OSTCHEM to support Ukraine’s team at the 47th International Mendeleev Olympiad in Chemistry

Eight Ukrainian pupils will represent Ukraine at the 47th International Mendeleev Olympiad in Chemistry which will take place in Tashkent, Uzbekistan over 29-30 April 2013. The right to represent Ukraine at the International Olympiad this year was won by representatives of four Ukrainian cities: Lviv (Andriy Stelmakh, Oleg Gordiychuk, Vladyslav Neshta), Kharkiv (Oleksandr Vygivskyi), Vinnytsya (Oleksandr Lyashuk) and Kyiv (Mariya Anapolska, Roman Didenko, Khristofor Khokhlov). The national team is composed of ten and eleven grade students who won at the All-Ukrainian Olympiad which was held in Rivne in March 2013 and gathered more than 200 participants from 24 regions of Ukraine.

 

OSTCHEM holding, which consolidates Group DF’s nitrogen fertilizer producers, became the general sponsor of Ukraine’s national team. OSTCHEM covered all organizational and logistics expenses of the team, as well as providing it with the necessary technical equipment having purchased reactants and other equipment for the chemical laboratory at the Karazin Kharkiv National University, the training base of the national school team for international chemistry competitions preparation.

 

“Our national team is able to participate in the Olympiad thanks to the support from OSTCHEM and Group DF”, explained Iuriy Kholin, the curator of the International Chemistry Olympic Team of Ukraine and pro-rector of the Karazin Kharkiv National University.

 

“Group DF founder Dmitry Firtash initiated the ‘Supporting chemistry learning at schools’ programme. This year is the first time that we support our national team at the Mendeleev Olympiad, a prestigious tournament for pupils. Educational programs are an important priority in Group DF’s strategic approach to social responsibility”, explained Boris Krasnyansky, CEO of Group DF.

 

Group DF companies consistently support organization of All-Ukrainian Chemistry Olympiads among pupils, as well as supporting participation of Ukraine’s national team in various international competitions. We award winners of national chemistry contests and their teachers with special prizes and stipends. Last year Group DF sponsored English language courses for winners of the 44th International Chemistry Olympiad held in Washington D.C. (USA).

 

This year, OSTCHEM awarded winners of the All-Ukrainian Olympiad with tablet PCs. Moreover, four out of eight pupils getting the best results at the Mendeleev Olympiad will go to the 2013 International Chemistry Olympiad taking place in Moscow and gathering participants from 80 countries of the world.

“Proper preparation for competitions is vital for the success of our team. Without advanced equipment and reactors that were provided by the sponsor it would be difficult for us to compete. Previously we had to use equipment produced in the Soviet times. Fortunately, now we enjoy maximum accuracy of chemical experiments which allows for appropriate preparation for competitions and enhances of success of our team”, explained Iuriy Kholin.

 

Ukrainian pupils have been taking part in international chemistry competitions since 1994. Having participated in 18 Olympiads, Ukrainian pupils won 70 medals, including 11 gold, 31 silver and 28 bronze ones. The Ukrainian team ranked in the top-10 of the 44th International Chemistry Olympiad held in Washington in 2012.

 

NOTE

 

International Mendeleev Olympiad (IMO) is a chemistry competition among high-school students of a number of CIS countries, Baltic and South-Eastern Europe states held annually at the end of April – beginning of May. This Olympiad includes three rounds – two theoretical and one practical, following which participants receive the gold, silver, bronze medals or a certificate of participation.