The event, which originated in Moscow, Russia, is being organized for the first time in a country in America.
From this Monday, August 26th to Thursday, August 29th in the “José Cornejo Franco” auditorium of the Public Library of the State of Jalisco Juan José Arreola The 7th International Chemistry Tournament is being held, with the participation of five teams, two of them made up of high school students from Mexico, and the others from Romania and Hungary.
The Hungarian youth are the defending champions; two teams from Romania are competing. The two Mexican teams were selected through the Mexican Chemistry Tournament. From there, 19 teenagers were selected, trained, and went through a series of qualifying rounds to finally be left with nine representatives who were divided into two groups. Three of these young people belong to the Centro de Desarrollo Integral (CEDI), two from Preparatoria 9, one from Preparatoria 19, one from Puerto Vallarta, and two from Tepatitlán de Morelos.
The International Chemistry Tournament is a competition that emerged in Moscow, Russia, and throughout the six previous editions it has traveled to countries such as Hungary and Georgia, and even in 2021 it was held online, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The tournament is unique in that it is held as a team competition for students, who must solve a series of problems that do not have certain solutions, unlike the tasks of the Olympics. In this context, the aim is to promote reflection, mastery of chemistry, identification of the relationship of this science with physics and biology; and mastery of the English language, which is the language in which the participants communicate.
During the opening ceremony, the Academic Secretary of the Upper Secondary Education System (SEMS) of UdeG, Dr. María del Socorro Pérez Alcalá, said that it is a pleasure to have events that link various areas of training, since it generates a channel for developing skills ranging from linguistics to mastery and knowledge of science; “this tournament unites science with debate,” she stressed.
Bence Béla Botlik, representative of the International Chemistry Tournament Committee, said that this competition is very special and very different from other tournaments, as not only does one have to know chemistry, but one must also develop communication skills and have the ability to explore sources of knowledge and know how to cite them.
“The pillars of the tournament are education and being aware that as teachers we must educate adolescents to empower them, and thus lead to successful development. The second pillar is community; this tournament is a meeting place to create connections and networks with colleagues, friends and peers with whom you have things in common and where chemistry comes first,” added Béla Botlik.
Professor at Preparatory School 19, who arranged for the seventh edition of the tournament to take place at UdeG, Dr. Sandra Jara Castro, said that it is gratifying to share a part of Mexico with delegations from other countries.
“You have to know English, but not just the common kind, but the technical kind. You have to work as a team, do a lot of research. You have to know what exists, what has been produced in order to seek innovation and create something new. Everything has to be presented in another language, you have to debate your solution, find the weaknesses of the other teams and then do an analysis of everything that is happening. All of this is very demanding because of all the skills that can be developed. Win or lose, our boys from Mexico are competing with the first world,” said Jara Castro regarding how the teams participate.
Also present at the inauguration were teacher Karem Isabel Escamilla Galindo, Coordinator of Academic Support, and teacher Juan Carlos de Jesús Silva Cortés, responsible for Languages at SEMS. The final will be next Thursday, August 29, at the facilities of the Juan José Arreola Public Library of the State of Jalisco.
Kind regards
“Think and Work”
“30 years of the Autonomy of the University of Guadalajara and its Network organization”
Guadalajara, Jalisco, August 26, 2024
Text: Victor Rivera | SEMS
Photography: Manuel Izquierdo
