With our free press under threat and federal funding for public media gone, your support matters more than ever. Help keep the LAist newsroom strong, become a monthly member or increase your support today during our fall member drive.
These Ukrainian students are competing virtually in an international science fair
Listen
• 4:36
Dmytriy Omelyanov is working with a fellow student on a project involving cockroaches. They will be competing in the science fair virtually from Ukraine.
(
Society For Science
)
Updated May 9, 2022 at 12:12 PM ET
Sofiia Smovzh, Serhii Kolomiichuk and Dmytriy Omelyanov are 17-year-old high school students from Ukraine. They were participating in a national science fair in Kyiv on the morning that Russia began its assault on their country.
Kolomiichuk and Omelyanov are from Dnipro, in central Ukraine. On Feb. 24, as they heard explosions go off in Kyiv, they made the long journey home on a packed train.
"Since there was just a huge number of people, we had to sleep two people on the top bunk," Kolomiichuk tells Morning Edition. "People slept for 10 hours wherever they could — on the floor, in the vestibule and just sitting. Arriving home — constant air raid alerts awaited us."
Support for LAist comes from
Smovzh's family left Kyiv.
Sofiia Smovzh's work involves cancer treatments. She will compete in the science fair from Paris, where she moved during the war.
(
Society For Science
)
"My family moved to western part of Ukraine on the first day of the war," she says. "I have a small sister, and we didn't want her to listen to all the sounds of explosions."
Her mom and sister are now living in Spain. Her stepdad stayed behind in Ukraine and she herself now lives in France.
"The atmosphere in Ukraine when you sit and read the news — it's very hard to focus on studying, and that's why I moved to Paris," she explains.
Smovzh, Kolomiichuk and Omelyanov are now finalists in the International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) in Atlanta this week. There are 1750 finalists from around the world — many at the event in person for the first time in two years.
Kolomiichuk, Omelyanov and Smovzh are competing virtually.
Support for LAist comes from
Serhii Kolomiichuk is from Dnipro, Ukraine. He is working with Omelyanov on a cockroach-related project.
(
Society For Science
)
Smovzh aims to find less-toxic treatments for cancer. Kolomiichuk and Omelyanov are working on a joint project that involves studying cockroaches.
"Cockroaches are carriers of many parasites," Omelyanov says. "People have long learned to deal with these insects with insecticides but they have already become a problem. We find nontoxic aromatic mixtures that can become a complete replacement for insecticides."
As they work under trying circumstances, Smovzh talks of what it means to be a finalist in ISEF.
"For me, it's more than just individual participation and winning something or not winning something," she says. "I study and prepare for ISEF to show that Ukraine is a strong and independent country and we are strong in every field, in science as well."
This story originally appeared in the Morning Edition live blog.
Copyright 2023 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org. 9(MDA1OTI3MjQ5MDEyODUwMTE2MzM1YzNmZA004))
At LAist, we believe in journalism without censorship and the right of a free press to speak truth to those in power. Our hard-hitting watchdog reporting on local government, climate, and the ongoing housing and homelessness crisis is trustworthy, independent and freely accessible to everyone thanks to the support of readers like you.
But the game has changed: Congress voted to eliminate funding for public media across the country. Here at LAist that means a loss of $1.7 million in our budget every year. We want to assure you that despite growing threats to free press and free speech, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust. Speaking frankly, the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news in our community.
We’re asking you to stand up for independent reporting that will not be silenced. With more individuals like you supporting this public service, we can continue to provide essential coverage for Southern Californians that you can’t find anywhere else. Become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission.
Thank you for your generous support and belief in the value of independent news.
Chip in now to fund your local journalism
(
LAist
)
Trending on LAist
-
It will be the second national day of protest against President Donald Trump. -
Restaurants share resources in the food hall in West Adams as Los Angeles reckons with increasing restaurant closures. -
The university says the compact, as the Trump administration called it, could undermine free inquiry and academic excellence. -
Metro officials said it will be able to announce an opening date “soon.” -
While working for the county, the DA’s office alleges that 13 employees fraudulently filed for unemployment, claiming to earn less than $600 a week. -
The L.A. County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday voted to declare immigration enforcement actions a local emergency.
Best of LAist