The IASO (International Applied Science Olympiad) 2022 is an applied science olympiad. The competition was held online using Google Forms, taking place on 15 January 2022. The Kuma category (for students between Grades 7-9), which I participated in, covered a wide range of topics such as electromagnetic induction, energy efficiency and transfer, and isotopes, some of which I hadn’t learned about yet.

The science teachers encouraged me to join the olympiad on 17 December 2021, and I started studying and covering topics outside of what I had learned. From 10 – 14 January, Ms. Tika and Ms. Wanda held daily sessions to help us prepare for the competition, we were also provided with practice questions.

The test started at 13:00 on 15 January and lasted 60 minutes. The test was made up of 30 questions and 1 bonus question. I was very nervous prior to the test, and sure enough, encountered some unfamiliar questions during. 

From participating in the IASO 2022, I have learned that a competition isn’t just about the event itself, but it is the entire experience and process that you have to go through. Aside from that, I also learned many different science topics, some of which I became interested in.

On 30 January, the IASO committee set up a YouTube livestream to announce the awardees. There were six award categories: merit (participants with a score of B+), bronze (participants with a score of A-), silver (participants with a score of A), gold (participants with a score of A+, A++, or A+++), champion (participants with the highest score amongst the gold winners in each category), and grand champion (if any, participants with a perfect score amongst the champion award winners). I am honoured and thankful to have been one of the recipients of the silver award. 

I am also extremely grateful towards the science teachers for selecting me to participate in the competition, especially Ms. Wanda, Ms. Tika, and Mr. Bayu for their guidance and support throughout the process.

If presented with another opportunity, I would like to participate in next year’s IASO competition, in which I am sure I will learn more about the sciences.

Anastasia Lilananda – Grade 8C