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Good day everyone
I hope you are not too hungry, I am
my stomach is churning, so I apologize beforehand
if you hear a strange noise over the microphone
Love is chemistry, sex is physics!
I am a chemist, so I don't know much about sex
When the system fails, enthusiasm plays
but I know a bit about love (here are a lot of physicists)
with that sentence I started my presentation
on the FameLab competition in 2008
FameLab is a competition
in which young scientists in age between 18 and 35 years
present to a wide audience such as you
a scientific topic of their choice
In not 18 but 3 minutes and without the use of Power Point presentations
The whole competition was conceived as a scientific version of American Idol
at the European you have three minutes to sing a song
at FameLab you have three minutes to present science
That show in majority of countries in which they participate
which is every year more and more
is broadcasted on TV, either directly or postponed
But in Croatia
this competition is held for six years
We have such quality programs on our television
so there is simply no place for FameLab
although it is only a one hour program once a year
all they tell us it is not an attractive television content
this to us unattractive television content
the same 2008th 20 million people watched in Turkey
Imagine, in direct broadcast
on national television
on Saturday
at 8 pm
In the UK where the same competition is designed
the whole show winner gets a contract with television
its own scientific program
which is later very successful
Well, back to the beginning - sex
After I 2008th admitted to everyone that I know nothing about sex
I started to learn
so I learned something by 2012
most important thing I learned is
that sex sells
I reinvented the wheel everyone already knows it
Because I used the keywords love and sex in my presentation
my victory got good media coverage
and in a very short period
I gave over 40 interviews for various television stations, radio stations, newspapers
Indeed, I even managed to commercialize my presentation
a pharmaceutical company bought it
for advertising purposes for one of their products
I would be lying if I said I am not impressed and I'm not glad that I was in media
But I often wonder if the media coverage really is
and, should the media coverage be
the only measure of success
I'd like to share with you today my another successful experience
which occurred in 2003
When as a high school pupil I had the opportunity and honour
to represent Croatia with three other colleagues
at the International Chemistry Olympiad
we won two bronze medals
then we are also covered by the media with exactly one appearance in the media
and on a centerfold of daily newspapers
To be honest, in the lower part of centerfold
in two sentences
Those are the short ones, flash news
that fill in empty space
It said: Croatian national team won two bronze medals
And the rest of the centerfold covered a news about another Olympics
Racing Pigeon Olympiad
Nobody is going to competitions in chemistry, Chemistry Olympiad, for media glory
However, if there is no media coverage of such activities
there are no sponsors
Unfortunately I have to say that this year will happen the first time
after Croatia sent
and in 11 years that Croatia sends
our competitors to this competition
and 28 medals that those competitors won for Croatia
we will not send our team to the competition
there is no money
Since 2005 I work in a team that prepares those pupils for the competition
Firsthand I can say that there are really fantastic kids
Sorry, pupils
One of the examples is Filip Vranješeviæ
Please raise your hands those who have heard of Filip Vranješeviæ
Is there someone in the audience?
One... wow, ok.
Filip participated in even three Chemistry Olympiads
I participated in one, and he in three
He won silver, gold and bronze
So he has a full set of medals at home
It is rare not only in Croatia but in the world
While we marginalize Olympiads like this
We even have no money to send the competitors
All the world's leading universities ensure that they have their scouts out there
to get the best for themselves
They of course took Filip
because we do not follow such content
our next generations will not even get a chance to be like Filip
because we will not send them to such competition
You all heard of the Gaussian curve
The education system in Croatia, anywhere in the world, was made for
the average pupil these are in the middle
It is like that in the definition and there is actually nothing wrong
The question is what about those pupils that are sticking
that are located on the edges of that curve
those on the left side are called the children with special needs
those on the right side are called gifted pupils
My mom is a high school teacher, she works with the middle part
sister is a special teacher, she works with these
and I am left with these, right extremists
gifted pupils
When I discuss the problems encountered in our work with my sister
they are actually the same and boil down to one sentence
and that is that the system generally is not interested in a few percent of pupils
who are at each end of the curve
but when the system fails, enthusiasm plays
When I became 6 years ago a part of one such enthusiastic play
I did not realize that terms like holidays or free-time will become unknown to me
I became part of a summer school of science, which every year gathers
around thirty pupils from around the world
which get the opportunity to work 10 days on small research projects
in groups of 3 or 4 pupils
in areas: physics, chemistry, biology, computer science, engineering
under the guidance of a mentor who is either a student or graduate student or postdoc
The program is very intense, it's all day
with the various workshops and lectures in the evening
except for one day when the trip is, our attendants do not have much free time
and that first year when I came to school not knowing exactly what awaits me
I prepared well and geeky approached the problem
And I believed that I know everything, nothing can surprise me
I got four participants in a project that soon convinced me that I do not know everything
I taught them something, explained, they questioned me
and for a while, I gave a relatively coherent responses
but in one moment you come to some fundamental questions that you do not understand
you actually realize at that point that you do not understand them
and you can only say: I don't know
