Field of Natural Sciences

When Information Technology Meets the Universe Space exploration is becoming increasingly important, expanding humanity’s knowledge of the universe, promoting innovation and technological development, and attracting new talent to science. Her work highlights the importance of combining expertise from various fields to address complex scientific questions. At such a point of cooperation between technology and astronomy is the doctoral candidate Mg. sc. comp. Karina Šķirmante, a leading researcher and lecturer at Ventspils University of Applied Sciences (VeA). Karina’s research activities cover high-performance computing and data processing, focusing on space technology projects. She is actively involved in the European Space Agency’s Comet Interceptor project, which aims to launch a probe in 2029 to study a comet that has never come close to the Sun directly in space for the first time. In preparation for this mission, Karina, together with colleagues from the Ventspils International Radio Astronomy Centre (VSRC) of the Institute of Engineering Sciences of the Estonian Academy of Sciences, is modelling comet activity in the radio frequency band, in collaboration with researchers from the Tartu Observatory (Estonia) and Aalto University (Finland). This international collaboration is helping to develop and calibrate the instruments that will be used during the mission.

On April 9th, Ventspils University of Applied Sciences hosted Career Day 2025 , uniting high schoolers , university students , educators , and employers for a dynamic day of networking and hands-on experiences .

At the Elektrum Physics Festival, which will take place on April 12 at the ATTA Center in Riga, young people will be invited to engage in exciting physics discovery activities and explore future professions in STEM—science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. The final of the FIZMIX school knowledge and physics competition will be held for the 30th time during the festival. This will be the fifth edition of the festival, and this year's theme is "Mission: Future." Throughout the day, from 11:00 AM to 5:00 PM, visitors of all ages can participate in creative workshops and experiments that will test both intellectual and physical skills. The event will feature engaging activities presented by science centers from Latvia and Estonia, universities, extracurricular education institutions, companies, and entertainment centers. Each year, the festival is widely attended, with young people and families appreciating the meaningful way to spend their time—last year, it attracted around 4,000 visitors. Science centers and universities, including Ventspils University of Applied Sciences and Ventspils International Radio Astronomy Center, will offer various educational and interactive activities. Program: 11:00 – 11:25 Opening Ceremony 11:25 – 12:15 Discussion: "STEM Sciences: Future Professions" 12:25 – 14:00 Competitions, experiments on stage, activities, and prizes 14:00 – 14:15 Honoring long-time teachers 14:15 – 14:30 Announcement of FIZMIX competition finalists 14:40 – 15:40 FIZMIX competition final 15:50 – 16:10 FIZMIX competition awards ceremony 16:10 – 16:50 Concert: Fiņķis & Patrisha Organized by AS "Latvenergo," the FIZMIX knowledge competition and Elektrum Physics Festival aim to spark young people's interest in exact sciences, demonstrate how theoretical knowledge can be applied in practice, and encourage students to consider careers in STEM fields.

From March 21 to March 23, Ventspils University was the venue for the European University Alliance Colours hackathon "Combat Robotics" and the Ventspils Robotics Championship – one of the stages of the Latvian Championship. The event brought together technology and robotics enthusiasts from Latvia, Lithuania, Spain, Croatia and Egypt.

On Wednesday, May 28, everyone is invited to the Kurzeme Business Forum “Artificial Intelligence – The 4th Industrial Revolution”, which will take place at the Latvija concert hall. The forum will bring together entrepreneurs, municipal representatives, university staff and students, as well as technology experts to discuss the significance of education and the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on business. The first part of the forum will focus on the role of higher education in the AI era. The development of Ventspils University of Applied Sciences will be examined in this context, addressing key questions: How will the education system adapt to new requirements? Which professions will remain relevant, and which will change? The discussion will also explore the synergy between AI and cybersecurity in academic studies. The second part of the forum will address the question—do businesses need AI? The legal framework and state support mechanisms for such innovations will be introduced. Entrepreneurs will share their experiences, and participants will gain insights into common myths and the real situation regarding AI in Latvia’s economy. The discussion will conclude with an exploration of the opportunities for port development in the AI era. Participants will have the chance to engage in valuable discussions and networking sessions. Although the forum will be held in Latvian, the company SIA Tilde will provide real-time translation into any language using AI technology. Register for the forum now: https://www.kurzemesbiznesaforums.lv/ The forum is organized by Ventspils University of Applied Sciences within the European University Alliance COLOURS, in collaboration with the Ventspils State City Municipality, the Freeport of Ventspils Authority, and the Green and Smart Technology Cluster.

