Eight-minute challenge: BUT presented exceptional bachelor theses

Eight presentations whose authors have the task of introducing the topic of their final thesis to the audience as clearly and engagingly as possible in just eight minutes. This is 8 from BUT, a traditional showcase of the best bachelor’s theses from the past academic year. This year’s edition, concluded on 3 December with a festive evening at the BUT Rector’s Office, offered topics ranging from architecture and nanotechnology to performative arts and marketing. Each participant received a special scholarship. The Audience Award was won by Denisa Zezulová from the BUT Faculty of Business and Management.

Group photo at the end of the event 8 from BUT, from left: Lucie Klímová, Šimon Provázek, Alžbeta Papíková, Josef Šikula, Eva Severová, Pavel Zámečník, Denisa Zezulová, and Vojtěch Frühbauer. | Author: Václav Koníček

How do you condense the results of a year-long project into a short presentation that will be both understandable and attractive to a general audience? How do you handle interaction with viewers, work with visual aids, gestures, voice, pace, and even occasional stage fright? These are just some of the challenges faced by participants of 8 from BUT. They benefit not only from mutual support and a welcoming audience, but also from a presentation workshop offering practical advice and valuable feedback. Unlike previous years, no expert jury decided the winners this time and the showcase was organized as a non-competitive event.

Only the online audience vote remained, selecting as the best presentation Sales promotion and advertising of the company by Denisa Zezulová from the BUT Faculty of Business and Management. A graduate of the Business Economics programme, she received not only the special scholarship but also the Audience Award. Her thesis deals with dog-related policies and the use of dog urinals in relation to urban cleanliness. She describes the product itself, its functions, and its impact on the surroundings, linking theory with practice. The thesis also includes proposals for adjustments to digital advertising and sales support aimed at increasing the product’s attractiveness and public awareness, particularly among households with dogs.

Denisa Zezulová, FBM BUT, the Audience Award winner. | Author: Václav Koníček

“8 from BUT convinced me that working on topics that may seem unpopular at first glance has enormous value. Each of the presented theses has the potential to be beneficial to society, which I consider key. I would also like to highlight that at the Faculty of Business and Management I had the best thesis supervision, thanks to which I made it to the showcase itself,” summed up her impressions of participating in 8 from BUT Denisa Zezulová.

8 from BUT is a showcase of presentations of the best bachelor’s theses of students from all faculties of Brno University of Technology from the past academic year. The theses and their authors are nominated by the individual faculties. Selected students first have the opportunity to participate in a presentation skills workshop. During the gala evening, they present their final projects to the audience, where the main focus is on the ability to present their topic clearly and engagingly. Viewers can then cast their votes to award the Audience Award to one presenter. All presentations are rewarded with a diploma and a special scholarship.

The presentation part of the gala evening was opened by Pavel Zámečník, a graduate of the Architecture of Building Construction programme at the BUT Faculty of Civil Engineering, who in his presentation of the bachelor’s thesis Industrial Bakery Brno offered insight into the preparation of a design for the new Herold bakery building in Brno-Černovice. He addressed the placement of the building on a site classified as a brownfield, its architectural and volumetric concept, façade design, layout, and ensuring the specific conditions required for efficient and hygienic food production, as well as construction speed and simplicity. He also described the environmental aspects of the project – the green roof, a constructed wetland wastewater treatment system, waste-heat recovery, and integration with urban greenery. The design also includes an originally conceived logo for the operator.

Pavel Zámečník, FCE BUT. | Author: Václav Koníček

Eva Severová, a graduate of the Chemistry and Chemical Technologies programme at the BUT Faculty of Chemistry, introduced the audience to her thesis Deposition of Thin Polymeric Layers in Surface DBD Discharge. In her work, she examined how to apply special thin layers using plasma polymerization, what these layers look like, what they are composed of, and how they behave on surfaces. During the presentation she highlighted their antibacterial properties, which make them useful in healthcare, for example in treating joint implants, vascular stents, or catheters, preventing the spread of bacterial infections. Time savings, the absence of toxic solvents, and the creation of extremely thin layers are, according to Eva Severová, the main advantages of this innovative approach compared to conventional polymerization methods.

