YOUNG PEOPLE AND BIOS

Annual Youth Bios-Olympiad in St. Petersburg

A Photo Gallery
St. Petersburg, Russia
 

Bios belongs to the young, and young people from around Russia and other Eastern European countries participated with great enthusiasm in the Fifth Annual Youth Bios Olympiad, held in St. Petersburg, September 22-25. This timely initiative was organised by B.I.O., in collaboration with the Ecological Club for Post-Graduates, Students and Schoolchildren of the Baltic/Ladoga Region, and the city and regional authorities of St. Petersburg. Thanks to the unwavering efforts of Professor Alexander Shishkin, Head of the Ecological Standardisation Laboratory at the St. Petersburg State Technological University for Plant Polymers, the Fifth Annual Youth Bios Olympiad enjoyed great success.
Participants—ranging from grade-school children to university students—presented a multitude of creative projects on the environment (posters, research papers, art projects). Some of the most popular topics were soil and water protection, ecology, recycling technology, and the economics of environmental conservation. Every year, more than 100 projects are submitted at the Youth Bios Olympiad, and awards are given based on creativity, originality and presentation. For many school children, participation in the Youth Bios Olympiads counts towards their admission to university or other tertiary education institutions.

Some of the titles of this year's projects included:

  • The influence of ethylene on plants growth in big cities
  • Wind energy potential in the Gulf of Finland district
  • Research in Prioratsky Park
  • Ecological research on the soil cover of Rozhdestvenskaya Volost
  • Research on the Tajtsy settlement
  • Research on the Sjas'kelevo and Tajvorovo settlements
  • Research on anthropogenic soil pollution in the town of Gatchina
  • Research on the Rozhdestveno settlement. Determination of the volume, activity of ã-radio-active radionuclides in the air
  • Heavy metals concentration. Concentration determination in the soils and plants of the "Veteran-5" Gatchina town agricultural area
  • Economics research of the Nikol'skoye village park
  • The complex examination of school microdistricts in Gatchina town. Food products (tea) and water â,ã-activity determination
  • Research on the stratosphere ozone in Central Chernozemje
  • Employment of an electrophysical method for the determination of pine tree sustainability to organic toxins
  • Possible ways of solving the ecological problems of the Griboedova canal
  • Physical-chemical water quality indexes for the lakes of Varvarino settlement
  • Gulf of Finland coastal ecological problems research
  • Air pollution research in the Molodezhnoye village area of the St. Petersburg Kurotny district
  • Common air pollution with lychenoindication methods in the town of Sosnovy Bor
  • UV action influence in sewage disinfecting
  • Analysis of the productivity of different meadows in the Khoper river valley
  • Gatchina town park. Research on water reservoirs
  • Imitation modelling for the prediction of water quality tasks using new generation mathematics programmes
  • Study of the crayfish population in the Misa river
  • Population and settlement of Laserta real lizards in the surroundings of Riga

The Youth Bios Olympiads, launched by B.I.O. in 1996, give children and young adults the opportunity to develop their skills and creative thinking in relation to the bio-environment. They are challenged to identify and discuss environmental problems, and to propose solutions based on education and training. They also learn about the role and limitations of international environmental organisations and institutions, and study the development of environmental awareness in society.

Within the framework of the Youth Bios Olympiads, participants study environmental concerns, as well as guidelines and criteria for the bio-assessment and bio-control of production processes, cultural and social development and education. Participants also focus on environmental research, as well as on the exchange of environmental information and know-how. The Youth Bios Olympiads also promote bio-culture and bio-athletics.

The four-day schedule of events of the Fifth Youth Bios Olympiad was full of exciting and constructive activities, including a scientific youth conference on Biopolitics and the bio-environment themed "Youth and Democracy." The schedule also included a poster contest, athletic competitions, visits to St. Petersburg's cultural sites, concerts and theatrical performances. The Bios Olympiad concluded with an awards ceremony for excellence in:

  • suggesting the most innovative solution for environmental protection
  • proposing the best practical environmental applications
  • contributing to the promotion of democracy and Biopolitics
  • contributing to the promotion of bio-culture
  • bio-athletics

In addition to the Youth Bios Olympiads, Bios Schools also take place annually in St. Petersburg.