Science is about making sense of our world. We need to have an understanding of science to debate current issues. Then, one avenue leading young science enthusiasts to explore and discover the relevance of science in our world is to join 2008 Rio Tinto Big Science Competition and 2008 International Competitions and Assessment for Schools-Science (ICASS) on June 28, 2008.

The 2008 Rio Tinto Big Science Competition is open to all high school and college students while the 2008 International Competitions and Assessment for Schools-Science (ICASS) is exclusively for elementary pupils. Both contests encourage critical thinking and problem solving skills. These competitions give you the opportunity to discover your science talent whilst stretching your thinking skills. They are not only designed for students of all abilities but also designed to stimulate students’ scientific literacy rather than the ability to remember specific content.

The Rio Tinto Big Science Competition has been created by the Australian Teachers and Academics to provide a test of real scientific thinking for secondary students. Its principal aim is to genuinely enrich scientific study at school. This competition has three levels: Senior (1st and 2nd year college students), Intermediate (3rd and 4th year HS students) and Junior (1st and 2nd year HS students).

The competition covers a wide range of topics carefully graded for difficulty and it is appropriate for students of all ability levels and real scientific thinking. It is a 75 minutes- 30 multiple choice questions format testing students’ real ability to think on a scientific basis and understanding of scientific principles.

On the other hand, the 2008 ICASS has been organized by the Educational Assessment Australia (EAA), a non-profit organization owned by the University of New South Wales. The ICASS is an assessment developed to diagnose science information of primary pupils. It also identifies the individual pupil’s areas of strength and weakness. The ICASS assesses scientific skills in the subject contexts of Earth and Beyond, Natural and Processed Materials, Life and Living, and Energy and Change, including: knowledge, measuring and observing, interpreting data, predicting/concluding from data, investigating and reasoning/problem solving.

A registration fee of US$12.00 is charged from every participant for both competitions and registration is on a first come, first serve basis. Payments should be made to Bank of the Philippine Islands, Zamboanga City Branch with account name, MTG, Philippines and MTG Account No. 2114-0183-44.

Depositor should write the participant’s complete name, grade/year, school and name of contest enrolled on a deposit slip and immediately send the original deposit slip together with the completed registration form to Mr. Robert J. Degolacion, MTG, Philippines, c/o Zamboanga Chong Hua High School, Gen. Vicente Alvarez Street, Zamboanga City, with mobile no. 0917-3246302 not later than May 17, 2008.

Log on to www.rtbsc.edu.au for more information about the Rio Tinto contest and for a set of sample questions. For more details, please contact Mr. Roberto Degolacion at his mobile no. 0917-3246302.