Castlemaine Mail, Friday September 12, 2008
Reproduced by permission

Home educated Maldon student Amelia Rowe has achieved outstanding results in the 2008 Rio Tinto Big Science Competition.

The Big Science Competition is a national competition held annually throughout Australia, creating a fun and challenging way for students to be involved in science.

Nine-year-old Amelia competed in the Year 7/8 section of the competition and achieved a perfect score.

Over 38,000 secondary students registered to sit the Big Science Competition exam this year, making Amelia’s results truly exceptional. Along with only 72 other students, Amelia was presented with her award at a ceremony at the Powerhouse Museum in Sydney last week. She was the youngest award winner.

The Big Science Competition has become a major event on the Australian secondary school calendar, encouraging critical thinking and problem solving skills.

Held annually in the third week of May, the competition challenges secondary students from Australian and International schools in Junio, Intermediate and Senior divisions.

Australian Science Innovations (ASI) and Rio Tinto have been working in partnership for over 10 years, seeking innovative and sustainable approaches to promoting science education excellence in Australia.

ASI provides students with opportunities to improve their scientiffic knowledge. It is an independent, non-profit organisation with the support of industry, government, schools, teachers and students throughout Australia.