Bio Olympiad success

Sarah Ellis with Head of the Science Faculty, Bernard Potter.

BIO OLYMPICS FOR SARAH

Seeing sea lions up close off the Otago Peninsula was just one of the highlights of a recent biology camp for sixteenyear-old Sarah Ellis, who has just been selected to represent New Zealand at the upcoming Olympics for Biology students to be held in Portugal.

Sarah, a Year 12 student, was recently named in the four-strong secondary student team, which also includes Janet Guo from Hillcrest High School in Hamilton; David Heng from Westlake Boys’ High School; and Cameron Senior from Rangitoto College.

Together, they’ll compete in the 32nd International Biology Olympiad in Lisbon, Portugal from 18-21 July. But due to COVID-19 restrictions, they’ll take part in an international online competition, the IBO Challenge II, rather than travelling to Portugal.

Biology Olympiad (IBO) is a prestigious global competition designed to challenge the brightest of young minds and this year teams from over 70 countries will be competing.

This year’s team selection involved participation in a 10-day practical training camp in Dunedin, hosted by the University of Otago and Orokonui Ecosanctuary. The students toured bioscience, marine sciences and entomology facilities including the Dunedin Botanic Gardens, Portobello Marine Laboratory and WD Trotter Anatomy Museum at Otago University.

Sarah says the experience was incredible, with a boat trip to see sea lions a highlight.

“I couldn’t believe it when I heard I’d been selected,” she says. “It was such an amazing experience that I almost forgot that I was competing to be selected for a team.”

In the months leading up to the fourday competition, Sarah’s training will involve online assignments and quizzes, attending tutorials and workshops with her Kiwi IBO teammates, and doing her own reading and research.

Diocesan Head of Science Bernard Potter says Sarah will be up against the best in the world for her age group, and he’s very proud that she’s been recognised for her commitment.

“I’m absolutely thrilled about Sarah’s inclusion on the team,” he says. “She did a huge amount of work to prepare for both the training camp and the entrance exams.

“It’s very fulfilling when students participate in these kinds of additional opportunities, but especially exciting when they gain such a high level of success.”

Dio graduate Anneke Cummack was selected for the New Zealand team in 2019 and represented New Zealand in Hungary, winning a silver medal and was ranked 79th in the world.

Sarah, who has been at Dio for four years, would like to go to medical school to become a surgeon once she has finished school, along with doing biomedical research.

Part of the International Science Olympiad, which is the pinnacle academic competition for 17 to 19-year olds around the world, the IBO aims to encourage students to see biology as a valued pathway for learning and for a career.

Biology is one of seven disciplines in the OlympiaNZ programme – the others are physics, chemistry, maths, geography, informatics, and future problem solving.