The Rector of Vilnius University (VU), Prof. Rimvydas Petrauskas, presented recognition gifts and certificates of appreciation to the researchers of the Life Sciences Center (LSC) and other faculties at the "Finis Anni Academici" celebration, recognizing their scientific accomplishments and outstanding achievements. The event also honored Magna cum laude graduates.
The traditional end-of-year ceremony, held at St. John's Church of Vilnius University, paid tribute to distinguished members of the academic community. Symbolic diplomas of remembrance were awarded to victims of totalitarian regimes excluded from the VU community, a Moment of Silence dedicated to the deceased members of the VU community.
During the ceremony, the title of VU Patron was awarded to businessman and philanthropist Gediminas Vaitiekūnas for his significant financial support of over EUR 330,000 to the VU Untouchable Capital Fund. This support facilitated the establishment of sub-funds for the VU Museum and the VU Museum of Zoology as well as strengthening the fund's management and development.
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Awards for Outstanding Scientific Achievements
Several groups of scientists were awarded recognition gifts for significant scientific achievements in 2023.
In the category of best publication in the fields of life, technological, medical & health, and agricultural sciences, the following group from the VU LSC Institute of Biotechnology was awarded:
research assistant Irmantas Mogilas, senior researcher Giedrė Tamulaitienė, PhD student Konstanty Keda, researcher Albertas Timinskas, senior chemist researcher Audronė Rukšėnaitė, research professor Giedrius Sasnauskas, Prof. Česlovas Venclovas, Prof. Virginijus Šikšnys, research professor Gintautas Tamulaitis.
Their publication is titled: Mogila I, Tamulaitiene G, Keda K, Timinskas A, Ruksenaite A, Sasnauskas G, Venclovas Č, Siksnys V, Tamulaitis G. Ribosomal stalk-captured CARF-RelE ribonuclease inhibits translation following CRISPR signaling. Science. 2023 Dec; 382(6674):1036-1041. doi: 10.1126/science.adj2107. Epub 2023 Nov 30. PMID: 38033086.
In the category of best applied work, recognition gifts were awarded to the following team from the VU LSC Institute of Biotechnology for their work on "CROFT-seq (CRISPR nuclease off-target detection by sequencing) - testing platform for genome editing tools":
research professor Mindaugas Zaremba, researcher Paulius Toliušis, research professor Giedrius Sasnauskas, senior researcher Tomas Šinkūnas, research assistant Algirdas Grybauskas, researcher Evelina Zagorskaitė, senior researcher Arūnas Šilanskas.
The commemorative award for the best international project was presented to Stephen Knox Jones Junior, Principal Investigator at the VU LSC EMBL Partnership Institute, for his project "Profile nucleases and repurpose off-targets to expand gene editing (PROTÉGÉ)."
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Acknowledgements for Researchers and Alumni
Alius Ulevičius, Associate Professor at the Institute of Biosciences, VU LSC, received a certificate of appreciation from the VU Rector for his long-term leadership efforts. Paulius Lukas Tamošiūnas, researcher at the Life Sciences Center, was acknowledged for his participation in community, social, and volunteering activities.
Certificates of appreciation were also presented to the Magna cum laude graduates. 36 undergraduates and 68 postgraduates were recognized.
Life Sciences Center Bachelor’s degree graduates awarded Magna cum laude diplomas:
Ita Čiutaitė, Vita Žvynakytė, Aistė Kundrotaitė, Karolis Krinickis.
Master’s degree graduates awarded Magna cum laude diplomas:
Martynas Bagdonas, Aušrinė Navickaitė, Emilė Pranauskaitė, Algirdas Valys, Martynas Arbačiauskas, Ramojus Balevičius, Radvilė Drevinskaitė, Guoda Varnelytė, Tautvydas Kojis, Auksė Kazlauskaitė, Agnė Bučaitė, Gabriela Liubartaitė, Naglis Gudiškis.
41 members of the VU community who were victims of totalitarian regimes excluded from the VU were honoured with symbolic diplomas of remembrance. The VU Diploma of Remembrance is a symbol of acknowledgement of the mistakes that have been made in the history of the University, and a sign of respect for the former members of the community who have experienced injustice. The diploma and the public ceremony for its issuance are part of the "Returning Memory" initiative based on historical research.
The Patron’s Support is Long-Term
Gediminas Vaitiekūnas, who received the title of VU Patron, represents the "GV Museum" and has become the eighth shareholder of the VU Foundation. His philanthropic contributions will be distributed as follows: 60% to the VU Museum of Zoology, 20% to the VU Museum, and 20% to the VU endowment. This is not his first donation; in 2017, he donated an impressive collection to the VU Museum of Zoology.
An alumnus of the VU Faculty of Physics, Gediminas Vaitiekūnas has built a successful career in telecommunications, fiber-optic technologies, and real estate management. He is a member of the Rotary Club of Vilnius Old Town, President of the Association of Deer Breeders, and Chairman of the Board of the Lithuanian Hunters' Association.
VU (Ugnius Bagdonavičius) photos