Taiwan placed third at this year’s International Earth Science Olympiad (IESO) after winning two gold and two silver medals, with one student from Taichung earning second place overall.
The 19th IESO, which took place in Turin, Italy, from Aug. 20 to Thursday, drew 160 students representing 41 countries.
Taichung First Senior High School student Wang Yi-cheng (王翌澄) and Kaohsiung Senior High School student Shih Tzu-hung (施子閎) earned gold medals, placing second and sixth respectively.
Photo courtesy of the Ministry of Education
National Experimental High School at Hsinchu Science Park student Liu Hsin-tse (劉信澤) and Tainan First Senior High School student Huang Ting-yu (黃鼎祐) earned silver medals, placing 20th and 27th respectively.
Since Taiwan began participating in the Olympiad in 2007, it has won a total of 54 gold, 28 silver and three bronze medals, K-12 Education Administration official Yeh Hsin-tsun (葉信村) said.
Wang has enjoyed math and science since junior-high school and found a renewed interest in Earth science after joining a high-school science program.
Earth science is the branch of science most closely connected to everyday life, Wang said, adding that everything from earthquakes to climate change has made him want to better understand how the world works.
The intensive training and fieldwork leading up to the Olympiad not only expanded his Earth science knowledge, but taught him time management, teamwork and how to adapt to unexpected situations, he said.
Taichung First Senior High School teacher Hsu Wei-hsiu (許瑋琇) said Wang often thinks deeper about topics after understanding them, asking questions that go beyond what is covered in class.
Shih, who is from Pingtung County’s Ligang Township (里港), has been interested in Earth science since participating in a junior-high school science fair.
In his first year of high school, he traveled to South Korea to attend an Earth science festival, and exchanging ideas with students from other countries inspired him to compete in the IESO.
Liu has been fascinated by the universe since kindergarten, later studying astrophysics and participating in cosmology research at a university.
Huang became interested in Earth science after taking an after-school astronomy class in fifth and sixth grade.
He fell short in the final stage of the national team selection in a previous attempt, but this year achieved his goal of making the team.
The four members of Taiwan’s team were selected from among 520 students at 95 schools across the nation through preliminary selection, a training camp and a national team selection camp led by National Taiwan Normal University professor Mary Yeh (葉孟宛), Yeh Hsin-tsun said.
Students who win gold and silver medals are eligible for scholarships of NT$200,000 and NT$100,000 respectively, as well as preferential admission to related university programs through guaranteed placement or recommendation, Yeh Hsin-tsun said.
Heavy rain is expected to continue across much of Taiwan through tomorrow morning, with torrential rainfall likely in southern and southeastern areas due to strong southwesterly winds and multiple weather systems in the area, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said today. The CWA issued a warning today for torrential or extremely torrential rain in Tainan, Kaohsiung, Pingtung County and Taitung County, and for extremely heavy to torrential rain in Chiayi County, Hualien County and on the Hengchun Peninsula (恆春半島). Heavy to extremely heavy rain is also expected through tomorrow in Changhua County, Yunlin County, Chiayi City, Yilan County, Green Island (綠島), Penghu
Typhoon Saudel has shown signs of weakening but is still expected to affect Taiwan when it comes closest to the nation on Friday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said today. The radius of Saudel shrank to about 220km as of 8am today from 250km a day earlier, and its maximum sustained winds were down to 155kph from 184kph previously, the weather agency said. As of 8am, Typhoon Saudel was 980km east of Taipei, moving west-northwest at 18kph, it said. Under the influence of a Pacific high pressure system, the storm is moving northward, meaning it is less likely to make landfall in Taiwan,
Minister of Sports Lee Yang (李洋) today said the Chinese Taipei Basketball Association (CTBA) has been urged not to undermine Taiwan’s credibility in international competitions, after a Taiwanese team advanced to the semi-finals of the 45th William Jones Cup over the Philippines last week due to a controversial new rule guaranteeing a semi-final place to the host team. The Republic of China Blue team advanced to the semi-finals after winning just one game in the group round due to a “host guarantee” spot, overtaking the Philippines, who held a 5-1 record ahead of the semi-finals. The Blue team finished the tournament
CYCLONIC SEASON: Heavy rains and strong winds are lashing southern and central Taiwan as a clutch of tropical storm events form around Taiwan and in the Pacific The Central Weather Administration (CWA) yesterday forecast heavy rain for southern Taiwan today, saying tropical depression TD22 would strengthen southwesterly winds and bring more downpours. The CWA said that in addition to torrential rain in southern Taiwan yesterday, mountainous areas in central and southeastern Taiwan also saw heavy rainfall, while northern and northeastern mountain areas were hit by short-duration downpours amid intense afternoon thunderstorms. Tainan had experienced continuous rain since Friday night, with Yongkang District (永康) recording more than 132mm of rainfall in three hours and Rende District (仁德) nearly 100mm over the same period, the CWA said. By 3:20pm yesterday, Pingtung County’s