ID :
55473
Tue, 04/14/2009 - 20:34
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://oananews.org//node/55473
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FEATURE: Int'l Biology Olympiad to be held in Japan for first time
+
TOKYO, April 14 Kyodo -
The International Biology Olympiad for high school students from around the
world will be held for the first time in Japan in Tsukuba, Ibaraki Prefecture,
on July 12-19.
The four participants from Japan are busy preparing for the event and have
attended a training camp, aiming to win the country's first gold medal at the
Olympiad. ''I hope the event will reverse the trend against science and help to
promote science education,'' an education expert said.
The Olympiad started in the former Czechoslovakia in 1990. Between 1959 and
1968, during the Cold War, countries in Eastern Europe held mathematics,
physics and chemistry Olympiads to boost their national prestige and the
biology Olympiad followed in their wake.
Unlike the Olympic Games, which are held every four years, the biology Olympiad
is held once a year. There were only six participating countries and
territories in the inaugural event but the number has since continued to
increase.
Around 60 countries and territories will participate in this year's event.
Four representatives from each participating country and territory take part in
the event, carrying out experiments according to specified procedures. The
participants have six hours to conduct their experiments, including analyzing
and describing results, and also take a theory test with 100 questions.
The experiments and theory tests are comprehensively evaluated and the top 10
percent of participants are awarded gold medals, the next 20 percent silver
medals and the following 30 percent bronze medals.
The questions are submitted by participating countries and territories in
advance, and the sponsoring country or territory prepares the questions in
English. Accompanying officials, mainly teachers, translate the questions into
their respective languages.
Previous experiments have involved observing the anatomy of plants, shrimps and
locusts.
Cross-cultural exchange between participants is one of the highlights of the
Olympiad. During the event in Tsukuba, a base for researchers, around 240
students will live under one roof. Four students will share a room without
regard to nationality.
During breaks, the students will visit research facilities in Ibaraki
Prefecture and go sightseeing in Nikko, Tochigi Prefecture, to learn about
Japanese history and culture. For the accompanying officials, the event
provides a good opportunity to learn about the educational situation in other
countries and to exchange information.
Japan first took part in the event in 2005 when it was held in China and has
done so every year since.
In 2008, Japanese students won three silver medals and a bronze medal, ranking
14th. The top medal winner was South Korea, followed by Taiwan. The top 10 also
included Thailand, Singapore, China and India.
According to the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and
Technology, in some Asian countries the top prizewinners in the domestic
selection contests are granted the privilege of entering universities without
examinations. In China around 100,000 students took part in the first stage of
selection for the Olympiad and in India more than 15,000 students paid fees to
participate.
In Japan, several universities have established special criteria for Olympiad
participants taking entrance examinations. Japan is expanding the selection
process to enable students to participate in the Olympiads for mathematics,
physics, chemistry and information technology in addition to biology.
The ministry's budget for the Olympiad and related projects totaled around 350
million in fiscal 2008 and will rise to 450 million in fiscal 2009. ''We would
like to enhance the training camp to improve performance and increase the
number of participants,'' a ministry official said.
Three rounds of domestic selection, dubbed ''Biology Challenge,'' were held
from last summer to choose four representatives from around 2,500 candidates.
This year's participants are Ryota Otsuki, a third-year student at Funabashi
High School in Chiba Prefecture, Atsuhito Nakayama, a second-year student at
Nada High School in Kobe, Mai Yamakawa, a third-year student at Oin High School
in Tokyo, and Ayako Yamanaka, a second-year student also at Oin.
Since the end of last year, the four have boarded together for four times. ''I
would like to win a gold medal at any cost,'' Otsuki said.
==Kyodo
2009-04-14 22:35:33
TOKYO, April 14 Kyodo -
The International Biology Olympiad for high school students from around the
world will be held for the first time in Japan in Tsukuba, Ibaraki Prefecture,
on July 12-19.
The four participants from Japan are busy preparing for the event and have
attended a training camp, aiming to win the country's first gold medal at the
Olympiad. ''I hope the event will reverse the trend against science and help to
promote science education,'' an education expert said.
The Olympiad started in the former Czechoslovakia in 1990. Between 1959 and
1968, during the Cold War, countries in Eastern Europe held mathematics,
physics and chemistry Olympiads to boost their national prestige and the
biology Olympiad followed in their wake.
Unlike the Olympic Games, which are held every four years, the biology Olympiad
is held once a year. There were only six participating countries and
territories in the inaugural event but the number has since continued to
increase.
Around 60 countries and territories will participate in this year's event.
Four representatives from each participating country and territory take part in
the event, carrying out experiments according to specified procedures. The
participants have six hours to conduct their experiments, including analyzing
and describing results, and also take a theory test with 100 questions.
The experiments and theory tests are comprehensively evaluated and the top 10
percent of participants are awarded gold medals, the next 20 percent silver
medals and the following 30 percent bronze medals.
The questions are submitted by participating countries and territories in
advance, and the sponsoring country or territory prepares the questions in
English. Accompanying officials, mainly teachers, translate the questions into
their respective languages.
Previous experiments have involved observing the anatomy of plants, shrimps and
locusts.
Cross-cultural exchange between participants is one of the highlights of the
Olympiad. During the event in Tsukuba, a base for researchers, around 240
students will live under one roof. Four students will share a room without
regard to nationality.
During breaks, the students will visit research facilities in Ibaraki
Prefecture and go sightseeing in Nikko, Tochigi Prefecture, to learn about
Japanese history and culture. For the accompanying officials, the event
provides a good opportunity to learn about the educational situation in other
countries and to exchange information.
Japan first took part in the event in 2005 when it was held in China and has
done so every year since.
In 2008, Japanese students won three silver medals and a bronze medal, ranking
14th. The top medal winner was South Korea, followed by Taiwan. The top 10 also
included Thailand, Singapore, China and India.
According to the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and
Technology, in some Asian countries the top prizewinners in the domestic
selection contests are granted the privilege of entering universities without
examinations. In China around 100,000 students took part in the first stage of
selection for the Olympiad and in India more than 15,000 students paid fees to
participate.
In Japan, several universities have established special criteria for Olympiad
participants taking entrance examinations. Japan is expanding the selection
process to enable students to participate in the Olympiads for mathematics,
physics, chemistry and information technology in addition to biology.
The ministry's budget for the Olympiad and related projects totaled around 350
million in fiscal 2008 and will rise to 450 million in fiscal 2009. ''We would
like to enhance the training camp to improve performance and increase the
number of participants,'' a ministry official said.
Three rounds of domestic selection, dubbed ''Biology Challenge,'' were held
from last summer to choose four representatives from around 2,500 candidates.
This year's participants are Ryota Otsuki, a third-year student at Funabashi
High School in Chiba Prefecture, Atsuhito Nakayama, a second-year student at
Nada High School in Kobe, Mai Yamakawa, a third-year student at Oin High School
in Tokyo, and Ayako Yamanaka, a second-year student also at Oin.
Since the end of last year, the four have boarded together for four times. ''I
would like to win a gold medal at any cost,'' Otsuki said.
==Kyodo
2009-04-14 22:35:33
