VILNIUS TECH community is invited to join the ATHENATHON challenge

May 8, 2023

The nine-member Universities and three associated partners of the ATHENA European University are proud to launch the third edition of the Europe Day ATHENATHON, a sporting event destined to reach a distance of 13 000 km. 

Within a month, from 9 May until 9 June, we invite the students and staff of each university, and every person who wants to participate, to join our event and reach our 13 000 km goal, which represents the distance that connects the twelve campuses of our alliance. 
Last year, we managed to reach 31 500km thanks to the participation of all our universities. Let’s beat that record! 

This initiative is embedded in the European Commission's actions for cultural heritage promoting a more global vision of a green and climate-friendly Europe as well as sustainability and resilience. For this reason, we will only consider these carbon-free activities: running, walking, swimming, biking, hiking, aqua-biking, skating, treadmill running, indoor biking, rowing, canoeing, skiing, cross-country skiing, ice-skating, rock-climbing, stair-climbing, etc. 
In order to take part in the event, each participant submits the number of kilometres they travel by posting it on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram with the official hashtags of the event #move4athena or #athenathon and a screenshot of their favourite tracking app performance as evidence, or by joining our Strava Club: Europe Day ATHENATHON. Each participant can contribute multiple times and join from anywhere in Europe and beyond! 

On Europe Day, Tuesday 9 May, we will launch ATHENATHON and celebrate Europe by travelling through the pictures of cities and campuses collected during the event.  
  
What is Europe Day: 

Europe Day is held on 9 May every year and it celebrates peace and unity in Europe. The date marks the anniversary of the historical “Schuman Declaration”, a speech made by Robert Schuman in Paris in 1950 presenting his idea for a new form of political cooperation in Europe. Schuman's proposal is considered to be the beginning of what is now the European Union. 
  
What is ATHENA European University?  

The European Universities Initiative is a flagship project of the European Union in the field of higher education and research, aimed at making European universities more internationally open, more efficient and inclusive. 

The Advanced Technology Higher Education Network Alliance (ATHENA) is one of the pilot projects of European Universities selected by the European Commission in 2020, bringing together the Polytechnic Institute of Porto (Portugal, coordinator), the Universities of Maribor (Slovenia), Orleans (France), Siegen (Germany), Hellenic Mediterranean University (Greece) Niccolò Cusano University (Italy), Vilnius Gediminas Technical University (Lithuania), Maria Curie Skłodowska University (Poland) and University of Vigo (Spain).
 
In 2022, ATHENA welcomed three new associated partners: Carinthia University of Applied Sciences (Austria), Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute (Ukraine) and Lviv Polytechnic National University (Ukraine).
 
Focused on the theme of the digital transformation of societies, ATHENA's ambition is to create resolutely internationalized training courses, to offer international mobility to the greatest number of students including those with disabilities, to promote the emergence of collaborative projects in research and development and to foster new European perspectives not only to more than 166,000 students and 15,000 staff of the alliance, but also to local communities and partners. 

 

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New doctoral dissertation
New doctoral dissertation
VILNIUS TECH Library invites you to follow the published new dissertations. The dissertation „Resistance of technological waste-modified concrete to freeze–thaw cycles and alkaline corrosion“  („Technologinėmis atliekomis modifikuoto betono atsparumas užšaldymo ir atšildymo ciklams bei šarminei korozijai“) prepared at VILNIUS TECH by Edvinas Pocius. The dissertation was prepared in 2021–2026. Scientific consultant – Prof. Dr Džigita Nagrockienė. The dissertation was defended at the public meeting of the Dissertation Defence Council of the Scientific Field of Materials Engineering in the Aula Doctoralis Meeting Hall of Vilnius Gediminas Technical University at 10 a.m. on 8 June 2026. The dissertation investigates concrete modified with glass processing waste, concrete sludge, and a crystallizing additive. The goal is to develop concrete that is resistant to freeze–thaw cycles and alkali–silica reaction (ASR) by replacing part of the cement with glass waste and sand with concrete sludge. By selecting the optimal amount of technological waste, the aim is to improve the basic properties of concrete while maintaining its resistance to freeze–thaw cycles and alkali–silica reaction. The tasks addressed in the work include the analysis of glass processing waste and concrete sludge, evaluating their impact on the properties of the cement paste. After determining the recommended waste content, the physical and mechanical properties of the modified concrete are investigated, focusing on resistance to freeze–thaw cycles and alkali–silica reaction. This research sequence aims to substantiate the basic properties and resistance to freeze–thaw cycles and alkali–silica reaction of the newly developed material. The dissertation consists of an introduction, three chapters, general conclusions, a list of references, a list of the author‘s scientific publications, and a summary in English. The Introduction discusses the research problem and relevance, describes the object of research, formulates the aim and tasks, and outlines the research methodology, scientific novelty, practical significance, and statements for defence. The First Chapter discusses active mineral substances, their formation and use in concrete production. It discusses the generation of concrete sludge and glass waste, as well as the impact of their use on the physical and mechanical properties and durability of concrete. The durability of waste-modified concrete and the assessment of carbon dioxide emissions are also described. Conclusions are formulated, and the objectives of the dissertation are refined at the end of the chapter. The Second Chapter presents the materials used, their properties, and their formation. It describes the research methods and equipment chosen to investigate the structure and properties of the concrete and to calculate its CO2 emissions. The Third Chapter substantiates recommended dosages of glass waste and concrete sludge and their effects on cementitious systems. Glass waste was found suitable for cement replacement, and dry sludge for fine aggregate. An environmental impact assessment was also performed. Five scientific articles were published on the dissertation topic in the Web of Science database, Science Citation Index Expanded, peer-reviewed publications with a citation index. Doctoral dissertation readers can search via VILNIUS TECH Virtual Library.
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