Teen girl bags gold medal in International Science Olympiads

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Science Olympiad girls sweep eight medals including one gold and break Australia’s record at the International Physics Olympiad

YiJie Neo, a Year 12 student from John Monash Science School in Melbourne, has won a gold medal in the International Earth Science Olympiad in France, bringing the Australian team medal haul to 17 at the UNESCO-sanctioned 2017 International Science Olympiads.

YiJie competed against more than 100 students from 29 countries, and finished in the top 10 per cent of Earth Science students in the world. The competition involved two theory exams and four practical tests covering the topics of atmosphere, hydrosphere, geosphere and astronomy.

Another Australian team member, Nishka Tapaswi, a Year 12 student from Hornsby Girls’ High School, set a new record by being the first girl to bring home a silver medal from the International Physics Olympiad, which was held this year in Indonesia. She competed against 400 students from 86 countries and was Australia’s sole silver medallist in the tough Physics competition.

YiJie and Nishka were two of the eight girls and nine boys who made the teams to represent Australia at the 2017 International Science Olympiads in Biology, Chemistry, Earth Science and Physics.

“This is an outstanding achievement for Australia. We are delighted that our female Science Olympians raised the bar in a field that has too few female representatives,” says Ruth Carr, Executive Director of Australian Science Innovations.

“Our impressive medal haul this year is testament to our Science Olympians’ hard work and the program’s ability to not only nurture Australia’s top science students’ passion and talent for science, but also to break down gender stereotypes in science-related fields,” says Carr.

The students spent a year in exams and intensive training before competing on the international stage. They outperformed 5,015 other students from more than 300 schools in the qualifying exams, making a shortlist of 93 to attend a two-week summer school at the Australian National University in preparation for the International Science Olympiad competitions.

The Australian team results at the 2017 International Science Olympiads are as follows:

International Biology Olympiad

23 to 30 July, Coventry, England

Angus Cramond	Balwyn High School	VIC	Silver
Anne Pham	Balwyn High School	VIC	Silver
Anna Sing	The Mac.Robertson Girls’ High School	VIC	Bronze
Katherine Johnson	North Sydney Girls High School	NSW	Bronze

 

International Chemistry Olympiad

6 to 15 July, Nakhon Pathom, Thailand

Ivan Hou	James Ruse Agricultural High School	NSW	Silver
Brandon Lee	Sydney Grammar School	NSW	Silver
Ada Fang	Sydney Girls High School	NSW	Bronze
Dylan Siow-Lee	Sydney Grammar School	NSW	Bronze

 

International Earth Science Olympiad

22 to 29 August, Côte d’Azur, France

YiJie Neo	John Monash Science School	VIC	Gold
Jemima Jeffree	Indooroopilly State High School	QLD	Silver
Joshua Lee	Barker College	NSW	Bronze
Chen Zhou	North Sydney Boys High School	NSW	Bronze

 

International Physics Olympiad

16 to 24 July, Yogyakarta, Indonesia 

Nishka Tapaswi	Hornsby Girls’ High School	NSW	Silver
Bentley Carr	Sydney Grammar School	NSW	Bronze
Steven Liu	James Ruse Agricultural High School	NSW	Bronze
Yuyu Ma	James Ruse Agricultural High School	NSW	Bronze
Claire Yung	Narrabundah College	ACT	Bronze

 

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