Olympic participant and doctor of physics – is that possible?

Dr. Weronika Biela-Nowaczyk took part in the Olympic Games 2022. Photo: private
Dr. Weronika Biela-Nowaczyk took part in the Olympic Games 2022. Photo: private

At first glance, a research career and competitive sports are not an ideal match. But Dr. Weronika Biela-Nowaczyk has managed to combine the two. In the same year, she participated as a snowboarder in the Beijing Winter Olympics and completed her PhD in physics at Jagiellonian University. During an interview, she shared her experiences and gave deeper insights into her work at GSI/FAIR, and how she got there.

The interview was conducted by Rebecca Heini, Luis Litterst and Niklas Hornberg, who study “Science – Media – Communication” at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT). As part of the course “Media and Public Relations”, in which KIT and GSI/FAIR cooperate, students conducted interviews with young researchers at GSI/FAIR in the winter semester 2022/2023.

Dr. Weronika Biela-Nowaczyk at the storage ring CRYRING at GSI/FAIR. Photo: private
Dr. Weronika Biela-Nowaczyk at the storage ring CRYRING at GSI/FAIR. Photo: private

Hello Weronika, you have been to the Olympics twice and recently became a PhD in physics, both of which are great achievements. How did you manage to get so far in both fields?

I knew I wanted to do both: study physics and snowboard. I had to manage my time accordingly. In the winter season from October to March, I was training a lot. If I had to do things for the university during this time, I talked to professors and agreed with them that I would miss some of the time but could do more elsewhere. For example, one week I was only training and the next week I was only at the university. By splitting it up in this way, I was able to concentrate better on what I needed to do and it was somehow more exciting. I feel like when you know that time is limited, you use it more efficiently. Getting a PhD and being able to compete in the Olympics was the reward for many years of work. Sometimes I heard that it is not possible to do both. But I have proven that you never know that something is impossible unless you try.

You are currently working at GSI/FAIR. How did you become interested in it?

At the beginning of my PhD, I was at a conference. There I met Michael Lestinsky and he invited me to GSI/FAIR. He also made me aware of the GET_INvolved program, which could help me in addition to Erasmus+.

The programs especially made my stay in Germany easier. Therefore, the second time I was at GSI/FAIR in Darmstadt, I was able to stay directly in the GSI/FAIR guest house. For the time here in Germany I also received financial support and the GET_INvolved organized meetings with other students. During this time, both programs were at my side and I could come to them with all my questions. So the programs allowed me to focus on my work and research.

In what way does GSI/FAIR enable your research?

GSI/FAIR operates a unique particle accelerator facility for heavy ions, with the goal of gaining new insights into the structure of matter and the origin of the universe. There is a good atmosphere among the people on site towards research and many stimulating conversations arise. Therefore, I am happy about the collaboration with the CRYRING team at CRYRING@ESR.

Snowboarding and research - Weronika combines both. Photo: private
Snowboarding and research – Weronika combines both. Photo: private

What is the function of the CRYRING and how does it fit into the particle accelerator?

The CRYRING is a successful ion storage ring. It serves as an ion accelerator and decelerator. My specific area of work deals with electron recombination. For example, when a star reaches the end of its life, it often ejects a large portion of its outer shell into space as a plasma cloud. From the analysis of the ions contained in this cloud, one can reconstruct, for example, the composition of the extinct star. The recombination of ions and electrons in the cloud plays a role in this. So far, I have done a lot of experimentation with oxygen. Following the motto of GSI/FAIR, in that way a piece of the universe can be recreated in the laboratory.

Do you already have plans for your future?

Currently, I am planning to study the recombination of sulfur ions. There is not enough experimental data on this process yet. Hopefully, conducting the experiment will give us new insights into the universe. To be allowed to perform an experiment in the particle accelerator, you have to apply with the project and experts decide if the project is important enough to be allowed to perform it. The processes are often very time-consuming and cost-intensive, and at the same time there are many applications from projects all over the world. In the application, the significance and meaningfulness of the experiment for the current state of research must be proven. Likewise, a plan must be presented as to how the desired result can be made visible in the given beam time at CRYRING@ESR. Therefore, I hope to be able to perform my experiment in 2023 and I am optimistic that this will be possible and successful.  How things will continue for me after the experiment is not yet entirely certain. I will definitely stay in physics and could also imagine teaching young people and introducing them to research.

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