Three 3IB Students Take Part in the Unge Forskere Competition

From left : Said Zeki Gökmen, Yersaiyn Sarsenbay, and Jaivardhan Jaiswal

This year, three students from 3IB took part in the Konkurransen Unge Forskere, a national research competition that brings together some of Norway’s most talented young students. Their participation shows both motivation and academic curiosity, which are important qualities in the International Baccalaureate program.

The Konkurransen Unge Forskere is one of Norway’s oldest and most well known competitions for young researchers, with a history of more than 50 years. Each year, students from all over the country send in their own research projects in many different subjects, including natural sciences, technology, social sciences, and humanities.

Participants are judged by a group of experts based on scientific quality, creativity, and originality. The competition starts with students sending in their projects, followed by a selection process that chooses the most promising work. The best projects move on to a final round, where students present their work and compete for prizes.

The competition is very prestigious. Every year, between 100 and 200 projects are submitted, which makes reaching the finals a big achievement on its own. Finalists are invited to a special award event, where they present their research using posters and meet other young researchers from across Norway.

In addition to national recognition, the competition can also lead to international opportunities. Some of the best participants may be chosen to represent Norway in global science competitions such as the European Union Contest for Young Scientists or other international research events.

The participation of three 3IB students in this year’s competition shows the strong academic environment at our school. Yersaiyn Sarsenbay was a finalist in the humanities and social sciences category with his project "Indicative Architecture and the Visual Simulation of Sustainability in the Oslo Opera House". We asked about his experience in the competition. "Honestly, it was such a rewarding experience. Getting to dive into architecture for my research and share it with people who actually cared about that stuff too was really exciting. Everything was so well organized, and I picked up so much just from talking to other participants and hearing about their projects. Not gonna lie, it stung a little that I didn’t place, but that didn’t really take away from how much I got out of it.” When reflecting upon how the experience will benefit him in the future, he explains: “This whole thing kind of confirmed something for me, that I actually want to keep going with architecture, not just as a school thing but as something I want to properly pursue. Getting to do real research and present it in front of people gave me a real taste of what that world is like, and honestly, I just want more of it.”

Jaivardhan Jaiswal was a finalist in natural sciences and technology category with his project "Investigating the Coefficent of Restitution of a Basketball on a Plywood Surface". He told us about some of the highlights of the competition: " Being part of Unge Forskere was a really rewarding experience. It was inspiring to meet so many students who had spent months researching topics they were genuinely passionate about, and hearing about projects from completely different fields gave me a lot of new perspectives. Presenting my own research and discussing it with the judges was probably the most valuable part, as their questions made me think more critically about my investigation and how I could improve it. Overall, it was a motivating experience that made all the work I had put into my project feel worthwhile." Jaiswal believes the experience will bring him a lot of value in the future: "The competition taught me that research is much more than just collecting data and getting results. It's about asking good questions, being open to feedback, and constantly improving your work. Throughout the competition, I learned how to communicate my ideas more clearly and defend the decisions I made during my investigation. Those are skills I know will help me at university and in the future. More than anything, the experience has motivated me to keep exploring new ideas and challenging myself beyond the classroom."

Said Zeki Gökmen was awarded second prize in the natural sciences and technology category with his project "Thrust-to-Power Analysis: Optimizing Electron Geometry for Model Ion Thruster Efficiency". Second prize awards him the opportunity to visit Andøya Space Center, a launch and testing site for the European Space Agency in northern Norway. When asked about how he experienced the competition, he said: "It was very well organized. It made me feel that my research was significant and valued, for future of our generation and Norway. I really appreciated meeting similar minds with similar interests. I competed in the natural sciences and mathematics category. My research went as far as taking the second place in the competition. I wish it went further, but overall I'm grateful. I get to go to the European Space Camp in Andøya this summer, where we will get to build an actual mini-rocket and learn different procedures in aerospace. I'm very happy with the award. It reflects to my interest, since my research was about plasma propulsion systems in aerospace. I recommend those who are interested in research to pursue this competition."

Following up, he explains his plans for the future: "I want to pursue research and development in the dome of propulsion technologies when I grow up. That's why competing and taking proper critics and see where my research actually lies compared to my peers is very important. It gives me motivation and room to improve. Not only that, but I've also learnt how to handle it when my effort isn't recognized up to my expectations. It's very normal in real life, and I will face it even more. It gives me a next-direction, in a way. What to do, what to improve afterwards. I hope to join more competitions similar to this one in university!"