Interview with Mark Terentyak: What is it like to represent our Institute at the FameLab Competition?

Our doctoral student, Mark Terentyak from the Research Group of Multiphase Reactors, has advanced to the national round of the FameLab 2025 competition, which is looking for the best science communicators. His three-minute presentation on using bubbles to deliver oxygen to cells in biotechnology research captivated the jury and the audience. In an interview after the competition, we asked Mark what it was like to stand on the scientific stand-up stage, what surprised him, and what he took away from this experience.

Photo credit: FameLab

• Mark, what was it like to stand on the FameLab stage and, as a representative of the ICPF, explain the world of bubbles to the audience in just three minutes?

It was a great experience that I will never forget, and I look forward to the next one.

• What did you enjoy or find most surprising about the competition?

I enjoyed working with the other finalists and organizers the most. They are all interesting and nice people, and I am glad I got to know them.

• How did you choose what to include in the three-minute performance and what to leave out?

I tried to choose things that are closest to our everyday lives and avoided unnecessarily complicated things.

• What was the main message you wanted the audience to leave your performance with – and what would you like them to take away from their work at the ICPF?

Even the most ordinary things around us hide science, and if we understand them and learn to use them, we can change our everyday lives.

• How did you prepare for the competition – did you rehearse the performance in front of colleagues or family?

In my free time, I improved my presentation, and a few weeks before the final, a special training was prepared for the finalists, where we received new inspiration and, at the same time, had the opportunity to try out our new ideas.

• Was it difficult to stay calm in front of an audience when it came to a scientific stand-up?

I am used to presenting in front of people and I enjoy it. Of course, there was some nervousness, but it was nothing terrible.

• What do you think makes a good science popularizer?

Putting yourself in the role of a layman and being able to find the most interesting thing about your work.

• Do you plan to continue popularizing science after the competition – perhaps as part of the activities of the ICPF or Academy of Sciences?

Definitely yes. I enjoy popularizing, but sometimes there is no time for it.

We thank Mark for representing our institute and wish him much success not only in further research, but also in popularizing science!