Two Vietnamese university professors were honoured with the Kovalevskaya Award 2021 for their outstanding achievements in applied sciences at a May 16 ceremony with Vice President Vo Thi Anh Xuan in attendance.

The event was held by the Vietnam Women’s Union Central Committee in Hanoi. 

The awardees were Prof., Dr. Nguyen Thi Thanh Mai, Vice Rector of the University of Science at the Vietnam National University, Ho Chi Minh City (VNU-HCM); and Prof., Dr. and Meritorious Teacher Nguyen Minh Thuy, a senior lecturer in food technology at the Faculty of Agriculture, the Can Tho University.

In her opening remarks, Chairwoman of the Vietnam Women’s Union’s Central Committee Ha Thi Nga said the award, named after Russian mathematician Sofia Kovalevskaya, is the first international award for women in recognition for their exceptional contributions to scientific and technological research and development.

Chairwoman of the Vietnam Women’s Union’s Central Committee Ha Thi Nga speaks at the award ceremony. (Photo: VNA)

Over the last 36 years, the award has honoured 50 female scientists and 21 groups of women in various fields of mathematics, physics, chemistry, agriculture, healthcare and information technology, she said. 

Ha spoke highly of the two awardees’ hard work and sacrifices dedicated to Vietnam’s basic and applied sciences, saying their achievements provide a strong testament to Vietnamese women’s talents, creativity, intellect and competency.

She urged Vietnamese female scientists to push for new heights, while training and inspiring younger generations.

At the event, Vice President Vo Thi Anh Xuan and leaders of the Vietnam Women’s Union Central Committee presented the award to the two professors.

On this occasion, Kovalevskaya scholarships 2022 were also granted to three outstanding high school students.

Prof., Dr. Nguyen Thi Thanh Mai, from the central province of Quang Ngai, graduated from the University of Science, VNU-HCM with a Bachelor’s and Master’s Degree in Analytical Chemistry; and earned a PhD in Pharmaceuticals at Japan’s Toyama University. The 50-year-old lecturer was awarded the title of Professor in 2020.

She has led 14 ministerial and provincial-level research projects, with one of the most outstanding on extracting active substances from plants for the development of new drugs for diabetes, gout and melasma.

She was awarded the Ho Chi Minh City Creative Awards in 2019.

Prof., Dr. and Meritorious Teacher Nguyen Minh Thuy, from the Mekong Delta province of An Giang, graduated from Thailand’s Asian Institute of Technology (AIT) with a Master’s Degree in Post-harvest Technology in 1992 and earned a PhD in Food Technology at KU Leuven (Katholieke Universiteit Leuven) in Belgium in 2007.

The 61-year-old lecturer was honoured as a professor in food technology in 2020. Her research has focused on addressing issues in the distribution of agricultural products and provision of support for farmers and agribusinesses hit by natural disasters, fires and epidemics./.