Published: 29.04.2022
The award ceremony of the regional round of the 15th year of the competition “Search for the best young chemist” took place on the 6th April 2022 in the Pardubice ABC Club. After a two-year break, the award ceremony was finally organized as a pleasant social event with an interesting accompanying programme.
The contestants and their supporters enjoyed a musical and dance performance by the Hroch dance studio, chemical experiments, improvised beauty salon in the foyer and a closing disco. One of the performers was the magician David Kopecký.
Successful young chemists and their teachers received attractive and valuable prizes presented by the guests and partners of the competition. The competition is primarily intended for students from grade 9 (also grade 8) of elementary schools and reaches beyond regional borders. The “Young chemist” started last September and the initial rounds were held in five regions: Pardubice, Hradec Králové, Central Bohemia, Liberec and Vysočina. In total, the competition involved more than 6,000 ninth graders from 173 elementary schools.
The competition has the following 4 categories:
- Three-round individual competition.
This year, the most prestigious individual category was won by Josefína Řeháková from ZŠ Cerekvice nad Loučnou, who was awarded with a tablet and other valuable prizes by Josef Liška, CEO of Synthesia. The second was Daniel Martiník from ZŠ Polabiny 3, who received a smartphone from Glenmark Pharmaceuticals, Vysoké Mýto. The third was Michal Čapek from the same school. His prize was an outdoor camera. All of the 28 finalists were awarded.
- Class competition for the best chemical project. The purpose is to expand the knowledge of chemistry and use team work of the whole class under supervision of the chemistry teacher.
The competition for the best project in the category “Chemicals in the living nature” was very tight with all of the teams presenting high-quality projects. The winning project called “Cyanobacteria toxins” was presented by students from ZŠ Pardubice-Studánka. Their work demonstrated a deep understanding of the issue, thorough documentation of knowledge and primarily flawless presentation of the project. In addition, the materials gathered were used to produce a learning resource for students in grade 6. The award was presented by the Dean of the Faculty of Chemical Technology, University of Pardubice Prof. Petr Kalenda. The team that came second was from ZŠ Wolkerova form Havlíčkův Brod. The prize was an automatic pipette and a set of plastic pipettes from Eppendorf. The third was ZŠ U Školek from Litomyšl, who received a set of laboratory glass from Kavalierglass. All of the 12 participating teams were presented with valuable prizes.
- Competition for the best chemistry teacher. The award is presented to the chemistry teacher whose students score best in the individual and class competitions.
The competition for the best chemistry teacher and the title “Queen of teachers” was won by Mgr. Monika Hrabánková from ZŠ Polabiny from Pardubice. For the enthusiasm and leadership of her students she received a voucher for a weekend stay at the Seč Resort from Synthesia Union. The prize was presented by the HR manager of Kyocera AVX Lanškroun Alena Kristková. The second was Mgr. Dagmar Kunkelová from ZŠ Cerekvice nad Loučnou, the third was Mgr. Lenka Šestáková from ZŠ Školní náměstí in Chrudim. The top five teachers were presented with gift packages from the partners of the competition and payment cards worth CZK 1,500 from Kyocera AVX Lanškroun.
- Competition for the school with the best chemists. The winner is the school whose students score best in the individual and at the same time class competitions.
The competition for the best school ended up with the same results as in the category of teachers. The best school was ZŠ Pardubice-Polabiny 3, followed by ZŠ Cerekvice nad Loučnou and ZŠ Školní náměstí Chrudim.
But the award ceremony is not the end of the attractive competition! The top six participants in the finals of the individual category in the Pardubice Region advance to the national finals, which will be held on the 16th June 2022 at the Faculty of Chemical Technology at the University of Pardubice in cooperation with the Association of Chemical Industry of the Czech Republic and the Ministry of Education. The contestants will have the opportunity to compare their knowledge and skills with contestants from other regions of the Czech Republic. The national finals will decide who will become the national champion in chemistry!
Congratulations to all of the participants and we wish good luck to those who will compete in the finals!
Mgr. Lucie Stříbrná, Ph.D.
Vice-Dean
photo Milan Reinberk
