Introducing the team representing Australia at the 2024 International Junior Science Olympiad!
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L to R: Owen, Jaskeerat, Chrysty, Eric, Josiah and Alex -
Congratulations to the students selected to represent Australia at the International Junior Science Olympiad being held 2 to 11 December 2024 in Bucharest, Romania.
The following exceptional students have been chosen to represent Australia:
- Jaskeerat Arora – Baulkham Hills High School, NSW
- Josiah Levchenko – Gippsland Grammar, VIC
- Alex Ma – Sydney Grammar School, NSW
- Chrysolite Salla – Presbyterian Ladies’ College Sydney, NSW
- Eric Xie – Kelmscott Senior High School, WA
- Owen Zhai – Brisbane State High School, QLD
Their journey started by sitting the nation-wide Junior Science Olympiad (JSO) Exams in June 2024 before being selected to attend JSO Spring School in October 2024, onsite at the Australian National University.
These six students have outperformed thousands of other students in qualifying exams and intensive training to earn their place on the team.
The team have gained in-depth knowledge and skills under the guidance of Co-Program Directors, Dr Kathryn White and Dr Tammy Humphrey, along with Deputy Program Director, Suren Mendis, as well as our amazing program tutors and support staff.
The students have been supported by their teachers, schools, families and friends, to reach the prestigious achievement of being selected to represent Australia.
We want to extend our congratulations to the Australian team who will be representing us at the 2024 International Junior Science Olympiad (IJSO). Your dedication and hard work thus far have been truly inspiring, and we are proud of your accomplishments.
The team was officially announced and received their ‘green and gold’ blazers in the 2024 IJSO Team Announcement Ceremony on Friday 29 November 2024.
Jaskeerat Arora
Baulkham Hills High School, NSW
“My teachers and parents have always been supportive of me throughout my journey, but I chose to explore science because of my own passion for it,” Jaskeerat shared.
“I am inspired by scientists who contributed to our understanding of fundamental physics, especially particle physics and quantum mechanics, such as Albert Einstein.”
Jaskeerat’s favourite discipline of science is physics, “because I love understanding how the world works at a fundamental level, and I appreciate the mathematical beauty of physics.”
“I encourage anyone with an interest in science to participate in Olympiad exams, as they are a great opportunity to develop your understanding and make friends,” Jaskeerat says.
“My favourite part of Spring School was the practical lessons, particularly physics and chemistry, where the concepts we learnt in class were applied to the real world,” Jaskeerat described his experience. “It was also a fun opportunity to interact with friends!”
His advice, “I would like to emphasise the importance of teamwork in the lab. Any experiment or activity conducted in a team absolutely requires all the members to work together and cooperate.”
Outside his science studies, Jaskeerat has a passion for mathematics. He has participated in Maths Olympiads in the past and has an interest in programming. “I also enjoy reading, playing chess, and table tennis.”
At the IJSO in Romania, he will enjoy spending more time with friends. “I’m looking forward to a fun experience in a new country and learning a lot more science!”
Josiah Levchenko
Gippsland Grammar, VIC
Chemistry is the field of science that Josiah prefers, “because it is fascinating to me how we can explain what happens at the human scale by using what we know about what happens at the atomic scale.”
“I think it’s amazing that we have the ability to see things at the atomic scale, and how it is possible to observe things so far out in space as well.”
“The teachers at my school definitely helped me get into science, giving me so many opportunities to develop my knowledge and skills, and helping me with the Junior Science Olympiad program,” Josiah shared.
“The thing that I enjoyed most about going to Spring School is being able to meet with other kids who share the same interest in science with you, especially those who you may have known for a while but never met with in person. It was really easy to make friends, and by the end of it we were all quite close!” Josiah says of his experience.
“A highlight from the lab was performing titrations. It was very fun to use all the different types of glassware and being so precise with your measurements – just one drop changing the colour of the entire solution!”
How does Josiah handle obstacles? “Sometimes when I take challenging exams, I don’t have enough time to complete them all. I handle this by reminding myself that you can only do your best.”
Besides science and maths studies, Josiah enjoys playing sports, ‘most of all, tennis’. He likes to read or listen to music to relax. “I also do speedcubing as a hobby.”
At the 2024 IJSO, Josiah is looking forward to meeting scientists from all around the world, and the experience of competing with people from many different countries.
Alex Ma
Sydney Grammar School, NSW
“My love of science has always been encouraged by my parents. My science teachers helped me develop a passion for science, often teaching us content beyond the scope of the curriculum,” Alex shared.
“What I enjoyed most at Spring School was meeting incredible people and building lasting friendships. I felt the tutors made a huge impact by helping me gain a deep understanding of advanced science.”
“The highlight for me in the lab was the titration and aiming for the most accurate result possible. During a practical, I find that the most crucial skill is managing the limited time effectively and multitasking whenever possible.”
“My favourite discipline of science is physics because it explains how the natural world fundamentally works, and it forms the foundation for the other sciences. Additionally, physics is based upon problem-solving skills, making it very enjoyable for me.”
Outside of science, Alex is passionate about mathematics. He also enjoys reading, playing board games, participating in cadets, and debating.
Alex admires Edward Jenner’s discovery of vaccination and Alexander Fleming’s discovery of penicillin. “These inspire me because of their profound impact on the lives of people by helping to prevent deadly diseases.”
