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The Organizing Committee of the Annual International Microelectronics Olympiad on Friday announced that two winners of the 16th Olympiad arrived in Armenia to receive their prizes. They are third prizes winners Angela Kostić from Serbia and Dejan Gutić from Bosnia-Herzegovina. The prizes were handed at a special ceremony in the Matenadaran Hall (Mesrop Mashtots Institute of Ancient Manuscripts) in Yerevan.

Aside from the awarding ceremony, as usual, the winners enjoyed a special program to learn about the historical and cultural heritage of Armenia, Viva-MTS reported.

16th Annual International Microelectronics Olympiad attracted 436 participants from 13 countries, including Argentina, Armenia, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Egypt, Peru, Russia, Serbia, Vietnam, UAE, Ukraine, and the United States.

The Olympiad was conducted in two stages. The first stage, held simultaneously in the participants’ countries, involved a test to establish a baseline. The second, the final stage involved a challenging contest consisting of advanced engineering tasks requiring complex solutions. Of 436 participants in the first stage, 21 were qualified to progress to the second stage, which was held on October 8.  Of these 21 contestants, 6 were from Yerevan, and 15 were from a variety of other countries. The winners were announced during an on-line ceremony on October 19, 2021:

• Zhanna Khajoyan from Armenia became the first prize winner.

• Hassan Mostafa Imam Ali from Egypt got the second prize.

• Three third prizes were awarded to –

• Khaled Hammuda Mohamed Abdelrazek from Egypt

• Angela Kostić from Serbia

• Dejan Gutić from Bosnia-Herzegovina.

It is noteworthy that this year the first prize was awarded to 23-year-old Zhanna Khojayan, representing Armenia, who is a second-year Master student enrolled in the joint program of the National Polytechnic University of Armenia and Synopsys Armenia Educational Department. She is already employed at Synopsys Armenia as an R&D Engineer.

“One of the goals of the Olympiad is to raise the visibility of Armenia as a leading country in the field of microelectronics,” said Armen Baldryan, Chairman of the Organizing Committee of the Olympiad and Director of Unicomp. "It is gratifying to see that Armenia continues preserving and developing the traditions of leadership and excellence in the field of microelectronics coming from the 50s of the last century.”

“It is very important that even in the conditions of this pandemic, the interest towards the Olympiad does not decrease. Moreover, the Olympiad continues to serve its mission successfully,” said the President of Olympiad Program Committee, Synopsys Armenia Educational Department’s Director, Chairman of the “Microelectronic Schemes and Systems” at the Armenian National Polytechnic University, prof. Vazgen Melikyan.

“The main goal of this Olympiad, founded by Synopsys Armenia, is to identify the brightest, most talented engineers under the age of 30 and to increase interest in microelectronics among young specialists both in Armenia and in participating countries. The Olympiad also plays an important role in discerning the level of knowledge of participants in the field of microelectronics in order to make necessary adjustments to regional educational programs and curricula,” said Dr. Yervand Zoryan, Synopsys Fellow and the President of Synopsys Armenia. "The fact that the student of the Synopsys educational program implemented jointly with the Polytechnic was recognized as the best among 436 participants from 13 countries of the world, testifies to the international quality of our educational programs in the field of microelectronics.”

The annual International Microelectronics Olympiad was founded in 2006 under the auspices of the Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia. It is held in cooperation with the Technical Council for Test Technologies (IEEE TTTC) of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, the world's largest technical professional organization.

The initiator and general organizer of the Olympiad is Synopsys Armenia, and the general partner is Viva-MTS. The main supporter is the Unicomp CJSC. Among the sponsors of the Olympiad are the Union of ICT Employers, “Viasphere” Technopark, “INGO ARMENIA” Insurance CJSC.

“Viva-MTS witnesses the positive impact of the Olympiad on the development of the ICT sector and its future potential. That's why we support this great and long-term initiative for many years. Every year, with the help of the Olympiad, a lot of young people define their own boundaries to innovate, develop and invent. I am very excited and proud that the first prize winner of the 16th Olympiad is from Armenia. This is a great achievement and а huge success for all of us to celebrate together,” said Ralph Yirikian, the General Manager of Viva-MTS and the General Partner of the Olympiad.

“When we launched this important competition in 2006, we had no idea that in coming years it would become an international Olympiad in the field of microelectronics with a very high international standard and help in creating of the community of young specialists involved in microelectronics”, said Vice President of Olympiad Org Committee, Synopsys Armenia Director Hovik Musayelyan.

The Olympiad covers the following topics: Olympiad topics for 2011 included Digital IC Design and Test, Analog and Mixed Signal IC Design and Test, Semiconductor Devices and Technology, and Mathematic and Algorithmic Issues of Electronic Design Automation (EDA).

For more information, visit the Annual International Microelectronics Olympiad website.