2 Young Luxembourg Students Win Silver Medals at International Science Competition

On Monday 16 June 2025, the Fondation Jeunes Scientifiques Luxembourg (FJSL) announced that two of its students, Ido Somekh and Johann Bost, had won silver medals at the GENIUS Olympiad in Rochester, New York, United States (US).

The GENIUS Olympiad is an international competition that promotes global understanding of environmental issues through science, arts, engineering, business and technology. This year’s edition brought together more than 1,200 student finalists from 69 countries and 34 US states. Only 15% of the projects submitted to the competition received medals.

The students’ research, “Modelling a V2B2G Electric Vehicle Network as a BESS substitute for National Microgrid Frequency and Stability Optimization in Luxembourg,” focused on using electric vehicles to support national electricity grid stability and placed in the top 15% of over 700 international science entries. The students developed it with help from the Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology (LIST) and was recognised for its innovative approach to energy storage. 

“It was a great honour to be the first Luxembourg delegation to win a silver medal,” said Johann Bost. 

Ido Somekh added: “The highlight for me was meeting people from all over the world.”

FJSL member Tanay Karnik also represented Luxembourg at the competition with his project, “Tea and the Biodiversity Crisis”, which analysed the environmental impact of colonial-era tea cultivation in Darjeeling. He stated: “I made meaningful friendships and was proud to present my work internationally.”

Both medallists were also offered a scholarship at the Rochester Institute of Technology. All three students have been invited to submit their work to the International Journal of High School Research, a peer-reviewed scientific journal for promising secondary school researchers.

Director of the FJSL, Sousana Eang, said: “I am so proud of our youths, though I had no doubt they would perform well. It is the first time we are sending a delegation to this fair, so coming home with a silver medal is proof that Luxembourg stands equal with other countries around the world!”

This marked FJSL’s first participation in the Olympiad, with the students' participation made possible through the support of the Luxembourg Ministry of the Environment, Climate and Biodiversity, which recognised the environmental relevance of both projects.