The next question you ask could be worth $50,000, a chance to work with a particle physicist at CERN and a chance to embark on a scientific trip to visit Charles Darwin’s living laboratory on the Galapagos Islands.

Google + has just launched its online Science Fair, open to 13 to 18 year olds from all corners of the globe. All you need is an idea.

The Science Fair is looking for the brightest young minds from around the world to submit interesting, creative projects that are relevant to the world today.

 To find out more visit http://www.google.com/events/sciencefair/index.html

National Science Week will run from August 13 to 21 with more than 1000 events scheduled throughout the nation – from forensic science workshops using 3D facial reconstruction to taste-tests examining the biochemistry of chocolate.

Professor Chubb was delighted to be launching his first National Science Week since being appointed Australia’s Chief Scientist in April.

“National Science Week brings science to around 1.6 million Australians through events that give them a better understanding and respect for the great benefits that science offers to us in our everyday lives,” Professor Chubb said. “This is an exciting and excellent national platform to advocate for Australian science.”

The launch drew more than one prominent Australian scientist to the scene – Professor Ian Frazer, 2006 Australian of the Year and creator of the cervical cancer vaccine, and Professor Jenny Martin, Australian Research Council Laureate, were also in attendance.

As the two respected researchers battled it out in a science quiz, assisted by students from four local high schools, the Chief Scientist admired the enthusiasm generated by National Science Week.

“It really is an event where everyone, regardless of age, is excited to learn about science and get involved,” Professor Chubb said.

“National Science Week demonstrates that science is all around us – in the sports we love, the food we eat, the cars we drive and the houses we live in,” he said.

“It is a pleasure to be involved, and the Inspiring Australia team have outdone themselves with this year’s schedule.”

Professor Chubb also gave a speech at the National Science Week celebratory lunch hosted by Inspiring Australia. In his speech he detailed the importance of science in our nation and why we must never take it for granted. To read Professor Chubb’s speech click here.

To find out more about events happening near you, visit www.scienceweek.gov.au

National Science Week is an exciting 9 day long event showcasing science, technology and innovation across Australia essential to our wellbeing.This year’s celebration is from 13-21 August.

There will be over a thousand events throughout every state and territory as well as a National Tour with a broad range of scientists giving talks on areas of expertise. You can be part of this celebration by contributing to a National Project, or by taking part in a range of exciting activities.

 If you are thinking of getting involved or are wish to attend an event, check out the National Science Week web page for further information.

Naomi White is a student at Box Hill TAFE in NSW, learning about Equine Studies. Here, she outlines why maths is so important to caring for horses.

“There is maths in feeding a horse. Feed requirements and medication doses are based on the horse’s weight.

“Estimating the weight of a horse is a maths equation – it is approximately equal to the girth measurement squared, multiplied by the length of the horse from the chest to the tailbone, divided by 12,000.

“The basic feeding requirement is that you have to give the horse sufficient energy to maintain itself in the paddock.  We know that a horse can only consume 2.5% of its body weight in food every day.  Then we use ratios to make sure the mix of nutrients provides the horse with its daily requirements.”

Likewise, Manager of the Glenbrae Equestian Centre, Brian Hodgson emphasises the importance of mathematical knowledge in his job.

“I’m the owner manager of Glenbrae Equestrian Centre, where we agist horses, run vocational training programs, conduct riding lessons and run competitions.  There is a great deal of mathematics involved in the things that I do on a day-to-day basis.

“The arenas for dressage competition have to be a rectangle 20 metres by 60 metres. We use Pythagoras’ Theorem to make sure we have the lengths and angles correct.  The horse’s stride length determines the distance between jumps for competition. We use spreadsheets to allocate competitors their position in the competitions and use statistical analysis for scoring.  I’ve found mathematics to be invaluable throughout my life.

“I had no idea when I was going through school how useful maths would be. It has opened up doors for me.  The further you pursue mathematics the more opportunities that are going to be open up to you in the equine industry.”

Profiles of Naomi and Brian, including videos and posters are available on the Maths Careers page, courtesy of the Australian Mathematical Sciences Institute, ICE-EM Mathematics and the Australian Government’s Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations.

