International Junior Science Olympiad (IJSO), which is a competition for 10^th graders with three subjects Chemistry, Physics and Biology, will take place next December. On proceeding the success of the previous generations, this year’s highly potential team is trying its best for the competition.

Recently, Ams Wide Web’s reporter had an honor to interview Mrs. Luong Thuy Duong – IJSO team’s manager as well as a few team members namely Phan Minh Duc – 10 Math 1, Nguyen Nga Nhi – 10 Math 1, Phan Ha Linh – 10 Chemistry 1.

Reporter: First of all, I would like to express my gratitude to you for spending time doing this small interview with me. How do you feel about being IJSO team’s manager this year? Do you have any comment on the team?

Mrs. Luong Thuy Duong: First and foremost, I am really grateful that you have paid attention to IJSO team. To be honest, had it not been for your enthusiasm, I would not have joined this interview. In reply to your first question, I am very proud of the team’s quality this year. All members possess great potential, knowledge and diligence. However, apart from being proud, I also have to bear enormous responsibility in imparting sufficient knowledge to the students, encouraging them to try their best and thus make a greater achievement for the school this year. Moreover, I have to try hard not to let the school and parents down.

Thanks to Hanoi – Amsterdam High school, our team members have gained access to fully-equipped laboratory, which makes it easier for them to conduct research. Furthermore, our team’s teachers are all highly experienced people who are devoted to training our members. We also enjoy reasonable perks from the school which makes our preparation more efficient. Therefore, we will try our best to make a grand achievement for the school in this year’s competition.

Reporter: How do you feel as a member of IJSO team? What are your motivations for being chosen as a team member and working hard towards success?

Minh Duc: As a Math class’s student, I make IJSO team, where I can spend time with my favorite subject, a priority. Being a team member is a precious opportunity for me to gain access to equipment necessary for natural subjects, reinforce my knowledge on scientific research and make a better choice for the future.

Ha Linh: I got to know about this competition from my teachers and seniors. Back to the time when I was in grade 9^th , I really look up to students of higher grade with remarkable achievement so I did a lot of research on the competition and finally decided to participate in it! IJSO is the first international competition I take part in so I hope that it will give me good memories, better skills and more first-hand experience, which will be helpful for my study in the future. I joined the competition not only for my own passion but also for the school’s reputation so my responsibility is really big.

Nga Nhi: At first when I knew I was going to be a part of IJSO team this year, I was really excited and spent more time doing research on natural subjects, which were already in my favor. Besides, I am really proud to become one of the six students from Hanoi to take part in this competition. This indeed encourages me to study hard not only for achievement but also for my knowledge.

A practice session of IJSO team members

Reporter: Do you have any difficulty in joining IJSO team? Does being a member of the team affect your study in class?

Minh Duc: The school has granted us certain privileges to ease our burden.

Ha Linh: We are able to attend fewer classes to prepare for this competition. Our teachers understand that we have to gain enormous knowledge in a very short time for IJSO so they are very sympathetic with us.

Ha Linh (right) are conducting cockroach’s surgery

Reporter: Are there any particular people you look up to? What are your goals in this competition?

Minh Duc: One of the people I always respect is Dao Vu Quang from Math class 1316 (Silver Medal IJSO 2013, Silver Medal IMO 2016). According to other teachers and students, besides being an outstanding Math student, he also excels at other subjects and participates in many academic clubs. The thing I would like to learn from him is his ability to keep a reasonable timetable and thus make considerable achievement in almost every field.

Ha Linh: I won’t mind sharing about people who have profound impact on me! First, I adore two people who achieved a silver medal in IJSO 15-18: Do Hoang Duy and Nguyen Bang Thanh Lam. Later, I got to know about two other students who got gold medal. Although I heard about them quite early, it was not until my high school years that they become seniors who give me useful instructions in my study. They always guide us with great care and place considerable reliance on us. They not only share study experience but also other experience with us. It is my pleasure to hear them talk about their memories in last year’s competition (laugh)! And of course everybody hope that all team members will get medals this year!

Minh Duc

Reporter: What experience do you gain from IJSO? Do you have anything else to share with us?

Minh Duc: In IJSO, I meet precious friends who always stand by me during the journey. This competition also gives me a more general view of natural subjects and the relationship between these subjects.

Nga Nhi: First of all, the competition gives us valuable and practical knowledge of my favorite subjects. Besides, I have an invaluable chance to be guided by professional teachers from different schools with prominent authority on these subjects. The teachers are devoted to helping us gaining a considerable amount of knowledge in a very short period of time.

Ha Linh: Both the IJSO competition and the team not only give me professional knowledge on my study but also pragmatic experience. By joining the competition, I have the opportunity to fulfill my dream of conducting research in the laboratory. The teachers try their best to enable us to have access to the most effective and interesting study methods!

The most interesting fact is that IJSO team has two female members this year, which is different from last year’s team with all boys. I hope that natural subjects’ lovers see this competition as a way of gaining greater enthusiasm and more insights into these subjects. I wish that more people will know about this competition and won’t mind dealing with challenges later on.

Nga Nhi

On behalf of Ams Wide Web’s reporters, I would like to express my gratitude for the teacher and the team members for spending their time on this interview. I really hope that IJSO team can make grand achievements for the school not only on national scale but also on an international level.

Reporter: Nguyen Phuong – Literature 16-19

Translator: Pham Thi Minh Chau – English 1 15-18