Posted Friday 30 May 2008

The Chief Scientist, Dr Jim Peacock AC, on behalf of Senator the Hon Kim Carr, Minister for Innovation, Industry, Science and Research, announced the names of members of Australian Science and Mathematics Olympiad teams, and presented them with their Australian blazers at a function at Parliament House, Canberra, on Friday 30 May.

In his speech Dr Peacock, a multiple award winning plant molecular biologist and Fellow of the Australian Academy of Science and a number of other national academies, said "We desperately need more young scientists in this country. The program is very important to the country as well as to all of you ... we need to be using every device we can to encourage and nurture the interest of young people in science and to nurture their skills.""

Teams were selected after many years of participation in events such as the Australian Mathematics Competition and Mathematics Challenge for Young Australians (for mathematics) and the Australian Informatics Competition and Australian Informatics Olympiad (for informatics).

The program's principal sponsor is the Australian Government's Department of Innovation, Industry, Science and Research, with additional support from professional societies, particularly the Australian Association of Mathematics Teachers, Australian Mathematical Society and Australian Computer Society.

The team to represent Australia at the International Olympiad in Informatics (IOI), at Cairo, Egypt, from 16 to 23 August, is

The team at Parliament House, from left Xi Chen, Harry Slatyer, Jack Murray, Jarrah Lacko and Team Leader Dr Benjamin Burton.

Team Leader is Dr Ben Burton, of Melbourne, and Deputy Leader Mr Bernard Blackham of the University of Western Australia.

The team to represent Australia at the International Mathematical Olympiad, at Madrid, Spain, from 10 to 22 July, is

The team from left Team Leader Dr Angelo Di Pasquale, Max Menzies, Giles Gardam, Paul Cheung, Dr Peacock, Irene Lo, Sampson Wong and Andrew Elvey Price.

Team Leader is Dr Angelo Di Pasquale, and Deputy Leader Mr Norman Do (both from the University of Melbourne).

Harry Slatyer, in the Informatics team, is a grandson of Professor Ralph Slatyer, who was Australia's first Chief Scientist. He is pictured below with current Chief Scientist Dr Jim Peacock, left, and Professor Slatyer, right.