For the fourth year in a row, the Faculty of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, Department of Chemistry, has hosted the, now traditional, international conference “Materials without borders”.
As in previous years, the basis of the conference was a competition of high school student teams for the best idea in the field of innovative applications of modern materials. It is with great pleasure that we highlight that this year’s conference is organized in synergy with the summer camp “Summer School for Students in B&H Focused on Environmental Chemistry”, held as part of the “ChemTeach” project, under the auspices of the ERASMUS+ programme. In addition to our study program, universities from the Czech Republic and Slovakia are also participating in this project.
The competitive part of the event was opened by the team “Assasino Plasticino” from the Gymnasium in Banja Luka, who did a detailed research on the trends in the production of biodegradable plastic, its properties, but also the potential dangers that its degradation products bring to all ecosystems. The fight to reduce pollution in the environment was also in focus of the team “Ozren” from the Gymnasium in Doboj. This team has introduced us to an innovative method for fixating CO2 from the air in peridotites, a type of igneous rock found in large quantities on Ozren Mountain.
Students from School of Technology in Banja Luka in their presentation highlighted the potential that secondary products from the mining processes have in the development of the circular economy, while the team from Banja Luka’s School of Medicine presented the possibilities of applying domestic raw materials in medicine and the pharmaceutical industry.
Finally, the winner of this year’s edition of Materials Without Borders was the second representative of Banja Luka Gymnasium, the team “ELEMICA”, with the topic named Electrical Mica for Europe. Their innovative idea is based on the use of mica, a silicate mineral that is present in BiH in significant quantities, for the production of biocompatible sensors.
In addition to five teams from Bosnia and Herzegovina, students from chemical high schools in Pardubice (Czech Republic) and Bratislava (Slovakia) also participated in the competition. Two teams from the Czech Republic presented their research on the topic of carbon materials and finding alternative resources for the extraction of pharmacologically active compounds, while representatives from Slovakia presented us some of the contemporary trends in the application of biodegradable medical materials.
Support for the conference was provided by the iMERMAID project, through the H2O PEOPLE organization from Netherlands. Their spokesperson, Naomi Timmer, promoted the importance of water conservation through an interactive workshop, using the Kahoot! platform.
On the second day of the conference, also supported through the iMERMAID project and its cascade subproject BRIDGEWAT, the students and their professors visited the company Roundliner BH d.o.o., which is engaged in the production of plastic packaging for industrial use. During this visit, the students had the opportunity to get acquainted with modern methods of processing and application of polymer materials. This factory uses 100% recycled polyethylene as a raw material and is a good example of the fight against plastic pollution. Students learned more about the growing threats of water pollution from micro- and nanoplastics. Prijedor was a good location for this education, given the beauty of the River Sana and the importance of its preservation.
We are very pleased to have gathered exceptional young people who are already showing great interest in the materials chemistry, but also in current challenges in the field of ecology and environmental protection. It is our job to bring them closer to the natural sciences through events like this.
Finally, we would like to thank the Ministry of Scientific and Technological Development and Higher Education, which, for the fourth year in a row, supports the realization of our conference.
SEE YOU NEXT YEAR AT MBG 2026.