Wednesday, 18 June 2025 Dr. Peter Glasnović receives the Prometheus of Science Award

Every year, the Slovenian Science Foundation awards the Prometheus of Science Award for Excellence in Science Communication, which is the highest and only Slovenian award for those who excel in communicating science to different audiences, especially the general public. At this year's award ceremony, which took place on 17 June 2025 at SAZU, there were three recipients from UP - two individuals and a group of three partners for the implementation of a joint project.

The awards were presented to: Assist. Prof. Peter Glasnović (UP FAMNIT), Assist. Prof. Neža Čebron Lipovec (UP FHŠ), and the Research and Development Unit of Early Childhood Education of UP PEF, in which UP PEF, the Municipality of Koper and the Koper Kindergarten joined forces.

Prof. Dr. Andrej Brodnik (UP FAMNIT) received the Prometheus of Science award for exemplary donation.

Assist. Prof. Peter Glasnović (UP FAMNIT) is an employee of the Department of Biodiversity, UP FAMNIT. During his long career at the university, he has made an outstanding contribution to the development of scientific, pedagogical and research work in the field of botany both in Slovenia and internationally, and has communicated his research achievements to the general public through invited lectures, guest appearances on television programmes and articles in newspapers and magazines. His media appearances have contributed significantly to the dissemination of knowledge about the plant world, and his articles on the utility of plants are particularly widely read and viewed. Dr Glasnović's tireless efforts to establish and develop the UP Herbarium date back to 2008, when he joined the University. He has focused his efforts on the collection, preparation and curation of herbarium specimens. His dedication to his work is an excellent example of a research commitment that goes beyond work commitments and time. He has thus increased the collection to almost 6 000 plant and algae specimens. In January 2024, thanks to Dr Glasnović's efforts, the UP Herbarium was included in the Index Herbariorum, an international register of more than 3,500 herbarium collections, and the UP Herbarium, with the code KP, is also the first indexed herbarium outside Ljubljana, joining the other four indexed herbaria in Slovenia. Geographically, the collection focuses on the western part of the Balkan Peninsula and the south-eastern Alps, with a particular emphasis on the collection and preservation of material from Istria, the collection represents both a wealth of local content and international successes.

We warmly congratulate everyone and wish them every success in the future.