The best student in the world

[msfntor]

The best student in the world

 

Quote

An 18-year-old Ukrainian who studied in a basement is the best student in the world.
He created a device that detects landmines. He was selected as the winner of the Global Student Prize.

 Igor Klymenko testing the mine detector.

 

by Ricardo Braginski

21/04/2023 6:01

on Clarín.com/Society
Updated on 04/21/2023 12:37

 

When on the night of February 24, 2022 Russia began the invasion of Ukraine, Igor Klymenko was 17 years old and finishing his last year of high school in Kiev, where he lived with his family. The bombs were exploding closer and closer and Igor made the quick decision to flee to the outskirts of the city to take refuge in a cellar with eight other people. There he completed his studies, from a distance, while perfecting a mine-detecting drone he had been working on for eight years.

"It was scary to hear the planes and explosions, but I knew that education was the key to making a difference," he tells Clarín from Edmenton (Canada), where he is studying Mathematics and Computer Science at the University of Alberta, one of the five most prestigious universities in that country, while also studying online at the Kiev Polytechnic Institute of Automation of Computer Integrated Technologies.

 Igor Klymenko, the world's best student, is now studying at the University of Alberta in Canada.

"I want to apply what I learn to develop my drone and solve the global landmine problem," he says - ambitiously - about his near future. "I have no idea when the war will end, but I know the crisis will go on for a long time. And people who know about it are saying that, once the war is over, it will take more than 50 years to remove all the mines from Ukraine", he tells Clarín from Canada through Zoom, showing all his sympathy.

It was the tenacity in study, plus the potential community impact of the mine-detecting drone project that were the main reasons Igor was chosen as the best student in the world by the jury of the Global Student Prize 2022, a global prize that awards $100,000 to the winner.

He competed against nearly 7,000 applicants from 150 countries.

 Nicolas Monzon (25), an Argentinean who comes from a humble family from Quilmes, who is now doing three careers and created a software company had been selected among the 10 best students in the world.

What is Igor's anti-mine drone like? "The device I developed is called Quadcopter Mines Detector. It detects anti-personnel and anti-vehicle landmines, and transmits the coordinates to the operator with a margin of centimeters. It can detect them without activating them," says Igor. The idea first occurred to me when I was 9 years old and saw news about Russia's invasion of Crimea. At that moment, I resolved to do what I could to help my country."

"I have always been interested in science and spent hours studying books on robotics and discussing my ideas with my teachers. When Russia invaded Ukraine last year, I became even more committed to helping my country and saving lives, so I continued to perfect my drone from the basement where we were sheltering," he adds.

 The minesweeper drone
Igor already has the prototype of the device ready, which has received two official patents in Ukraine. He is now working on developing a minimum viable product in order to test it in the real world.

The world's best student tells how the hostilities over the Russian invasion made education a real challenge for all Ukrainians. For security reasons, and as in the worst of the pandemic, all classes had to be taught online, remotely.

 
"The war has taken a lot from me, but I was determined that it would not take away my education as well. I am very grateful for the help and encouragement of my teachers. Even though many of them joined the military, they continued to support me over the phone and through Zoom. They motivated me to keep working on my drone and without their support I would not be where I am today," Igor tells Clarín.

He also tells that in Ukraine most of the schools for children under 16, like the one his sister goes to, are still in remote format. "My family still lives in the countryside, they didn't go back to Kiev because the countryside is safer. I know some schools that resumed attendance, but everyone has to go to the basement every time the sirens are heard for possible attacks", Igor tells Clarín from Zoom.

Igor left many of his friends in Ukraine, who now live in different parts of the country, and he says that this makes him "anxious", because he often loses contact and news about them.

 Since childhood Igor Klymenko had a very strong illness from which he almost died. "With the strength of spirit and treatment in Cuba under the care of specialists, I was able to overcome it," he says.

