Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ina Aneva, Scientific Secretary of the Biodiversity, Bioresources and Ecology Division of BAS visited the “Prof. John Atanasov” 4th Primary School on February 4 and introduced the 4th grade students to the activities of the Academy and the importance of scientific research.
During the meeting, Assoc. Prof. Aneva talked about the history of BAS focusing on the key moments in the establishment of the institution and the work of scientists in various scientific fields. Special attention was paid to the work of scientists who research the rich biodiversity and contribute to its conservation. The students learnt interesting facts about various medicinal plants, their distribution, medicinal properties and the efforts of scientists for the conservation of this natural wealth. An important focus was placed on thyme species and the challenges associated with their identification as well as on a new project that scientists from the Botanical Garden and the Institute of Biodiversity and Ecosystem Research – BAS were working on. The project aims to create an exemplary thyme plantation based on a scientifically sound selection of species with a clearly defined phytochemical profile which will optimise production processes and ensure sustainable production of high quality biomass.
Assoc. Prof. Aneva also talked about the High-School-Students’ Institute of BAS which gives students the opportunity to develop their own projects on a given topic with the help of scientists and present them to an audience of students, teachers and scientists from all over the country.
Students who participated in the meeting received a personal gift – a flash drive with the film created by Assoc. Prof. Aneva on the occasion of the 155th anniversary of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences.
