YEREVAN, Armenia, October 12, 2011 -- Synopsys, Inc. (Nasdaq:SNPS), a world leader in software and IP used in the design, verification and manufacture of electronic components and systems, today announced the champions of the Sixth Annual International Microelectronics Olympiad of Armenia, with competitors winning prizes in 13 categories. A full list of the winners is provided below. Taking place as part of Synopsys Week in Armenia 2011,this year’s competition reflected the diversity of participants from eleven countries: Belarus, China, Germany, India, Jordan, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Serbia, UAE, Ukraine and the USA.
The Olympiad’s goals are to stimulate further development of microelectronics in Armenia and in the participant countries; recognize and inspire young, talented engineers; increase interest in microelectronics among young specialists; discern the level of knowledge you participants have in the field of microelectronics in order to make necessary adjustments to regional educational programs; create a community of young specialists involved in microelectronics.
The Olympiad highlights the brightest, most talented engineers under the age of 30. Olympiad topics for 2011 included Digital IC Design and Test, Analog and Mixed Signal IC Design and Test, Semiconductor Devices and Technology, and Mathematic and Algorithmic Issues of Electronic Design Automation (EDA).
Out of 349 competitors in the Olympiad, 133 were from Armenian universities and IT companies while 216 were from foreign universities and organizations: Belarusian State University of Informatics and Radio Electronics (BSUIR) in Belarus; Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) in China; Technical University of Munich (TUM) in Germany; Birla Institute of Technology and Science, Pilani (BITS Pilani – Hyderabad) in India; Jordan University of Science and Technology (JUST) and Princess Sumaya University for Technology (PSUT) in Jordan; Moscow Institute of Electronics Technology (MIET), Saint-Petersburg Electrotechnical University (LETI), and Tomsk State University of Control Systems and Radioelectronics (TUSUR) in Russia; King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) and King Fahd University of Petroleum & Minerals (KFUPM) in Saudi Arabia; University of Niš in Serbi American University of Sharjah (AUS) in UAE; Kharkov National University of Radio Electronics (KNURE) in Ukraine; San Francisco State University (SFSU) in USA.
The Olympiad was conducted in two stages. The first stage, held in the participants’ countries during September, involved a test to establish a baseline. The second stage involved a challenging contest consisting of advanced engineering tasks requiring complex solutions. Of 349 participants in the first stage, 40 were qualified to progress to the second stage, which was held on October 11 in Yerevan at the Synopsys Armenia Educational Department (SAED). Of these 40 contestants, 20 were from Yerevan, 3 were from Gyumri, Armenia and 17 were from a variety of other countries.
The general organizers and sponsors of the Olympiad were Synopsys Armenia CJSC and Vivacell-MTS. The Olympiad was also sponsored by Unicomp CJSC, “Enterprise Incubator” Foundation (EIF), ACBA-CREDIT AGRICOLE Bank, Arminco CJSC, MICROSOFT RA, Viasphere Technopark CJSC, Union of Information Technology Enterprises (UITE), Union of Manufacturers & Businessmen of Armenia (UMBA), ARKA Agency, Yerkir Media TV, Mediastyle Holding, “Business Express” Weekly, “ECOnomika” Magazine, “168 Hours” Daily and Public Radio of Armenia.
Gala Evening for the Champions
The winners of the Sixth Annual International Microelectronics Olympiad of Armenia were presented with prizes at the Synopsys Gala Evening & Reception held on October 12 at the Yerevan Chamber Music Hall after Komitas arrangements. The winners are:
· First prize – Notebook computer from Vivacell-MTS went to Hasmik Osipyan (Armenia)
· Second prize – iPad from Synopsys Armenia went to Mohamed Abu Obaida Mohamed (Saudi Arabia)
· Third prize (tie) – Netbook from Enterprise Incubator Foundation (EIF) went to Vache Galstyan (Armenia); and Netbook from Unicomp CJSC went to Roza Bejanyan (Armenia)
· Best Engineering Solution – prize from Viasphere Technopark went to Zubov Igor (Russia)
· Best Out-of-the-Box Solution – prize from Union of Manufacturers & Businessmen of Armenia (UMBA) went to Renju Raju Thomas (Germany)
· Most Creative Solution – prize from Union of Information Technology Enterprises (UITE) went to Hamlet Aslanyan (Armenia)Best Female Participant – prize from Arminco CJSC went to Tatevik Khalapyan (Armenia)
· Youngest Participant – prize from MICROSOFT RA went to Hovik Vardanyan (Armenia)
· Best Result from each Country- prizes from Olympiad Org Committee went to: Renju Raju Thomas (Germany), Sumit Kumar Kulshreshtha (India), Waseem Al-Akel (Jordan), Volobuev Pavel (Russia), Mohamed Abu Obaida Mohamed (Saudi Arabia), Dusan Petrovic (Serbia), Govind Vijayakumaran (UAE), Rybak Andrii (Ukraine), Aliaksandr Kastrou (Belarus), Puneet Pawar (USA)
Winners of this year’s Presidential Educational Award, the Best IT Managers Award, and the Annual International Microelectronics Olympiad of Armenia were also invited to celebrate at the Gala, which concludes Synopsys Week in Armenia.