From March 21 to March 23, Ventspils University was the venue for the European University Alliance Colours hackathon "Combat Robotics" and the Ventspils Robotics Championship – one of the stages of the Latvian Championship. The event brought together technology and robotics enthusiasts from Latvia, Lithuania, Spain, Croatia and Egypt. On Friday, March 21, 13 teams from various regions of Latvia, as well as partner universities in Croatia and Spain, began a three-day hackathon. During the event, teams were tasked with designing and building a combat robot to compete in a specially designed arena. After several intense battles, the grand prize of €1,500 was claimed by a team from Riga, Latvia with their combat robot "The Shredinator." Second place went to VUAS students with their robot "Bob," earning a €600 cash prize. Meanwhile, third place and a €400 prize were awarded to a team from Latgale with their robot "Zeimuļs vs PRK." The Ventspils City Special Award went to the team "Labākais tiiims ever" for their exceptionally creative combat robot design. Hackathon winner Patriks Ezerins shares: “I think this is a really cool way for people to come together – engineers, future engineers, and robotics enthusiasts – to build something amazing within a set time limit and then battle it out for victory. It’s a unique opportunity! I definitely recommend giving it a try, especially with the kits we provide. Even someone with zero coding knowledge can come, take a basic chassis (which is a pre-assigned part), print it, install the motors and controller, and start driving. That’s it – you’re ready to fight! I encourage everyone to participate, because the more participants we have in the future, the more hackathons like this will continue!” On Saturday, robotics and technology enthusiasts from Latvia, Lithuania and Croatia gathered at VUAS to participate in the Ventspils Robotics Championship. Throughout the championship, more than 50 robots competed in nine different disciplines, like Folkrace, Antweight, Mini Sumo, Line following and iRobot Sumo, and showcasing the participants' outstanding skills and innovative solutions. Team from Croatia placed 2 nd in Mini Sumo PRO category. The Ventspils City Special Award in the Robotics Championship was not given to an individual but to a team from Sigulda in recognition of their enthusiasm and extensive participation, demonstrating their contribution to the development of robotics. Photos: Day 1: https://zviedrans.lv/galleries/ventspils-starptautiskais-cinas-robotu-hakatons-1-diena-21-03-2025/ Day 2: https://zviedrans.lv/galleries/ventspils-starptautiskais-cinas-robotu-hakatons-2-diena-22-03-2025/ Day 3: https://zviedrans.lv/galleries/ventspils-starptautiskais-cinas-robotu-hakatons-3-diena-23-03-2025/

CoLab ""Higher Education and Workforce in the Region" held at the VIZIUM Science Center brought together academic staff, students, entrepreneurs, policymakers, and other members of the community. The discussions focused on analyzing current challenges and exploring innovative solutions to ensure that new specialists are well-prepared to meet the demands of today’s labor market. Opening the event, Ventspils University of Applied Sciences (VUAS) Rector Andris Vaivads highlighted the increasing demand for highly qualified specialists in the coming years, referencing forecasts from the Ministry of Economics. He called for closer collaboration between universities, businesses, municipalities, and society to adapt educational programs to the real needs of the labor market. Dr. Annette Klinkert, Executive Director of the COLOURS project, and Dace Štefenberga, VeA’s COLOURS Content Manager, shared insights on the European University Alliance and its benefits for the region. Austris Galindoms, Head of the Economics and Procurement Department at Ventspils City Council, emphasized the municipality’s role in fostering cooperation between education and the labor market. Meanwhile, Sandrine Labory from the University of Ferrara presented Italy’s experience in the Emilia-Romagna region. Other participants included Baiba Kūma, Head of the Kurzeme Planning Region’s Business Center, and Gvido Grinbergs from the Business Support and Digital Innovation Center at Ventspils High Technology Park, who stressed the importance of developing digital skills in the workforce. Raita Rollande, Head of TDL School, a subsidiary of TestDevLab, shared her experience collaborating with higher education institutions to prepare new specialists. Additionally, Maksims Kovalenko, Production Director at Immer Digital, highlighted workforce challenges in the industry. The forum concluded with a panel discussion on the impact of higher education on local economic development and regional growth. The panel featured business representative Raita Rollande, Ventspils City Council Deputy Executive Director Egons Spalāns, VeA Rector Andris Vaivads, and student Kārlis Andrejs Krūmiņš.

