Interview with Victor Kouzmanov, ACS Class of 2014

Victor Kouzmanov from the ACS Class of 2014 is  the  only  competitor  representing  the American college of Sofia  in  the  45th International Physics Olympiad  in Kazakhstan. Victor was so kind to answer a few questions:

According the individual ranking by names, you win individual medals. Is there any statistical data for your ranking as a team? Yes, the ranking is individual and is based on the points received by the participants after the two days of examinations. One of them is theoretical and is the typical model used for the National Olympiads, which is well known by the interested students – three theoretical problems with numerous sub problems are given to the competitors and they have five hours to solve them. The other round, usually considered more difficult by many of the participants, is experimental. One or two problems are given to the students. They first have to be solved theoretically and once the needed relations are found, the theory has to be tested by experimental data. This represents the entire process of any scientific research. The Bulgarian team ranked among the best teams worldwide with two silver and three bronze medals. Yet, there is no official team ranking for the participating countries.
I heard that this year’s Olympiad was more difficult than the previous ones. Which branches of Physics are considered so difficult that you do not study them in detail even for international Olympiads? All participants, team leaders and organizers did describe this as the hardest theme given at an International Olympiad. In the program for teaching Physics there are areas which are taught and studied in detail, and thus most of the students have in-depth knowledge of them. Some of these are “Mechanics” and “Electricity and Magnetism”. The rest are just mentioned or not covered in such detail. Such are “Polarization of Light” and “Thermodynamics of Real Gasses”. Exactly these were the two areas of Physics which were given to the participants of the Olympiad. This led to the comparatively low results of all students. 
How did you bond with the other team members? Have you worked together before? And how did you beat teams that have spent a full year preparing together for the Olympiad?The actual competition is individual and therefore the ranking does not depend directly on the bonding between the participants in a given team. On the other hand, when a person is in a good and friendly environment it is much easier for him to thrive and prosper. The process of selecting the National team is a long one with many stages including the rounds of the National Olympiad and other National Competitions. There have been many camps, National and International Competitions where the other competitors and I have met for the past four years. It is common to sit and prepare together for the coming competitions. This leads to great friendships and support among us, not to fierce interpersonal competition for places and points. After all, any competition starts and after five hours it is already in the past, while the relationships between people remain for life. This is an indirect consequence of the preparation process of the national team and the preparation camps throughout the year. Professors like Miroslav Abrashev, Victor Ivanov and Dimitar Marvakov have contributed both to our development as scientists and as humans. There have been times when we have solved problems with some of them on the Internet until the early hours of the day. This directly leads me to the conclusion that they are extremely dedicated to the entire process of preparation of the students. This makes us as competitive as other teams that have longer and more intense preparation due to the fact that we are capable of dealing with extraordinary and unexpected situations. As I said, we are not only there to earn points and take the first places, but to prepare ourselves for different situations in life and to learn how to analyze and solve real life problems. Therefore, for the present conditions in Bulgaria, namely the financial situation and the motivation of the students, this is the best which can be taught and learnt.
In how many international tournaments have you participated and how did you rank? I have participated in three International Olympiads: IYPT, IEPhO, IPhO, from which I have three bronze medals.
What is next on your agenda? After the solid educational basis I obtained at the American College of Sofia, I will continue my education at the University of Cambridge. There I will be studying Natural Sciences with focus on Physics and Mathematics. For now I am looking for possibilities outside of Bulgaria just like many other young and motivated students, but the memories of my youth will remain in my heart forever until one day I eventually return back to my roots.
Do you have a message for the current ACS students? Would you like to thank somebody or to wish us something? During the five years at the American College of Sofia, I used to look for a way to serve the community. I was the vice president of the Student Council, of the Science Club, participated in numerous musical and dance performances, joined some of the sports teams, etc. Now when it’s all behind me, I can clearly see that a person has to learn and accomplish many things in life on his own. Yet, if there are no people to guide you, you may easily become lost. That is why I want to thank Mr. Kortezov for being the first to show me that Math and Science can be something interesting and different than prime numbers and boring formulas. Also, I want to thank my class for being a great group of gifted people who can both support you in hard times and provide constructive criticism when needed. I am very thankful to all of the teachers especially to Ms Krassimira Chakarova, whom nowadays I consider as one of my closest friends rather than a strict teacher, for provoking my interest in the area of Science and science competitions, for her help and for showing me that no matter how much a person knows about a given aspect of life, there is always more to be learnt, and there are always details which cannot be neglected. Everyone who has ever been involved in community service activities has needed the assistance of the ACS PR office in order to realize his ideas. Svetoslav Kostov and I are extremely thankful to them for their continuous support for our initiatives, regardless of all difficulties. Participating in competitions and Olympiads may lead to difficulties in the learning process which should not discourage anyone. I want to thank Dr. Johnson who, despite being an authority figure, is a person with a huge and warm heart, willing to find the time to listen to everyone and help when possible, especially in times of trouble when moving on may seem impossible. When you run and you fall down, the people who help you stand up are usually kept in the shadow of your achievements, despite the fact that they have the biggest contribution of all. If life is a huge hurdle race, your family is the invisible hand which gives you strength and motivation to make the next step. For the same reason, just like any student of the College, I am extremely grateful to my parents for their efforts and for staying awake with me until I am prepared for the next competition, next school day or until I solve a pending problem. I would like to wish to everyone to chase their dreams because dreams are what makes love an amazing and enveloping feeling, not only a hormonal imbalance; dreams are what makes a melody sound beautiful elicit emotions, not only random fluctuations in the air pressure on the human ear; dreams are the thing which makes a bite of dessert at the end of a hard day seem so delicious. Dreams turn life into art, and art allows us to be whoever and wherever we desire to be. Dream and turn your life into art!