In August 2018, ANNT organised the STEM Youth Camp under the auspices of the Embassy of the United States of America in Bosnia and Herzegovina. We are glad to have had the opportunity to share experiences, pass on knowledge and meet 50 successful secondary school pupils from all over Bosnia and Herzegovina who share a love of science.
All too often, secondary school pupils face the decision of what to study after their final exams unprepared, and without knowing what they can expect if they choose a career in science. Most of them have very little insight into how scientific work is done or what jobs exist for those who choose one of the STEM fields, so they often discover the consequences of their choice only after graduating, or even later.
By organising the STEM camp, we wanted to bring at least a certain number of children who have shown an affinity for science and technology closer to what it means and what it looks like to work in science and technology, to introduce them to current trends in the field, and to help them in choosing their future careers. Since both our human and financial resources were limited, from a large number of exceptionally strong applications we had to choose 50 secondary school pupils. The selection was made on the basis of the applicants' academic achievement and motivation letters.
The camp consisted of lectures and practical workshops, as well as other interesting activities.
LECTURES
The pupils had the opportunity to hear experienced scientists, such as Branislava Peruničić-Draženović, a member of the Academy of Sciences and Arts of BiH, younger scientists such as Assist. Prof. Adnan Mehonić from UCL, and successful people working at companies at the forefront of technology, such as Hamza Merzić, M.Sc., who works for DeepMind.
These were the speakers and their topics at this year's ANNT camp:
- Academician Branisla Peruničić Draženović, Life Experiences
- Associate Professor Muhamed Hadžiabdić, Anti-STEM
- Assist. Prof. Dr Admir Greljo, The Wondrous World of Particle Physics
- Assist. Prof. Dr Adnan Mehonić, Nanoelectronics, Artificial Intelligence and Memristors
- Dr Aida Branković, Fundamentals of Supervised Machine Learning and Its Applications
- M.Sc. Zlatan Ajanović, Vehicle Automation and Motion Planning
- M.Sc. Hamza Merzić, Artificial Intelligence: Fundamentals, Modern Advances and the Connection with Neuroscience
SOFT SKILL WORKSHOPS
Through two soft skill workshops, participants had the opportunity to improve their social skills, which are important not only in everyday life but also in the world of science. The first workshop, entitled “Going, Going, Gone”, was led by Assist. Prof. Dr Dženan Kulović, who gave insight into the managerial mindset, creative thinking, emotional intelligence, motivation and the characteristics of successful people, with the intention that these lessons would serve as guidance in the pupils' everyday activities on their path to success.
The second workshop was led by Ljubiša Rokić, who presented participants with knowledge that will help them in communication: first in dialogue with others and those who are different, through a culture of dialogue, and then in public advocacy and campaigning for a particular cause. The workshop also included interesting practical exercises.
We were glad to hear that some participants had the opportunity to apply their newly acquired knowledge during the camp itself: “I liked the soft skill workshop (by Dženan Kulović), which focuses on our thought process, specifically where scientists encounter blocks during their research, where they make mistakes, and how we as future scientists should now work on ourselves so that this does not happen. And what is very interesting is that at the workshop, when we had to build a suitable car, I noticed that my partner, with whom I worked on the project, thinks differently from me in terms of “doing first, seeing first”, because I noticed that these differences exist between people, that this is something real, and that there is no need to be all-round in some way. I realised how important teamwork is, and how different people can complement each other and create a good project.” Stefan Jurošević , "Milorad Vlačić" Secondary School Centre, Vlasenica.
TECHNICAL WORKSHOPS
The technical workshops were held at the Faculty of Electrical Engineering as part of a day trip to Sarajevo. In one, participants had the chance to test their knowledge and intuition in mechanics through computer simulations, while in the other, using the materials provided, they tried their hand at building small vehicles.
Engineering workshop: “Designing Toy Cars from Everyday Materials", Suad Krilašević, Selver Pepić
Science workshop: “Physics Models in Algodoo", Slađan Veselinović, Bahrudin Trbalić
After the engineering workshop, a mini competition was organised in which participants showed the others what their vehicles could do.
CHOOSING A CAREER
One of the main aims of this camp was for participants to gain as realistic a picture as possible of what it means to work in science and what prospects lie ahead of them. Every lecture was at least partly devoted to this aim. In addition to the lectures, they had the opportunity to discuss these topics in more detail with the lecturers and other camp organisers. With this aim in mind, a small round table was also organised on admission to prestigious universities and on scholarships, with particular focus on MIT, ETH Zurich and the University of Cambridge.
“I have taken part in many youth camps so far, but this one has special significance. Besides bringing together talented young people from all over Bosnia and Herzegovina, it also gave them the opportunity to learn a great deal and make friendships that could last a lifetime. The lectures and workshops also thoroughly dispelled my prejudices about the impossibility of putting the knowledge of BiH scientists to use. Thank you to the organisers for giving us such a privilege!”