"Hearing explosions outside put us in front of the situation that every day may be the last. In that context, knowing that my people were fighting and defending my country motivated me to persist with my device," Igor says. He also says he would like to return to Ukraine once he graduates from university in Canada, he estimates in three years.

 Even with a broken arm, Igor Klymenko participated in a robotics competition as a boy.

Beyond the war in Ukraine, Igor now wants his device to transcend and save lives in many parts of the world where armed conflicts are taking place. "I hope that the award jury saw the potential my project has to help not only Ukraine, but the world. Although Ukraine is one of the most heavily mined countries, it is a problem that also affects 60 other countries," he says.

Igor acknowledges that this award would not have been possible without his family and friends. "They gave me great support while I was developing my drone. They were very proud of me when I won the Global Student Prize. Also, my work is very inspired by them, by my family, friends, teachers and the people of Ukraine, who are fighting for our freedom. For me, they are all real heroes," he says.

And he tells of the vicissitudes he had to go through to go to study in Canada. "Last year, when I was finishing high school and the war started, with my family we started thinking about where I could study in the next few years. We looked at the opportunities that different programs and universities were giving us. And the University of Alberta had a one-year scholarship for Ukrainian students. So I improved my English, applied and now I'm here," she says, happy with her achievement.

"When I moved to Canada I had to come with my mom, because I was still 17 and underage and needed an older one for a lot of paperwork I had to do. My mom lived with me for three weeks and then moved back to Ukraine, because my sister is 10 years old," he tells.

Igor Klymenko developing the mine detector.

While Igor is now on his own, living on the university campus, he says he is very happy with his new reality. "Canada is very different from Ukraine. There are a lot of immigrants here, including many Ukrainians, and there is a lot of diversity. It's really great."

Igor says he plans to use most of the $100,000 to further develop his drone, "to try to save as many lives as possible." And he leaves a message for Argentine students.

 Igor Klymenko participates in an event of the Ukrainian Academy of Sciences in Kiev and aims to encourage young people to create their own projects.
Igor Klymenko participates in an event of the Ukrainian Academy of Sciences in Kiev and aims to encourage young people to create their own projects.
- What do you know about Argentina, Clarín asks him.

- Little, that good soccer players usually come from Argentina (he thinks).

- Would you like to come to Argentina?

- Yes, of course I would. In Ukraine, one of the things that most inspires all of us students who are developing projects is to talk to other students from other parts of the world. If I had the possibility, it would be great. I would like to talk to Argentine students and share our knowledge.

- What would you tell them?

- I would tell them my story, and how from the problems we had, I looked for opportunities and got to this moment in Canada. How I am working on my project, how I did my best to apply in different places and get here. I would exchange my life experience with theirs.

- What would you say to the leaders in Argentina?

- That they should try to make children enjoy science. In Ukraine there are organizations that do that with high school students of all ages: they talk to the supervisors, to push the kids to do research. And I would also talk to the leaders of companies, ask them to help students.

 Igor Klymenko tests his mine-detecting device in the classroom. It was before the war.
Igor Klymenko tests his mine-detecting device in the classroom. It was before the war.
"I also strongly encourage Argentine students to apply for the Global Student Prize, to share their stories and make their voices heard. This prize gave me an incredible platform to raise awareness about the global landmine problem and helped me get one step closer to realizing my dream of a mine-free world. Throughout this whole experience, I have met many inspiring people from all over the world, from other students to political leaders. It's a great opportunity," he closes...

 

MORE (and more photos too) here: https://www.clarin.com/sociedad/ucraniano-18-anos-estudio-sotano-mejor-alumno-mundo_0_JG1J7xIgl1.html

Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)

Edited April 22, 2023 by msfntor
The best student in the world added

[msfntor]

I'm amazed by this young student's achievement ... and all this for the true good of humanity. Let's hope that more young people will do something similar and not look at screens all the time or take d*ugs...

Edited April 24, 2023 by msfntor
d*ugs

[UCyborg]

Indeed a lot of troubled youngsters out there.

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Edited May 3, 2023 by UCyborg