The International Chemistry Olympiad took place in Saudi Arabia from July 21 to 30. 327 young people from 84 countries, including four Swiss and one from Liechtenstein, took to the lab bench in the hope of winning medals. “It's like cooking without tasting,” says Ruben Locher from the Valais Vocational College, who won the bronze medal.
Andrin Hauenstein (Kantonsschule Uster, ZH), Carl-Philipp Cachej (Mathematisch-Naturwissenschaftliches Gymnasium Rämibühl, ZH) and Stanisław Bektaş, International School of Schaffhausen) were awarded honorary mentions. Giulio Vogt from Liechtensteinisches Gymnasium competed for Liechtenstein. Team leader Jasmin Frei is very pleased with the result: “It is rare that all Swiss participants win a distinction and compared to last year it is a big improvement”.
Better results than in the home game
Last year, when the IChO was organized by Switzerland at ETH Zurich, Switzerland came away empty-handed. Andrin, who also took part back then, compares: “This year we had less freedom to explore the country. Last year, for example, we could decide for ourselves whether we wanted to go hiking or visit the Rhine Falls." In Saudi Arabia, the programincluded excursions to the historic city of Dirʿiyya and the traditional market, encounters with Arabian horses, cultural performances and a visit to the chemical company SABIC, which financed the event.
Practice feasible, theory difficult
The participants didn't have too much time for tourism, however, as the five-hour exams awaited them on the 24th and 26th. “In the practical exam, they had to use various methods to determine the content of unknown solutions, among other things,” says Jasmin Frei. “In the theoretical exam, for example, they dealt with tyrosinase, an enzyme involved in the biosynthesis of dopamine, or with the properties of porphyrin complexes found in crude oil.” The theory was really difficult, the team says. “Unfortunately, the topics we had prepared for didn't really come up,” explains Giulio.
Reunion in the desert?
Preparing for the Chemistry Olympiad in their free time: What motivates the young people to do this? For many of them, it's the right mix of theory and practice that makes chemistry their favorite subject. “You can actually see something, it's not just all dry theory,” says Carl-Philipp. Ruben, who loves cooking, thinks chemistry is similar, but it's better not to taste the results. The laboratory technician from Valais is very happy with his bronze medal. “I wasn't expecting to get top results, I was just happy to be able to exchange ideas with lots of other people.” Perhaps next year he will go to the United Arab Emirates - where the IChO 2025 will take place.
The Science Olympiad has been encouraging young people for 20 years, awakening scientific talent and creativity and proving that science is exciting: Science is exciting. Ten Olympiads take place every year: Workshops, camps, exams as well as competitions for over 8,000 talents in biology, chemistry, geography, computer science, linguistics, mathematics, philosophy, physics, robotics and economics. Meet the young talents - at the anniversary celebration on September 14 in Bern.
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Lara Gafner
Verantwortliche Marketing und Kommunikation
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Source of text and picture: https://chemistry.olympiad.ch/
Translated to English with DeepL
David Spichiger, SCS
02.08.2024