In anticipation of the lighting of the Christmas tree, Ventspils has implemented an idea that combines technology and Christmas traditions. An online project has been created - the website "Lantern Fever", where everyone can take part in decorating the Christmas tree using game elements. The project is a collaboration between the Faculty of Information Technologies of VUAS and the Ventspils Culture Centre. The game will be available for a week and will end on 30 November, when the lighting of the Main Christmas Tree will take place in Ventspils' Grand Place. The culminating event will light up the game, the city's Christmas decorations and the Christmas tree. "This game is a prototype and my first full project, which I developed from A to Z," says the game's developer, Aleksis Grečuhins, a student at the Faculty of Information Technologies at VUAS. "It was an intense and challenging work, which helped me to develop my programming skills and to understand how to cooperate with a client and how to adapt to their vision." The project also serves as a study - an attempt to find out if it is possible to create a Christmas mood through a game. Aleksis is especially grateful to Karina Skirmante, lecturer at the Faculty of Information Technology, for her professional support and the sprint reporting system, which helped to move the work forward efficiently.

Students of Electronic Engineering at Ventspils University of Applied Sciences (VUAS) have successfully developed and launched the IRBE-6 stratospheric probe from Ventspils Airport. The probe is capable of reaching an altitude of 30 kilometers. This year, the students' main task was to develop a communication system that would enable the probe to receive and execute commands from a ground-based station, as well as to function as a meteorological probe, collecting atmospheric data at various altitudes. The probe soars above clouds and commercial flight paths, navigating through wind speeds exceeding 100 km/h and temperatures dropping below -40°C. The development of the probe had two main objectives: technical and scientific . Projects of this nature are an effective way for students to bridge theory with practice, encouraging them to solve real-world engineering challenges. This hands-on approach is widely used at leading technology universities, where traditional lectures are often supplemented with practical, project-based learning. This year’s primary technical challenge was to design and build a communication system capable of receiving and executing commands from a ground-based station while maintaining a continuous beacon signal. The beacon, which is essential for tracking the probe, broadcasts a signal to radio amateurs every three seconds. Once the balloon carrying the probe reaches the stratosphere, it bursts, allowing the payload — a project developed entirely by the students — to descend back to Earth. To ensure the payload is not damaged on landing, it is equipped with a special safety parachute. During its flight, the probe collects a variety of measurements and is equipped with pressure, temperature, and inertial measurement sensors , as well as a power supply system and an embedded computing system . The stratospheric probe was successfully launched on November 15 at 10:00 from Ventspils Airport. Based on their calculations, the students expect the probe to land in the Ezere Municipality near the Lithuanian border. This year’s IRBE-6 development team consisted of six students: Rodrigo Laurinovičs, Mārtiņš Leimants, Artūrs Marcus Tīģeris, Sandis Kaģis, Marta Anete Vinniņa, Aksels Ķirsons As part of this project, students not only strengthen their electronic engineering skills , but also learn to work in teams, plan and implement large-scale projects, and address legal and regulatory issues . Given that the balloon rises into controlled airspace, students must coordinate their activities with aviation authorities to ensure compliance with safety regulations.