GARDEN OF PHYSICS Episode 09
Where do talents grow?
Guests: European Physics Olympiad participants and Dr Marko Opačić
The 4th European Physics Olympiad, the most prestigious competition of high school students alongside the International Physics Olympiad, this year was held remotely in the period 20 – 26 July instead of being held in Romania as previously planned. The participants solved problems in their respective countries, and Serbia’s team solved problems at the Institute of Physics, Belgrade, where competition preparation had earlier been organized.
The Olympiad participants who won five medals were guests of the ninth instalment of the video series ’The Garden of Physics’.
The preparations were rather intense, we worked industriously and it was interesting’, says Dobrica Jovanović, a third-year student of the Mathematical Grammar School who won a gold medal. The same recognition was achieved by Bogdan Rajkov who says ’I enrolled at the University of Cambridge, but if I have the opportunity to return and work in my profession I will definitely return’.
Talking about the dilemma where to continue education, the silver medal winner Petar Samardžić says that he is not certain whether he will study physics or mathematics, however, he will try to enrol at a university abroad.
’The competition was less stressful than in normal circumstances, we just came to the Institute and for two days we solved problems,’ says Strahinja Nikolić, who won a bronze medal and this year enrolled at the University of Electrical Engineering in Belgrade. Dušan Beguš, also a winner of a bronze medal, while talking about his interests says: ’I am currently interested in everything in physics, although I think I am too young to profile myself’.
Preparations for the competition were led by researchers from the Institute of Physics, Belgrade, Dr Marko Opačić, Dr Dejan Đokić and Dr Nenad Vukmirović. ’I feel great pleasure when working with talented, hard-working and dedicated children,’ says Dr Opačić. Talking about their later career, Dr Opačić says that everyone who receives a scholarship will surely go abroad for further education, but that it is important to keep in touch with them. ’There is a great chance that one day they will return to Serbia, and maybe even to the Institute. If a single one comes back from each generation, to me that is a success’, Dr Opačić says.
Realized in cooperation with the portal ’Science Through Stories’, each episode of ’The Garden of Physics’ is dedicated to one of the fundamental topics of modern science, whether it is the greatest secrets of our times or research indicating unexpected horizons in the perception of the world. New episodes are aired every Friday online and they are available on webpages of the Institute of Physics, Belgrade and the portal „Science Through Stories“, as well as on You are welcome to join us.
Authors: Marija Đurić and Slobodan Bubnjević
Scenario: ’Science Through Stories’
Camera/drone: Zoran Veljanoski, Bojan Živojinović (Twotech Solutions)
Production associate: Jovana Nikolić
Directing and editing: Bojan Živojinović
Produced by: Insitute of Physics, Belgrade, 2020