ONE of Mandurah’s brightest teens is set to represent the nation in the 2014 International Science Olympiads in chemistry.
Frederick Irwin Anglican School year 12 student Sam Alsop will travel to Hanoi Vietnam for a week in July to compete against students from other countries.
He will join three other students, two from Sydney and one from Melbourne for the trip.
“I’m very excited to go – I’ve never been there before,” he said.
“I’m looking forwards to learning the area’s history and there’s a famous bay in the region I want to visit.
“We’ll spend the week prior to the trip at the Australian National University for training with the other members of my team.
Sam also competed in the national program last year and took part in a three-week intensive summer program in January.
“I feel more confident this year because I know what it’s like to compete,” he said.
The competition will involve a five-hour theory examination and a five-hour practical examination on two separate days.
Sam and his team mates will then be able to see the sights of the region for several days before returning home.
“The results of the exams will be compared and the top ten per cent of students will receive gold medals, the next 20 per cent will get silver and the following 30 per cent will get bronze,” Sam said.
Sam met some of the other students at summer camp earlier this year and at the moment he is spending his school holidays in Melbourne for a week’s training.
“I have to keep a balance between this and school, but I’m so glad I can have the opportunity to put this on my resume for when I leave school,” he said.
Sam said he aims to study chemistry at the University of Western Australia after he completes his final year of high school.
