The Department of Youth and Sports of the Kyiv City State Administration has started accepting nominations for the Kyiv Mayor's Award for Special Achievements of Youth in the Development of the Capital of Ukraine - the Hero City of Kyiv in 2024. The prize is awarded annually for scientific and creative achievements, as well as for contribution to the development of the youth movement.

About the winner. It is worth mentioning that last year, out of 20 prizes awarded to young scientists, creators and activists, half of them were received by representatives of Kyiv Polytechnic and graduates of the Polytechnic Lyceum of NTUU "KPI". Among them is Hanna Dorozhynska, a senior lecturer at the Department of Information and Measurement Technologies of the PBF.

The scientist, at that time a graduate student of the Department of Scientific, Analytical and Environmental Instruments and Systems of the PBF, began her career at Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute in 2016. And in June 2021, she successfully defended her dissertation and received the degree of Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Metrology and Information and Measuring Technology. The topic of her dissertation was devoted to the improvement of surface plasmon resonance (SPR) sensors, which are designed for real-time study of physical, chemical, and biological processes such as antigen-antibody interaction, oxidation, polymerization, etc. PPR sensors are used in research laboratories of chemical and light industry, medicine, and veterinary medicine, as evidenced by a large number of publications in advanced scientific journals with a high citation index. The researcher worked on her qualification work under the supervision of Professor Volodymyr Maslov at the Department of Scientific, Analytical and Environmental Instruments and Systems and at the Lashkariov Institute of Semiconductor Physics of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine (IFN NAS of Ukraine), which is one of the few domestic academic institutions where theoretical and experimental research in the field of plasmonics was first launched in Ukraine. 

It should be noted that while working on her dissertation, the scientist successfully used such modern analytical methods as atomic force microscopy, X-ray diffractometry and refractometry, infrared Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and, of course, the PPR method. It is interesting that the most important practical results in plasmonics were obtained using highly sensitive devices based on the phenomenon of the Plasmon series, developed by a group of scientists of the IFN of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine under the leadership of Yuri Valentinovich Ushenin. 

The scientific results obtained during his postgraduate studies were published in 27 articles (including 4 articles in journals included in the Scopus scientometric database) and were tested at more than 20 national and international conferences. The scientific novelty and practical significance of these results were confirmed by patents for the invention. In 2020, G. Dorozhynska was awarded an academic scholarship by the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine for her achievements in the scientific field. After defending her dissertation, Hanna Vasylivna continued her research work at the PBF Department in collaboration with scientists from the IFN of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine.

Research. Her research, as before, is aimed at improving the sensors based on PPR, improving their metrological characteristics and expanding the possibilities of practical application for the analysis of gaseous and liquid media. It is worth noting that the constant growth in the number of scientific publications on PPR sensors, which is 10% of the total number of publications on optical sensors, indicates the relevance of this topic. "PPR sensors are used to detect low concentrations of impurities in gaseous and liquid media, as well as the least noticeable changes due to biological interactions. The PPR method is used in analytical control methods due to its high sensitivity to minor changes in the test medium, expressivity, and the use of small sample volumes for control," the scientist said. With her participation, a new highly informative comprehensive method for determining the type of motor oil was developed and patented. The application of the PPR method made it possible to determine the presence of impurities in motor oils at the early stages of their operation, which is promising for the development of new oils and wear-resistant coatings for parts of the cylinder-piston group of engines.

In addition, it has been experimentally proven that the method based on the PPR phenomenon allows determining the polymerization rate and refractive index of photopolymerization compositions in real time, which can be used to develop new photopolymer compositions and optimize technological processes. This is important for optical production.

Collaboration. PPR sensors are a universal tool for studying various environments, so they are used in various industries and fields of activity. In addition to the Institute of Physics and Mathematics of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, the young scientist also collaborates with other research institutes and institutions. For example, together with the State Research and Control Institute of Biotechnology and Microbial Strains, she conducted research in the field of veterinary medicine, in particular, developed a rapid method for detecting enteroviruses in drinking water. It significantly reduces the duration of the procedure and does not require the use of expensive culture media and reagents. 

Moreover, research conducted jointly with Cherkasy Pedagogical University has improved the technology of manufacturing sensitive elements of PPR sensors, enhanced their performance and reproducibility of measurement results. A series of works with the L.V. Pysarzhevsky Institute of Physical Chemistry of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine concerned the determination of the polymerization characteristics of photopolymer adhesive compositions used in precision optical instrumentation for joining precision optical parts, including for the needs of military equipment.

Currently, G. Dorozhynska has more than seventy scientific publications. The main results are presented in 35 scientific papers published in domestic and foreign professional journals, including three monographs and journals included in the Scopus scientometric database. In addition, the scientist's copyrights to her scientific results are protected by 9 patents of Ukraine, including two for inventions. The young researcher reported on her scientific achievements at domestic and foreign scientific conferences.

What's next. What scientist does not dream of future achievements? Therefore, G. Dorozhynska's further research is focused on studying problems in sensing using nanotechnology, improving optical sensors based on the phenomenon of PPR, as well as using the results obtained in industry, research and in the educational process of Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute. In general, the results of her scientific work are important for the needs of medicine, industry, environmental monitoring, etc. In the course of her teaching activities, the scientist prepared and implemented three textbooks in professional and elective disciplines.

She works a lot with students and believes that perhaps her example will inspire some of them to pursue scientific work, as further research, development, and improvement are needed to realize the full potential of modern technologies. "Science has always been and will always be the engine of progress," the young researcher is convinced, "and fundamental scientific research on the most important issues is necessary to ensure Ukraine's competitiveness and sustainable development.

Nadiia Libert