023 for Artem MusiienkoDr. Artem Musiienko has been awarded a special prize for his groundbreaking new method for characterising semiconductors. At the recent annual conference of the Marie Curie Alumni Association (MCAA) in Milan, Italy, he received the MCAA Award for the best innovation. Since 2023, Musiienko has been carrying out his research project with a postdoctoral fellowship from the Marie Sklodowska Curie Actions in Antonio Abate's department, Novel Materials and Interfaces for Photovoltaic Solar Cells (SE-AMIP).
- ERC Consolidator Grant for HZB researcher Robert SeidelPhysicist Dr Robert Seidel has been awarded a Consolidator Grant by the European Research Council (ERC). Over the next five years, he will receive a total of two million euros for his research project WATER-X. Seidel will use state-of-the-art X-ray techniques at BESSY II to study nanoparticles in aqueous solution for the photocatalytic production of "green" hydrogen.