Belarusian school students led by BSU lecturer earn awards at 19th International Olympiad on Astronomy and Astrophysics

Belarusian school students led by a BSU lecturer won awards at the 19th International Olympiad on Astronomy and Astrophysics (IOAA 2026). A gold medal was won by Yan Terekhov, a graduate of Lyceum No. 1 named after Academician Yu.M. Ostrovsky in Grodno. Certificates of commendation were awarded to Margarita Glushakova from Gymnasium No. 51 in Homyel and Sofya Mazurkevich from the V.Kh. Serebryany Gymnasium No. 41 in Minsk. The team was led by Aleksandr Spiridonov, Assistant Professor at the Faculty of Radiophysics and Computer Technologies of BSU, and Kazimir Znosko, Associate Professor at Yanka Kupala State University of Hrodna.

In total, more than 300 school students from 64 countries participated in the competition. The Olympiad included four rounds: theoretical, observational, data analysis, and a team competition. The competitors had to solve complex problems in astrophysics and cosmology, analyze real astronomical data, identify celestial objects and phenomena using telescopes, and demonstrate their knowledge across a wide range of astronomical topics.

The competition concluded on October 5 in Hanoi, Vietnam. The Olympiad aims to support talented young people and encourage students to pursue studies and careers in astrophysics.