SINGAPORE: Aditi Saayujya has been passionate about biology since she was young.
“When I was young, my parents used to bring me out to the Science Centre and nature parks, and I used to read science magazines that my mum borrowed for me from the library,” said the recent graduate from the NUS High School of Mathematics and Science.
“To me, Biology solves the mysteries I saw around me in life, and that’s what has interested me in it from the start.”
And Aditi’s passion for the subject has brought her places: Last year, Aditi represented Singapore at the International Biology Olympiads held in Britain, and came away with a gold medal for her efforts.
“At a personal level, it’s a huge honour to represent Singapore and be given all the opportunities to train and take part,” she said. “But what really drew me to it was the challenge of solving all the most difficult biology problems and competing against the other students who are the best in the world.”
MOE ENCOURAGING STUDENTS FROM "AS MANY SCHOOLS AS POSSIBLE" TO PARTICIPATE
AdvertisementAdvertisementSingapore has generally performed well at the various International Olympiads, which bring together students from around the world to compete in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) disciplines. Last year, for example, Singapore was placed joint third in a field of 241 student participants from 63 countries at the International Biology Olympiad, and took a joint first position in the International Physics Olympiad, out 394 student participants from 86 countries.
Each country is only allowed to send a handful of students for each competition. And as it stands, these students typically come from a select group of schools, like NUS High, Raffles Institution and ACS Independent.
But the Ministry of Education (MOE) hopes to change that, telling Channel NewsAsia that it has been working with its partners to organise local Olympiads and “increase the outreach to as many students from as many schools as possible”.
“Teachers have also been playing a key role in encouraging students to participate,” said Director of Sciences from MOE’s Curriculum Planning and Development Division Chua Chor Huat.
He explained that local versions of these competitions are organised to allow more students to experience the challenge, and schools are invited to nominate their students to participate in them.
He added that through these competitions, students can also be identified to join the national teams, before they continue training to ultimately represent Singapore in the international competitions.
And the selection and training process is by no means a walk in the park.
Aditi, for example, took part in the national-level Singapore Biology Olympiad, where she had to undergo theory and practical tests. There was also a five-day residential selection camp where students took more practical and theory exams.
The four students representing Singapore would then be selected from the camp results.
“After joining the team, the four trained together, studied textbooks, practised laboratory skills and read papers,” she added. “It took up a lot of time, during weekends and school holidays, but it never felt like a chore to me.”
Aditi Saayujya (second from left) with her teammates at last year's International Biology Olympiads. (Photo: Aditi Saayujya)
A STEPPING STONE TO A STEM-RELATED CAREER
Participating in such competitions can also stand one in good stead when choosing a career. Or at least, that’s the experience Dr Ernest Chong had.
Dr Chong, who participated in the International Mathematics Olympiad in 2003 and received an Honourable Mention, knew all along that he had a passion for mathematics. He pointed out that taking part in the competition “reaffirmed his passion for mathematics and anything mathematical”.
Today, he holds a doctorate in mathematics, and is now a research scientist with A*STAR. And he credits his competition experience for equipping him with some valuable skills.
“It really helped train my concentration,” he said, explaining that the format of the competition – four and a half consecutive hours of problem solving a day for two days – required them to concentrate for long periods of time. The nature of the mathematical problems, he added, also required them to “think very creatively”.
“The training sessions also helped me and my teammates further develop patience and perseverance...you literally don’t give up,” he added. “You know there’s a solution and you just work on it, and if you’re stuck, you can discuss with other people.
“All this, before we’ve even started on our careers.”
MEETING PEOPLE FROM AROUND THE WORLD A “HUMBLING” EXPERIENCE
Valuable lessons were also learnt outside of the actual competition.
For Aditi, visiting the UK for the first time was an eye-opening experience.
“Many people may think an Olympiad is all work and no play, but it was a really amazing experience,” she said. “In between the days when we had exams, they also organised excursions for us.”
She remembers visiting castles, an old cathedral and botanical gardens. And she also remembers meeting people from all over the world.
“They organised this Scottish dance where we would have to change partners every few minutes,” she said. “So I got to meet people from many different places, like Belarus, Taiwan and South Africa.
“Everyone had a similar interest in biology, and it was nice to hear their perspective of how it was to study science in their countries.”
As for Dr Chong, despite having taken part in the competition more than a decade ago, the people he met are still firmly entrenched in his mind.
“They were all from different backgrounds and cultures, but we all shared the same passion for mathematics,” he said. “After the first day of the competition, we were all discussing our answers and how we did.”
Ernest Chong (third from left) represented Singapore at the 2003 International Mathematics Olympiad in Tokyo, Japan. (Photo: Ernest Chong)
Dr Chong, who was then a student at Raffles Junior College, also highlighted another valuable life lesson he picked up from the competition.
“Singapore has a very rigorous training and selection process, and there are other countries with way fewer resources than we do,” he said. “But every once in a while, there’ll be someone who may become one of the best in the world, even if they come from a country with way fewer resources.”
“There was someone from an Eastern European country while I was there ... it wasn’t really a rich country. But he was really brilliant,” he added.
