Second Qualifying Round of European Olympiad of Experimental Science to be Held at RSU

On Saturday, 4 February, Rīga Stradiņš University (RSU) will host the second qualifying round of the European Olympiad of Experimental Science (EOES). 12 pupils will be selected to represent Latvia.

The platform, formerly known as the European Union Science Olympiad, was created to stimulate interest in research in the fields of biology, chemistry, and physics among young people in Europe. 48 students from 23 schools across Latvia have been selected for the second qualifying round, the best of whom will continue to prepare to represent Latvia in two teams. EOES is hosted by a different European country each year and will take place in Latvia from 29 April to 5 May. It is organised by RSU in cooperation with the National Centre for Education.

EOES in Latvia is organised in three rounds: the first two at the national level and the final round at the international level. The olympiad is based on problem-oriented, experimental, and practical tasks in biology, chemistry, and physics with indirect connections to mathematics, IT, environmental sciences, and other areas. At the European level, each member state will be represented by two teams with 15–17 years old pupils who will work together on practical and theoretical challenges to reach a common solution.

The first qualifying round took place online on 10 December. It was attended by 195 pupils from 56 Latvian schools. The majority of participants were in grades 9 and 10, although students from grades 8 and 11 also took part. ‘The unifying topic of this round was glass, which is an integral part of our everyday lives. Also, one of the main raw materials and components of glass, silica (SiO2), is found not only in glass, but also in the structure of many living organisms,’ says Mihails Haļitovs, lecturer at the RSU Department of Human Physiology and Biochemistry and co-organiser of EOES. The tasks in biology were related to diatoms and silicon-containing plants, as well as the structure of stinging nettle hairs. In chemistry, participants had to quantify the main raw materials for glass (silica, sodium carbonate, and calcium carbonate) and investigate photochromic spectacle lenses. Finally, in physics, students investigated the basic principles of microscope construction and signal transmission in optical fibres.

The second qualifying round took place on 4 February in person at RSU and was attended by young people from 23 Latvian schools.

In this round, students will have to perform three practical tasks in biology, physics, and chemistry, demonstrating not only their theoretical knowledge, but also their practical skills, their ability to work in a new and unusual environment, as well as their ability to obtain and analyse experimental data.

Further information about EOES