Israel’s Chemistry Team that was trained at the Technion has been awarded a gold medal, two silver medals and a bronze medal at the International Chemistry Olympiad, which recently took place online due to COVID-19. Over the past week, 240 young girls and boys from 60 countries around the world participated in the 52nd International Chemistry Olympiad, hosted this year by Turkey. The event was held via Zoom due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. The State of Israel has been participating in the Olympiad since 2006. This year’s achievements were outstanding - all team members won medals and for the first time in a decade, and one student won gold. The four high school students who formed Israel’s Chemistry Team were: Roi Peer from Gan Haim – Gold Bar Sheffer from Ein Vered – Silver Ron Shprints from Ashdod – Silver Ward Yahya from Taibe – Bronze Since 2017, Israel’s Science Teams have operated under a joint venture between Israel's Ministry of Education and the Maimonides Fund’s Future Scientists Center, who together have supported and managed Israel’s participation in the International Olympiads for high school students in four disciplines. The Chemistry team was trained at the Schulich Faculty of Chemistry at the Technion - Israel Institute of Technology. The team was selected over a year-long process overseen by Professor Zeev Gross of the Technion's Faculty of Chemistry, who also serves as Dean of the Unit for Continuing and External Studies, as well as heading a variety of national youth programs in chemistry, together with the team’s head coach, Dr. Izana Nigel-Etinger. The training process was also assisted by ex-medalists Raz Lotan, an undergraduate student in mathematics, Assaf Mauda, who holds a B.A. and M.Sc. in chemistry and is currently a master’s student in computer sciences, and Ron Refaeli, an undergraduate student in chemistry, all at the Technion. Education Minister Yoav Galant congratulated Israel’s Chemistry Team: "Israeli students, the country’s future generation, reach extraordinary international achievements in science competitions time and time again – even during this complex period. The Ministry of Education will continue to invest in and support training Israel’s Science Teams. This goes hand-in-hand in developing and boosting capacities of all Israeli students throughout the country, and providing equal opportunity for all students to maximize their potential across a range of fields."
