Carol Khor, a Year 12 student, was one of 24 students selected to attend the New Zealand International Biology Olympiad training camp held in Dunedin. The camp is held to select four representatives for New Zealand through a three-hour practical and a three-hour theory exam that covers all the skills and material in the International Biology Olympiad syllabus. Her experience of this camp is described below.

The camp was a 10 day experience jammed packed with activities ranging from Biochemistry lab work on PCR & gel electrophoresis to dissections on earthworms and dogfish sharks to botany work on plant leaf microscopy. We also went on a boat trip to collect footage of underwater marine life.

 Apart from all the practical work, we had the chance to hear from lecturers in different aspects of Science such as Biostatistics and Agricultural Technology and Genetic Engineering. The University of Otago kindly offered to host the camp therefore we spent most of our time roaming through different campuses. In addition to that, we even received personal lab coats, drink bottles and a pair of socks from the University. 

Immunology and Microbiology were my personal favourites and I would love to further my studies and research in this area. The talk from Professor Greg Cook about antimicrobial resistance, Dr Peter Dearden’s lecture on bumblebee genome tracing and other eye-opening talks uncovered fields of Science we have yet to explore. Moreover, we also heard from postgraduate students passionate about their own research fields ranging from collecting environmental DNA from marine life to tracking penguin foraging pathways in Antarctica.

Looking back on the camp, I have to admit that the best part of it is getting to know everyone that came from all over New Zealand. The connections we establish with like-minded and intellectual teenagers are everlasting. It has been an extraordinary experience being surrounded by curious minds bubbling with enthusiasm. It really does motivate oneself to keep going - even when you have hundreds of pages of lab manuals to read through past midnight! I cannot wait to see what everyone will accomplish in the future and I will be proud of every single one of them.

Last but not least, I am very thankful for the Bishopdale Rotary Club as a sponsor for the camp fees and I can’t wait to share my experience with them in an upcoming meeting.

Carol Khor