Eva Severová, FCH BUT. | Author: Václav Koníček

The BUT Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Communication was represented during the evening by Josef Šikula, a graduate of the Electronics and Communication Technologies programme. Based on his thesis The System for Detecting the Number of People in a Room, he introduced methods for counting people and presented a solution for monitoring the number of entries into a room or other space using an infrared sensor and a microcontroller. The author designed and implemented a new algorithm that surpasses the accuracy of the algorithm provided by the hardware manufacturer – thanks to enabling the detection of several people at once. The system also offers result visualization through a computer and mobile application. Similar systems are used, for example, to monitor the occupancy of public transport vehicles. Compared to them, Josef Šikula’s solution offers significantly lower initial costs.

Josef Šikula, FEEC BUT. | Author: Václav Koníček

Lucie Klímová, a graduate of the Information Technology programme at the BUT Faculty of Information Technology, presented her thesis Automata Techniques in DNA Analysis. She focused on detecting LTR retrotransposons, the so-called “jumping genes”, whose study helps to understand genome evolution. She started from existing software used to detect these sequences and identified a component that significantly slowed down data processing. She proposed a new method based on a simpler automaton structure derived from an advanced probabilistic model of mutations. Thanks to this, transposon structures can be detected up to ten times faster than with common gene-sequence comparison methods. The results could significantly accelerate bioinformatics analyses, and the author intends to continue her research.

"I like professional challenges," admits Lucie Klímová, who represented FIT at the 8 from BUT

Lucie Klímová, FIT BUT. | Author: Václav Koníček

The poetic title The Taste of Overripe Plums Reminds Me It Is Time to Slowly Leave refers to the thesis by Alžbeta Papíková, a graduate of the Fine Arts programme at the BUT Faculty of Fine Arts. The author focused on the topic of minorities integrating into society. Through a performance portraying the movement and behaviour of a swarm of mosquitoes, she created a simple yet effective commentary on the position of minorities in society and the need and desire of these groups to form communities. She drew on specific events and her own experience. The complex performance, which lasted 45 minutes, included choreography, poetry, and the use of technologies such as self-built and programmed lighting or sound design. Alžbeta Papíková also introduced the audience to the current state of performative arts, the discipline’s foundations, and the media it uses.

Alžbeta Papíková, FFA BUT. | Author: Václav Koníček

Into the world of quantum applications, the audience of 8 from BUT was invited by Vojtěch Frühbauer, author of the thesis Silicon Carbide Optical Metasurfaces and a graduate of the Physical Engineering and Nanotechnology programme at the BUT Faculty of Mechanical Engineering. In his presentation, he introduced the field of so-called metasurfaces, special arrays of nanostructures made of silicon carbide (SiC) that can direct light emitted from extremely weak “single-photon” light sources. These sources are essential for modern quantum technologies. The author first studied the current state-of-the-art and then, using numerical simulations, designed a metasurface that can direct light more effectively and increase its overall efficiency. The structures he designed were subsequently fabricated using advanced nanotechnology techniques and verified using specialized microscopic methods. Measurements showed that the design works as expected and could be used in future quantum-communication devices and other optical technologies.

Vojtěch Frühbauer, FME BUT. | Author: Václav Koníček

How to Live is the concise title of the bachelor’s thesis by Šimon Provázek, a graduate of the Architecture and Urban Design programme at the BUT Faculty of Architecture. The author presented a design for affordable housing as a response to the overpriced real-estate market. Using a concrete example in an attractive part of Brno, he demonstrates that high-quality, functional housing can be realised simply, economically, and with an emphasis on connecting interior and exterior. The houses are designed in a minimalist style with white façades and white windows, highlighting the intent of a clear and comprehensible solution for affordable living.

Šimon Provázek, FA BUT. | Author: Václav Koníček

During the evening, Vítězslav Máša, BUT Vice-Rector for Further Education and Quality, also delivered remarks, reminding the audience that 8 from BUT has a tradition dating back to 2014 and represents a showcase of the university’s remarkably wide scope. “BUT is not just engineering – it also offers architecture, arts, and business programmes,” he said. He also reflected on the importance of soft skills in preparing graduates of Brno University of Technology. “Employers rate our graduates very highly. However, if there is something they sometimes lack, it is soft skills, such as teamwork, effective communication, project thinking, or presentation skills. 8 from BUT gives participants an important step forward precisely in this area. I believe that this competence will soon become a natural part of BUT study programmes.”