Late July, 216 participants from 11 countries gathered at Shih-Hsin University in Taipei to take part in the 2018 Intelligent Ironman Creativity Contest organized by the Youth Development Administration of the Ministry of Education of the Republic of China (Taiwan). This year, for the first time, a Russian team participated in the contest, with the help of the Education Division of the Taipei-Moscow Economic and Cultural Coordination Commission (ED TMECCC).

The Russian team comprised one teacher and six students from Technical Lyceum and Gymnasia 3 in Samara. Samara, the 9^th largest city in the Russian Federation, is located on the Volga River. The members have various interests, ranging from computer science and social science to sport and arts. The Russian “Phoenix” team and the Korean TMI team ended up in a tie in the Team Jubilation performance and the two teams became double winners of this part of the contest. They then faced the Final Competition Task - Action in the Wild. This required the contestants to demonstrate team spirit and sportsmanship to accomplish the tasks to get the bonus and finish the main project. In the end, the Russian team failed to get the highest score, but each member felt very enriched and excited by the unforgettable experience.

The Intelligent Ironman Creativity Contest adopts the structure of computer role-playing games. The contest requires the students to draw on their knowledge, physical strength, hardiness, creativity, and good teamwork skills to fulfill the ultimate requirement of tasks in three areas: natural science, social science, and physical fitness. For the Main Project, they have to demonstrate their creative ideas by fabricating a product that has never been seen before within 72 hours. During this period, they are isolated from the outside world and from the other teams.

This project emphasizes both science and humanities skills. The contestants need to call on what they have learnt at school, their physical endurance, and team spirit to work out strategies and successfully complete the main project in such a short time. The contest has the ingredients of adventure and innovation, and Taiwan and many other countries - including Germany, Japan, Korea, and Singapore – consider it to be one of the most important annual contests that secondary school students can participate in.

Photo:The Russian team - one teacher and six students from the Samara Region - at the 2018 Intelligent Ironman Creativity Contest venue.