The Philippines hosted an international competition for the gifted in science last June 13-18, 2016 in UP Los Baños.
Dubbed the 5th ASEAN Plus Three Junior Science Odyssey (APTJSO) with the theme Climate Change and the Rainforest. 13 countries who vied for the top, which throughout the tilt’s history, has been dominated by Philippine delegates.
The 5th APTJSO is a six-day education event that will alloq gifted students from the Asia Pacific plus three other countries, namely Japan, South Korea, China, Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Brunei Darussalam, Mlaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, and the Philippines to interact with experts on climate science and put their scientific skills to test with their colleagues.
For the first time in five years, Brunei topped the ASEAN Plus Three Junior Science Odyssey (APTJSO), cutting short the four year streak of consistent top winner Philippines.
Topping the 5th APTJSO are Teo Siang Jun, Mohammad Ariff Zikry Mohammad Haziq, and Haji Ahmad Nizam Noor Manina from Brunei Team A.
Cupping the overall second and third places are two teams from the Philippines, represented by the Philippine Science High School Central Visayas and Cagayan Valley Campuses. Philippines Team A composed of Jose Benjamin dela Cruz, Mark Ely Namoro and Hannah Keren Duque of PSHS-Cagayan Valley Campus landed second overall champion.
Coming third is Philippines Team D composed of Francis Jether Siao, Joseph Karl Salva Jr. and Sean Dominic Abella from PSHS-Central Visayas Campus.
Meanwhile, APTJSO paves the way for teachers to share and experience innovations in teaching science and technology. Moreover, the competition aimed to stimulate student’s intellectual curiosity through various experience and experiments, and encourage them to excel in S&T. The highly competitive atmosphere of the APTJSO, did not deter students from fostering friendship and establishing network in the region.
The 5th APTJSO was a joint activity of the ASEAN+3 Center for the Gifted in Science and the DOST-Science Education Institute in cooperation with UP Los Baños. (DOST IX Press Release)