Say you work in an office with around 20 employees. If two of them shared the same birthday, would you remark on it as an interesting coincidence? A rarity?

Many people might, because our instinct tells us that it’s quite unlikely that two people in an office of around 20 people were born on the same day of the year. After all, there are only 20-odd people and there are 365 possible birthdays (for simplicity’s sake, let’s ignore the possibility that anyone was born on February 29 in a leap year).

But, are our instincts right? Mathematics allows us to work out just how likely, or probable, such a coincidence is.

The answer might surprise you. Take an office with 23 employees: with 23 randomly-selected birthdays, the probability that two or more will be the same is just over 50 per cent—a better than even chance! And with those odds, it’s hardly remarkable when such a coincidence occurs.

Read on if you’d like to get into the nitty-gritty of the probability calculation.

In the mean time here are some other results to variations on the ‘birthday problem’: in a group of 40 randomly selected people, the chance that two or more would share the same birthday goes up to around 90 per cent; in a group of 14 people, the chance that two or more would have birthdays that are either the same or only one day apart is around 50 per cent; in a group of 88 people, there’s an even chance that three or more people would share the same birthday.

So, how do we work this out? By working out the probability that there are no shared birthdays in the group, we can then work out the probability that there are two or more people sharing a birthday.

This is because these are the only two possible outcomes—either (a) no one in the group shares a birthday with another in the group, or (b) at least two people share the same birthday. Because these are the only two possibilities, their respective chances must add up to 100 per cent, and by working out one chance, we can work out the other.

Let’s put our group of 23 people in a line and work our way through from end to end.

The first person will have one of 365 possible birthdays (as described below*). Now we work out the probability that the second person in line does not share the same birthday as the first, which is 364/365. Why this number? Because, out of the 365 possible birthdays for person number two, 364 of them will not match the first person’s birthday, thus giving a probability of 364/365.

Next we take the third person in line and work out the probability that he or she does not share a birthday with either of the first two: this chance is 363/365, following the reasoning of there being 363 out of 365 possible birthdays that do not match the two birthdays of persons one and two.

Applying the same logic to the fourth person, we get a probability of 362/365 that their birthday will not be the same as the three people before them in the line. We then continue assigning probabilities down the line until we get to the 23^rd person, who will have a 343/365 chance of not sharing a birthday with the 22 other people in the group.

We now use the calculated chances that each successive person in line will not share a birthday with those preceding to work out the probability that the entire group has no shared birthdays.

In words, this is the chance that i) the second person does not share a birthday with first (chance = 364/365), AND ii) the third person does not share a birthday with the first or second (363/365), AND iii) the fourth…(and so on)…AND, finally, xxii) the 23^rd does not share a birthday with any of the previous 22 (343/365).

The probability that ALL of these things will occur is obtained by multiplying together the chances of each individual event occurring:

Probability that there are no shared birthdays in a group of 23

= 364/365 x 363/365 x 362/365 x 361/365 x ……. x 344/365 x 343/365 (you can work this out on a calculator)

= 0.4927… = 49.3% (rounded)

Therefore, we know the probability that at least two people share the same birthday is:

100% – 49.3% = 50.7% —better than even!

*Assumptions behind the calculation: we assume birthdays are spread evenly throughout the year—that is, each day of the year is equally likely as a birthday. In real life this may not be true, as the birth rate can change month to month, season to season, leading to an uneven distribution of birthdays. Some births are more likely to occur on weekdays than weekends, such as those by caesarean section, and this may affect the distribution of birthdays for certain populations (e.g. a class of children all born in the same year).

The second assumption is that we ignore the possibility of people being born on February 29 and examine the case where a population has their birthdays evenly distributed across the 365 days of a non-leap year. Again, this is not true in reality, but considering that February 29 is just one possible birthday out of every four years—so 1 possible birthday out of 1461 days—the simplified case of 365 possible birthdays is accurate enough to give us a general idea about the probabilities involved in the birthday problem.

