Chemical assets: Russia and Brazil expand scientific cooperation

Russia and Brazil will engage in joint research in the field of "green" energy and pharmaceuticals. This was announced to Izvestia by Stepan Kalmykov, Vice President of the Russian Academy of Sciences, at the opening of the 59th Mendeleev Olympiad in the Brazilian city of Belo Horizonte. Schoolchildren from 40 countries participate in the competition, and the site itself has become a place for discussing scientific cooperation between states and expanding scientific and technological cooperation between them. For more information about the world's largest competition of "young chemists" and why students from all over the world take part in it, read the Izvestia article.

The Mendeleev Olympiad in Brazil

Rashit Faskhutdinov, a high school student from Kazan Gymnasium No. 19, was attracted to science from childhood, he was interested in the "Young Chemist" kits, and in the eighth grade he already visited the first school chemistry camp, where children conducted real experiments. In the ninth grade, the guy passed all the stages of the All-Russian Olympiad, and now he has come to represent the country at the 59th International Mendeleev Olympiad in Chemistry, which takes place from May 5 to May 13 in the Brazilian city of Belo Horizonte.

— I need this Olympiad primarily for myself, as it does not give prizes as such. All the participants have already won the All-Russian Chemistry Olympiad, and in fact we will be accepted to almost any university. I'm more interested in sports here," Rashit shared with Izvestia.

In total, ten high school students who have shown outstanding results in the subject and the winners of the final of the All-Russian School Olympiad participate in the competitions, which this year are hosted by the Federal University of Minas Gerais from among the leading universities in South America. They can show their knowledge in three stages — two theoretical and one practical, where they give real tasks that "adult" scientists face in laboratories.

— The practical tour in the Mendeleev Olympiad is much more interesting than the practical tour in the All-Russian Olympiad. There can be anything on the Mendel. For example, during the practical tour in 2022, tea was given, which had to be brewed first, then a concentrate was obtained and the desired indicator was obtained from it. Which we analyzed later," Yaroslav Kosolapov from Magnitogorsk told Izvestia.

So far, the essence of the tasks is kept in the strictest secrecy, said Alexander Gladilin, chairman of the jury and the methodological commission of MMO-59, professor of the Chemical Faculty of Moscow State University and director of the University Gymnasium of Moscow State University.

— I can only say that in the first round, students will have to solve eight compulsory tasks from different fields of chemistry. The second theoretical round offers 5 blocks of three tasks from different fields of chemistry — organic, inorganic, physical, analytical or from the field of life sciences. These are slightly higher-level tasks. The participant can choose any of the three tasks in each block," he said.

The experimental round of the Olympiad, which will take place on May 10, lasts 5 hours. It implies that students have the skills to work in a chemical laboratory: the ability to perform chemical analysis of substances and synthesize according to the proposed methodology.

Cooperation between Russia and Brazil in the field of chemistry

In total, the winners of national Olympiads from 40 countries take part in the competition. Among the participating countries: Russia, Austria, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Brazil, Bulgaria, Hungary, Iran, Kazakhstan, China, North Macedonia, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Turkey, Sri Lanka, Cuba and others. At the opening ceremony, which took place on May 6, representatives of all participating countries presented their flags, which emphasized the independence of scientific cooperation from any political differences in world politics.

— It is a unique platform for the popularization of science and the exchange of knowledge. The Olympics are unusual, they are being held in hospitable Brazil, which has taken over the BRICS presidency from Russia. Together with other countries, we are promoting scientific cooperation, forming a new generation of scientists, a single intellectual and humanitarian space," Dmitry Chernyshenko, Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation, greeted the participants of the competition in his video message.

The Olympiad is organized by the Faculty of Chemistry of Moscow State University and the Melnichenko Foundation, the partner organizer is the Federal University of Minas Gerais. At the opening ceremony, the universities signed a protocol on the development of cooperation in the field of educational and scientific activities in the field of chemistry.

"The Olympics are just a part of international cooperation, and we plan to expand it into various fields, which would be very good," Gular Almeida, rector of the University of Minas Gerais, Professor Sandra Regina, told Russian journalists.

Stepan Kalmykov, Chairman of the Organizing Committee of the Olympiad, scientific director of the Moscow State University Faculty of Chemistry and Vice President of the Russian Academy of Sciences, told Izvestia that Russia and Brazil plan to cooperate in the field of pharmaceuticals and the creation of medical radiopharmaceuticals. Scientists also intend to develop joint mega-science projects, in particular in synchrotron research, and also plan joint projects in the direction of "green" nuclear energy. According to him, in general, the Olympiad provides an opportunity to assess how the global scientific landscape is changing.

— Many Western partners have a desire to return. Representatives of Japan, South Korea, Switzerland, and Hungary are participating in our Olympiad. And many countries, surprisingly, with different geopolitical regimes and governments. These are Israel and Iran, for example. Here they stand together on the stage. Of course, it's amazing," Stepan Kalmykov told Izvestia.

The results of the oldest Chemistry Olympiad, which is taking place this year in Brazil, will be announced on May 12. The winners of the International Mendeleev Olympiad receive bronze, silver and gold medals. Many winners and prize-winners of the Olympiad in their countries receive additional prizes, awards and benefits.