Olympic Games for Science thinkers

16 OLYMPIC GAMES FOR SCIENCE THINKERS

Did you know that every year there are Olympic Games for Science? These are called the International Science Olympiads and are held in a different country each year, with teams competing from all over the world. The selection process begins with the Australian Science Olympiad Exams.

Olivia Stavrakis (left) was invited to the Earth and Environmental Science Olympiad Summer School and Amy Feng to the Junior Science Olympiad Spring School. Annabelle Qui (left) and Jessica Chen were invited to the Earth and Environmental Science Olympiad Summer School and Annabelle was also invited to the Chemistry Olympiad Summer School.

The Australian Science Olympiad Examinations are held every year in August for high school students in the subjects of Physics, Biology, Chemistry, Earth and Environmental and Junior Science.

PLC Sydney offers a fortnightly tutorial program run by dedicated teachers to help students prepare for these exams. Ms Grundy conducts the Biology tutorials, Mrs McGrouther conducts the Chemistry and Mr Trimble the Physics. Any interested senior student is welcome to attend; we highly recommend going if you are serious about getting some preparation out of the way before the exam, or just want to learn more about Science.

If you do really well in the Australian Science Olympiad Examinations, you may be invited to attend one of the Science Summer Schools. This is an intensive program, lasting two and a half weeks, where the equivalent of first year university content is taught to the 26 top-performing students from across Australia in each subject area (exciting!). This year, the following students were invited: Amy Feng (Year 10), to the Junior Science Olympiad Spring School; Annabelle Qiu (Year 11), to the Chemistry Olympiad Summer School; and Jessica Chen (Year 11) and Olivia Stavrakis (Year 10) to the Earth and Environmental Science Olympiad Summer School. Annabelle was also selected for the 2020 Chemistry Summer School.

CHEMISTRY OLYMPIAD AND SUMMER SCHOOL

by Annabelle Qui While the Chemistry Olympiad exam is known for being challenging, I found it to be a very rewarding and fun experience. Although some background knowledge is definitely ideal for tackling the problems, the exams are more focused on finding what you can do with the information given. You need to be versatile in your thinking, and I find that it’s the process of problem solving and working out difficult problems that makes the Olympiad really enjoyable. Unfortunately, the 2021 Chemistry Summer School was online due to Covid-19, however, it was still a really great opportunity to (virtually) meet like-minded students from across the country, many of whom I still talk with frequently. The program definitely lived up to its reputation of being extremely challenging. Each day was packed with new content to learn, taught through a series of lectures spanning many hours. What made it so fun though, was that the tutors were all really friendly people, easy to talk to, and they kept the whole program engaging. Overall, Summer School was a very worthwhile experience despite the drawbacks of lockdown.

Annabelle Qiu and Amy Feng (right) highly recommend the Australian Science Olympiads for students looking for a challenge.

JUNIOR SCIENCE OLYMPIAD

by Amy Feng The Junior Science Olympiad, for students in Years 7 to 10, is of course, challenging. But with the challenge comes the reward of working through problems that you would otherwise have little exposure to. The exam focuses on juggling knowledge and logic; using the content you learn in school and holding it up to a different lens; taking it apart and piecing it back together. Although all of the problems are multiple choice, you have the opportunity to explain your reasoning on a few of the questions. Quick tip: I highly recommend doing this if you have some time to spare at the end of the exam (especially if you’re serious about aiming for Summer School, because these help to differentiate between candidates!).

Student Testimonies

“I thoroughly enjoyed participating in the Science Olympiads Program. The two Olympiads I participated in, Chemistry and Junior Science, stimulated and pushed me further than the school Science curriculum. In particular, I believed I acquired valuable knowledge in the Chemistry Olympiad sessions which interested me and led me to choose Chemistry as an HSC subject. I am thankful to the school for offering such a wonderful opportunity for us.” Stella Lin (Year 10)

“The Olympiad program brought me an excellent opportunity to explore the areas of my favourite Science subjects that I would probably have never come across otherwise. Overall, the skills and content I learnt were applied widely throughout the remainder of my Science studies at PLC.” Angela Liu (Year 11)

“The Australian Science Olympiads are an excellent opportunity for keen students to challenge themselves and excel outside the classroom. You will be exposed to concepts beyond the curriculum, whilst being supported by the tutorial programs offered at school. We both highly recommend anyone who is interested in Science and looking for a challenge to participate!” Amy Feng, Year 10 and Annabelle Qiu, Year 11