2020 School Magazine

AUSTRALIAN INTERMEDIATE MATHEMATICS OLYMPIAD

AUSTRALIAN MATHEMATICAL OLYMPIAD A t the beginning of the year I was invited to compete in the annual Australian Mathematical Olympiad, which was held over two days. On both days participants had to solve a four-hour long paper consisting of four problems chosen from topics including combinatorics, algebra, number theory and geometry. Prior to the contest I remember spending months working through countless past papers and algebra handouts and a few chapters of one particular Euclidean geometry book with a friend, as well as attending workshops and classes in preparation for the exam. The skills and mathematical intuition I have acquired by participating in the Olympiad, as well as its training for it, has certainly paid off in countless ways. This same logic and way of thinking has become applicable in my own Specialist Mathematics and Physics classes at school. The Australian Mathematical Olympiad was an incredibly rewarding experience and I am very grateful to have been given the opportunity to take part in it. Samantha Tang (11L) O n Thursday 10 September students from Years 8, 9 and 10 participated in the Australian Intermediate Mathematics Olympiad (AIMO), a four-hour long exam consisting of 10 challenging maths problems. Students could prepare for the AIMO by completing practice papers. The competition provided students interested in maths with a fun opportunity to improve their maths and problem-solving skills. The AIMO is a wonderful competition and I highly recommend it to students interested in maths. Ruby Galligan (8R) AUSTRALIAN MATHEMATICAL OLYMPIAD COMMITTEE INVITATIONAL PROGRAM D uring 2020, three BGGS girls participated in the Australian Mathematical Olympiad Committee (AMOC) Invitational Program. The Program allowed us to experience problems that often left us puzzled for days. Each week we attended training sessions with other students from across Queensland. At these sessions, experienced seniors and past members of the Australian team for the International Mathematics Olympiad introduced us to a variety of new concepts, including number theory, algebra, combinatorics, and geometry. Samantha Tang (11L), Sandra Jiang (10W) and I were invited by the Program to sit the Senior Contest, an Australia-wide competition, which presented five problems to be attempted in four hours. The paper was very challenging, but overall a fun and rewarding experience. The Senior Contest and AMOC Training Program have been worthwhile experiences, helping us to be better mathematicians and problem-solvers. Kaiyu Su (8R)

BIOLOGY OLYMPIAD

E arlier this year, a group of Year 11 students who displayed high achievement and interest in Biology were selected to participate in the National Qualifying Exam for the International Biology Olympiad, to be held in August. During Term 2 and 3 we prepared for the competition during weekly morning lessons. The range of topics covered were extensions of the senior curriculum and included genetics, biotechnology, cell biology, ecology and evolution. On behalf of the group, we are very grateful to have been able to take part in this enriching extension opportunity. Erin Doan (11M),Wijdan Rahim (11G) and Juliet Thottunkal (11O) L ast year, after taking the Biology Olympiad Entrance Exam, I was fortunate enough to be selected to attend the 2020 Biology Summer School at Australian National University. Although the Summer School was cut short by the bushfires, the experience was a very memorable one. I was pushed to reach beyond my limits and met so many incredible likeminded friends. I feel extremely grateful to have taken part in this program. Abigail Lui (12O)

110 | BRISBANE GIRLS GRAMMAR SCHOOL 2020