Kazakh Student Advances Medicine and Energy

Story Posted: Mon, Jun 18, 2007

By Rachel Partin

Nineteen-year-old Olzhas Batyrbekov, an OSU freshman in nuclear engineering, already has more than twenty academic publications to his name, a record many doctoral candidates would envy. As a high school student in his hometown of Almaty, Kazakhstan, he worked in an academic chemistry lab and published his first journal article at the age of sixteen.

What started as just an after school job became much more significant when Batyrbekov invented portions of two medical implantations to assist chemical burn victims. As a result, he now holds two pre-patents in the Republic of Kazakhstan. His inventions, which involve molecular properties in organic chemistry, improve the safety and effectiveness of implants used to treat patients who have ingested dangerous chemicals, such as those found in household cleaners. The majority of the patients treated with these implants are children and suicidal adults who have chemical burns in their throats.

Batyrbekov was interested in blending chemistry and medicine from an early age. Both of his parents hold advanced degrees in chemistry, and his grandmother is a well-known medical doctor. His father recently received the Tarlan Prize, a prestigious award in Kazakhstan, for revolutionary advancements in chemistry.

Despite coming from a strong chemistry background, Batyrbekov decided to pursue an education in nuclear engineering. "There was a lot of pressure from my parents to be in chemistry because my brother chose to study economics, and they wanted one of their sons to study chemistry," said Batyrbekov. "But I think they were ultimately happy in my choice because nuclear engineering has a bright future in my country."

According to Batyrbekov, the president of Kazakhstan, Nursultan Nazarbayev, is currently investing in nuclear engineering in an effort to provide more options in energy and medicine for his country. He created a presidential scholarship, called the Bolashak Scholarship, which Batyrbekov won. The Kazakh Embassy explains that "bolashak" means "the future" in Kazakh and "best describes Kazakhstan's recognition of the importance of educating its most talented youth at the best universities of the world." This scholarship allows Batyrbekov four years of undergraduate study in the U.S. before returning to Kazakhstan to work for a minimum of five years.

"I think nuclear engineering will be the biggest social factor in the future," said Batyrbekov. "It is one of the cheapest forms of energy and is useful for many other things like medical advancements." He hopes to be one of the leaders on the forefront of developing Kazakhstan’s nuclear infrastructure.

Before coming to OSU, Batyrbekov studied English for a year at the University of Texas, Austin. When asked about adjusting to the different American accents, he said, "Texans have a very strange accent! I found it difficult to understand, but the switch to the Oregon accent was much easier." In all, he speaks Kazakh, Russian, and English. English is a basic course in his home country, so he was very familiar with the language and culture before coming to the U.S.

That is more than can be said for most Americans’ knowledge of Kazakhstan, Batyrbekov said. Many of his classmates in the U.S. did not know where his country is when he told them where he is from. After last year’s release of the movie Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan, Batyrbekov was amazed at the surge of interest in Kazakhstan. "I think it’s kind of fun because it’s a great advertisement for my country," he said. "Many people didn’t know about my country before seeing this movie, but now they frequently ask me about growing up there."

He does point out, however, that the Kazakh village portrayed in the movie was actually filmed on location in Romania.

Batyrbekov’s brother is graduating from Harvard this year and is taking permanent residence in Boston. A strong family bond, coupled with the strength of the American education system, persuades Batyrbekov to plan on eventually returning to the U.S. and OSU for his master’s degree and possibly even a PhD after he has completed the requisite five years of work in Kazakhstan for his scholarship.

With uncommon accomplishments and maturity for one so young, Batyrbekov is determined to make the most of his education. "My motivation for studying is to get an adequate job so that I can make a family," he said. "Nuclear engineering has a promising future, and my education at OSU will enable me to have a solid career."