“It’s very humbling to know that no matter where you’re from and how much you have, there could be someone out there who’s way smarter than you are, and can do way better even if they don’t have as much as you do.”
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“When I was young, my parents used to bring me out to the Science Centre and nature parks, and I used to read science magazines that my mum borrowed for me from the library,” said the recent graduate from the NUS High School of Mathematics and Science.
“To me, Biology solves the mysteries I saw around me in life, and that’s what has interested me in it from the start.”
And Aditi’s passion for the subject has brought her places: Last year, Aditi represented Singapore at the International Biology Olympiads held in Britain, and came away with a gold medal for her efforts.
“At a personal level, it’s a huge honour to represent Singapore and be given all the opportunities to train and take part,” she said. “But what really drew me to it was the challenge of solving all the most difficult biology problems and competing against the other students who are the best in the world.”
MOE ENCOURAGING STUDENTS FROM "AS MANY SCHOOLS AS POSSIBLE" TO PARTICIPATE
AdvertisementAdvertisementSingapore has generally performed well at the various International Olympiads, which bring together students from around the world to compete in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) disciplines. Last year, for example, Singapore was placed joint third in a field of 241 student participants from 63 countries at the International Biology Olympiad, and took a joint first position in the International Physics Olympiad, out 394 student participants from 86 countries.
Each country is only allowed to send a handful of students for each competition. And as it stands, these students typically come from a select group of schools, like NUS High, Raffles Institution and ACS Independent.
But the Ministry of Education (MOE) hopes to change that, telling Channel NewsAsia that it has been working with its partners to organise local Olympiads and “increase the outreach to as many students from as many schools as possible”.
“Teachers have also been playing a key role in encouraging students to participate,” said Director of Sciences from MOE’s Curriculum Planning and Development Division Chua Chor Huat.
He explained that local versions of these competitions are organised to allow more students to experience the challenge, and schools are invited to nominate their students to participate in them.
He added that through these competitions, students can also be identified to join the national teams, before they continue training to ultimately represent Singapore in the international competitions.
And the selection and training process is by no means a walk in the park.
Aditi, for example, took part in the national-level Singapore Biology Olympiad, where she had to undergo theory and practical tests. There was also a five-day residential selection camp where students took more practical and theory exams.
The four students representing Singapore would then be selected from the camp results.
“After joining the team, the four trained together, studied textbooks, practised laboratory skills and read papers,” she added. “It took up a lot of time, during weekends and school holidays, but it never felt like a chore to me.”
A STEPPING STONE TO A STEM-RELATED CAREER
Participating in such competitions can also stand one in good stead when choosing a career. Or at least, that’s the experience Dr Ernest Chong had.
Dr Chong, who participated in the International Mathematics Olympiad in 2003 and received an Honourable Mention, knew all along that he had a passion for mathematics. He pointed out that taking part in the competition “reaffirmed his passion for mathematics and anything mathematical”.
Today, he holds a doctorate in mathematics, and is now a research scientist with A*STAR. And he credits his competition experience for equipping him with some valuable skills.
“It really helped train my concentration,” he said, explaining that the format of the competition – four and a half consecutive hours of problem solving a day for two days – required them to concentrate for long periods of time. The nature of the mathematical problems, he added, also required them to “think very creatively”.
“The training sessions also helped me and my teammates further develop patience and perseverance...you literally don’t give up,” he added. “You know there’s a solution and you just work on it, and if you’re stuck, you can discuss with other people.
“All this, before we’ve even started on our careers.”
MEETING PEOPLE FROM AROUND THE WORLD A “HUMBLING” EXPERIENCE
Valuable lessons were also learnt outside of the actual competition.
For Aditi, visiting the UK for the first time was an eye-opening experience.
“Many people may think an Olympiad is all work and no play, but it was a really amazing experience,” she said. “In between the days when we had exams, they also organised excursions for us.”
She remembers visiting castles, an old cathedral and botanical gardens. And she also remembers meeting people from all over the world.
“They organised this Scottish dance where we would have to change partners every few minutes,” she said. “So I got to meet people from many different places, like Belarus, Taiwan and South Africa.
“Everyone had a similar interest in biology, and it was nice to hear their perspective of how it was to study science in their countries.”
As for Dr Chong, despite having taken part in the competition more than a decade ago, the people he met are still firmly entrenched in his mind.
“They were all from different backgrounds and cultures, but we all shared the same passion for mathematics,” he said. “After the first day of the competition, we were all discussing our answers and how we did.”
Dr Chong, who was then a student at Raffles Junior College, also highlighted another valuable life lesson he picked up from the competition.
“Singapore has a very rigorous training and selection process, and there are other countries with way fewer resources than we do,” he said. “But every once in a while, there’ll be someone who may become one of the best in the world, even if they come from a country with way fewer resources.”
“There was someone from an Eastern European country while I was there ... it wasn’t really a rich country. But he was really brilliant,” he added.
“It’s very humbling to know that no matter where you’re from and how much you have, there could be someone out there who’s way smarter than you are, and can do way better even if they don’t have as much as you do.”
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