site.btaStudents from Natural Sciences, Mathematics High School in Vratsa Present Projects Part of European Nuclear Energy Competition

Students from the Natural Sciences and Mathematics High School in Vratsa presented solutions for food security, sustainable agriculture and clean drinking water through the use of nuclear technologies during a local conference held here on Tuesday. The event was part of BTA’s Europe on Balkans: Cohesion Skills project.

The students are participants in the fourth European Nuclear Energy Competition for Secondary Schools, organized by the European Nuclear Education Network (ENEN), and are ranked among the 15 finalists out of 132 participating teams. 

Eleventh grader Katerina Miroslavova emphasized that the main goal of ENEN is to make nuclear science education more accessible by creating new opportunities for training in different countries through funding worth over EUR 2.5 million. "Students, undergraduates and doctoral students are given the opportunity to participate in various summer schools and trainings, in which they can learn many things, with special attention paid to women in science and scholarships and workshops provided not only for their development in nuclear science, but in the field of physics in general," she stressed.

Students Yoana Yordanova and Tsvetelina Tsonkova presented the competition format, pointing out that in 2025, the 15 best teams, among which are both teams from the Vratsa High School, will participate in a summer school in Bologna, Italy, between July 14-18. The projects of the students are on the topic of Nuclear Forensics, with the sub-topic of Food Safety, Sustainable Agriculture and Clean Drinking Water. “We believe that the problems facing humanity related to these things can be solved with the help of nuclear technologies,” Tsonkova emphasized.

“We can boast that we are the only ones sending not one, but two teams from the school. There is also a very strong team from Kozloduy and we are very happy to be able to meet them,” Miroslavova said, adding that Bulgaria actively participates in such projects and that their mentor and teacher Pepa Pavlova was awarded Best Nuclear Science Teacher by ENEN a few years ago.

BTA's Europe on Balkans: Cohesion Skills project aims to raise public awareness and foster open dialogue about cohesion policy, local achievements, and the implementation of the EU's policy priorities. The project kicked off with a conference in Veliki Preslav in November 2024. The schedule of conferences until the end of September 2025 includes events in the following cities: Blagoevgrad, Burgas, Varna, Veliko Tarnovo, Vidin, Vratsa, Gabrovo, Dobrich, Kazanlak, Kardzhali, Kyustendil, Lovech, Montana, Pazardzhik, Pernik, Pleven, Razgrad, Ruse, Samokov, Svishtov, Sliven, Smolyan, Sofia, Stara Zagora, Troyan, Targovishte, Haskovo, Shumen, and Yambol. Cross-border conferences will be held in Belgrade, Bosilegrad, Bucharest, Edirne, Skopje, and Thessaloniki. The project builds on the Europe in the Balkans: A Common Future and Europe in Bulgaria: A Common Future projects, implemented by BTA in 2023 and 2024, respectively.