A team of high-school students won four gold medals at the International Earth Science Olympiad that ended yesterday in Japan’s Mie Prefecture, successfully defending the nation’s title as the contest’s top-ranking participant for the 10th consecutive year.
The team’s four members all claimed gold medals, with Taipei Municipal Fuxing Senior High School student Huang Chia-kuan (黃家冠), ranking No. 1 globally, being the team’s top performer.
The three other gold medalists are Taipei First Girls’ Senior High School student Liu Juo-yu (劉若愉), National Taichung First Senior High School student Chen Yun-chung (陳允中) and Tainan First Senior High School student Hsu Yu-lun (許育綸).
Photo: CNA, courtesy of the Ministry of Education
One hundred students from 26 nations participated in the competition.
This year’s questions were difficult, as they no longer follow the pattern in which they separately dealt with meteorology, oceanography, astronomy and geology, National Central University meteorology professor Lin Pay-liam (林沛練) said.
Rather, they focused heavily on Earth system science, which tested the students’ ability to solve interdisciplinary questions, Lin said.
South Korea used to be Taiwan’s greatest rival in the contest, but its ranking declined to third place this year, behind Japan, he said.
Lin, who has coached the national Earth Science Olympiad team for the past 10 years, said that the nation is frequently hit by earthquakes or typhoons, making Earth science a part of everyday life, which gives Taiwanese students an advantage.
This advantage, combined with training, helped the students achieve the remarkable results, he added.
The team members developed a camaraderie and often share knowledge and hold discussions among themselves, which is a rare attribute, Lin said.
Huang said the first thing he did after he learned that he won was call his parents.
He expressed his gratitude for his junior-high school Earth science teacher, whose animated teaching style aroused his interest in the subject.
It is important to know about the environment one lives in, Huang said, adding that he hopes to become a geologist.
Liu said that she reads astrology journals, which helped her developed a keen interest in the subject.
Female students are not different from their male counterparts in their abilities to learn Earth science, she said, but added that most female students lack confidence.
Liu said she would like to encourage more female students to participate in science competitions.
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