Prize of Werner von Siemens was awarded to graduate Veronika Kamenská

Veronika Kamenská, FEEC. | Author: Prizes of Werner von Siemens

On the evening of Wednesday 13 March, Prizes of Werner von Siemens 2023 were awarded to the best students, young scientists and teachers. Among the laureates this year, Brno University of Technology has three winners: Veronika Kamenska - a graduate of the Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Communication, mathematician Miloslav Druckmüller and PhD student Mark Kollmann, both from the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering.

Veronika Kamenska was awarded Prize Werner von Siemens for overcoming obstacles in her studies. Veronika suffers from a visual impairment that limits her in reading ordinary text and working with microscopic technology. It is a congenital visual impairment that has been significantly worsening over the last three years. In addition, she has a specific learning disability which makes it difficult for her to both read and write. In addition, during her adolescence Veronika Kamenska developed a mental illness manifested by depression and anxiety. Despite these obstacles, Veronika Kamenska successfully completed her engineering studies in the Biomedical Engineering and Bioinformatics programme at the Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Communication, where she defended her master's thesis entitled Using passwordless authentication to identify students in the classroom.
Currently, she is continuing her studies in the first year of her postgraduate engineering studies at the Faculty of Business and Management, with a focus on strategic business development. She is also a student of the PhD programme Simulation in Medicine at Masaryk University Faculty of Medicine. "I am now researching the stress level of simulation teaching on students and we are planning an eHealth programme to reduce stress for both students and doctors working in emergency medicine," she explains.

She turned her own mental illness into a broader help for people with similar problems

In the course of her studies, Veronika and her friend Tomáš Chlubná created the app Nepanikař, which helps people struggling with anxiety, depression and other psychological problems. The app provides support, advice, relaxation exercises and much more. Although it was created out of personal need, it is now used by over half a million users in most countries around the world. The app has already won numerous awards, including first place in the Gratias Tibi competition and recognition from the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports.

In addition, Veronika regularly works on awareness and prevention of mental illness in primary and secondary schools. She shares her experience with young people, teaches them psychohygiene, school stress prevention and helps to develop awareness of mental health. In fact, according to statistics, the mental health of young people has generally been deteriorating in recent years - as a result of the covida pandemic and the subsequent economic weakening and war in Ukraine. "All of this creates a general fear of what's next. In my opinion, the younger generation has perhaps a little less coping strategies," says Veronika Kamenská.

The hope for students is that they can transform their mental health problems in therapy and use them for their own creative work. "I am proof of that. And it's not just me - there are various blogs, campaigns, podcasts that are being created that focus on this issue," she points out.

Sports achievements

Studying at university is challenging in itself, and it is even more challenging if you have to overcome a physical handicap. Most of the time, you cannot do without the support of those around you. Veronika's biggest support in this respect is her family. "My mother helps me a lot, and actually my whole family, and I thank them the most. Another supporter, without whom my studies would not have been possible, is the Alfons Counselling Centre. It is a team of people who are incredibly passionate about their work and their only goal is to make the best possible study experience for students with special needs," says Veronika Kamenská.

In her spare time, Veronika enjoys karate, which she has been training for seventeen years. Due to her visual impairment, she now competes in para-karate, where she competes in the Blind and Visually Impaired Female category. Regular training and a strong will have taken her to the national level and in 2023 she won silver in this discipline at the World Championships. Another sport in which Veronika has garnered success is yoyoing. She devoted herself to it for 11 years and during this period she became European champion six times and once took silver at the World Championships.