Adisa Bajramović
"Vaso Pelagić" Gymnasium Brčko, Čelić
“What matters most to me are the experiences I heard from the most successful Bosnian-Herzegovinian scientists, which in a way gave me insight into what I would like to do in the future. As a result, this camp helped me to find some direction when it comes to deciding on my future education.”
Asja Kuko
Second Gymnasium Mostar
SOCIAL ACTIVITIES
Some of the social activities during the camp were board games and free sports activities. Alongside the rather intensive lectures and workshops, the pupils had the chance to take short tours of Konjic and Sarajevo and to enjoy each other's company.
One of the social activities was a quiz in which both pupils and organisers took part. It was another opportunity to socialise and have fun, and after the quiz they split into small groups: some played board games, others performed magic tricks, and others sang.
In a relaxed atmosphere, the participants socialised with each other as well as with the organisers and lecturers.
We hope that through teamwork in the workshops and the other social activities organised during the camp they had the chance to get to know each other better, and that they will keep these acquaintances and contribute together to the development of Bosnia and Herzegovina and our scientific community.
PARTICIPANTS' IMPRESSIONS
“I am incredibly glad to see that someone genuinely cares about us young people, and this camp radiated that energy. Every lecture, every workshop and every social gathering showed me that the organisers enjoy their work and gave their all to help us, which is very rarely seen.
Thank you for honouring me with participation in the first and unforgettable STEM Youth Camp.”
Tanja Gavrić
"Petar Kočić" Secondary School Centre Zvornik
“They say: “All good things come to an end.” I do not agree. These five days did pass quickly in a whirl of knowledge and fun, but what we will take with us stays with us regardless of place or time.
We acquired wonderful and useful skills that serve a practical purpose. We met peers with whom we could joke, but from whom we could also learn something new. In short: we were shaped. We gained more self-confidence, seeing that the path of science is a path for “ordinary people”. Thank you for that from the bottom of our hearts.
Seeing this camp, I became very interested in the activities that will take place there. Given that nature is a perfect system, I think it can show a great deal to us humans, who are spiritual beings striving for fulfilment on both an intellectual and a spiritual level. We can learn a lot from nature itself. With that in mind, I think it is very useful to become familiar with at least some of its basic laws. This camp gave me a wonderful experience. I met many new people who share my interests, from whom I could learn something new and with whom I could discuss various topics, and I think this was very useful for my personal development. I also really liked the lecturers who took part in this camp. I especially liked some of their statements, such as “Talk to the doorman the same way you talk to your boss.” and so on. All in all, it was an experience that shaped us in a way. I think we will return home as slightly different people. ”
Anđela Diljević
Banja Luka Gymnasium
“The camp was one of the most beautiful experiences of this summer for me, because I met new people from different towns with the same goals, listened to interesting lectures whose topics I will even explore further during my education, and gained a lot of experience, advice and answers about studying, fields, goals and motivation. At the end of the camp I can say that I am much more determined in my goals and have a clearer picture of the path to building my career.”
Adna Medošević
Second Gymnasium, Sarajevo
“This is the first camp I have taken part in and I liked it very much, because I made many friends and also learnt about the biographies of very successful BiH scientists. I think the knowledge I gained at this camp is invaluable; it gave me more confidence to pursue my goals and, based on the various biographies I heard, to choose the best path and solve the problems I will encounter in my career in the best possible way. ”
Rajza Selimović
"Muhsin Rizvić" Gymnasium, Kakanj
"The camp has a wonderful environment, wonderful volunteers, wonderful professors, and the lectures were adapted to us and to our level. The interaction was excellent: we could say what we wanted and ask about anything that was unclear. The professors made an effort to bring very, very complicated things closer to us and to explain them in the way we could best understand."
Tia Muratović
"Rizah Odžečkić" Gymnasium, Zavidovići
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
We hope this camp will remain a fond memory for all participants, and we thank them for their contribution and good conduct. Special thanks go to the organising team of Zlatan Ajanović, Dženan Lapandić, Suad Krilašević, Amina Fazlić, Senad Isaković, Selver Pepić and Alija Bevrnja, who worked tirelessly on this project; to the speakers Branislava Peruničić Draženović, Admir Greljo, Adnan Mehonić, Muhamed Hadžiabdić, Hamza Merzić and Aida Branković; to the soft skill workshop leaders Dženan Kulović and Ljubiša Rokić; to the cameraman Adnan Šahbaz; and to the technical workshop leaders and volunteers Bahrudin Trbalić, Slađan Veselinović, Nejla Tojaga, Belma Bosović Hadžović, Selma Bukva, Ajdina Halilović, Emir Hasanović, Hadžem Hadžić, Sead Delalić, Nudžejm Selimović, Kenan Šehić, Amina Šljivo and others.
