Students vie for Olympic laurels in science

Students vie for Olympic laurels in science

The first International Junior Science Olympiad kicked off in
Jakarta on Monday, bringing together 180 young talents from 30
countries across the world in a battle of wits (photo left).

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono asked the students in his
opening remarks to use their intelligence and knowledge for the
good of the people and to build friendship with other
participants.

"Remember what Spiderman said in that movie: 'With
great power, comes great responsibility'. Well, whether you are a
Spiderman, or a president, or a science student, that is very
true: with great power, with great knowledge, comes great
responsibility," the President said at the State Palace.

The competition itself will start on Tuesday, when
participants will take questions from the panel of jurors.

Forty six national teams had registered for the
competition, which is being held in Indonesia for the first time,
but for various reasons only 30 teams attended.

A committee member said that 10 national teams canceled their
participation due to the absence of Garuda Indonesia flights
plying the route from their countries to Jakarta, while the rest
withdrew for fear of terror attacks following a bomb blast
outside the Australian Embassy in Jakarta on Sept. 9.

Each team comprises between six and 12 students. Indonesia is
represented by 12 third-year junior high school students who have
been selected and undergone a one-month training course in
Jakarta.

Minister of National Education Bambang Sudibyo said the
country had bid to host the event in order to prepare Indonesian
students for global competition.

Last week, Indonesia, hosted an international mathematics and
science competition for elementary school students, which saw the
home team win most medals on offer. -- JP