[{"command":"openDialog","selector":"#drupal-modal","settings":null,"data":"\u003Cdiv id=\u0022republish_modal_form\u0022\u003E\u003Cform class=\u0022modal-form-example-modal-form ecl-form\u0022 data-drupal-selector=\u0022modal-form-example-modal-form\u0022 action=\u0022\/en\/article\/modal\/6069\u0022 method=\u0022post\u0022 id=\u0022modal-form-example-modal-form\u0022 accept-charset=\u0022UTF-8\u0022\u003E\u003Cp\u003EHorizon articles can be republished for free under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) licence.\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cp\u003EYou must give appropriate credit. We ask you to do this by:\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n 1) Using the original journalist\u0027s byline\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n 2) Linking back to our original story\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n 3) Using the following text in the footer: This article was originally published in \u003Ca href=\u0027#\u0027\u003EHorizon, the EU Research and Innovation magazine\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cp\u003ESee our full republication guidelines \u003Ca href=\u0027\/horizon-magazine\/republish-our-stories\u0027\u003Ehere\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cp\u003EHTML for this article, including the attribution and page view counter, is below:\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\u0022js-form-item form-item js-form-type-textarea form-item-body-content js-form-item-body-content ecl-form-group ecl-form-group--text-area form-no-label ecl-u-mv-m\u0022\u003E\n \n\u003Cdiv\u003E\n \u003Ctextarea data-drupal-selector=\u0022edit-body-content\u0022 aria-describedby=\u0022edit-body-content--description\u0022 id=\u0022edit-body-content\u0022 name=\u0022body_content\u0022 rows=\u00225\u0022 cols=\u002260\u0022 class=\u0022form-textarea ecl-text-area\u0022\u003E\u003Ch2\u003ECuriosity is most important trait in scientists \u2013 Matas Navickas, EUCYS prize winner\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ECould you explain a bit about the project you entered in the European Union Contest for Young Scientists? \u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u2018\u003C\/span\u003EMy project was to create a technology to shorten the juvenile period in apple trees. I produced a miniature flowering apple tree of the species \u003Cem\u003EMalus baccata\u003C\/em\u003E \u003Cem\u003Ex Malus prunifolia\u003C\/em\u003E, grown in a test tube. This sort of apple tree grows up to seven metres in height, blossoms red flowers, and grows apples of about one centimetre in size. In my test tubes, though, it is only five centimetres in height; moreover, after flowering it could be transferred and grown in pots.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u2018\u003C\/span\u003EI performed lots of experiments on selecting plant hormones, testing the medium for growing and propagating the tree, and initiating flowering. I also did genetic analysis in order to find a flowering initiation gene.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWhat are the uses of your work?\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018The developed flowering technology enables people to grow this mini-tree easily, and could also be useful for scientists working on shortening the juvenile period of plants \u2013 the time until the first flowering.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022img_legend\u0022 style=\u0022float: left;\u0022\u003E\u003Cfigure role=\u0022group\u0022\u003E\n\u003Cimg alt=\u0022A miniature flowering apple tree. Image courtesy of Matas Navickas.\u0022 height=\u0022150\u0022 src=\u0022\/research-and-innovation\/sites\/default\/files\/hm\/appleblossoms.jpg\u0022 title=\u0022A miniature flowering apple tree. Image courtesy of Matas Navickas.\u0022 width=\u0022200\u0022\u003E\n\u003Cfigcaption class=\u0022tw-italic tw-mb-4\u0022\u003EA miniature flowering apple tree. Image courtesy of Matas Navickas.\u003C\/figcaption\u003E\n\u003C\/figure\u003E\n\u003Cem\u003EA miniature flowering apple tree. Image courtesy of Matas Navickas\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018It expands the knowledge in the area and in the future, scientists can use my data for further experiments. The technology is used for shortening the juvenile period (important for breeders as it means the trees produce apples quicker). It could be used for business.\u2019\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWhat are you going to do with the EUR 3 500 prize money?\u003C\/strong\u003E \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018I\u2019m going to invest some of the prize money in my own laboratory because I have already founded one. The lab was invented because I started to work in plant biotechnology when I was ten years old. When you are small, no one wants to give you work in a big laboratory. It is a functional laboratory. It is in a garage basement and is divided into different scientific fields: plant biotechnology, cell biology and genetic research.