06.09.2024

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Algorithms at every age

If you think you are too young for the Informatics Olympiad, chances are you’re not! Not only does the Swiss Informatics Olympiad offer a junior round, there is even an international contest specifically for those born in or after 2009: The European Junior Olympiad in Informatics, which last took place in Moldova in August. Here’s what the experience was like for Hongjia (15), Myriam (15) and Aliaksei (13).

From left to right: Myriam Faltin, Aliaksei Badnarchuk, Hongjia Meng.

From August 16 to 22, the capital of Moldova, Chisinau, became a meeting place for young teens with a penchant for programming. One of the 26 participating countries was Switzerland, represented by Hongjia Meng from Uri, Myriam Faltin from Geneva and Aliaksei Badnarchuk from Zurich. The first challenge they encountered on their journey was the fact that they had brought the wrong currency for Moldova, which is not part of the European Union. However, compared to the tricky tasks in the first of the two 4 hour contest, this challenge’s solution was relatively straightforward. 

Can you solve them? Here you can check the problems of EJOI 2024 

“The tasks on day one were extremely difficult in comparison to past years and I struggled for the whole contest”, tells Hongjia. “However, instead of giving up or stressing myself, I remained calm and did quite well on day two.” Hongjia explains that the improvements she noticed in herself were not all about programming skills, but also about keeping cool when faced with unexpected situations. She ended up getting a bronze medal. 

Myriam received an honorable mention.  “I'm a bit disappointed because I was really close to the bronze medal but I didn't get it because of some basic mistakes”, Myriam says. Luckily, there’s time to win medals in the future. Myriam just started high school, and just like Hongjia and Aliaksei, she plans to participate in the Olympiad again. “I love informatics because of how versatile algorithms are”, Aliaksei explains. “AI, math, robotics. All of it uses algorithms in some way, and has the potential to change the world for better.” 

At the Olympiad, participants get the chance to learn more about their interests - and share them with others across borders and language regions. “Since there weren’t any German speaking delegations, and since Myriam and our leaders are from the Romandie, we stayed mostly with the French delegation”, Hongjia explains. “It was really cool talking to them!” Aliaksei agrees that the best thing about international Olympiads is making new friends from different countries. “Also, with Olympiads, I always get to travel to places I’ve never have been! This was my first time in Moldova and I really enjoyed learning about their culture”, adds Hongjia. 

More about EJOI 2024 in the blog

She got to see an ancient monastery, visit a traditional Moldovan house and taste some local dishes. Only the blistering heat dampened her enjoyment of the sightseeing to some extent: “Every time we arrived somewhere, I wanted to find the shadow to survive. However, some places are definitely worth remembering”. Even one of the contest tasks was about Moldovan culture: The riddle features a traditional dance called Hora. When everyone started dancing the actual Hora on the evening after the closing ceremony, Aliaksei was reminded of the issues he had with the task, but his frustration only lasted two minutes. Then he joined the dance - and forgot the contest.

Would you like to follow in the footsteps of Hongjia, Myriam and Aliaksei? The Swiss Olympiad in Informatics, including the junior round, starts again on September 15. Don’t miss it!

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