SINGAPORE: Singapore students have excelled in a number of international competitions in the past couple of months, winning top accolades in subjects like physics, chemistry, mathematics and geography.
The competitions, held from July to September, took place in various cities around the world, said the Ministry of Education (MOE) on Wednesday (Jul 12). Participants were from schools which include Raffles Institution, Hwa Chong Institution, NUS High School of Mathematics and Science and Eunoia Junior College.
At the International Young Physicists’ Tournament held in Beijing, the Singapore team emerged overall champion out of 31 other competing countries and territories.
The tournament is organised around “physics fights” that mimic discussions at research conferences, where participants present their research and provide constructive feedback on the work of other teams, MOE said in a media release.
At the International Mathematical Olympiad held in Romania, the Singapore team was placed eighth out of 107 countries and territories.
The team won two gold medals, three silver medals and one bronze at the event, which challenged students to “apply high-level problem solving skills and present rigorous proofs to support their solutions”, according to MOE.
The team that represented Singapore at the 59th International Mathematical Olympiad. (Photo: MOE)
Another team representing Singapore garnered three gold medals and one silver at the International Biology Olympiad in Tehran, Iran.
“The students went through a diverse range of biological tasks, including the dissection and identification of the internal structure of the Persian leech, purification of a bacterial protein and investigation of the behaviour of fruit fly larvae,” MOE said.
Singapore was placed a joint third out of 68 countries and territories.
The team that represented Singapore at the 29th International Biology Olympiad. (Photo: MOE)
For the 50th International Chemistry Olympiad held in Bratislava, Slovakia and the Czech Republic city of Prague, Singapore secured two gold and two silver medals.
Singapore was placed sixth out of 76 countries and territories.
The team representing Singapore at the 50th International Chemistry Olympiad. (Photo: MOE)
At the 49th International Physics Olympiad in Lisbon, Portugal, the Singapore team won four gold medals and one silver, placing third out of 87 countries and territories.
At the competition, students conducted experiments relating to paper transistors for future use in smart packaging, and modelled the destruction of a tumour based on the collapse of blood vessels, due to pressure increases, MOE said.
Singapore’s team at the 49th International Physics Olympiad. (Photo: MOE)
Meanwhile, the team that represented Singapore at the 15th International Geography Olympiad in Quebec City, Canada, bagged one gold, two silver and one bronze medal.
The competition tested students’ ability to apply their knowledge across a wide range of topics, spanning both physical and human geography. Students also honed their skills of observation, mapping and spatial analysis through fieldwork exercises, MOE said.
Singapore was placed second out of 43 countries and territories.
The team representing Singapore at the 15th International Geography Olympiad. (Photo: MOE)
Finally, the Singapore team secured one gold medal, two silver medals and one bronze at the 30th International Olympiad in Informatics in Tsukuba, Japan.
Students were faced with computational problems which tested their ability to design and implement efficient algorithms and data structures.
Singapore was placed joint ninth out of 87 countries or territories.
Singapore’s team at the 30th International Olympiad in Informatics. (Photo: MOE)
