International Chemistry Olympiad: 2011's Winner

The winner of the 45th International Mendeleev Chemistry Olympiad, Yernur Tolep, is still beaming in the afterglow of his victory.

This triumph is even more special for him because he feels that the competition, held in Moscow in September, was really tough and seemed very hard to win.

He had to go through three rounds with the last one requiring him to conduct four experiments. “The judges were really strict; they took into consideration every single detail,” Yernur informs us.

'Best Experimenter'

However, now that the 19-year-old has been declared 'Best Experimenter', he is nothing but grateful. “I want to thank everybody who encouraged me, especially my family, teachers, and friends. I appreciate all the things they did for me. My victory would never be possible without them.”

This test of his knowledge in the subject also unraveled a lot of other things for him. “After the Olympiad I got to know my own strength and the opportunities available, therefore my love for chemistry grew even stronger!”

A student of the Faculty of Oil and Gas Industry at the Kazakh-British Technical University (KBTU), Yernur always loved the subject of chemistry.

Ask him why he likes the subject, and he says, “It is a science that coincides with people’s everyday life. However, I like it not only because it is very useful, but also I find it very amazing to hold different experiments, and make my own discoveries.”

Yernur feels that his love for the subject has much to do with the encouragement and support of his teacher Ferhat Alaidyn. “I am really thankful to my teacher. He was able to help me achieve my goals.”

Never give up

In fact, it was his teacher who spotted his talent in the subject and instilled in him the confidence to go ahead and participate in this international Olympiad. Once Yernur realized the significance of the competition, he tried to give it his best. “I did everything possible to be as much prepared as I could.”

An additional nudge was offered by the unconditional support his family and faculty members. “It gives you some extra incentive to win.”

While most of the students are scared of the subject or find it too difficult to pursue at university level, Yernur feels that once you overcome your fears, nothing is difficult. He agrees that the subject can be tough sometimes, but maintains that it is fairly easy once you get the basics in your grip.

“There are a lot of things in chemistry that I consider difficult, but the main thing is to never give up and try to overcome all the difficulties that you face in your way,” he observes.

As the prize-winning contestant, Yernur got the chance to visit the world’s leading chemical company, BASF’s factory in Germany. He feels that it was an important and crucial trip which helped him understand the various aspects and applications of chemistry.

“I got to see things that I would never be able to see. Now I understand the usage of chemistry in real life much better than I did before,” he observes.