Future Agricultural Researchers in Debrecen
According to the minister, due to its multidisciplinary nature, the University of Debrecen has a huge role to play in finding the answers to the global challenges, as this can only be done together with the related disciplines. István Nagy opened the Agricultural Science Section of the OTDK (National Scientific Students’ Associations Conference).
After twelve years, the University of Debrecen will be home to the Agricultural Science Section of the National Student Conference. Between 16-18 April, more than 300 students in more than 27 sections will present their research results on the agrarian faculty. In addition to the Hungarian higher education institutions, a large number of students arrived from Transylvania, Upper Hungary (Felvidék) and Southern Hungary (Délvidék), and for the first time in the history of the OTDK movement, secondary school students have the opportunity to test themselves.
- In our faculty, the scientific student activity has a history of six decades, during which time two and a half thousand agricultural students in Debrecen thought that they would see the future in research. In addition to the classical agricultural sciences, our talent education is now influenced by the food chain approach and we are just one step away from integrating it into the circular biomass economy system - emphasized István Komlósi the dean of the Faculty of Agricultural, Food Sciences and Environmental Management, at the opening ceremony of the OTDK.
The participants were also greeted by the dean of the Faculty of Economics, Károly Pető and Elek Bartha, the vice rector for education. In addition to the 150-year history of agricultural higher education in Debrecen, the university leader referred to the future and as he said: further development of agricultural training is among the strategic goals of the university.
- The Section of Agricultural Sciences of the OTDK is exemplary, because we want to rebuild the intellectuals of the Hungarian countryside and it is therefore of utmost importance that we encourage the high school age group to do a research career. We open this scientific talent management forum for them, which is unique in the world, and last year it became part of the Invisible Spiritual Museum of the Hungarians, emphasized Péter Szendrő, President of the National Scientific Student Council.
The Mayor of Debrecen also considers the search for talents to be decisive, so OTDK is a huge opportunity for the city as well, according to László Papp. He called collaboration with the university an efficient and future-oriented project, and the educational and research activities of the institution play a key role in the city's development program.
In his opening speech, the Minister of Agriculture encouraged young researchers to find answers to global challenges, and at the opening of the conference he said that knowledge could be the solution for everything.
- We face the challenges of global phenomena every day. There is no agrarian response to these, we can only develop the necessary solutions together with the related disciplines. The University of Debrecen has a tremendous opportunity to do it, but it is a task as well. As it works as a true universitas, the fields of science can integrate and together they can find the opportunities with which we can surely look into the future, said the Minister in response to the journalist’s question.
István Nagy mentioned, among other things, the achievements of the university in precision farming, as well as its efforts in food development and packaging technology. As he said, the activities of the University of Debrecen determine the present and future of the region. It expects innovative developments from the institution and the maximum practical use of research results.
During the ceremony, the first student lecture was also given. Zsófia Nyerges-Bohák, PhD candidate at the University of Veterinary Medicine won the right to be the first to present her research as a Tamás Roska-winner.