6TH INTERNATIONAL MICROELECTRONICS OLYMPIAD OF ARMENIA IS ANNOUNCED
Panorama
March 24 2011
Armenia
Armenia’s Leading Mobile Operator VivaCell-MTS, a subsidiary of “Mobile
TeleSystems” OJSC, and Synopsys, Inc., a world leader in software and
IP for semiconductor design, verification and manufacturing announced
today that the Sixth Annual International Microelectronics Olympiad of
Armenia will be held in September – October, 2011. This was announced
at a joint press conference, presided by VivaCell-MTS General Manager
Ralph Yirikian and Rich Goldman, president of the organizing committee
of the Olympiad, Vice President of Corporate Marketing and Strategic
Alliances at Synopsys, and the Chief Executive Officer of Synopsys
Armenia CJSC.
The Olympiad aims at stimulating further development of
microelectronics in Armenia and in the participant countries,
discovering young, talented resources, increasing interest towards
microelectronics among young specialists, understanding the level of
knowledge in the field of microelectronics in order to make necessary
adjustments to the educational programs and creating a community of
young specialists involved in microelectronics. Eligible participants
are students of colleges and higher educational institutions and
specialists from companies engaged in microelectronics under age 30.
“In its sixth year, the International Microelectronics Olympiad
has achieved impressive momentum. Two years ago, the Olympiad
took its first tentative steps toward internationalization, with
the participation of students from Russia and Ukraine. Last year,
students from five different countries participated. This year,
we expect to nearly double that number with students from three
different continents participating, traveling to Armenia from as
far away as California. Thanks to the generous sponsorship of our
excellent partner, VivaCell-MTS the opportunity to travel to Yerevan
to participate in the Olympiads is proving to be a very attractive
proposition around the world, and is creating an event in this field
that is unprecedented throughout the world. The Olympiad is providing
an impetus to showcase Armenia’s developing role as a regional center
for Microelectronics, and is serving as a strong basis for developing
beneficial relationships for Armenia around the world. I am certain
that the relationships built through the Olympiads will reward the
organizers’ efforts for Armenia in unprecedented and unforeseen ways.
We look forward to hosting and competing with the brightest young
electrical engineers from counties around the world, during Synopsys
Week 2011 in October in Yerevan” – said Rich Goldman, president of
the organizing committee of the Olympiad, chief executive officer of
Synopsys Armenia CSJC, and vice president of Corporate Marketing and
Strategic Alliances at Synopsys.
“Education defines the future of the country. This is especially the
case, when education is essential in boosting country’s competitive
advantage. Healthy competition between IT students is a necessary
precondition to creativity: this is a sphere where the determining
factor is the brilliance of thought and not the physical strength.
However, it’s not a sufficient condition yet. Such initiatives need
to be encouraged as strongly as possible. As Armenia’s Leading Mobile
Operator and corporate citizen, for VivaCell-MTS any initiative that
leads young people to great discoveries by encouraging creativity
is important. This is where we see our role as the supporter. Only
countries valuing the intellectual development of young generation
have prospects for further development. We wish the participants
and especially our compatriots every success in the contest. We are
confident they will do their best to use this opportunity to win”-
said VivaCell-MTS General Manager Ralph Yirikian.
This year the Olympiad will host representatives from Armenia, India,
Jordan, Russia, Serbia, Ukraine, USA and others.
The 6th International Microelectronics Olympiad of Armenia is conducted
in two stages: the first stage, that entails a test, will be held in
all participant countries simultaneously, in September, 2011.
The final stage will be held among the top contestants of all
participant countries, in Armenia, in October, during Synopsys week
in Armenia 2011. It will involve a challenging contest and complex
engineering tasks requiring advanced solutions.
The Olympiad topics are Digital IC Design and Testing, analog and Mixed
Signal IC Design and Testing, semiconductor Devices and Technology,
mathematical and Algorithmic Issues of EDA.
1st Category prize is a portable computer, 2nd category is AMD 300
thousand (approximately USD 800) and the 3rd category is AMD 150
thousand (approximately USD 400). There are also special prizes for the
Best Engineering Solution, Most creative solution, Best out-of-the-box
solution and Best Result among participants from each country. All
participants of the Olympiad receive Participation Certificates.
The first Armenian Microelectronics Olympiad was held on September
22-26, 2006. Eighty-two participants took part in the first stage,
and 32 passed to the second stage. The second annual Armenian
Microelectronics Olympiad was held on September 18-26, 2007. One
hundred eighteen participants took part in the first stage,
and 48 passed to the second stage. The third annual Armenian
Microelectronics Olympiad was held on September 16-25, 2008. One
105 participants took part in the first stage, 15 of whom were from
Gyumri. 32 participants went on to the second stage. The Fourth
Annual Armenian Microelectronics Olympiad was held on September 4-30,
2009. 118 participants took part in the first stage, with 10 from
Russia, 27 from Ukraine, and 11 from Gyumri. Forty-seven moved on
to the second stage. The Fifth Annual International Microelectronics
Olympiad of Armenia was held on October 4 – 29, 2010. Of more than 200
competitors in the Olympiad 1st stage, 132 were students from Armenian
universities. A number of participating students were from universities
outside Armenia: Moscow Institute of Electronics Technology (MIET);
Saint-Petersburg Electrotechnical University (LETI); Saint-Petersburg
State University of Information Technology, Mechanics and Optics
(ITMO), Kharkov National University of Radio Electronics (KNURE);
Jordan University of Science and Technology (JUST), Princess Sumaya
University for Technology (PSUT), University of Niš and University
of Serbia. 50 qualified participants moved on to the second stage.
From: A. Papazian