Further reading:

Matthews, R. and Stones, F. (1998). Coincidences: the truth is out there. Teaching Statistics, 20: 17–19. Available at http://ts.rsscse.org.uk/gtb/matthews.pdf

Crilly, T. (2007). 50 mathematical ideas you really needs to know. Quercus Publishing Plc, London

Written by Sarah White, Science Research Officer in the Office of the Chief Scientist.

However, such a stereotype is far from the actual lives of most  young scientists, some of who travel the world in pursuit of their studies. One such person is Stefanie Oberprieler, who is in the second year of her science degree at ANU, majoring in Zoology and Ecology.

“I took a year off after finishing college because I wanted to see a bit of the world, and most importantly, have time to think about what I wanted to do with my life. During that time I worked in an animal rehabilitation centre in South Africa. This was really great for helping me decide, because I knew I wanted to work in either science or become a vet and the rehabilitation centre gave me some real hands-on experience. In the end, I decided that whilst it’s really great that there are people to care for sick animals, I personally prefer being out in nature and I guess that equated to being a scientist.”

Stefanie has spent a surprising amount of her career so far out amongst nature, both undertaking scientific studies and also participating in volunteer work. She recently completed a project with Volunteer Eco Students Abroad (a volunteer organization that aims to provide university students with the opportunity to do community-based volunteer work.)

“As opposed to just being a tourist you get to do hands-on stuff – in this case helping build schools and bathroom blocks in Ecuador.” She says.

Of course like any good scientist, Stefanie rarely passes a good opportunity when it comes her way. So whilst she was in South America she decided to visit the Galapagos Islands.

“Since I was so close, I just had to visit the Galapagos Islands. You can’t be a biology student without hearing about the Galapagos islands in just about every lecture so I figured I’d like to have a look for myself. It was an amazing place with animals you don’t find anywhere else. It’s something I just had to see.”

Even when at home, Stefanie likes to focus her studies outdoor where possible and her enthusiasm has on occasion paid dividends. A study she did on paper wasps yielded some interesting results and has lead to her first scientific paper published in Entomological Science co authored with her study advisor and Canberra’s wasp specialist, Dr Philip Spradbery. “This publication really helped the inspirational processes of learning while travelling through Africa and aided my decision to chose to pursue a career in zoology rather than become a vet,” She says, “I really enjoy discovering new things – and such research shows just how many aspects of the world remain unexplored and how much research can still be done.”

Overall, Stefanie believes that enthusiasm for your subject is one of the keys to success in science or almost any other field of human endeavour. “If you end up studying something that doesn’t really interest you it will be too much effort, if you follow what you’re passionate about it’s more fun than it is work. Science is such a broad field and so you have to make sure that you follow a path that really interests you and take any opportunity that comes your way.”

Image: Stefanie Oberprieler on the Galapagos Islands

This article was originally posted in Sciencewise, the Australian National University’s science magazine

Animal lover
Sarah Keogh

Growing up on a large property meant Sarah got to see many native animals and keep a lot of different pets. “I just loved the company of animals. I especially remember, as a child, visiting a local animal sanctuary and seeing a lady doing a demonstration with koalas. She was cuddling a koala and she allowed me to have a pat. I knew then and there that I wanted to one day become a zoo-keeper!”

After school, Sarah volunteered at Australia Zoo to get some experience with animals. She’s worked there for seven years, and is now a Wandering Wildlife Rover. One of the highlights has been hand-rearing three dingo puppies! “I have a very fun job. I get to walk around the zoo with a variety of animals and introduce them to all of our zoo visitors. You may see me around the zoo handling a snake, a baby alligator or perhaps walking a dingo or wombat on a harness.”

Master trickster
Ruben Meerman

You might have seen Ruben Meerman, alias the Surfing Scientist, on ABC’s Rollercoaster, or the science show Catalyst. After studying physics at university, Ruben discovered a course in science communication – telling people about science and demonstrating science using cool tricks. He’s been doing it ever since. “This is my dream job, but I never actually dreamt I’d be doing it. My dream is having more time because there’s so much cool stuff going on in science that it’s impossible to keep track of it all.”