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018I got support from my parents and other scientists, who donated equipment and reagents. Some were friends of my parents and some I approached by going to universities and making relationships and friendships.\u2019 \u003Cblockquote class=\u0022tw-text-center tw-text-blue tw-font-bold tw-text-2xl lg:tw-w-1\/2 tw-border-2 tw-border-blue tw-p-12 tw-my-8 lg:tw-m-12 lg:tw--ml-16 tw-float-left\u0022\u003E\n \u003Cspan class=\u0022tw-text-5xl tw-rotate-180\u0022\u003E\u201c\u003C\/span\u003E\n \u003Cp class=\u0022tw-font-serif tw-italic\u0022\u003E\u2018When you work in scientific fields there are a lot of mistakes. Never give up.\u2019\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cfooter\u003E\n \u003Ccite class=\u0022tw-not-italic tw-font-normal tw-text-sm tw-text-black\u0022\u003EMatas Navickas\u003C\/cite\u003E\n \u003C\/footer\u003E\n\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\n\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWhat would you like to do when you finish school?\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018At the moment I am in the 12\u003Csup\u003Eth\u003C\/sup\u003E grade. After school I\u2019d like to study molecular biology. My interest is in plant biotechnology and molecular biology. It is amazing to study life at that level. My career intention is to become a scientist and possibly go into research. I\u2019ll study at university and then see.\u2019\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWhat is your opinion of the EUCYS competition?\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018Everything started in Lithuania with a competition in my country, but it\u2019s a different level with an international competition. I don\u2019t have any words to express what I think about that competition because it is so amazing. I met new people with very bright personalities and I met scientists.\u2019\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWhat has happened since the competition?\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018I am communicating by email with one of the scientists on the jury who I met at the contest. Also we have a group on Facebook (the EUCYS Warsaw 2014 group) and we are conversing with other contestants and planning collaborative projects. So I think it will be very helpful in the future.\u2019\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWhat is your advice to other young scientists?\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018I think I would advise that they should never give up. When you work in scientific fields there are a lot of mistakes. Never give up and be creative also, that\u2019s very important. But the main thing that\u2019s important for scientific work is curiosity.\u2019\u003Cdiv class=\u0022moreinfoblock\u0022\u003E\n \u003Ch3\u003EEuropean Union Contest for Young Scientists\u003C\/h3\u003E\n \u003Cp\u003EThe EUCYS contest was set up in 1989 to help young researchers exchange ideas and encourage them towards a career in science. Many previous winners have gone on to successful careers in research at institutions such as the European Space Agency and the \u003Cspan class=\u0022st\u0022\u003EEuropean Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN)\u003C\/span\u003E.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ETo enter the competition, young researchers aged between 14 and 20 must have previously won a first prize in their national science competition, making it one of the most challenging science competitions for young people in the world.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe 2014 competition was held in Warsaw, Poland, where 110 young scientists from 36 countries presented 77 projects to a jury composed of prominent European scientists. More than 30 prizes were awarded at a ceremony on 23 September, including three first prizes of EUR 7 000, three second prizes of EUR 5 000 and three third prizes of EUR 3 500.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/textarea\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n\n \u003Cdiv id=\u0022edit-body-content--description\u0022 class=\u0022ecl-help-block description\u0022\u003E\n Please copy the above code and embed it onto your website to republish.\n \u003C\/div\u003E\n \u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cinput autocomplete=\u0022off\u0022 data-drupal-selector=\u0022form-m7iorkawnywl6eco0xuikkbpfsblztjmjov020gb51w\u0022 type=\u0022hidden\u0022 name=\u0022form_build_id\u0022 value=\u0022form-M7iOrKawNYWl6ECO0xuIKkBpfsBlZTJMJoV020GB51w\u0022 \/\u003E\n\u003Cinput data-drupal-selector=\u0022edit-modal-form-example-modal-form\u0022 type=\u0022hidden\u0022 name=\u0022form_id\u0022 value=\u0022modal_form_example_modal_form\u0022 \/\u003E\n\u003C\/form\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E","dialogOptions":{"width":"800","modal":true,"title":"Republish this content"}}]