Left to right: Karen Slavin (EUCYS Leader), Leonardo and Ido, and Milan Macek (President of the jury). / © FJSL
Two 14-year-old Luxembourgers recently won the special jury prize at the 35th European Union Contest for Young Scientists (EUCYS) in Poland for their app AllergyScan, which helps users instantly identify allergens in food products.
Two 14-year-old Luxembourgers, Ido Somekh and Leonardo Magnani, recently won the special jury prize at the 35th European Union Contest for Young Scientists (EUCYS) in Katowice, Poland. Competing as the youngest participants in the event, Somekh and Magnani were recognised for their innovative project, called AllergyScan, a user-friendly app that scans QR codes on food packaging to instantly identify allergens.
According to a press release from the Luxembourg Foundation for Young Scientists (FJSL), the invention has the potential to greatly simplify life for millions suffering from chronic allergies, which is why the Luxembourgers came out on top of the competition and secured the prestigious €2,500 prize money.
Alongside Somekh and Magnani, Luxembourg was represented by two other individual competitors: 19-year-old Petra Straga, who conducted research on enzymes and their role in cell ageing, and Johann Bost, also 19, who analysed solar surface data to study the speed of spot propagation.
The Luxembourg Foundation for Young Scientists (FJSL) also invited two Romanian students, specialists in electronic component integration, to participate in the Luxembourg International Science Expo this November.
EUCYS, Europe's largest competition for young scientists, this year featured 143 participants, aged 14–20, from 37 countries, competing across 10 categories. EUCYS 2024 was held in Katowice, the 2024 European City of Science, from 9–13 September.
