Latvia Hosts the European Olympiad of Experimental Science: 23 National Teams to Compete for Medals

The European Olympiad of Experimental Science (EOES) will be held in Latvia over the course of seven days, from 29 April to 5 May. The event will bring together 230 pupils and their mentors from 23 countries, including Ukraine. During the week, youth teams will undertake experimental tasks to determine the best young biologists, chemists, and physicists

The main aim of the Olympiad is to strengthen the STEM fields (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) in European schools. 'A quality STEM education not only provides pupils with knowledge in areas that are in high demand and essential for economic development, but also improves their skills in critical thinking, data analysis, problem-solving, and collaboration. This kind of knowledge and skills will be crucial when tackling climate change or challenges in healthcare, energy, transport, and other areas,' said Anda Čakša, Minister of Education and Science.

EOES takes place in a different European country every year. This year, Latvia is the host country, and Rīga Stradiņš University (RSU) is responsible for hosting the Olympiad in cooperation with the National Centre for Education. ‘It is a special honour to host the Olympiad. RSU has always been interested in pupils who are strong in biology, chemistry, and physics. It is our great pleasure to welcome the brightest young people from 23 countries and their mentors. However, this is also a special event for Latvia, as large-scale international Olympiads in the STEM fields have only been held twice in Latvia – the International Biology Olympiad in 2002 and the European Physics Olympiad in 2019,’ says Mihails Haļitovs, co-organiser of the Olympiad and lecturer at the RSU Department of Human Physiology and Biochemistry.

The opening of the Olympiad will take place at the National Library of Latvia on Saturday, 29 April. This will be followed by five days of experimental tasks interspersed with educational visits to various museums and the Getliņi landfill site, as well as an educational orienteering game at the Riga Zoo and in the Old Town. On 5 May, which is the final day of EOES, there will be workshops with the companies that support the Olympiad, a conference, and a closing ceremony.

This year, young people from Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Portugal, Slovenia, Sweden, and Ukraine (this year's guests) are taking part in the EOES. Latvia is represented by two teams with students from Jelgava Pārlielupe Primary School, Mārupe Primary School, Riga Secondary School No.49, Riga State Gymnasium No. 1, and RTU Engineering Secondary School.

EOES is financially supported by SAF Tehnika, Light Guide Optics International, Riga City Council, Printify,     PATA, LPB Bank, Hansa Matrix, and Schneider Electrics.

For more information visit www.rsu.lv/en/eoes and EOES2023.rsu.lv.

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