Planet problem solver
Christina Griffin

As a kid, Chrissy spent a lot of time at beaches and estuaries (river mouths) in New South Wales. She always wanted a job that looked after the environment, and now works as a geoscientist with the Climate Change Project at Geoscience Australia.

The Climate Change Project will help scientists understand what will happen in Australia in the future because of global climate change – for example, how rising sea levels will affect the coast. “A geoscientist is someone who studies Earth processes and uses this understanding to solve problems,” says Chrissy. “My love of the coast inspired me to pursue a career path focused on understanding the coast, protecting it and planning for the future.”

Physics explorer
Matt Broome 

It may sound too much like play to be work, but what Matt does is toy with light and high-tech equipment in the Quantum Technology Lab while studying at the University of Queensland. He doesn’t just do it for fun, but to try and understand how the universe works at really (really) small scales, and maybe even one day to build a computer that works using light rather than electricity.

“There are so many great aspects about being a researcher. First of all you have the opportunity to see things that no one else has seen before, ever. I design and carry out my own experiments with powerful lasers and expensive gadgets, which is any young boy’s dream!” says Matt.

When he was younger, taking things apart and putting them back together was one of Matt’s favourite pastimes. “I just had a desire to understand the nature of things around me. I knew that people who worked in science found things out, and that perhaps that was what I wanted to be, someone who worked in science. 

Stargazer
Madusha Gunawardhana

If you’ve ever stared at the stars and wondered how they got there, you’re not alone. “In school, I was fascinated by stunning cosmic images. I always wanted to be an astronomer and study how those structures are formed,” says Madusha.

Madusha is studying how groups of stars called galaxies are formed and how their shapes change as they collide with each other. “Throughout my school life, learning about astrophysical phenomena and observing the night sky through my 60mm refractor telescope were my hobbies. Now they are both my hobbies and part of my studies,” she says.

This article originally appeared in Scientriffic magazine. To find out more about the Double Helix Science club visit: www.csiro.au/helix

Image credits
Sarah Keogh: Australia Zoo
Ruben Meerman: Steve Baccon

By demonstrating laws of physics through an experiment that used a lone cooking bowl as its apparatus, Fox, a primary school student from Queensland has just been awarded the first ever Young Einstein award.

The competition was run by ABC Coast FM which sought two minute video entries of students conducting quirky science experiments.

The catch was that not only did the experiment have to be scientifically sound, the student conducting it had to explain the result in an entertaining, clear fashion.

Fox’s experiment (complete with safety goggles) demonstrated Newton’s third law of physics -- that every action has an equal and opposite reaction.  

When his ‘charming assistant’ dipped his fingers into the slime slowly, it was a liquid. But when he did it with force, it was a rubbery solid.

“When you hit the slime, it transfers energy to the molecules,” Fox said.

Former Chief Scientist for Australia, Professor Penny Sackett presented the award to Fox at the Gold Coast Science Fair as part of the 2010 National Science Week.

 

Chief Scientist for Australia Professor Penny Sackett with the two Young Einstein winners Fox Cassidy and Clare McMath

Runner up Clare McMath also received a prize for her video ‘Bouncing Sultanas’ which demonstrated the release of carbon dioxide in a chemical reaction between baking soda and vinegar.

“When sultanas drop into the jar they initially sink but then they become covered in bubbles of carbon dioxide,” Clare said.

“Because the bubbles are lighter than the liquid, the sultanas float to the top and then sink because the bubbles pop when they reach the surface.”

Clare’s experiment showed that the sultanas would continue to bounce as long as the reaction continued to release carbon dioxide.

Watch Fox’s video:

Watch Clare’s video:

To view all other entries, visit the ABC Coast FM website

Former Chief Scientist for Australia, Professor Penny Sackett announced the national teams in early June as part of a ceremony held at Parliament House in Canberra.

Twenty six students in total will compete across the biology, chemistry, informatics, mathematics and physics competitions at various locations including Korea, Croatia, Japan, Canada and Kazhakstan.

“These young people are among our top high school science and mathematics students. They have undergone months of gruelling training and testing to be here today to be honoured as an Australian representative for maths or science,” Professor Sackett said at the ceremony.