“The growth of the Olympiad shows the increasing influence of Armenia as a center for Microelectronics,” said Rich Goldman, president of the organizing committee of the Olympiad, chief executive officer of Synopsys Armenia CSJC, and vice president of corporate marketing and strategic alliances at Synopsys. “This year we welcomed fifteen students and young engineers from a dozen different countries who travelled to Yerevan to participate in the Olympiad. It is extremely rewarding to work with these bright engineers from around the world, and to give them an opportunity to interact with each other in Armenia.”
“It’s encouraging to see the progress year by year of the Annual International Microelectronics Olympiad of Armenia in both quantity and quality of participants from diverse countries,” said professor Vazgen Melikyan, president of the program committee of the Olympiad, director of Synopsys Armenia Educational Department, head of the interfaculty chair of SEUA Microelectronic Circuits and Systems, and honorable scientist of RA. “This is proof that the goals of the Olympiad are achievable. We’ve identified some of the brightest talent for the IT industry.”
“The International Microelectronics Olympiad organized in Armenia provides an excellent opportunity for promising young IT students to test our knowledge, exchange experiences with our peers and contribute to the further development of this strategic sphere,” said Artak Hayrapetyan, SEUA 2nd year master student at Synopsys Armenia Educational Department, previous intern and current R&D engineer at Synopsys Armenia.
“The gala evening is the traditional closing event of Synopsys Armenia Week,” said Hovik Musayelyan, director of Synopsys Armenia. “We honor the winners of the Olympiad and Presidential Educational Awards with respect and applause. This year we added the Best IT Managers awards to recognize the growing importance of IT in Armenia’s economic prosperity. We welcome suggestions for new award categories for future Synopsys Armenia Week events.”
The first Armenian Microelectronics Olympiad was held on September 22-26, 2006 with 82 participants. Since then, the event has grown to include numerous award categories and nearly 350 participants from 11 countries.
About Synopsys Armenia CJSC and Synopsys, Inc.
Synopsys, Inc. (Nasdaq:SNPS) fuels innovation in the global electronics market with software, systems, semiconductor IP and services that address key design, verification and manufacturing challenges. A leader in electronic design automation (EDA), Synopsys, established a presence in Armenia in 2004 as Synopsys Armenia closed joint stock company (CJSC). Synopsys Armenia CJSC provides R&D and product support in EDA, design for manufacturing (DFM) and the development of semiconductor intellectual property (IP). Employing several hundred qualified Armenian engineers, Synopsys is one of largest IT employers in Armenia. To encourage the highest levels of accomplishment for students in IT, the company sponsors awards and competitions such as the Annual Educational Awards of the Republic of Armenia (RA) President, and the Annual International Microelectronics Olympiad of Armenia. Synopsys Armenia’s investment in the community reaches well beyond IT. In 2010, Synopsys in Armenia was recognized as one of 12 finalists for the U.S. Secretary of State’s annual Award for Corporate Excellence (ACE), citing the company’s technology and financial leadership as well as its charity work and volunteer activities. Synopsys Armenia CJSC is located in Yerevan. Synopsys, Inc. is headquartered in Mountain View, California, and has approximately 70 offices located throughout North America, Europe, Japan, Asia and India. Visit Synopsys, Inc. and Synopsys Armenia online at http://www.synopsys.com and http://www.synopsys.am.
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Editorial Contact:
Gayane Markosyan
Synopsys Armenia
Office: (374 10) 49 23 56
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