Saliamonas Banaitis Nominal Scholarship Awarded to Three Laureates

At the beginning of this year, three laureates were awarded the nominal scholarship of the signatory of the Lithuanian Independence Act, Saliamonas Banaitis. They are: Dalel Laachi, a Master’s student in Business Logistics at the Faculty of Bioeconomy Development of the Vytautas Magnus University (VMU) Agriculture Academy, in the field of transport logistics using innovative technological methods; Ndiapa Sigalla Williams, a graduate student in Business Logistics at the Faculty of Bioeconomy Development of the VMU Agriculture Academy, in the field of solutions for smart technologies used in logistics; and Hirotaka Tamura, a graduate student in Future Media and Journalism at the Faculty of Political Science and Diplomacy, in the field of the communication and dissemination of information in the digital age.

The Saliamonas Banaitis scholarship was established at the University in 2016 to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the restoration of Lithuanian statehood by his grandchildren living in Canada. The aim of the scholarship is to support and encourage the most talented students at the University who are conducting research related to personalities, organizations, events, or processes of the First Independent Republic of Lithuania (1918-1940), which in one way or another are connected with the activities and environment of the signatory of the Act, S. Banaitis.

The first scholarship in the name of S. Banaitis was awarded in 2016 to Neringa Krikščiūnaitė, a graduate of the Master’s Degree Programme in Art Curatorship at the Faculty of Arts of Vytautas Magnus University. She was interested in and researched the work of the interwar Lithuanian artist Marija Minginaitė. The second one in 2018 was awarded to Gediminas Kasparavičius, a PhD student of History at the Faculty of Humanities, who was researching the history of the Lithuanian Steamboat Company. In 2020, the third scholarship was awarded to Gerda Pilipaitytė, a PhD student in Philology at the VMU, for her research paper “The work of Julija Pranaitytė: the relationship between nationalism and interculturalism”. In 2021, the scholarship was awarded to Paulina Okunytė, a Master’s student in Creative Industries at the Faculty of Arts, who conducted research on the development of Lithuanian culture and family economy. Finally, in 2022, the scholarship was awarded to Greta Dirsė, a student of the Master’s Degree in East-Central European and Lithuanian Historical Studies at the Faculty of Humanities, who carried out research on the activities of the disseminators of Eastern culture in interwar Lithuania.

Ndiapa Sigalla Williams, the winner of the S. Banaitis Scholarship, who received the scholarship for his thesis on “Solutions for Smart Technologies used in Logistics”, justifies the relevance of his thesis by stating that “transportation is a major logistic activity which connects cities, villages, and countries through different modes of transport (air, water, road, rail). It enables the exchange of goods and services between countries and within a country. Therefore, implementing automated initiatives that will enhance the transportation sector, increase the efficiency of operations, and improve connectivity between places constitutes a significant step towards economic planning, development, and growth.

Ndiapa Sigalla Williams

Dalel Laachi, a Master’s student in Business Logistics at the Faculty of Bioeconomy Development and a winner of the S. Banaitis Scholarship, reveals her areas of interest: “Currently, my focus lies on researching Smart Technologies and their potential for revolutionizing logistics operations. Specifically, I am investigating how these technologies can be effectively integrated into the field of transport logistics to streamline processes, enhance efficiency, and meet evolving consumer demands. This research not only aligns with my academic interests but also holds immense relevance in addressing real-world challenges within the logistics industry.”

Dalel Laachi

Hirotaka Tamura, a graduate of the Master’s programme in Future Media and Journalism, was awarded the S. Banaitis scholarship for his thesis “The Influence of Cultural Context on the Regulation of Fake News”, which explored the impact of fake news and its regulation on the most popular social platforms, i.e. His research, which focuses on Facebook in the European Union and Twitter in Japan, as he says, “provides insights into challenges and potential strategies for social media in combating the dissemination of fake news within diverse cultural landscapes. Consequently, it seeks to inform effective fake news regulation practices.”

Hirotaka Tamura

Saliamonas Banaitis (1866-1933) was a public and state figure of independent Lithuania, a member of the Council of Lithuania, a signatory of the Act of Independence of the Republic of Lithuania, and a former student of Vytautas Magnus University.