The teams will compete against gifted students from more than 100 other countries, making it a trial of truly international standards.

In addressing the competitors, Professor Sackett noted the importance of science and maths education in Australia.

“There are big challenges ahead for our society, in climate change, in food and water security, in medicine,” she said.

“Our future will be increasingly dependent upon young, talented and enthusiastic people like yourselves who will use science for the benefit of everybody.

“Now more than ever, Australia is the land of opportunity for those who want to pursue careers in science and mathematics and make a difference.”

The Australian Olympiad program is coordinated by the Australian Science Innovations (ASI) and the Australian Mathematics Trust who run their own internal competition and training programs to select the teams.

Interim Executive Director of ASI, Dr Nick Hagan said the Olympiads helped prepare talented students for a promising career in science and mathematics.

 “In earning themselves a place in the team, these students have proved themselves to be the best of the best in Australian science and mathematics. They are now going to be challenged against the best in the world at what are highly prestigious international events,” Dr Hagan said.

Learn more about our Olympiad competitors below:

BIOLOGY
Competing in South Korea 

Program Director:  Dr Mary Oliver

Jingchun Chen – Year 11 – James Ruse Agricultural High School, NSW 
Jingchun has always had a fascination for science and remembers from the age of eight years old she just liked asking “why”. This led to her great love of reading any science related books, magazines & comics. Her other interests include: art, textiles and writing. Jingchun is looking forward to: her first trip overseas, the challenge of the international competition as well as meeting people from all over the world.

Paul Khoo – Year 12 – Melbourne High School, VIC
As a young boy Paul remembers visiting the local library borrowing science books instead of picture books and devouring sections of encyclopaedias. He was always taking apart everything at hand to discover how things worked. He has a keen interest in biology and also likes the esoteric nature of quantum physics and fluid mechanics. In 2007 he was the winner of the ASX national share market competition. Paul other talent include javelin, singing and piano.

Vivian Li – Year 12 – Pymble Ladies College, NSW
Vivian believes that science gives an insight in to the world. Her teachers who imparted their knowledge and love of learning with great passion ignited her interest in science. Vivian would like to publically acknowledge them today. She is interested in the current research in genetic modification and stem cells. One day Vivian would like to pursue research that will improve the quality of life and change the way we live.

Gina Tonkin-Hill – Year 12 – The University High School, VIC
When Gina was in primary school she dressed up as Alfred Nobel. Today a former student has inspired her at her school, Elizabeth Blackburn, who was awarded the 2009 Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine. Gina has enjoyed the Olympiad training particularly the dissections. In the future she hopes to become a doctor and work with medecins sans frontiers. Gina is looking forward to meeting people from other countries and experiencing life in Korea.

CHEMISTRY 
Competing in Japan 

Program Director: Dr Mark Ellison

Allan Chau – Year 12 – James Ruse Agricultural High School, NSW
Allan’s interest in science was sparked by his brother who returned from the 2004 Summer School full of enthusiasm for Chemistry. This made him determined to follow in his footsteps. Allan enjoys the laboratory experiments and solving problems. He is hoping to study for a Bachelor of Science. Allan is looking forward to experiencing the beauty of Japan.

Kelvin Cheung – Year 11 – James Ruse Agricultural High School, NSW
Kelvin was awarded a bronze medal at the 2009 International Chemistry Olympiad and this year he is going for gold! Kelvin’s other interests include football, swimming and bushwalking. In the future he would like to become an eye surgeon and work in rural Australia.

Stuart Ferrie – Year 12 – Melbourne High School, NSW
Stuart has achieved top of the state awards in many science competitions. He plans to study a degree in science whilst also pursuing his other passion – music. Stuart has been involved in Melbourne Youth Music, school ensembles and is currently music captain at Melbourne High. Stuart is looking forward to visiting Japan, meeting interesting young people and the challenge of completing two difficult exams.

