Editor ' s Letter ( continued )
ASSOCIATION ARTICLESNEWS
Editor ' s Letter ( continued )
MEDIA RELEASE Wednesday 22 August 2018
Teen girl bags gold medal at Earth Science world games Australia ’ s best gold medal haul at International Science Olympiads since 2009
Rebecca Whittle , a Year 11 student from Abbotsleigh high school in Sydney , has won a gold medal at the International Earth Science Olympiad in Thailand , securing Australia ’ s best gold medal performance at the UNESCO-sanctioned International Science Olympiads since 2009 .
Rebecca competed against more than 140 students from 38 countries to win gold , finishing in the top 10 per cent of Earth Science students in the world .
Her medal is the second gold for Australia at this year ’ s International Science Olympiads , following a gold-medal performance by Sydney Grammar School student Hugo McCahon-Boersma at the International Physics Olympiad in July .
“ This double gold achievement is our best performance at the International Science Olympiads since 2009 . Our teams have put in the hard yards and earned this success ,” says Ruth Carr , Executive Director of Australian Science Innovations .
Rebecca was part of a four-member team representing Australia at the International Earth Science Olympiad . The three other students won silver medals , putting them in the top 20 per cent of students and delivering Australia ’ s best overall performance at the competition since Australia began sending a national team in 2015 .
The International Earth Science Olympiad competition involved two theory exams and four practical tests covering all aspects of Earth systems science and planetary astronomy . Topics included the geology of planetary bodies , the formation of rocks , rock and mineral identification , sea-level rise processes and the geochemistry of groundwater .
Rose Zhang from Narrabundah College in Canberra was also part of a team awarded a silver medal in the International Team Field Investigation that she completed with students from other countries . This part of the competition emphasises international collaboration and teamwork .
“ We are very proud of our teams ’ achievements this year that are a testament to their hard work and the Australian Science Olympiads program ’ s ability to nurture Australia ’ s top science students ’ passion and talent for science ,” says Carr .
The Australian students spent a year in exams and intensive training before competing on the international stage . They outperformed 6,000 other students from more than 280 schools in the qualifying exams , making a shortlist of 91 to attend a two-week summer school at the Australian National University in preparation for the International Science Olympiad competitions .
The Australian Science Olympiad program is run by Australian Science Innovations and is funded through the Australian Government ’ s National Innovation and Science Agenda , with support from the Australian National University .
The Australian team results at the 2018 International Science Olympiads are as follows :
International Earth Science Olympiad 8 to 17 August , Kanchanaburi , Thailand
Rebecca Whittle |
Abbotsleigh |
NSW |
Gold |
Wayne Wong |
James Ruse Agricultural High School |
NSW |
Silver |
Rose Zhang |
Narrabundah College |
ACT |
Silver |
2 /…
7 SCIENCE EDUCATIONAL NEWS VOL 67 NO 3