1995 School Magazine

6trlg' Gramrnar Stllool @ri6bdnt 1995

Student Achievers cRA NSSS SESSTON B 1995

(r ince 1984 the CRA National Science )Surrrl..SchooL has been held inJanu- ary at the University of Canberra. This year I was fortunate enough to attend. The event, now known as the CRA National Science Youth Forum, ran over lwo weeks during which we visited scientists and their work, debatecl at forums over issues relating to Australia's future, improved our communica- tion skills, learned about possible career paths as well as university course choices and met with 143 other students from a1l across Australia. \7e, the students from Queensland, began our joulney at Brisbane airport on Saturday January 1"4 and one hour later arrived in

ANU, among other places. There were two formal dinners held during the rlvo weeks. Professor Kevin Lafferty, Director of the John Curtin School spoke at the first and presented us wlth the question of whether science represented truth. The second guest speaker was Professor Sir Gustav Nossal. The NSSS was a unique experience in that it brought together 144 like-minded people, all ol the same age. The next two weeks created a common bond that has 1ed to friendships stretching all across Australia. The schedule, aithough busy allowed us time to meet each other with the first day being spent at the Tidbinbilla Nature Reserue. Other events included shopping trips to Belconnen Mall,

nightly visits to Macdonald's, ice skating trips and a chance to see Canberra from the Telecom tower on Black Mountain. Meeting with people from many diverse backgrounds, listening to the luture plans of others and gaining support lor our own futures helped to put the previously daunting thought of Year Twelve into perspective. The benefits of the CRA NSSS were immense. Thank you to the major sponsor CRA for making the experience possible and Rotary for their very generous suppofi. Thank you also to Brisbane Girls' Grammar School and to my parents for their support. The NSSS was an extremely valuable experience and I would encourage anyone with an interest in science to apply lor next year's National Youth Sclence Forum. JOANNA STARKEY 12 WOOLCOCK

Sydney to join students from NS\f as well as two who had flown from New Zealand. !(le finally arrived at the University of Canberra after a lour hour coach trip. 'We were briefed about oLlr programs and directed to the college residences where we, 144 students, 12 student staff who had been in attendance in the previous year, four Rotarian "parents" and Dr RodJory, were to spend the next two weeks. The scientific program was organised by dividing us into nine groups e ach of which participated in nine different half day visits in accordance with their orientation. I was pafi of Dat"win, a biology group. The opening seminar for our group was given by Nigel Snoad, a PhD student investigating the evoh-rtion of the brain. \7e visited CSIRO divisions of forestry, plants, wildlife and ecology as well the Appliecl Science faculty at the University of Canberra, and the John Curtin School of Medical Research at

INTERNAilONAL BIOLOGY OTYMPIAD

{\uring lhe June July holidals ol this L) y"^r.Trisha Peel compered as a mem- ber of the Australian team in the International Biology Olympiad, held in Thailand. Since its inception six years ago, this competition has grown to include twenty-fivo competing na- tions, and this year involved eighty-seven students lrom such diverse collntries as Ku- wait, Sweden and Belarus. Trisha's participation in the Olympiad was, for her, the culmination of six months inten- sive instruction in a1l aspects of Biology. This began in January when she and Fiona Claus attended a tlvo week summer school in Can-

berra, along with fourteen other students lrom around Australia. After an intensive schedule, involving studying lor up to twelve hours a day and two exams of three to four hours in duratlon, al1 sixteen students returned home and continued studying, in preparation for the final exam in March. Trisha passed this exam, based on the syllabus of first year university biology, with flying colours, and was subsequently chosen as one of four students to represent Australia in the Olympiad. The other team members were: Vanessa Marsden, Nicholas Hagan and Llewel1yn Reynders.

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