Cyril Tang– Year 12 – Sydney Grammar School, NSW 
The use of the Internet and the influence of his teachers and Olympiad tutors have had a powerful impact on Cyril and his perception of the field of science. New worlds of organic chemistry, astrophysics, and marine biology have made him more curious to understand how things work and why things happen. Cyril enjoys hanging out with friends, computer games, reading fantasy books and entertaining family guests by making origami polyhdera. He is keen to succeed in Japan whilst also enjoying the cultural and social experiences that await. 

PHYSICS 
Competing in Croatia 

Program Director: Mr Matthew Verdon

Madeleine Barrow – Year 12 – MacRobertson Girls High School, VIC 
Madeleine was motivated to continue with science because of the influence of her teachers who are here today to help celebrate her achievements. She is also a talented musician who plays first violin in the Melbourne Youth Orchestra. Madeleine has been concertmaster at Music Summer schools and is currently the Music Captain at MacRobertson Girls High. She is fascinated by the mystery of quantum physics and finds electromagnetism elegant!  Madeleine can’t wait for the chance to look at some really interesting physics problems in Croatia. 

Hilary Hunt  – Year 12 – MacRobertson Girls High School, VIC 
Hilary has always been interested in science and is keen to pursue a career in a science related field. She is an avid reader and enjoys travelling, experimenting with different types of food and learning about other cultures. Hilary is looking forward to the international competition in Croatia because it’s not often you get the chance to experience the camaraderie between such a diverse and bright group of students whilst also exploring the local culture.

Andrew Kam – Year 12 – Sydney Grammar School, NSW 
Andrew delights in exploring the world of physics for example studying the technology involved in the various effects that occur on a molecular level in crystals. He has a wide range of interests from playing bridge, poker and golf to enjoying being swimming captain and singing in the school capella group. Having received an Honorable Mention at the Asian Physics Olympiad, Andrew is looking forward to the competition in Croatia.

Olivia Kim – Year 12 – James Ruse Agricultural High School, NSW 
Olivia has only recently developed an interest in science. Last year she began learning physics and was hooked by the logic and analytical skills she developed. In April Olivia successfully competed in the Asian Physics Olympiad. In September, she heads to Princeton University to continue her education. She plans to study economics, applied mathematics and offcourse, Physics. Her other interests include learning foreign languages – German, Japanese and Spanish, military history, volleyball philosophy and debating.

Alexander London– Year 12 –  Sydney Grammar School, NSW
Alex has always had an affinity for science. He is particularly interested in relativity and quantum physics. Questions about the origins of the universe and how it will end are topics that excite Alex. This year he was awarded a bronze medal at the Asian Physics Olympiad. He is looking forward to the cultural experiences in Croatia. Next year Alex is thinking about studying law. He enjoys playing cricket, soccer and golf.

Ishraq Uddin– Year 12 –  Hurlstone Agricultural High School, NSW
Ishraq remembers being inquisitive from a young age. Like Alex London, he too is keen to explore fundamental questions about our origins and why the universe takes the form it does. He admires Galileo for persisting with his ideas and scientific beliefs. Ishraq was a member of the Asian Physics team and cherished the opportunities to meet other teenagers from around the world who also had a genuine interest in science. Next year he plans to study science possibly at the University of Sydney.

Iris Uy– Year 12 –  Baulkham Hills High School, NSW
Iris did not pay much attention to science until one of her teacher’s sparked an interest by using analogies to explain complicated scientific concepts. Now, her favourite subject is physics! Other interests include playing the piano and clarinet, singing in a capella choir and soccer. Iris intends to further her studies at university doing an engineering degree possibly aerospace engineering or a science degree.

Bob Wu– Year 12 –  Sydney Grammar School, NSW
In Year 7 Bob can remember a history lesson in which he learnt about the Scientific Revolution and the influence of Isaac Newton and Galileo Galilei. He began to see the magic of science and the development of ideas. Currently he is keen to learn more about nanophysics and its extensive range of applications from the use of carbon nanotubes in creating space elevators to the application of nanotechnology in combating disease. Bob is also interested in international affairs, Australia’s relationship with the world and the mechanisms of the global community. In the future he would like to pursue a career in diplomacy.

