Newsletter: Issue #1 27 October 2009
Contents of this month's newsletter:
1. Big Science Competition date announced
The Rio Tinto Big Science Competition will be held on Wednesday 1 September in 2010.
The national competition provides students with the opportunity to test their ability to apply their science knowledge and understanding in challenging and interesting contexts.
This year Grade 10 students who gained top scores in the Competition were invited to the Australian National University in Canberra for a presentation ceremony and a tour of the campus. They were accompanied by a teacher or parent, thanks to the support offered by Rio Tinto.
Science and Innovation Minister, Senator Kim Carr congratulated the students, saying:
"You clearly have a gift and a passion for science, and I hope you will stick with it at high school and at university. Studying science doesn't just teach us facts about the world. It teaches us how to think.
"That's why I believe it is good for all Australians to learn more about science and its methods. This is part of what it means to be an informed citizen. At the same time, we need people who are really good at science - people like you - to make it their career."
The ANU, which sponsors Big Science as Principal Academic partner, organised a spectacular demonstration of flashes and bangs in a chemistry lab, and then took students to experience life at the laboratory bench in other areas of the university.
They were welcomed and congratulated by the Dean of Science at ANU, Professor Aidan Byrne, and Chief Scientist at Rio Tinto Dr Robin Batterham.
2. Big plans for Big Science
ASI has big plans for the Big Science Competition, and ASI Director Toss Gascoigne will announce details of our new-look competition shortly.
We are currently discussing ideas with one of Australia's foremost educational research organisations, with the aim of maintaining all the freshness and topicality of the Competition while developing strong links to the new national science curriculum.
Major sponsor Rio Tinto has been enormously supportive through this redevelopment. Their generosity enabled ASI to sound out the views of teachers at the CONASTA Conference in Launceston in July, encouraging teachers to complete a survey on Big Science with the chance to win a return flight to London.
This survey is part of a major review of Big Science, and the preliminary results provide clear insight into the views of teachers.
3. ASI website
We're revising, updating and upgrading our website. This will mean some interruptions to normal service as we progressively work on improvements, so please be patient …
4. Science Summer School
This week we posted to our website the names of the 72 students selected to participate in the Science Summer School at Monash University.
Our warm congratulations to these students. Their performance in the highly competitive National Qualifying Exams marks them as being enormously capable with considerable potential in their chosen science disciplines - and exactly the sort of people Australia needs to attract into science and science-based careers.
The 72 students were invited on the basis of their performance in the National Qualifying Exams, in each of biology, chemistry and physics. These are open to students in Grades 10 and 11 across Australia. Over 3,000 students applied to join the Summer Science School by sitting the exams this year.
This year we attracted students from a wide range of schools, with some schools never represented before winning a place.
Each student will experience an intensive two week course in January next year. It is divided equally between theory and laboratory work, with students having access to university facilities and much more laboratory time than they would normally get in their school environment.
A high staff-student ratio of 1:3 allows for intensive and personalised instruction, with many of the staff having experienced the Olympiads first-hand in recent years.
The Summer School provides a real turbo-boost to students interested in further studies and possible careers in science. Numbers have been boosted slightly this year, with 24 students in each program.
Teams competing in the international Science Olympiads next year will be drawn from Summer School students, and selected on the basis of their performance at the School as well as a subsequent written assessment.
5. The Olympiads
In July 2010 the Olympiads will be held in Japan (Chemistry), Korea (Biology) and Croatia (Physics).
Teams of four students (but five in physics) will be led by the program director and another staff member. They will experience a week of competitions, mixing with students from 80 other competing countries in competitions and cultural events.
It's a great introduction to the international side of scientific endeavour!
Our teams performed very well last year, winning a total of 11 medals and an honourable mention. Highlights were the gold-medal performances by James Woodmansey and Thomas Brereton.
The performance of our teams attracted widespread media coverage, and the bulging media file in the ASI office owes much to the support of Merck Sharp & Dohme. As well as offering financial support to the Olympiads, MSD provided most useful assistance in helping publicise the Olympiads.
6. The value of the Olympiads
Experiencing the Olympiads is a life-changing experience. In writing to thank us, the parents of one student summarized the benefits of the program:
Thank you so much for creating such a special experience for our son and the rest of the team in Japan.
We are extremely proud of his result and those of everyone in the team, which is due in no small part to your training, advice and encouragement along the way. The Olympiad experience has changed him - not only does he know a lot more biology, but he has been transformed from an inquisitive but tentative teenager to a confident young adult ready to find his own way in the world with a long list of friends from around the world as well as in Australia who share his passion for biology. We could not have wished for a better start to his life in his chosen field.
Please pass on our thanks to the whole Australian Olympiad support team. We congratulate you on everything you are doing for the young scientists of Australia. Keep up the wonderful work.
But it's not only the gold medal winners who gain enormously from the experience. All the students who attend Summer Science School have a chance to immerse themselves in science, and to meet other students who are as passionate about the subject as they are.
7. Monash University
Earlier this year the Summer School moved camp, from our base over many years at the ANU to Monash University in Melbourne. We have greatly appreciated the warmth of our welcome at Monash, and the generous access they have given to the services and facilities of their campus. With the help of Deputy Vice-Chancellor Adam Shoemaker and Science Dean Professor Rob Norris and their staff, initial difficulties were readily overcome.
8. Australian National University
Dr Toner says ASI is extremely grateful to Australian National University (ANU) for its support in past years, and he is pleased that they have continued to support ASI as the Principal Academic Partner in the Rio Tinto Big Science Program. ANU has also been very generous in providing a central office for ASI for many years.
9. National Press Club
ASI commissioned two speeches at the National Press Club in Canberra this year, by two prominent Australian scientists, Professor Ian Frazer and Dr Alan Finkel.
Both were televised live by ABC TV, and carried forceful messages about the importance of encouraging more young Australians into the study of science. These are messages that the public and our politicians need to hear.
We're grateful to these two enormously successful scientists for undertaking the significant challenge of a live address to the nation on TV, and then dealing with questions from journalists.
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