Sofiya Petryshyn could never have imagined that she would return from the Intel Techno Ukraine contest with a new smartphone – the first prize at the national stage of the Intel ISEF (International Science and Engineering Fair), an international pre-college science competition. The students who placed second at the contest received tablet computers, those who came third won keyboards, and those who came fourth won computer mice. The invention of Petryshyn, a 17-year old student at the Oriyana School-Lyceum in Lviv, particularly impressed the judges because of its social component – it translates electronic text into Braille. Having won the national competition, Petryshyn goes forward with her invention to represent Ukraine at the Genius Olympiad 2018 in the United States.
“There are four of us, girls, in our family. I am the second oldest one. Mom used to always go to put Hannusya and Lyubochka to bed and tell me: “Wait until I put them to sleep, and I will help you with your homework.” I managed to do all my homework, while she was putting the little ones to sleep. I’ve learned to be on my own ever since I was little.
I used to ask my mom all the time to sign me up for something: dancing or painting. And my mom replied: “You don’t have any time, your schedule is full.”
In the 9th grade, I signed up for the programming class at the Junior Academy of Sciences. It actually happened by chance: My classmate is very smart. She signed up for the class first and told me about it. So I decided to try too.
I went to the programming classes four times a week and completed two courses in one year. Then I completed another course and started writing an academic paper on a device that turns a computer text into Braille.
It is mostly easy to come up with an idea based on a problem. I thought: “What kind of problems are there?” First, I wanted to develop a “translator” into the sign language. A person would write a word on a computer, the computer would show them a corresponding sign and they would be able to show them to those who have impaired hearing. This, however, requires the use of too much compression. My eyesight got weaker and I thought: “Maybe it should be about blind people?”
I thought about this idea and then I learned about the Intel Techno contest. Why not try? At that time I did not have a finished device. I was only starting to learn how it all worked. So I made a graphic presentation and I won the first prize.
I couldn’t even imagine that I could earn a top place. I was participating in the competition for the first time, just to gain experience.
You are standing there at the contest and around 20 judges come up to you in a day. And sometimes the head of the jury simply comes up and says: “Well, tell me about it in English.” It was a bit scary the first time around, but then the second, and the third time, and you just start talking about it, as if it were a poem you learned.
You communicate with people and they offer you advice. I learned from other students how it would be better to turn my idea into a device. And then I immediately began to work on the mechanism.
The whole realisation process took place at home like that: “Sofiya, it’s time to go to bed,” my mom told me. While I replied: “Yes, mom, I am coming, coming…”
The device itself is a plastic box. It can be connected to a computer or a power source. So far, it only reads data from an SD card. In future, its features will be expanded.
You transfer text files to the SD card, choose the file you want to read, press and start reading. You can stop the file, go back or forward.
The needles come up and the user can swipe fingers across them and feel which characters and letters they show.
I set an average reading speed – one character, specifically one letter, every two seconds. In future I will design a control for adjusting the speed.
Using this device, you can read school literature, as too much money is spent on creating books for the blind – the mechanisms for that are expensive and it requires a lot of paper. This device will cost around UAH 1,000 (about $40), and that could save a lot of money.
I knew that I would become a programmer ever since I was a child. I don’t know when exactly I decided it, but at the English language camp in the 4th grade I wrote that I would be a programmer in an essay.
Programming provides a possibility for creativity. It is like painting: you come up with an idea and depict it.
A child knows what they want in the future. For example, I know for sure that I don’t need to learn about biology. Why would I need to know about all ventricles of the heart, all arteries, blood circulation of each animal and every kind of a worm? Why do I need this?
A child can mostly tell whether they are more into exact sciences or humanities. And they need to move in that direction somehow. There is a reason why all these contests are organized. Actually, there is a reason behind all of the opportunities you are presented with. For instance, you know that you are into “soft sciences”. You want to be a journalist or a historian. You try and participate in a history contest and then journalist contest. Which one was better for you? Which one did you like more? That is your path.
I have a cousin who is two months older than me. And I told him: “Well, Volodya, let’s participate in some contest!” Because it is not very interesting for me to do it alone. Or I encourage my friends to participate in a competition.
I open my newsfeed on Facebook and see opportunities, so many opportunities.
I have already been to different programs in three countries.
Honestly, I’d like to travel the whole world, to visit Silicon Valley in the United States, and see SpaceX.
I have a long-time dream of visiting an amusement park, such as Disneyland or Legoland. We don’t have anything like that in Ukraine. And I also dream that if I make a lot of money, I will open an amusement park near Lviv.
In general, I would like to simply not waste my life. And for that you need to use everything you’ve got. Everything is simple – do what you can.
I want to do something for Ukraine so that I could be an example for others and so that Ukraine is better known in the world.
We are now going through a change of generations. I believe that the new generation is very conscious. As far as I know, all of my peers are against corruption.
We have a huge problem with the government in our country. All Ukrainians understand that we are being robbed, but no one knows what to do about it.
I want [the Operation of Joint Forces] in the east to end. Then, we will start rebuilding there and there will be a lot of jobs and a lot of money. It will be a brand new region.
I don’t even know how much the world will change in 20-30 years, but I want the people to feel comfortable in it. Does not matter how much money you have, if you have possibilities or you have limited possibilities. Programming can help a lot in this.”
