Science News: LCPS Students Travel to Russia to Compete in the 18th International Space Olympics

Special to VivaLoudoun via Loudoun County Public Schools

(Nov. 12, 2010) - There are some things you have to know to be successful in an international science competition:

The physics of a black hole…

How to build a roller coaster in space…

The lyrics to “Wonderwall”…

From October 13th through 23rd, three Loudoun County Public Schools (LCPS) students competed – and competed very well — in the 18th International Space Olympics in Korolev, Russia, a suburb of Moscow. All three students, junior Ari Dyckovsky and seniors Chris Im and Damon Rosenburg, did extremely well at the international gathering of scientifically gifted students. (Dyckovsky, Im and Rosenburg attend Heritage High School and the Loudoun Academy of Science.)

The three LCPS students presented original research they had done at the Academy of Science (AOS) and took exams in literature, physics and math. Dyckovsky tied a Russian student for first among the 90-plus competitors. Im placed fourth overall and Rosenburg 14th.


The LCPS students were the only Americans in the competition, which also featured 21 students from Great Britain and one from Greece.

For placing first, Dyckovsky received the crest of Moscow, a book detailing the history of the Kremlin, a Russian jersey and the Yuri Gagarin Medal, awarded by the president of the Cosmonautics Federation of Russia.

“I didn't even expect to place in the first place,” said Dyckovsky. “The medal, of course, is what I consider to be the most prestigious award that I have received. It really signified how the Russians appreciated the foreigners.”

The book, printed in old-style Russian, proved to be a cumbersome award…

Weighing more than 10 pounds, it required some baggage shuffling at the airport so that everybody could make the 50-pound limit.

Dyckovsky said the exams were much different than what the LCPS students expected.

“(The mathematics exam included) a lot of fundamental mathematics we skip over due to our use of technology. Things that we could assume would be done using a calculator or certain computer programs; that's what they learn. Things that we skip over to learn calculus…”

“The education system there is very different from ours and what they're looking for is very different…,” said Im. “It's knowing some tricks to problems; it's very intricate, but it's not the problem-solving method the American education system focuses on. It wasn't too advanced mathematics.”

The scientific portion of the exam also wasn't what the Americans expected.

“We believed it was a math-science-research competition,” said Rosenburg. “But going into the second round of presentations, you had people who were analyzing poetry…someone created a composition…about what they felt space travel would be like on a piano.”

“That caught us off guard,” said Dyckovsky. “We had assumed it would be completely scientific, but instead it was a cultural competition as well.”

Dyckovsky quickly got into the swing of things. His literature essay detailed the construction of a roller coaster in space 50 years from now to commemorate the 100th anniversary of Gagarin becoming the first man in space.

“The literature test was looking for an abundance of creativity and an abundance of knowledge and a willingness to put in virtually anything Russian that you knew,” said Rosenburg.

The LCPS students' science projects were far more straightforward.

Dyckovsky presented a satellite system that would cut down the possibility of eavesdropping on military and financial communications. Im's project explored whether the rapid gas acceleration that happens when two black holes collide is primarily due to Newtonian or relativistic effects. Rosenburg's project dealt with X-rays and black holes.

Beyond impressing their hosts with their scientific knowledge, the LCPS students were a cultural curiosity. “We were the novelty there; everyone wanted to talk to the Americans…,” said Dyckovsky. “We were the center of attention and it was really fun. All of the Russian students had been learning English and we were their test subjects.”

Rosenburg said one Russian student told them “The more English I know, the higher I can go…

“Apparently they all loved our accents. We didn't think we had any accents.”

Im became ill early in the trip and was quiet and withdrawn until he borrowed a guitar and did a cover of the Oasis hit “Wonderwall.” His fellow students appreciated Im's musical talent so much that he and a Russian student performed Green Day's “Wake Me Up When September Ends” during the closing ceremonies. “It was hard to communicate with them, even though they did speak pretty good English,” said Im. “They listen to music we listen to; I guess it's a universal language.”

What impressed all three students most about Russia were the personal moments they shared with their fellow students.

“I only learned about Russia through textbooks and what we really know about them is the Cold War stuff…,” said Im. “The lesson that I learned by visiting Russia…is people are all the same...They're just as cool as us and friendly...We shouldn't be too quick to judge others based on what we hear about them. You've really got to get to know them first and be open-minded.”

“All of the Russians came in with an open mind,” said Rosenburg. “They never judged us by our first appearance or that we were Americans.”

“Their idea of Americans is really based on television,” said Dyckovsky. “We surprised them, because they were not expecting the way we acted or the way that we talked to them. They expected all slang. They expected us to be like those people on MTV.”

Rosenburg said the LCPS students were able to dispel a few misconceptions about America. “They thought American high school was just like ‘Mean Girls.' ”

“We interacted with an international group that we fit in with and had a lot of fun with,” added Dyckovsky. “It was only two weeks, but I felt we got to know them better than most people we know here. It's just that close interaction that was extremely fun.”

While the LCPS students won some major awards, Rosenburg ended up with one he could have done without. He was presented a giant pencil with the smallest figure from a Matryoshka, or nesting, doll atop it for having the best smile. “Those things have always creeped me out,' said Rosenburg. “It looks like a baby staring right at you with a weird smile.” (This award will forever more be known as the “Creepy Baby Pencil.”

The LCPS students were accompanied to Russia by Social Science Supervisor Bill Brazier, Science Supervisor Odette Scovel and Dan Crowe from the AOS faculty. The trip was largely underwritten by Orbital Sciences Corporation and SGT, Inc.