Geoscientist 22.04 May 2012
The International Earth Science Olympiad (IESO) aims to encourage international interaction and cooperation among students from all over the world and so promote public awareness of the importance of Earth Science Education. The 5th International Earth Science Olympiad 2011 took place in Italy in September last year, with the theme: ‘Earth Science Renaissance: science, environment and art’. The theme was held to reflect the host country’s artistic heritage and show the link between Earth science, art and cultural heritage.
- All Photographs: © Deborah lo Castro
This was the first Olympiad to be held outside Asia, where the concept was born in 2007, as part of the International Year of Planet Earth. It was also the first where all continents were represented by team or observers. The number of countries represented almost doubled over 2010, though as in all previous years the UK was not represented.
In all, 217 participants and observers took part, from 34 countries - 26 of which put up student teams. Of the 115 students involved, 38% were female, and the average age between 16 and 17. The competition consisted of a written examination and a practical. The written test aimed to examine participating students’ understanding of theory, while the practical included experiments and field tasks designed to evaluate the students’ problem-solving abilities.