Toray Industries, Inc.
The 33rd International Biology Olympiad (IBO 2022)
[1] was held from July 10 to 18, 2022, in Yerevan, Armenia, and four Japanese high school students participated in the event representing Japan. Toray, as part of its CSR activities, has been supporting the dispatch of students, through the Japan Science Foundation, from the perspective of nurturing human resources who would play important roles in the future of biology.
IBO awards gold (to about top 10% of the participants), silver (to about next 20%), and bronze (to about next 30%) to the best performers, who face-off individually on experimental and theoretical questions.
The four students who represented Japan, chosen from 3,080 applicants from all over the country after three-levels of qualifying rounds, received special training from the project team of the Organization of Japan Biology Olympiad Committee consisting of university faculties and experts before their participation in the international meet. As a result, the students won one each of gold, silver, and bronze medals as well as a merit award at IBO 2022, from a field that constituted 237 students representing 59 countries and areas.
On July 18, the final day of IBO 2022, the first round of qualifications in Japan for deciding the Japanese participants for IBO 2023 was held online and 2,938 students participated in it.
We look forward to young gifted students coming into touch with the profound nature of biology and fully demonstrating their ability in the international arena.
[1] International Biology Olympiad (IBO): An international contest for high school students interested in biology. It has been held every year in July since 1990. Japan participated in the 16th IBO held in Beijing, China, in 2005 for the first time and has been sending representatives every year since.
The four high school students who represented Japan at the IBO 2022.
(Photo courtesy of Japan Biology Olympiad Committee)
