On January 20, 2026, a meeting of the «Microworld» Scientific Research Club was held at the Department of Microbiology,virology, during which the first round of the Student Research Competition (SRC) took place.

Following the evaluation of the submitted research projects, the best student papers were approved for participation in the second (faculty-level) round, and the prize places were awarded as follows:

🥇 First place — Mohamed Mabrouk
Research topic: Phenotypic switching and expression of virulence factors of Candida spp. isolated from post-COVID-19 convalescent individuals
Scientific supervisor: PhD, Associate Professor E.A. Koloskova

🥈 Second place — Abay Aida, Zhakanbay Anuar, Kenesbek Sanzhar
Research topic: Assessment of microbial contamination risks in coffee machines using elements of artificial intelligence
Scientific supervisors: Assistant Professor G.N. Beisegulova, Lecturer D.V. Bunyaeva

🥉 Third place — Nur Duman Dariya, Älimbek Aqmöldir, Nurgazy Nuraim
Research topic: Comparative assessment of the sanitary and hygienic condition of electric hand dryers using comprehensive microbiological and statistical analysis
Scientific supervisors: Assistant Professor G.N. Beisegulova, Lecturer D.V. Bunyaeva