MATHEMATICS 
Competing in Kazakhstan 

Program Director: Dr Angelo Di Pasquale

Aaron Chong – Year 12 – Doncaster Secondary College, Vic
Aaron has always had an affinity for numbers which he finds challenging and stimulating.  He plans to study Business and Commerce with a focus on mathematics related topics, perhaps eventually becoming an Actuary.  Aaron was awarded a Silver medal at the 2009 IMO and this year he hopes to win gold for Australia.

Timothy Large – Year 11 – Sydney Grammar School, NSW
Whilst Timothy has always liked maths, he became really interested in the problem solving side through AMOC’s state based program in NSW.   He hopes to further his study at university and follow a maths related career.  Timothy is looking forward to all aspects of the IMO: the mathematics, visiting new places and the people he will meet.  Timothy also enjoys studying Computing, Physics, Latin and Greek and his hobbies include classical music, video games and films.

Stacey Law – Year 12 – James Ruse Agricultural High School, NSW
Stacey has had a natural interest in maths since she was very young and plans to include mathematics in her future studies.  Stacey achieved a Bronze medal at IMO in 2009 and she enjoys the whole IMO experience including team training and meeting team members from other countries.  Her other interests include reading, music, volleyball, tennis, films, sketching and painting and playing pool.

Kiho Park – Year 12 – Mount Waverley Secondary College, Vic
Kiho enjoys discovering and learning new theorems in maths, especially the feeling of achievement when he solves a difficult question.  His current ambition is to do his best in the coming IMO, and to continue studying maths at university.  He is also looking forward to visiting Kazakhstan and meeting students from many different countries.  Kiho enjoys playing the cello and piano, and practising Taekwondo.

David Vasak – Year 12 – Sydney Grammar School, NSW
David first became interested in mathematics because he enjoyed solving problems and liked the neatness of the results.  He hopes to study pure mathematics in the future and his immediate aim is to do well at IMO.  David looks forward to visiting Kazakhstan and seeing a new part of the world.

Sampson Wong – Year 12 – James Ruse Agricultural High School, NSW
This will be Sampson’s third IMO; he achieved a Bronze medal in Madrid in 2008 and a Gold medal in Bremen last year.  His favourite topic in mathematics is geometry and while he hasn’t decided on his future studies, they will most likely include mathematics.  Sampson is particularly looking forward to going to Kazakhstan and meeting new people at the IMO.

INFORMATICS 
Competing in Canada

Program Director:  Mr Bernard Blackham

Luke Harrison – Year 12 – Normanhurst Boys High School, NSW
Luke’s interest in Informatics came about because it allowed him to do two of his favourite things – program and solve difficult problems.  He hopes to study computer science at UNSW and hopefully gain a scholarship that will allow him to gain work experience in the field.  He looks forward to the challenge of IOI and hopes to gain a medal.  Luke regularly plays soccer and also enjoys playing piano.

Evgeny Martynov – Year 11 – James Ruse Agricultural High School, NSW
Evgeny took part in several programming competitions at primary school when he lived in Russia.  When he came to James Ruse he was inspired to continue these activities through classes run by a former IOI medallist at the school.  This is Evgeny’s second IOI, having won a Bronze medal in Bulgaria last year.  Evgeny looks forward to the challenge of this year’s competition and plans to pursue studies in physics, maths and computer science.  He also enjoys reading and building aircraft models, and helping other students with informatics.

Robert Newey – Year 11 – Cobar High School, NSW
Robert has been interested in programming for many years and seeing a talk by Randall Munroe inspired him to look at programming challenges.  He was encouraged to take part in the Australian Informatics Olympiad program by his maths teacher at Cobar High School.   In future he would like to study a combined electrical engineering and computer science degree at UNSW and is looking forward to meeting the world’s top high school informaticians at IOI.  Robert’s other interests include playing and refereeing basketball, cycling, going to the gym and honing his sense of humour.

