Science training for less developed regions

Title

Creator

Variety

Language

English

Year

1965

Rights

In Copyright - Educational Use Permitted

Abstract

Admission of students to university education through “science Olympics.”

Fulltext

■ Admission of students to university education through “science Olym pics.” SCIENCE TRAINING FOR LESS DEVELOPED REGIONS Ours is an era in which new knowledge is accumu lating in all fields. Every major scientific discovery leads to applications that re quire a high degree of spe cialization. And the growth of automation, while reduc ing the need for medium level personnel, is increasing the demand for creative scientists and engineers. It is obvious that the sooner we begin to train teen-agers, the more chan ces they have of becoming creative scientists. These 1 problems of select ing and educating youth, then of training them as en gineers, researchers or indus trial planners must be faced in the Soviet Union as in the United States, Britain, France and elsewhere. But whatever the economic sys tem, various schools of thought exist within each country as to the practical solutions that should be adopted. In the Soviet Union, wide ly differing views have been expressed on the subject. I would like to describe an interesting experiment car ried out in recent years by scientists at the Siberian branch of the U.S.S.R. Aca demy of Sciences. The shortage of qualified specialists in research and technology in Siberia led to the creation of a major scien tific centre in the citv of Novosibirsk, nearly 3,000 miles from Moscow. Lack of suitable personnel was hampering the development of this immense and rich region where oil, natural gas, coal, iron and gold are plentiful. Siberia also con tains the world’s biggest sup plies of fresh water and hy dro-electric plants already in operation or under con struction were creating an 30 PANORAMA enormous power potential for industry and science. The shortage of scientific personnel was particularly acute in Siberia’s schools and institutions of higher educa tion. The research insti tutes, new industries and vast construction jobs were draining the best mathema ticians, physicists, chemists and biologists from educa tional institutions, and the training of the new genera tion of scientists was in the hands of teachers who were not always in touch with present-day problems. When the University of Novosibirsk was established a heated debate arose on the question of entrance re quirements. Some felt that admission should be limited to youths with a definite scientific, bent and some training in science. Others maintained that the doors of the university should be opened wide to high school pupils with top marks so that all vacant places might be filled. There was also a controversy between those who advocated highly special ized scientific training con centrated in laboratories and those who favoured more traditional methods of edu cation. Since both sides stuck to their guns, a compromise had to be reached. But the results were unsatisfactory: too few students were being admitted and the level of knowledge was too low. Dis cussion began all over again and led to a new method of selecting students for the university. This plan, ap plied since the 1962-63 school year with excellent results, consists basically in the or ganization of “Scientific Olympics” and the creation of a specialized boarding school on the Novosibirsk campus. Here is how the selection process works. Every year in November or December, the press, radio and television announce the first round of the Siberian Olympics in physics and mathematics and, beginning this year, in chemistry and biology. This round is conducted by cor respondence. Ten to fifteen problems in mathematics, physics and chemistry are set and secondary school pupils have a month to send in their answers to Novosibirsk. Among the problems, some September 1965 31 are of our eighth-grade level and others at tenth grade. In both sections, certain questions are designed to ap peal to the contestants’ creative imagination. There is no limit to the number of replies sent in by con testants, for the main pur pose of this first round is to awaken an interest in science. During the first Olympics in 1962-63, several hundred teen-agers took part; this year, we had nearly 10,000 competitors. Candidates who do well in this first round are in vited to take part in the second round of the Olym pics held in fifteen to twen ty regional centres in Sibe ria, the Soviet Far East and Central Asia. All expenses are paid by the Academy of Sciences.' These tests, or ganized in each centre by three or four representatives of Novosibirsk University, are harder than the first and contestants have to solve the problems in a set time. Winners of this second round are then invited to spend a whole month on the Novosibirsk campus at tending a special summer school. The first year, we had 100 young people; last summer, 700; and this year, over 1,000. Under the leader ship of about 100 young sci entists and senior students, the boys and girls visit the institutes and laboratories, and attend lectures given by university professors and re searchers. They divide their time between study and lei sure — hiking, swimming, boating, etc. This gives the Academy staff an opportu nity to establish close con tacts with each teen-ager. The third and last round of the Olympics takes place at the end of the month’s stay. Problems set are hard er than in the previous rounds but most participants are accepted and remain on the campus, some entering the University while others who are still too young are admitted to the special board ing-school. Graduates from this school, where courses in physics, chemistry and math ematics are given by leading scientist, are assured of ad mission to the best scientific institutes. — Variety. 32 Panorama

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