Russian nanotechnology Olympiad “Breakthrough to the Future” is a new extraordinary tool for selection of talents and their career promotion. Nowadays, this official top level multidisciplinary Olympiad represents joint educational, scientific and PR activity of two co-organizers, Moscow University and Fund for Infrastructural and Educational Program, involving a wide range of participants – from young schoolchildren to young PhD scientists and teachers. The basic idea of the Olympiad has successfully transformed through the years into sharing and social implementation of achievements of advanced chemical, physical, mathematical, biological sciences related to nanotechnology innovations. At the moment, the 30 000+ participants are united into the virtual Nanoclub which plays the role of a core audience of the www.nanometer.ru site representing both the Olympiad Internet event and also a famous web portal of popular sciences. Such a combination attracts people since they learn new verified facts, present and discuss their ideas, earn new career pathways and contacts.
The Olympiad includes a special route for selection of national student team for the International Nanotechnology Olympiad (See info about the contest.).
A quit unique feature of the Olympiad is related to a large number of social groups involved into the network Olympiad project lasting for years; many former schoolchildren participants take part in the Olympiad each year and thus grow up to the student and PhD status still participating in the Olympiad competitions of their level and even generating new authors of the Olympiad problems and increasing the population of its volunteers in different regions of Russia.
A key idea of the Olympic events of recent years falls into a sequence of three main stages of getting new knowledge and achievements. The first stage starts from publication of new complex tasks specific for each of the group of participants. The stage lasts intentionally for a month or even longer to allow the participants searching and composing their original answers. The second stage of evaluation includes publication of official solutions and a distant discussion of participants’ solutions. The meaning of this stage is not only a formal appeal but also a first contact of participants and the jury. The third stage is also important and it gives a chance to 30% of top participants to take part in the Olympiad in Moscow in person. The stage combines solving theoretical tasks and oral presentations of first research projects for schoolchildren, open panel discussions on educational ideas for teachers and a “black box” approach for evaluation of students. Finally, the Olympiad develops itself further and is ready to be implemented into international events and mutual collaboration between the countries provoking a beneficial exchange of ideas and students.
Strategy and Goal
The main goal of the International Olympiad “Nanotechnologies – Breakthrough to the Future!” is an interdisciplinary competition organized for students at secondary and high school levels with the aim of attracting of interest of community to R&D in nanotechnologies and new materials. It is intended to stimulate the activities of students interested in chemistry by a way of the independent and creative solution of chemical, physical, mathematical and biological problems in materials science. The competitions help to facilitate cordial relations between young adults of different nationalities and encourage cooperation and international understanding of different generations of students, tutors and mentors.
Organizational Structure
The chair of the Organizing Committee of the Olympiad is Rector of Moscow State University academician Victor. A. Sadovnichy, two vice-chairs are represented by the deputy rector academician Alexey R. Khokhlov, and a dean of the Faculty of Materials Science of MSU academician Konstantin A. Solntsev.
The Olympiad is organized in bilateral cooperation of Lomonosov Moscow State University and Fund for Infrastructural and Educational Programs. The Organizers decide on nominations and prizes for the competitors. The Organizers provide the Basic rules, the schedule of the Olympiad; that the organization of the competition will adhere to the regulations; the certificates and prizes presented at the official closing ceremony; all necessary arrangements for the observance of safety regulations.
All the educational features of the Olympiad are provided by MSU Nanotechnology Educational Center, Department of Materials Science, Department of Chemistry, Department of Physics, Department of Biology, as well as by representatives from a number of leading Russian universities and institutes of the Russian Academy of Sciences invited to join the Methodology Committee and the Jury council of the Olympiad. The Supervisory Board of the Olympiad includes representatives of Russian research and business organizations playing the leading role in nanotechnology. The Olympiad team works closely with the School League of RUSNANO.
Participants
The Olympiad allows the participation of primary, secondary and high school students, BSc, MSc, PhD students, young scientists, teachers and tutors, or enthusiasts of materials sciences and nanotechnologies. To receive a participant status on line, a minimum of personal information is required. All the stages of the Olympiad require no payment. Competitors must be Russian or English speaking persons.
Competitors should get an access to the Internet network to download texts of the problems and submit their solutions individually using their personal login and password.
To become a participant of the Olympiad applicant should register at the official web-side of the Olympiad, confirm his/her agreement for participation and his/her permission for publication of the minimum of his/her personal information, including full name and family name, date of birth, sex, country and city in open statistics of the Olympiad.
Competitions and Time Schedule
Registration is available from November 2018 till 25 of January 2019.
Untill 25 of January 2019 - uploading your solutions for several contests for schoolchildren only:
- mathematics, biology, physics and chemistry for middle age schoolchildren;
- "Young genious" for beginners;
- "Genious thoughts" for research and creative works of all schoolchildren.
Utill 25 of January 2018 - uploading your solutions for several contests for students, PhD students and young scientists only:
A basic theoretical stage is demanded for schoolchildren in the form of on line (distant) competition in the set of four school disciplines: “chemistry”, “physics”, “mathematics”, and “biology”. The Olympiad is assigned officially the highest 1st level Olympiad of the Russian Council for School Olympiads.
Various satellite conquests of the Olympiad make it possible for the participants to demonstrate their skills, experience and creativity:
- “Genius' thoughts” is the competition of school projects in materials sciences and advanced technologies. Schoolchildren of 12+ age should submit a short description of their projects to win a chance to present it in person as an oral talk during the final stage of the Olympiad in Moscow.
- “Tutors” is a competition for tutors of school research projects.
- “Simply about complexity” is the competition for BSc, MSc and PhD students, young scientists who have already published their research results in high - rank scientific journals and can also explain their results for publics as a popular illustrated paper.
- National Student Team Contest is a competition among bachelor and master students of higher school in Russia considering creative research tasks in English based on nanotechnology and nanomaterials subjects. The tasks are design to select the best national team members for participation in the International Nano Olympiad (INO) contest on nanotechnology as determined by annual regulations of INO.
All the problems proposed for competitors deal with nanotechnology, materials science and engineering. Most of the tasks are focused on the problems of nanomaterials, optics and photonics, medicine and biotechnology, energy efficiency, formation of coatings and modifying of surfaces. The problems are assembled in four blocks – Biology, Chemistry, Mathematics, and Physics according to four corresponding school subjects – each block of 10 problems. All problems should be proposed in either Russian or English languages to maximize the number of countries involved. All problems of the online stage of the Olympiad are published at the official web-site of the Olympiad http://enanos.nanometer.ru.
The dates of in person contests in the Moscow University: 26 - 30 of March 2019.
Closing ceremony: 30 of March 2019 (prelminary).
"Nanograd" activity: July - August 2019.
Preparation for INO: September 2019.
All awardees of the Olympiad receive official diplomas, gifts and prizes.
Further information in given in the Basic Regulations of the Olympiad. If needed please follow the pictorial Instructions how to upload your solutions.
