RORY SMITH New Zealand Biology Olympiad.
RORY SMITH — MAY 14, 2019
Last year I was approached by Ms Hitchman and she asked asked if I wanted to try for the New Zealand International Biology Olympiad Team.
At the time I had never heard of it, so I went home and did some quick research to find out what I was actually being offered. Every year, there is an international competition called the Biology Olympiad at which students from over 70 countries do practical and theory tests to compete for prestigious titles and prizes. To choose the team for this competition each year, an organisation known as NZIBO (New Zealand International Biology Olympiad) runs an online selection exam which is open to enter, as long as you register through school.
The first exam is mainly based on problem solving skills and interpreting information so it didn’t test any specific knowledge. After I applied, I sat the exam and a couple of weeks later found out I was one of about 300 students chosen to enter the tutorial program. This involved slowly reading through a textbook and completing online courses about all of the different aspects of Biology. The tutorial program involved a lot of work and time spent on it throughout the holidays and into Term 1 of this year, until the second online exam. This exam was based on all of the material that I had learned over the previous few months, and was certainly a lot more challenging than the first. I later found out that I had made the top 24 out of that exam, which was really exciting to hear, though it meant I still had more study to do before the selection camp.
The camp was held in Auckland for the first week of the April holidays and involved mostly practical work that couldn’t be taught online. We spent most of our time at Massey University using their labs and fancy equipment which was a lot of fun and really interesting to do things we don’t have the opportunity to do anywhere else. We also carried out numerous dissections on both plants and animals, including mussels, crabs, crickets and fish. Because the real competition could require the dissection of any easily acquired animal, we had to be familiar with a number of different types of animals with different body plans. At the end of the camp there were two practical exams which had us analysing capsicums (which are berries), carrying out a common lab procedure used to multiply strands of DNA, and dissecting a prawn. These were very challenging under time pressure, and the day after we were right back into more adventures around Kelly Tarlton’s and the Auckland Winter Gardens.
We also received talks from some postgrad students from Otago University who were sent to help run the program and provide support. The final day of the camp was spent on the theory exams which tested all of the knowledge we had learned both online and during the camp and the pair of two hour sessions seemed to fly by.
Unfortunately I did not do well enough to make the team that will travel to Hungary later this year, but the experiences and knowledge gained throughout this journey were extremely rewarding and I enjoyed every moment. To all Year 12s, if you are interested in Biology and keen for a challenge I would highly recommend signing up for the entrance exam later this year. It takes a lot of work and commitment to see it through but by the end, the satisfaction is immeasurable and maybe you could earn a spot in the NZ team for 2020?
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