Alex says of his plans for the future, “I would like to go into scientific research and aspire to make meaningful contributions to my field by discovering something new or designing solutions to real-world problems.”
At the IJSO in Romania, Alex is looking forward to seeing friends from Spring School again, as well as “getting the incredible opportunity to meet people from all over the world.”
Chrysolite Salla
Presbyterian Ladies’ College Sydney, NSW
“I love all disciplines of science because of their interconnected nature, but my favourite is chemistry,” Chrysolite, who attends Presbyterian Ladies College in Sydney, shared.
“I love how it incorporates both theory as well as a lot of calculations. It can explain phenomena all around us, even those that are relevant to other disciplines of science.”
Chrysty is grateful to her parents, who “introduced me to science really early on and have always encouraged my curiosity about the world around me, even when I asked far too many questions! I’ve just loved it ever since.”
Chrysty’s Olympiad journey started with the Junior Science Olympiad Exams, of which she recommends, “Do it! You never know where it could lead and if you love science, it’s an amazing opportunity and you’ll probably really enjoy it.” It led to JSO Spring School, not once, but twice for Chrysty!
JSO Spring School gave Chrysty the opportunity to learn more across all the disciplines of science, “but what I enjoyed doing even more were the practical’s! I was able to do experiments that I would not have done at school, or at least not in the near future. I loved meeting people from across Australia who love science, along with all the laughter and learning.”
Her advice is “when doing practicals in the lab, take your time with things, allowing yourself to be calm and focused on the work you’re going to do.”
Outside of science, Chrysty enjoys reading, writing poems for the school magazine, singing in the choir, and public speaking.
In the future, she would like to “enter medicine, pharmaceutical science, or any other career that allows me to incorporate my love of science into directly helping people.”
In Romania at the IJSO, Chrysty is excited to “meet students from all across the world who love science just like I do and learn with them.”
Eric Xie
Kelmscott Senior High School, WA
“My school held the Big Science Competition, which paved the way for my future in science. After being selected for the Junior Science Olympiad Training Squad, I was able to learn more and develop a strong interest in physics, chemistry, and biology,” Eric explained.
“My high school teachers encouraged me to continue advancing in science.”
“Chemistry is my favourite science because it can be applied in our daily lives and has a wide range of applications, from industry to our normal household activities, such as producing steel and preserving food.”
Eric is inspired by Dmitri Mendeleev, one of his favourite scientists. “He developed the periodic table, which is now a fundamental and iconic part of chemistry. He inspires me to make new discoveries and reminds us that patience is incredibly important in scientific fields.”
Eric enjoys playing classical music on the piano and reading history books. He also practices Tae Kwon Do regularly to improve his resilience and discipline.
“I am interested in carbon nanomaterials due to their amazing properties, such as high strength and being extremely lightweight. They have huge potential in areas like space exploration. I wish to pursue a career in nanotechnology, but I’m also considering other fields, such as chemical engineering.”
Eric’s advice, “Patience is very important, especially for practical exams. Although the time limit causes a lot of stress, it is necessary to remain calm and read the instructions carefully.”
Of the IJSO in Romania, Eric says, “I look forward to meeting similarly talented future scientists from all over the world. I also look forward to making new friends with similar interests, and having memorable shared experiences.”
Owen Zhai
Brisbane State High School, QLD
“My parents were the ones who recognised my potential talent in science and encouraged me to sign up for competitions. I took the Junior Science Olympiad exam in Year 8 and qualified for the JSO Academy.”
Owen’s motto when it comes to the JSO Exams, “if you sign up for the exam, work hard to prepare by doing some past papers, and use all that you’ve learned in the exam, you could very well be the next to represent Australia!”
“Whilst I didn’t qualify for the IJSO team last year, I saw this as an opportunity to improve my problem solving and scientific thinking skills,” explains Owen, who is honoured to be representing Australia in Romania this year.
“Physics gives me a broader and more accurate understanding of the world we live in today,” Owen says of his favourite scientific discipline. “I love the theory of relativity, as it shows how collaboration can really make a scientific discovery better.”
Owen loves baking bread, “because it allows me to enjoy the art of turning simple ingredients into something more. I love baking by feel because it shows how we can tell whether our bread will be too flat or too dry just by the texture of the dough.”
At Spring School, Owen enjoyed living and experiencing a different environment to home, as well as learning more about science and the practical work. He also embraced meeting new people, “perhaps friends that will last a lifetime!”
“My tip in the lab is to manage your time well. If you’re under time pressure, you should spend a few minutes planning out how long to spend on each step to maximise precision while not sacrificing too much time.”
At the IJSO, Owen is looking forward to doing the team practical exam with his friends, plus “seeing cool Romanian castles and hopefully seeing snow for the first time!”
Australia’s Junior Science Olympiad program is proudly delivered by Australian Science Innovations.
Learn more about the Junior Science Olympiad program here. Learn more about the 2024 IJSO here.
Thank you to ANU for providing teaching space, labs and lab staff to support the Junior Science Olympiad program.
Thank you to Stile for providing the online teaching platform to support the Junior Science Olympiad program.
For updates on the Australian team during the International Junior Science Olympiad, follow us on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn, and subscribe to our ASI News e-letter – links in the footer below.
