Turkmen schoolchildren took part in the Mendeleev Olympiad in Brazil
The 59th International Mendeleev Olympiad in Chemistry for Schoolchildren (IMO-59) was held from May 5 to 12 at the Federal University of Minas Gerais in Belo Horizonte, Brazil. The highest-rated tournament of young chemists, held for the first time in Latin America, brought together a record number of participants from 40 countries, including Turkmenistan. The national team is traditionally represented by high school students of the specialized comprehensive boarding school named after S. Turkmenbashi, together with their permanent mentor, chemistry teacher Nazar Mammedov.
At the opening of the IMO-59, the participants were greeted in a video message by Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation Dmitry Chernyshenko, Minister of Education Sergei Kravtsov, and Governor of the state of Minas Gerais Romeu Zema. "Minas Gerais is proud to host the 59th International Mendeleev Chemistry Olympiad for the first time. This is one of the oldest and most prestigious scientific Olympiads in the world, held under the auspices of UNESCO. We are actively investing in scientific research and development. Over the past six years, more than a billion reais have been allocated to expand technology and innovation policies throughout the state," the governor was quoted as saying by the website of the Russian Rectors' Union.
The participants of the competition passed three rounds: two theoretical and one practical. In the first round, schoolchildren had to solve eight mandatory problems from different areas of chemistry. In the second theoretical round, 5 blocks of three problems from different areas of chemistry are offered - organic, inorganic, physical, analytical or from the field of life sciences. The practical or experimental round of the Olympiad lasted several hours, during which schoolchildren demonstrated their skills in working in a chemical laboratory: the ability to perform chemical analysis of substances and carry out synthesis using the proposed method.
The winners of the International Mendeleev Olympiad are awarded gold, silver and bronze medals. The number of winners is determined as a percentage of the number of participants. 10% of the total number are gold medalists, 15% are silver, 20% are bronze. The exact number is determined by the international jury.
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