Click here to read the original article on Voice of America

At the end of August this year, the STEM Youth Camp project was held in Konjic, organised by the Association for the Advancement of Science and Technology (ANNT) with the support of the US Embassy in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Its main goal was to promote science and technology and to connect young people who love these fields. For those who do not know, STEM is an acronym for “Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics”, and it covers the natural, applied, technical and mathematical sciences.

The Association for the Advancement of Science and Technology is a non-governmental organisation founded in 2017, made up of scientists from the natural, mathematical and technical sciences. Some of ANNT's goals include working on more effective networking of scientists and experts from BiH and the diaspora, improving international scientific cooperation, providing guidance and assisting study and professional development at prestigious world universities, working to improve the conditions and infrastructure for the development of science and technology in BiH, and working to strengthen cooperation between research institutions and industry.

Some of the organisation's members live and work in Bosnia and Herzegovina, while others work at prestigious world institutions such as CERN (Geneva), UCL (London) and ETH Zürich (Zurich), or at companies such as DeepMind (Google, London). Regardless of their geographical location, they are all connected to Bosnia and Herzegovina and share a common vision of improving the state of science there.

The camp consisted of lectures and interesting practical workshops where participants had the opportunity to hear experienced scientists, such as Branislava Peruničić-Draženović, a member of the Academy of Sciences and Arts of BiH, as well as younger scientists such as Assist. Prof. Adnan Mehonić from UCL, and successful people working in high-tech companies, such as Hamza Merzić, MSc, who works for DeepMind. Two science and technology workshops were held: in one, participants had the chance to test their knowledge and intuition in mechanics through computer simulations, and in the other, using the materials provided, they tried their hand at building small vehicles. In addition, 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.


STEM Youth Camp, Konjic. Source: Facebook page of the Association for the Advancement of Science and Technology (ANNT).



“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”

, said participant Tanja Gavrić, a pupil at the "Petar Kočić" Secondary School Centre in Zvornik, sharing her impressions of the STEM Youth Camp.



“I consider this camp one of the best decisions of my life. I finally gained a vision of what I want to be in life and what I need to focus on. The socialising was great, as was the entire camp programme”

, says Kenan Mešić of Meša Selimović Gymnasium, Tuzla.



“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”

, says Adna Medošević, a pupil at the Second Gymnasium Sarajevo.



At ANNT they are aware that the development of science in our country does not hold the position it deserves as an important strategic issue. They therefore believe that one of the focuses should be the popularisation of science and technology and the education of young people. Besides the general popularisation of scientific thought, the Association wants to show through its practical experience that internationally competitive research is a realistic goal for our academic community. Most ANNT members building successful academic careers in Western Europe and around the world completed at least their undergraduate studies in BiH, and this distinction gives them broader insight into the real current situation in our country and in the world.



“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”

, emphasises Amina Fazlić, PR for the STEM Youth Camp. However, ANNT adds that their human and financial resources are limited, so from a large number of exceptionally strong applications they had to choose 50 secondary school pupils. Participants were selected on the basis of their academic achievement and the motivation letters the pupils submitted with their applications.



The members of this organisation are also very much aware of the link between the economy and the development of science and technology, and want to work on bringing these areas together. Big science and high technology cannot exist without investment, while at the same time the development of these fields enables economic prosperity. Improving the efficiency of the public sector through digitalisation depends greatly on the sciences that belong to STEM. Similarly, the socio-economic sector determines the strategic importance of specific STEM fields.

“We do not think that STEM guarantees the success of a society, but we certainly consider it one of the key ingredients”

, says ANNT.


STEM Youth Camp, Konjic. Source: Facebook page of the Association for the Advancement of Science and Technology (ANNT).



Asked to comment on the state of science and technology in BiH, the Association says the situation is unsatisfactory: spending on scientific research is relatively low and not even competitive regionally, and faculties are losing their character as research institutions.

“We must do more work on strategic analysis and on planning investments in economically viable, industrially relevant and timely projects”

, concludes Alija Bevrnja of ANNT, adding that scientific and technological knowledge enables people to better know and understand themselves and the society they live in, and a society of such individuals has better preconditions for the development of democracy.



ANNT hopes there will be opportunities for cooperation with organisations that share its vision, and also hopes for support from institutions in Bosnia and Herzegovina.



“We believe that together we can work on creating a better future for our society precisely by improving the status of STEM fields”

, was one of the conclusions they shared in closing.