The final stage and summarizing of the annual competition of the crystal chemistry for pupils of secondary schools from all over Ukraine took place on May 20, 2017. The contest “Crystal” is already held for the eighth time, and this year it was organized by the National Center “Junior Academy of Sciences of Ukraine”, the Department of Inorganic Chemistry of Ivan Franko National University of Lviv and communal Lviv regional council “Lviv Regional Junior Academy of Sciences of Pupils”.
It has to be stressed here that this year the competition was named after its founder, Eugene Gladyshevskii – a prominent scholar in the field of crystal chemistry, Doctor of Chemistry, Professor, founder of Lviv Crystal school, Honored Scientist of Ukraine, laureate of the State Prize of Ukraine in Science and Technology.
There were nearly 4,800 students from all regions of Ukraine to apply for the competition. During the first phase of the intellectual contest 1-6 form pupils grew crystals from suggested reagents, and 7-11 form pupils prepared and delivered their abstracts of scientific observations on “Crystals: Secrets Growth and Art of Synthesis”, which they presented in posters format in the University on 20 May.
The works of pupils were assessed by highly qualified jury, which included: the Professor of the Department of General and Coordination Chemistry of Maria Curie-Sklodowska University, chairman of the jury Zofia Żonczyńska (Lublin, Poland) as well as the representatives of the Faculty of Chemistry of Ivan Franko National University of Lviv: Associate Professor Zinoviya Shpyrka, senior fellow researcher Yaroslav Tokaychuk, Associate Professor Nataliya Muts, graduate student Taras Delenko and student Danylo Maryskevych.
Before closing up the event all participants were addressed by the head of the committee, a member of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, the Vice-Rector of Ivan Franko National University of Lviv, Professor Roman Gladyshevskii. In particular, the Professor told about the history and tradition of the founding of the contest, and focused on crystallography and crystal chemistry as promising areas of research.
The purpose of the contest is to promote knowledge of chemistry and related fields of science, support for gifted children and youth and their involvement in research activities through scientific circles and branches of Junior Academy of Sciences of Ukraine. During a salutary speech Roman Gladyshevskii formulated it much shorter: “Our competition contributes to the creation of conditions for happy people to live in a strong country”.
Lviv City Council officials also greeted the participants expressing, in particular, the belief that the competition will continue to grow, and thus benefit the city and the country as a whole.
“I am very pleased that the University of Lviv cares about the future of our country, promotes science and creates qualified professionals. Economic, cultural, social, political development of our country depends on this”, said the director of the Development Department of Lviv City Council Nataliya Bund.
Від імені Малої академії наук України привітала учасників заходу завідувач відділу організаційно-масової роботи МАН Людмила Гайдай. Зокрема, Людмила Миколаївна відзначила, що усі учасники ІІ туру Конкурсу уже є переможцями, адже вони пройшли нелегкий відбір з-поміж понад чотирьох з половиною тисяч учнів, які зголосилися для участі у змазанні.
Долучилася до вітань також директор КЗ ЛОР «Львівська обласна академія наук учнівської молоді» Іванна Бородчук.
The director of “Lviv Regional Academy of Science of Youth” Ivanna Borodchuk joined the congratulations as well.
“This competition is very noble and good intended. Noble, because it is named after a prominent person and outstanding scientist and good intended because it involves children who will shape our science in the future,” said Ivanna Borodchuk and added that this is the only competition to actively bring together students, their parents and teachers around science.
The Chairman of the Jury, Professor of the Department of General and Coordination Chemistry of Maria Curie-Sklodowska University Zofia Żonczyńska noted that the Competition is very important for the promotion of science in the world and thanked the organizers for the opportunity for three students from Poland to participate.
The award ceremony followed the greetings.
The youngest participants of the intellectual competition, pupils of 1-6 forms were awarded first. In the nomination of “The Largest Crystal” the first prize went to 1st form pupil from Mariupol “Lyceum School № 14” of Donetsk region Dayana Lezkano and 4th form pupil from Kherson secondary school №13 Sofiya Krayushkina. “The Best Quality Crystal” was grown by 2d form pupil of the secondary school № 53 with intensive study of English Alina Dmytruk and Darya Yatsenko, Kamenske secondary school № 20, Dnipropetrovsk region. The winners in the category “The Most Original Crystal” became 6th form pupil from Kryvyi Rig Zhovtnevyi Lyceum of Dnipropetrovsk region Yelyzaveta Byelousova and Sofiya Kondratyuk, 3d form pupil of Shepetivsk school № 3, Khmelnytskyi region. In “Virtual Crystal” nomination the prize went to Valeriya Dzyubynska, 3d form pupil from Ternopil secondary school with intensive study of the foundations of the economy and Evelina Pelypenko, 3d form pupil from Lyman school № 1, Donetsk region.
All winners of 1-6 form were awarded diplomas and prizes.
The most crucial moment of the contest was to determine the winners among 7-11 form pupils who conducted extremely thorough and interesting researches. According to the Chairman of the organizing committee Roman Gladyshevskii, in view of submitted scientific observations some pupils can develop successful startups.
Among all the representatives of the 169 schools from 20 regions of Ukraine victory was won by 9th form pupil from Ukrainian gymnasium № 1 of Ivano-Frankivsk Anastasiya Melnytska, who presented the paper “Determination of the Light Refraction in Grown Crystals”.
Second place went to 9th form pupil from Kremenchuk Lyceum № 4 of Poltava region Maksym Kindra (for work “Investigation of Crystal Growth of Copper in Recovery of Cations Сu2+ by Metallic Aluminum in the Agar Gel”) and the pupil of the 10 th form from Vuhledarsk “Polytechnic Lyceum, secondary school of I-II level” of Donetsk region Andriy Polyakov (for work “Crystals of Time”).
The third place in the competition went to the following pupils: 8th form pupil from Energodar school № 5 of Zaporizhzhya region Volodymyr Byelozyorov (for work “Research of Dynamics of Crystal Growth Based on Simulated Conditions”), 11th form pupil from Chernivtsi Medical Lyceum № 3 Oleksandr Pyptyuk (for work “Luminous Crystals”), 9th form pupil from Dmytriv secondary school № 1 of Kirovograd region Sergyi Slivinskyi (for work “Influence of Magnetic Field on the Growth of Crystals of Iron Sulfate”).
The winners of the Competition among 7-11 from pupils received Professor Eugene Gladyshevskii awards.
Let us also mention that a collection of pupils’ scientific theses from All-Ukrainian Competition for young researchers “Crystal” named after Eugene Gladyshevskii was published this year.
At the end of the event, the Deputy Dean of the Faculty of Chemistry Hryhoryi Dmytriv invited all participants to enter Ivan Franko National University of Lviv.
The organizers of the event point out that the main task of the Competition is to involve children and youth into in-depth study of chemistry and other sciences, the development of cognitive interests of children and youth, the organization of their individual and collective cognitive activity, the formation of scientific foundations and practical skills in research, improving educational level of pupils, mastering the ability to independently work safely with chemical reagents, to process, analyze and provide information, as well as fostering creative self improvement and supporting gifted children and youth.