Kenneth Wong – Year 12 – James Ruse Agricultural High School, NSW
This is Kenneth’s second IOI, having competed in Bulgaria last year where he was awarded a Bronze medal.  He first began programming because it gave him a creative outlet and after joining his school’s programming club in Year 9, he was introduced to informatics which has claimed his interest ever since.  After studying for a degree in computer science, Kenneth would like to work for a company such as Google.

At the annual  APSM Olympiads, students use maths to battle it out for the chance to help their school take the title of ‘Team of the Year,’ as well as working to gain a perfect individual score for themselves.

Students from any Australian or New Zealand school can compete in one of two divisions – Division J for children under 12 years of age, and Division S for children under 14 years of age. Last year, more than 32 000 students competed in the challenge and organisers are expecting even more for the 2010 event,  with registration due to close on April 30.

Schools can enter teams of up to 30 students and both individual and team prizes are up for grabs.

Former Chief Scientist for Australia, Professor Penny D Sackett, said events such as the Olympiads encourage children to engage with maths in a positive way outside the classroom.

“Maths can be fun, exciting and interesting, and the Olympiad is just one example of all three.

“Australia is facing a skills shortage in many areas that are dependent on knowledge of mathematics – everything from engineering to economics – so it’s important that we encourage students to improve their maths skills,” Professor Sackett said.

Enrolments in secondary school and university maths programs are slipping every year, with the starkest drop recorded between 2005 and 2007 when the number of year 12 students enrolled in advanced mathematics courses declined by 20 per cent.

A recent paper released by the Group of Eight universities which discussed the state of mathematics in Australia, indicated that per capita, Australia trains two and one-half times fewer mathematics graduates than is the standard in developed (OECD) countries.

One of the recommendations of the report is a push to make maths fun and exciting for students.

As well as activities such as the Olympiads, students can become involved in numerous other initiatives and competitions, including science poetry competitions, wildlife photography contests, drawing and video contests and even robot creations.

 To find out more about these competitions, please visit the websites listed below:

•  Science Olympiads – http://www.asi.edu.au/olympiads/
• Big Science Competition – http://www.asi.edu.au/bigscience/
• National Youth Science Forum – http://www.nysf.edu.au/
• Sleek Geeks Science Prize – http://www.science.usyd.edu.au/outreach/eureka/index.shtml
• Australian Brain Bee Challenge – http://www.abbc.edu.au/intro.php
• International Science Poetry Competition – http://www.sciencetime.com.au/ser/poetcomp.html
• 60 Second Science Challenge – http://www.60secondscience.net/
• Science and Engineering Challenge – http://www.newcastle.edu.au/faculty/engineering/events/challenge/
• RoboCup Junior – http://www.robocupjunior.org.au/
• Australian Mathematical Olympiad – http://www.amt.canberra.edu.au/amocprog.html
• Mathematics Challenge for Young Australians – http://www.amt.canberra.edu.au/mcya.html
• Geologi Competition – http://www.asta.edu.au/sectevents/geologi_2010_competition_now_o
• Australian Statistic Poster Competition – http://www.amt.edu.au/statscomp/
• Scinema – http://www.csiro.au/scinema/aboutus/index.html
• Young Inventors’ Bright Spark Award – http://www.abc.net.au/tv/newinventors/brightspark/brightspark_app.htm
• Up Close and Spineless Photographic Competition – http://australianmuseum.net.au/event/Up-Close-Spineless-Photographic-Competition-2010
• National Wildlife Photo Contest – http://www.nwf.org/photocontest/default.aspx
• Wildlife Photographer of the Year – http://www.nhm.ac.uk/wildphoto
• ANZANG Nature Photography Competition – http://www.anzangnature.com/
• Eco-Comedy Video Competition – http://american.edu/soc/cef/Eco-Comedy-Video-Competition.cfm
• Geology Rocks Drawing Competition – http://australianmuseum.net.au/Geology-Rocks-Drawing-Competition-2009
• National Science Week – http://www.scienceweek.gov.au/Pages/index.aspx
• WetlandCare Australia National Art and Photography Competition – http://www.wetlandcare.com.au/Content/templates/news_detail.asp?articleid=756&zoneid=1
• National Mathematics Summer School - http://www.nmss.org.au/