Aiming to change the world, one molecule at a time | Silver for

AIMING TO CHANGE THE WORLD, ONE MOLECULE AT A TIME

In her lab coat and protective glasses, 17-year-old Anneke Cummack doesn’t look like an Olympic silver medallist – but then again, she’s not an ordinary Olympic contestant. Anneke was part of the New Zealand team that recently participated in the International Biology Olympiad (IBO), a prestigious global competition designed to challenge the brightest of young minds.

The Year 13 student was one of four New Zealand secondary school students who took part in the 30th IBO, held in Szeged, Hungary, in July. Competing against 285 other students from 72 different countries, the team had to complete a range of practical tasks from dissecting chicken wings and keying out native Hungarian grasses to using molecular biology to run gels using electrophoresis.

Anneke was awarded silver, with her fellow team-mates awarded a silver, a bronze and a highly commended. This is a huge achievement for the New Zealand team. It’s also a tribute to their dedicated study over 18 months and the support of their teachers, whānau and the NZIBO committee and university partners.

Anneke’s training involved reading her way through a “huge” biology textbook, completing numerous online assignments and quizzes, attending biology camps, tutorials and workshops with her Kiwi IBO teammates, doing her own reading and research, and practising her dissection and slide-reading skills in the Diocesan science lab.

For Anneke, who describes herself as “a proud nerd”, the competition was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and she was overjoyed to be rewarded with a silver medal.

“I never thought I would get to represent the country at an international competition, let alone one for biology. For this competition, I had the mindset that there’s nothing to lose and everything to gain. The challenges were really interesting and made me think about biology in whole new ways.” The competition was intense, with the New Zealand team up against the best in the world for their age group. Time management is vital, with a lot to cover: there were two theory papers, as well as problem-solving and data-handling skills, and four practical exams. Students also had to contend with multiple choice and true/false questions, complete diagrams and flowcharts, and design and carry out experiments.

It wasn’t all hard work though. Anneke and her teammates – Sophia Bebelman from Sancta Maria College, Zi Lin Wang from Maclean’s College and Carlos Mendonça from Onslow College – also went on lab tours, explored some of the local area’s biology, climbed to the top of a cathedral, boated on the Danube and had a go at Hungarian dancing.

Fitting in the extra study around schoolwork has been a worthwhile challenge for Anneke.

“I’m passionate about biology and everything science-related. I hope I can share this experience with the wider school community and hopefully inspire some younger generations of Dio girls.” biomedical engineering degree that incorporates all her scientific interests, plus maths and digital technology.

Diocesan Head of Science Sarah Boasman says Anneke is an outstanding academic student who shows great interest and persistence in all aspects of her school life, and she will benefit greatly from her competition experience.

“The Biology Olympiad gives students a wealth of biological knowledge beyond the NCEA curriculum,” says Sarah. “It encourages passion and interest in the field, and fosters relationships with young biologists from other countries.”

Part of the International Science Olympiad, the IBO aims to encourage students to see biology as a valued pathway for learning and for a career. New Zealand has sent a team to the Olympiad every year (except last year) since 2005, and has won 27 bronze medals, 14 silver and two gold.

The International Science Olympiad is the pinnacle academic competition for 17- to 18-year-olds around the world. Biology is one of seven disciplines in the Olympiad; the others are physics, chemistry, maths, geography, informatics, and future problem solving.