The five students who represented Brazil at the International Astronomy and Astrophysics Olympiad 2024 (IOAA 2024) won silver and bronze medals.
The bronze medals were won by students Lucas Cavalcante Menezes (SE), 17 years old; Gustavo Mesquita França (SP), 18 years old; and Natália Rosa Vinhaes (MA), 17 years old. Francisco Carluccio de Andrade (SP), 16 years old; and Heitor Borim Szabo (SP), 17 years old, won silver medals. Heitor was also part of the multinational team that won the Group Competition.
In addition to Brazil, teams from Armenia, Bangladesh, Bulgaria, Canada, China, Czech Republic, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Indonesia, Japan, Kazakhstan, Philippines, Portugal, South Korea, Romania, Saudi Arabia, Slovakia, Turkey, Ukraine, United Kingdom and Vietnam won bronze medals.
With silver medals appear Brazil, Bulgaria, China, Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary, Indonesia, India, Japan, Poland, South Korea, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Thailand, Turkey, Ukraine, United Kingdom, United States and Vietnam.
The countries with gold medals were Canada, Cyprus, Hungary, India, Iran, Philippines, South Korea, Romania, Singapore, Slovenia, United Kingdom, United States.
Ceremony
According to Dr. Josina Nascimento, astronomer at the National Observatory and coordinator of the Brazilian IOAA 2024 Committee, the closing ceremony of the competition is a celebration of the journey that each of these young people has taken.
“These were days of great dedication, learning and overcoming. For us at the National Observatory, it is a great source of pride to see how much these students have grown, not only in terms of knowledge, but also in terms of the spirit of collaboration and friendship. Regardless of the medals, all participants are winners, as they contributed to a rich and unforgettable experience.”
In Josina Nascimento’s assessment, IOAA 2024 is “a milestone in the history of science and education.”
Olympics
The 17th IOAA was held this month in the cities of Vassouras and Barra do Piraí, in the state of Rio de Janeiro, and brought together more than 300 young talents from 53 countries who, over the course of ten days, took theoretical, practical and observation tests, demonstrating a high level of knowledge and dedication.
Organized by the National Observatory, an agency of the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (MCTI), the event is one of the most prestigious scientific competitions in the world, focused on astronomy and astrophysics. This was the second time that Brazil hosted the IOAA. The first was in 2012.
Established in Thailand in 2006, the IOAA is an annual event for high-achieving high school students from around the world. The competition promotes astronomy and astrophysics among high school students, and aims to foster friendship among young astronomers internationally in order to build cooperation in these fields.
