Hey kids, this contest is for you! Your scientific talents can be sharpened more when joining this year's Rio Tinto Big Science Competition which tests your critical thinking and problem-solving skills as well your science knowledge. The contest will take place on June 1, 2011 and its venues nationwide will be announced later in this website.

The competition is a one-hour paper containing 30 multiple-choice questions. It is open to students of all abilities in last school years 7 -12 (HS 1st- 4th year and 1st and 2nd year college).  

Questions are aligned to the emerging Australian Science Curriculum and are subject to pre-test trialing to ensure the highest quality. Contest is drawn from three inter-related strands:

Science inquiry skills:

Collecting, measuring and graphing data

Explaining patterns, drawing conclusions from observations

Formulating questions, predictions and hypotheses

Science as a human endeavor

Applying science in an informed, responsible and ethical manner

Science and contemporary issues

Sustainability and the consequences of human activity

Science understanding: the knowledge of science

Energy and force (Physics)

Materials (Chemistry)

Living things (Biology)

Earth and space (Earth Science)

The context is contemporary. The Competition sits within a framework of scientific concepts and processes outlined by the National Curriculum Board (May, 2009) in Shape of the Australian Curriculum: Science.

Contemporary science involves new and emerging science research and issues of current relevance such as energy resources and technology, climate change and adaptation, mining and minerals, biodiversity and ecological sustainability, materials science and engineering, health and prevention and treatment of disease. 

For the brochure, registration form and other details, please click on this: http://mtgphil.org/events.php?id=47