A total of 408 presentation proposals were submitted by students for this year’s Students’ Scientific Association (TDK) Conference, of which 98 percent were accepted by the TDK Council. Thus, 398 lectures were heard over the course of the three-day conference held in the NET Theoretical Block.
In his opening address, Rector Tivadar Tulassay expressed his certainty that, as in previous years, significant scientific successes would be borne out of this year’s TDK Conference. Dr. Tulassay remarked that he is aware of the fact that only a small portion of the several hundred students presenting at the conference will go on to become real researchers, but it is fine this way. “The point is for them to have become a bit ‘infected’ by research and a bit intrigued by solving secrets. If they carry this attitude into their future lives, they will also carry with themselves a high level of ethics wherever they may end up working,” Rector Tulassay said.
Dr. Béla Merkely, president of the TDK Council, chose a quote from Count István Széchenyi (1791-1860) as the motto of the 2012 Conference: “A nation’s true power lies in the number of its scientific people.” “This sentence has meaning and significance even today, even if these are slightly different now than they were then,” Dr. Merkely said. He emphasised that the goal of those involved in TDK education is to create workshops on par with European standards, which provide the conditions necessary for young researchers to thrive.
More than fifty of the presentations heard have been guaranteed a spot at the 31st annual National Students’ Scientific Association (TDK) Conference to be held in 2013.
Simultaneously with the traditional TDK Conference, the International TDK Conference was held for the first time this year. The event featured 42 lectures by students from ten universities across three continents.
Pálma Dobozi
Translated by Gina Gönczi
