Two Armenian schoolchildren who won gold medals at a recent international school Olympiad in astrophysics in China say they did not have as much high-tech help as their counterparts from China, Russia and India. Still, their victory reveals potential in Armenia – the country that gave birth to world-famous astrophysicist Victor Hambartsumyan about a century ago.

The 14th international Astrophysics Olympiad among schoolchildren took place on November 8-16 in the city of Hanjou in China. Participating in the Olympiad were teams from 18 countries and gold medals were won by representatives of Armenia, China, India and Russia. Armenia at the Olympics was represented by three pupils from Yerevan’s Quant lyceum (Hayk Tepanyan) and the Physics-Mathematics school affiliated with the Yerevan State University (Hayk Hakobyan, Hovhannes Shmavonyan). Gold medals were won by Hayk Tepanyan and Hayk Hakobyan (both 16 years of age). The participation of the team in the Olympiad was funded by the Ministry of Education and Science and the Gagik Tsarukyan charitable foundation.

The Olympiad included three stages – theoretical, practical and observational. Phys-Mat school astrophysics teacher Marietta Gyulzadyan, who is also an employee of the Observatory in Byurakan and headed the team participating in the Olympiad in China, says that at all three stages the Armenian pupils showed their best despite the fact that they have had no planetarium to observe the sky.

“To have a planetarium is the most immediate task not only for participants of the Olympiad, but also for all pupils, since astronomy is a subject studied in junior grades in all schools,” says Gyulzadyan, adding that the Olympiad winners have mostly studied the sky on maps, sometimes visiting the observatory in Byurakan, “however it is impossible to study the whole sky by visiting [the observatory] several times.”

Hayk Hakobyan also says that technologically they had very weak possibilities for their studies, than, say, representatives of China, who “in their planetarium could observe skies modified to their preferences of location and this way study stars and constellations.”

Both young men will finish school next year. Hakobyan wants to become a specialist in theoretic physics, and Tepanyan wants to become either a programmer or an astrophysicist.

“Though all physicists end up becoming politicians,” jokes Hakobyan.

Besides precise sciences, Hakobyan is also interested in 3D painting, literature, classical and jazz music, and Tepanyan likes very much reading literature and especially poetry.

Gyulzadyan says that the guys diligently attended all classes throughout the year.

“Sometimes I myself try to get them out of the classroom,” says the teacher, who is convinced that Armenia has a wonderful generation and very talented children.

“If we could use these children somehow for our country, no country will compare to ours,” says Gyulzadyan.