4 STUDENTS TO REPRESENT KAZAKHSTAN AT THE IESO IN CHINA

The national selection has been held since January 27th. 113 applicants from various high schools in the country were admitted to it. Among the most important selection criteria were: at least an Intermediate level of English proficiency, excellent knowledge in the field of geology, geophysics, meteorology, oceanography and astronomy, as well as leadership qualities and teamwork skills. The selection was carried out by representatives of the organizer, the Zhas Geolog foundation, as well as representatives of Nazarbayev University and the sponsor of the participation of the Kazakh team in the IESO, the Shakhmardan Yessenov Foundation.

After an online test in English for knowledge of geology, geophysics, meteorology, oceanography and astronomy, which took place on the Moodle platform, 8 students with the maximum points were selected for the final. The second round was realized on February 7 online through the Microsoft Teams platform. After an interview with the finalists (also in English), four participants were selected to represent Kazakhstan at IESO 2024.

Zhanat Ismailova, Director of the Zhas Geolog: We are sure that the guys will not only honorably represent our country on the international stage, but also gain tremendous experience for themselves. Participation in the IESO will broaden their horizons, help them make friends with similar interests in other countries, influence their choice of future profession and develop their soft skills.

Aigerim Sultan, program coordinator of the Shakhmardan Yessenov Foundation: We have been supporting the participation of the Kazakh team since 2017, we took a break only for the period of the pandemic, when the IESO was held online. This year we are glad that we will be able to finance the field trip of the children, where they, together with their peers from around the world, will be able to demonstrate their knowledge.

The winners of the national selection were: Bekarys Tashmukhanbet (77 points), Esther Amrakulova (76), Alim Anuar (75) and Aitole Nurakhan (73). All, with the exception of Pavlodar resident Alim Anuar, are students of various schools in Almaty. From February to July of this year, the staff of the Zhas Geolog Foundation will conduct online preparations for the Olympiad with the finalists. Professors and undergraduates of the Nazarbayev University’s School of Mining and Geosciences will participate in the process as well.

Esther Amrakulova, a 14-year-old 9th grade student, is interested in geology and seismology, she studies Spanish in addition to English: Geology attracts me because with the help of it I will be able to better understand the process of formation of the Earth. And seismology means that through the analysis of earthquakes and the internal structures of the planet, it is possible to enhance the safety of people during natural disasters.

Anuar Alim, another winner of the competition, is fond of speedcubing (assembling a Rubik’s cube and similar speed puzzles): It helps to develop the brain, memory, logic, reaction and fine motor skills and is a healthy alternative to gadgets. Of the sciences, I like paleontology the most – because of my love for dinosaurs. As a child, I watched many documentaries about them, became interested and began to read about them. I think I will study them in the future.

The International Olympiad of Schoolchildren in Earth Sciences will be held from August 8 to 16 in Beijing, China.