Lawrence Luo studied for weeks for the Canadian Biology Olympiad.
A 16-year-old Coquitlam resident, the Port Moody Secondary (PMSS) student was tutored after school by one of his mother’s friends — a fellow Hong Kong university alumnus who is currently teaching science in Albany, NY — in the lead up to the national exam.
Their hard work paid off.
Last month, the Grade 10 student was named to Team Canada after taking top marks with three others:
- Lukas Li of Toronto
- William Lyon Mackenzie Collegiate Institute
- Arjun Sharma of Oshawa
- Trinity College School
- Andy Shi of Calgary
- Western Canada High School
Now, under the eye of a University of Toronto professor, the four students are exchanging emails and preparing for their next big step: the International Biology Olympiad (IBO).
Held in Astana, Kazakhstan, the 35th annual event from July 7 to 14 will see hundreds of students, teachers and support staff from around the world gather to learn about science and compete for the title.
In an interview with the Tri-City News on Wednesday, May 8 at his high school, Luo said he’s looking forward to the experience and making his first visit to Kazakhstan, a country bordered by Russia to the north and China to the east.
Luo said he initially entered the Canadian contest as a way to build confidence academically after not getting into PMSS’ International Baccalaureate program.
“I wanted to prove to myself that I could do it,” he said, adding, “I’m from the U.S. so, as an immigrant, I thought it would be cool to compete and represent my new country.”
In Kazakhstan, Luo is eager to conduct lab work with other competitors and to network with fellow science whizzes.
After graduation, the former Massachusetts resident said he plans to return to the United States to study pre-med in California — preferably at Stanford University.
Coquitlam’s Cailyn Sun, also a PMSS student, was in the top 30 per cent of the Canadian exam writers and won a bronze medal.
Physics Olympiad
Meanwhile, another PMSS student recently placed fifth in Canada and is now in the running for a spot on the national team to compete in the Physics Olympiad.
If successful, WeiWei (YuZhong) Luo will be invited to a week-long training camp at UBC, where five students will be picked to be on Team Canada; they will fly to Kutaisi, Georgia, in July to represent Canada at the international event.
PMSS vice principal Denise Nembhard told the Tri-City News that the high school has done well this year, placing first in the country at the Fermat (Waterloo) competition.
As well, PMSS took first and second places, along with the design challenge, at the Kwantlen Science Competition plus first place at the UBC Physics Olympics.
