Every year the Polish edition of National Geographic and its readers reward Polish scientists and travelers with the prestigious TRAVELERY prizes. In 2018, five projects were nominated for the award “for scientific achievements allowing better understanding of the world, people and cultures”.

The nominees included:
Dr Andrzej Stupakiewicz and Dr. Krzysztof Szerenos from the Faculty of Physics, University of Bialystok, for discovering the ultrafast data storage. The discovery allows computers to consume much less energy than today and work more efficiently .
Dr Gerard Gierliński from the Polish Geological Institute and National Research Institute for finding the oldest human footprints in Crete. The prints date back to 5.7 million years ago.

Professor Krzysztof Selmaj, head of the Department of Neurology at the Medical University of Łódz for the discovery of microRNA molecules that allow to diagnose multiple sclerosis.

Dr Eng Rafał Dalewski from the Warsaw University of Technology for constructing a flying “mechanical bee” – the world’s first autonomous robot for pollinating plants.

Professor Marek Naruszewicz from the Warsaw Medical University for explaining how oleacein works – a compound contained in extra virgin olive oil.

The decision on the competition will be made in June.