Six medals for German competitors at the 2023 International Junior Science Olympiad

German competitors awarded 2 bronze, 3 silver, and 1 gold medal at the 20th International Junior Science Olympiad in Bangkok

At the end of November 2023, while Germany struggled with heavy snowfall, a group of 14- to 15-year-olds, Germany’s national Junior Science Olympiad team, was traveling to the capital of Thailand to take part in challenging exams on biology, chemistry, and physics in outdoor temperatures of over 30 degrees Celsius. The team proved highly successful in the one practical and two theoretical exams the competitors were set.

Vinzent Schultze and Erik Wiedenhaupt from Cottbus, Maria Anna Salsa and Benjamin Krüger from Munich, Jakob Sierpinski from Leipzig, and Oliver Eckstädt from Dresden enjoyed a stay in Bangkok from November 29 to December 11. Their Thai hosts had prepared a varied and challenging schedule on the overarching topic of sustainable food and agriculture, with various links to the local fauna. Activities in which the young people engaged included assembling and using their own photometer and experiencing the physics of durian picking and the chemistry of mangosteen ingredients. The German team did not miss the opportunity to try these well-known Thai fruits for themselves later on.

Alongside these scientific challenges, the approximately 300 young people from 55 nations across the globe enjoyed interesting excursions to the temples and Buddha statues of Rattanakosin Island, the Muang Boran open-air museum of Thai culture, and the National Science Museum. One particularly memorable experience for the young people was the "Cultural Night", at which the organizers from the host country and other participating nations provided insights into their cultures. The expanse of lawn in front of Srinakharinwirot University, the venue for the scientific activities, was festively decorated with flowers and lights. Food and drinks stalls offered a wide variety of culinary experiences to those present. After watching performances featuring aspects of Thai culture, the participating national teams had the opportunity to take to the stage and showcase their own countries. The mood of enjoyment and exuberance culminated in young people from various nations dancing together in front of the stage.

All in all, 2023’s IJSO was a highly formative, motivating and unforgettable experience for all participants and the accompanying team of IJSO organizers. We would like to say a big thank you to Thailand, this year’s host country, for a fabulous event.

Background

The International Junior Science Olympiad (IJSO), a four-round competition for school students and one of the six Science Olympiads run in Germany by the IPN - Leibniz Institute for Science and Mathematics Education, – seeks to inspire and promote young talent in the STEM fields from the fifth grade onward. The German Federal Ministry of Education and Research and the education authorities of Germany’s federal states provide financial support to the competition. The interdisciplinary tasks set for the competitors enable them to experience the workings of the sciences in everyday life.

The best six students in the national IJSO competition qualify for the German national team. They will be selected at the German IJSO finals in September of this year. At the beginning of December, the successful candidates will travel to the International Junior Science Olympiad, held in a different country each year, where they will spend ten days competing for gold, silver and bronze medals alongside other student delegations from up to seventy countries. A team of coaches from the IPN in Kiel, the organizer of the national IJSO competition, will accompany the young scientists to the event.