The Portuguese delegation, which included three secondary school students, won two silver and one bronze medals at the 10th International Earth Sciences Olympiad (International Earth Sciences Olympiads – IESO 2016), which took place in Mie, Japan, between August 20th and 27th.
The Portuguese delegation included the three winning students of the 2nd Portuguese Geology Olympiads, organized during the 2015-16 academic year by the Geological Society of Portugal (SGP).
Thus, Diogo Nascimento, from the Murça Basic and Secondary School, and Marcos Freitas, from the Colégio da Rainha Santa Isabel, in Coimbra, each won a silver medal, while Alexandre Afonso, from the Adolfo Portela Secondary School, in Águeda, obtained a bronze medal.
This was the second consecutive year of Portugal's participation in the International Earth Sciences Olympiad and it was also the second time that the national team had great success.
In addition to the students, the delegation also included their mentors, belonging to the National Commission for the Geology Olympics (CNOG), Jorge Relvas (National Coordinator) and Álvaro Pinto, both from the Faculty of Sciences of the University of Lisbon.
In parallel, two other transnational collective competitions called International Team Field Investigation (ITFI) and Earth Science Project (ESP). Also here, the Portuguese team stood out, having obtained another Bronze medal at the ITFI.
"An aspect to be highlighted, and which further values the performance of Portuguese students, is that the subjects assessed at the International Olympics differ significantly from the national programs of the 10th and 11th year of Biology and Geology, as they additionally incorporate contents of Planetary Sciences, Geophysics, Oceanography and Atmospheric Sciences», explains the Geological Society of Portugal.
«To further enhance the competences of the Portuguese delegation, namely in matters that are not part of their school programs, a complementary preparation was made for the students who are part of it. This preparation, as well as the entire process of organizing the selection of students who represented Portugal at IESO 2016, was only possible thanks to the invaluable support of the Ciência Viva Centers of Lousal and Estremoz, and of professors from the University's School of Science and Technology of Évora, of the Faculty of Sciences of the University of Lisbon and of the Faculty of Sciences and Technology of the Universidade Nova de Lisboa to whom the Geological Society of Portugal thanks, recognized», adds the SGP.
The same body also says that «this winning mission was only possible thanks to the involvement, dedication and quality of Portuguese teachers and students involved in the Portuguese Geology Olympics. However, an initiative of this dimension involves the effort of many colleagues and institutions, in addition to those that have already been nominated».
The management of the Geological Society of Portugal also gives three thanks: to Professor Jorge Relvas and the entire CNOG team coordinated by him, for all the logistical aspects of this complex process, to Professor Jorge Ferreira, President of the Expert Jury and to all his staff. team, for the preparation of all the tests used in the 2nd Portuguese Geology Olympiads, and also the support of the Ministry of Education and Science and the National Agency Ciência Viva, without which «all this would hardly have been possible».
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