Abingdonian 2018

70 The Abingdonian Biology Olympiad Last summer I took part in the International Biology Olympiad (IBO). This is a practical and theoretical biology competition between the winners of the national biology olympiads of seventy countries. Yet it is also so much more than just a biology competition, and this year was no different: it was an intense exposure to a very different culture – it was held in Tehran, Iran – and a large scale social event, with over two hundred and fifty students from those seventy countries. So how did I end up in Tehran? On the back of a rigorous process, beginning with exams held in school in January and ending with practical assessments at Warwick University over Easter, four of us were chosen to represent the UK in the IBO – Brandon, Rebecca, Amir and myself. Over the course of the Olympiad, it was notable just how strong a bond the four of us formed, which was very important as we relied on each other to deal with everything that came our way. Once A-levels were out of the way, as seemingly everyone else embarked on the biggest holiday they’ll get until retirement, I began a week trying to balance cramming the one thousand four hundred-page Campbell textbook, working through a decade of past IBO papers, while overcoming the aftereffects of the Griffen Ball. Having spent my last day of preparation journeying into London and back to pick up my Iranian visa from the consulate in the basement of a house in Kensington, the challenge of the Olympiad loomed larger than ever. The pace did not let up throughout our training week. First we were at Kew Gardens, where we were given a whistle-stop tour of the thirty plant families we needed to be familiar with. Then it was to Imperial College and dissection training with Dr Steve Cook, during which I found out all kinds of weird and wonderful facts about the anatomy of squids, dogfish and locusts. Following this, we tumbled on to an awards ceremony at Savoy Place before catching a late night train to Reading University. Here we spent the next two days being tested on a plethora of biochemical practicals, from ELISA to enzyme kinetics; I also enjoyed talking to Dr Mike Fry about his research, which builds on both the physical modelling and experimental sides of biochemistry. Training week finished with a trip into the bowels of the Natural History Museum in London, where experts showed us a vast selection of exhibits on a large proportion of the tree of life. We were also treated to stories of the inner workings of the museum, such as the time the new giant squid was lowered into a tank of (toxic) formalin without due diligence being given to Archimedes principle, as well as a brief look at part of Darwin’s collection from the HMS Beagle. I’d like to thank Maggy Linford and Jon Bennett, the jury members of the UK team, who led all our training and spent a sleep- deprived week in Iran translating our papers into a readable form of English. After a restless, disorienting flight from London we arrived at the airport in Tehran, greeted with a rose by our guide for the week, Alieyeh. After checking into our hotel and taking a small breakfast, we settled into our rooms and then socialised over lunch. We were then escorted to the opening ceremony which featured many acts playing cultural Iranian music and an Olympiad anthem. Since the UK hosted the IBO last year, I had the privilege of swearing the annual oath of fair play, alongside a member of the Iranian team, as an act of handing over. After dinner we were able to watch the World