I don't know, but we will find it out together
and you start to learn together with them
in those 10 days
participants were able to learn and master an entire area of science
an entire course, which I listened on the third year of studies
and solve tasks some of my colleagues were not able to solve
after the whole semester of lectures
I was particularly impressed by their zeal for knowledge
they so much wanted to do, learn new things wanted more,
that they were working in spare time
often at night, we leaders had to organize guard to go into their rooms
taking their computers and books that they do not work at night
to get some sleep for another day so they can work
I was completely exhausted and
and when I came home I slept that year more than when I came home from school excursion
"Education is a drug for scientists
they easily got hooked because the results in contrast to the science
are seen virtually overnight",
are the words of Korado Korleviæ
a man I very much appreciate and respect
I could say our ringleader
who is for over 20 years in the system of working
with talented and motivated pupils in Croatia
and who with his enthusiasm attracted many of us young enthusiasts
in his play
Like many others, I also got hooked
I continued to return to the school
and with time I became an organizer
and as all those who at least once organized our school
I sweared it is my last time
because of all the problems, obstacles, how nice to say, the challenges
you face during the organization
and when you are sure you made the final decision
you do not want to have anything to do with it
you just want to have a vacation and swim in the sea
Then you get an SMS, or e-mail or phone call from a former attendee
or their parents
SMS that I received last year was
Thank you for the given opportunity,
"this was 9 most beautiful days of my life
I hope to see you again"
And in that moment you forget all the obstacles, challenges, problems
you sit in front of the computer and write e-mails
you start to organize a school from the beginning
all of our mentors who work at our school are volunteers
they spend their free time, vacation
sharing their enthusiasm, their knowledge and love for science
with new generations
many of them even lobby in their own laboratories
in order to donate us certain chemicals or lend us certain equipment
to reduce as much as possible costs to our school
Some of them send to school special parcels, relatively expensive and sensitive reagents
A leader from the UK, Nick was at our school two years ago
It's this guy here
he led a project in physics
holography
They have made holograms
So he had to bring from London a bunch of equipment, lasers, sensitive things
since we are thrifty, we naturally bought him the cheapest airplane ticket possible
with minimum baggage allowance
And when the man put the lasers in the bag
he realized that he could not take anything from personal items
all he had, he was wearing
he came with underpants, socks, undershirts
He had nothing, the man had nothing with him
Everyone of us other leaders lent him some clothing
So that he has something to wear for those 10 days
And they washed him frequently what he brought with himself
And he somehow returned to England
I have a custom to communicate with former leaders after the school
I was kinda afraid and I actually was embarrassed
What will I ask the man?
I brought him here, had exhausted him up, he had not slept, aand he returned back
But he was so thrilled with the school
with that whole enthusiasm that is happening there
and those attendees, that to one of his participants with the project
(this is Barbara)
he has secured a scholarship in his lab
She already few weeks after the school that same summer
flew to London and worked on his research project
together with the people who are doing their PhD research
or with people who are already PhDs
and she has just completed the third grade of high school
I am very fond of this relationship that remains between attendees and the leaders
Many of them are returning to the laboratories of their mentors
during their study, thy make their thesis, papers for the Rector's Award
Many of them later return to school as mentors
even as organizers
returning in some way what they got from school, to new generations
many of them assert
Some of them are there in the audience which I particularly like
that exactly the experience they got at our school
was central to them in choosing a career in science
Unfortunately, we are not recognized by the system
and without significant support from many different laboratories, research institutions
and universities from home and abroad
it would not be at all possible to maintain such a program
It also would not have been possible without a number of private companies
Which, unprovoked, invest some money in us
regardless of the fact that we can provide virtually no media promotion
they invest in us because they believe that investing in young and talented pupils
is a safe investment
because in several years, these pupils are to become drivers of the economy
We are not alone. Besides us in Croatia, there are several programs
that work with young, talented and motivated pupils
We all are trying to somehow link together, cooperate, exchange experiences
lecturers, leaders, act together in certain actions
But without the support of the system loss of part of the pupils is inevitable
those gifted pupils who simply have never heard that we exist
all those students who have heard of us who have signed up for our programs
but due to limited resources we are unable to take them over
all those pupils who live in small communities
who feel isolated in what they do
and there is no one who would recognize them as motivated and talented
who would direct them to maximize their potential.
The country which has the most developed system of working with gifted children is Israel
Their policy is very simple it can be reduced to one sentence
We are a country that is too small to afford a loss of even one talented pupil
I would add, Croatia is a small country, too
we have a lot of gifted pupils
It is high time to exploit that potential let's not spill it.
I will end up with a sentence of Derek Bok
"If you think education is expensive, try ignorance!"
When the system fails, enthusiasm plays
There will always be enthusiasts and I am sure that this round will never stop playing
But imagine how nice it would only be
if the system would play together with us
Thank you