For the 25th time, tenth to twelfth grade students from the border triangle met in Zittau for the "Neisse-Elektro" electrical engineering Olympics at the Zittau/Görlitz University of Applied Sciences.
On April 6, 2019, students from the tenth to twelfth grades from the border triangle met for the 25th time in Zittau for the "Neisse-Elektro" electrical engineering Olympics at the Zittau/Görlitz University of Applied Sciences.
Neisse-Elektro is a competition in which three teams from the Czech Republic, Poland and Germany write an exam. The tasks are in the field of electrical engineering. They have to calculate currents, voltages and resistances in a branched resistance network, the capacity of batteries during charging and discharging as well as electric and magnetic fields. The pupils prepare for the Olympiad with the support of their teachers and as part of workshops at the Zittau/Görlitz University of Applied Sciences. The winner of the Olympiad and the placings will be decided in a ninety-minute exam, in which the pupils will be highly concentrated and equipped with an English collection of formulae from Neisse-Elektro, a calculator and a dictionary.
After lunch together in the canteen, the first stop this year was the town hall. The group lined up in front of this backdrop for the traditional group photo. During the next excursion, the participants took a look behind the scenes of the Gerhart-Hauptmann Theater Zittau. The sophisticated video, lighting and sound technology, the curtain control system and the technical equipment that allows three complete stage sets to be changed within a minute, including the 10-meter turntable, aroused amazement and great interest.
This year, the award ceremony took place in the historic auditorium of the Christin-Weise-Gymnasium. The 42 Olympiad participants were very excited to see who would receive the prizes. Thanks to sponsors such as VDE Dresden, ATN Hölzel GmbH, Sparkasse NOL, Honorary Senator Christian Müller and IPM Zittau, it was possible to hold the Olympiad and present the winners with tablet PCs, flat screen monitors, SSD hard drives and other items.
The patron of the Olympiad said in her welcoming address: "So you are taking part in an anniversary event whose tradition began when you yourself were not yet in the world. (...) Hardly anyone knew about the Internet [in 1995]. (...) Today you have your smartphone and therefore the entire Internet with you," said Eva-Maria Stange. With this, the Minister looks to the future and continues: "Some of you may suspect that artificial intelligence is thoroughly changing our lives. Computers and robots are taking over work in companies and administrations. The first steps on this path can already be seen today. But who will develop these robots? Who will teach them what to do? Who will take responsibility for their actions?" In doing so, she expressly encourages all participants to get actively involved in the diverse possibilities that are currently emerging. She encourages everyone to study, for example at the Zittau/Görlitz University of Applied Sciences in the Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science.
During the award ceremony, the winner of the 7th Olympiad, Ondrej Svarc from the Czech Republic, was interviewed by Hartmut Paetzold, the coordinator for the dual KIA course at Zittau/Görlitz University of Applied Sciences. In 2001, he only spoke English as a foreign language. He already had his admission to the TU Prague in his pocket. He got to know the Zittau university through Neisse-Elektro. He canceled in Prague and decided to study abroad in Zittau, about 15 km from where he lived at the time. Ondrej attended the language college, passed the necessary exams, studied mechatronics and then enrolled on a Master's degree course.
In his free time, he volunteered with the water rescue service. It was there that he met his current wife. He now works in the design department for plastic injection molds at a vehicle parts company in Zittau. Ondrej Svarc reported on how this Olympiad was an important turning point in his life. He encourages today's participants to get involved with the ever-changing new technology and to embark on an exceptionally interesting working life. He brought a smile to his face by taking out his pocket calculator from the 1980s, which he used for his exams back then.
Prof. Dr.-Ing. Dietmar Scharf, head of the Neisse-Elektro working group, then announced the results. Both the best of each of the three participating countries and the ten best overall received the applause they deserved. Thanks to the sponsors, they were presented with valuable prizes. The Zittau/Görlitz University of Applied Sciences, the Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science and all employees involved congratulate the winners and wish them every success in their future endeavors. They would like to thank the sponsors and supporters for their often long-standing support in preparing, organizing and equipping this Olympiad.
| Place | name | Country | School |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Aleš Racek | CZ | VOŠa SŠ Varnsdorf |
| 2 | Marek Uhlíř | CZ | SPŠSE a VOŠ Liberec |
| 3 | Petr Oždian | CZ | SPŠSE a VOŠ Liberec |
| 4 | Marceli Nowak | PL | ZSE Jelenia Gora |
| 5 | Hänsch, Manuel | D | Christian-Weise-Gymnasium Zittau |
| 6 | Ondřej Richtr | CZ | SPŠSE a VOŠ Liberec |
| 7 | Jakub Adamovský | CZ | SPŠSE a VOŠ Liberec |
| 8 | David Dostrašil | CZ | SPŠSE a VOŠ Liberec |
| 9 | Daniel Řezáč | CZ | SPŠSE a VOŠ Liberec |
| 10 | Vít Zbončák | CZ | VOŠa SŠ Varnsdorf |
