ZAGREB, 5 May (Hina) - Croatian students won one silver and two bronze medals at the European Olympiad of Experimental Science, which concluded in Zagreb on Saturday, bringing together 144 students from 23 EU member states and Ukraine as a guest country.

The competition ran from 26 April to 3 May and featured 48 teams. Each country was represented by two student teams, except for Ukraine, which participated with one team, and Croatia, as the host country, which fielded three.

The silver medal was won by a team consisting of Petar Brajković from Mate Balota Secondary School in Poreč, and Borna Lebinac Milinović and Ivan Udovičić from Zagreb's XV Gymnasium.

One of the bronze-winning teams included Ana Piroš from the III Gymnasium in Osijek, Ivo Šimić from the XV Gymnasium in Zagreb and Marta Žuvić from the Vladimir Prelog School of Natural Sciences in Zagreb.

The second bronze medal went to a team comprising Luka Cerruti and Adrian Gansel from the XV Gymnasium and Matej Zajec from the V Gymnasium in Zagreb.

The Olympiad gathers students up to the age of 17 to solve two interdisciplinary practical tasks in biology, chemistry and physics. The competition demands excellence in experimental work, data analysis and applying scientific reasoning, according to the Faculty of Science at the University of Zagreb.

It said that this year's tasks creatively connected Croatia's natural heritage with science. "In the first task, students explored the biological, chemical and physical properties of Croatian waters, while the second task involved analysing changes in various biological, chemical and physical systems," the statement said.

In addition to the competition itself, the organisers - the Faculty of Science at the University of Zagreb, the Croatian Chemical Society and the Croatian Biological Society - prepared a varied programme of excursions and social activities.
The participation of the Croatian teams in the Science Olympiad was supported by the Ministry of Education, Science and Youth.