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Silver Medalists
Two Putnam Science Academy students and their teacher after winning two silver medals in a competition held recently in Houston: Serdar Haytiyev, project supervisor and chemistry teacher; Abdurrahman Cam and Mehmet Sencan. Courtesy photo.
PUTNAM --- Students from Putnam Science Academy won two Silver Medals at the 2010-ISWEEEP International Olympiad in mid-April.
Recently, PSA successfully represented Connecticut and the U.S. in 2010-International Sustainable World (Energy, Engineering, and Environment) Project Olympiad known as ISWEEEP in Houston. In the event, 470 projects from 70 different countries and 43 U.S. states competed with each other. PSA students, Mehmet Sencan and Abdurrahman Cam won Silver Medals and $600 cash award in Environment Category - Senior Division which was the most competitive category in the Olympiad. 1,000 brightest science like-minded students displayed their science projects about pressing issues of energy, engineering, and environment. Abdurrahman Cam and Mehmet Sencan presented their project named: “Environmentally Friendly Removal of Toxic Phenol from Waste Water by using Chlorophyll” and they were awarded with the Silver Medal by the judges.
Olympiad has two divisions: Junior and Senior. Each division has 3 categories: Energy, Engineering, and Environment. A qualified project can compete in only one category. PSA students competed and won Silver Medals in Senior Environment, a category which had the most number of participants.
In 2008 PSA won a Bronze Medal at ISWEEEP. This year, before going to ISWEEEP, PSA had won first place in the 2010 Connecticut Science Fair.
Senior Mehmet Sencan said, "This was my second time participating ISWEEEP. I attended once in 2008 and had won a bronze medal. At that time, there were 36 countries but this year there were 70 countries and 43 U.S. states. In spite of increased competition, we could win a Silver Medal and took our success one step further and this makes me very happy and proud." He plans to major in mechanical engineering.
Junior Abdurrahman Cam said, "First of all, it was a great honor for me to be able to represent Connecticut and the U.S. in an International Olympiad. It was a truly memorable event to be able to see 1000 students from 70 different countries. It was an amazing experience to be competing against the best projects in the world but also very intimidating. As a result, I was ecstatic and honored to win a Silver Medal in my first International experience by overtaking so many opponents in the most competitive category of ISWEEEP, Environment."
Serdar Haytiyev, project supervisor and chemistry teacher, said, "Seeing so many bright students from 70 different countries that united for the same goal, saving the future of our world, increased my hopes for our future. I congratulate Mehmet and Abdurrahman for their success in such a competitive Olympiad." Prinicipal Tufan Aydin said, "It's a great honor for our school to represent Putnam and the Connecticut in International Olympiad. Our students achieved outstanding success with their hard work."