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亞塞拜然INEPO國際科學競賽心得
雙語部羅思穎老師
實驗中學雙語部11年級學生吳宇晴與尹修玟，四月二日參加在亞塞拜然首都巴庫為期五天第八屆以環境科學為主題的科學競賽，與來自全世界100多位高中生交流。其中包括來自美國、阿爾巴尼亞、烏克蘭、香港、泰國、馬來西亞、印尼等
51國。雙語部AP選修課程環境科學的學生利用課餘時間進行多次實驗，在年底前將實驗初步成果送交大會審核。在作品通過第一階段選拔後，獲選學生們便緊鑼密鼓地補足實驗數據以及發表海報的製作，為出國參賽積極準備。四月初，我們搭機前往距離台灣飛行總時數達12小時在歐亞交界的亞塞拜然參與國際決賽進行五天的競賽行程:第一天的傍晚抵達巴庫，隔天參觀巴庫第一學府巴庫大學、國際學校、以及聯合國世界遺產Madison
Tower，第三天與第四天是密集的成果發表與各國學生間實驗結果的心得交換，此外，當地學生也準備代表亞塞拜然的民族舞蹈、樂器表演，進行文化交流。雙語部學生以再生能源的生成及減少溫室氣體為發想，進行廚餘生成甲烷
(methane)效率的小論文發表，在激烈的競賽中脫穎而出榮獲銅牌。亞塞拜然政府非常重視此科學與文化的交流盛會，除了科學成果的展示實驗，學生們也利用此機會介紹台灣的地理人文風情，讓全世界更多人看見台灣。
INEPO 8 by Nicki Wu 吳宇晴
When Ms. Lo emailed Jenny and I
about how INEPO accepted our project idea [how to efficiently
generate methane from food waste], different types of emotions
flooded my head. I was shocked yet thrilled, anxious yet
excited. We started our project off by collecting various types
of food waste from our classroom [11B], categorizing them into
different groups, such as meats, vegetables, and carbohydrates.
The next steps of our project were repetitive, as we weighed,
sealed, and stored our sample products into an incubator. Even
though we encountered several difficulties and challenges, such
as the stench the food waste created or when the oven broke down
and burned a set of our samples, with the help of Andre and
Ryan, we made it through. Having to collect and organize our
data for our poster and presentation, the last few days before
our departure for Azerbaijan was hectic. Thankfully, luck was on
our side as we were able to finish on time. Arriving in
Azerbaijan, Ms. Lo, Jenny, and I were warmly welcomed by one of
the INEPO guides who brought us to Qafqaz, the hotel which we
resided in during our stay there, after a quick dinner at their
local Turkish High School. The next two days were relaxing, for
we went sightseeing at Maiden Fort and visited the HeydarAliyev
Museum. They were unlike any other place I𠐔e been to, and the
shopkeepers who we met near Maiden Fort were kind, smiling as we
took pictures of the surroundings. During our second day there,
we also made our mark in Baku as we planted trees in Baku𠏋
Eco-Park. The night before the exhibition, probably to calm our
nerves, children from Azerbaijan performed dance rituals as we
ate dinner inside a large set up tent. Though the winds howled
loudly outside, the music, dance, and cheers within the tent
were the main focus of that night. After a night of practicing
our presentations, the day of judgment finally came as sunlight
peaked through the curtains. The exhibition itself was
incredible, as people from different countries presented their
projects and displayed their cultural backgrounds. The
Azerbaijanis were so committed to hosting this event that every
country booth even had one or two elementary students dressed up
in their assigned country𠏋 traditional clothing. Not only were
they dressed up, but dressed to perform, for they presented what
they knew of the country𠏋 cultural background. The judges who
came by to listen to our presentation were also very relaxed and
not as serious as we predicted them to be, for they each had a
sense of humor. At the closing ceremony, each country proudly
held their flags high as they marched in, and some countries
were rewarded with medals - we received a bronze. INEPO will
probably one of the most memorable experiences engraved in my
heart and memory.
INEPO 8th Experience by Jenny Yoon尹修玟
INEPO 8th was a valuable and
unforgettable experience; we learned from each stage of the
journey.
At the beginning of our project, we
were in need of help: procedure wise and material wise. We
contacted a professor in Jiao-Da University. We were able to ask
him for suggestions for our project procedures, and obtain some
methane- generating bacteria and nutrient solutions. I once read
from 孏he Last Lecture?by Randy Pausch that sometimes, when you
need help, all you have to do is to ask; and there are plenty of
people around the world actually willing to help. The help we
got from the professor really proved to me that what Pausch said
was true.
During the experiment, we were also
able to learn about conducting experiments in the lab and the
details of procedures. One of the painstaking details was when
we were using the pipette to add bacteria to our food trash
samples. We had to avoid letting the pipette touch the table in
case of contamination, which yields inaccurate data. Thus, we
had to repeatedly rinse it whenever we let the pipette touch the
table or any other object. Another thing we learned was that
some parts of the experiment must be trial and error. When we
first sealed 100 grams of food trash sample with bacteria in a
small bag of around 15cm x 20 cm, the bag popped due to the
excessive amount of methane generation. After trial and error,
we found the suitable amount of food samples to be 50 grams in a
bag size of around 20cm x 30cm.
On April 2nd, 2014, we finally
arrived at Baku, Azerbaijan; to attend the 8th International
Environmental Project Olympiad (INEPO).
First, it was exciting to meet
contestants from 50 countries, which I𠐔e only heard about in
classes and MUN conferences! We saw the different projects from
the countries, and learned that many of them focus and attempt
to solve the problems they face in their countries. Nonetheless,
they seemed to be all working toward the same goal: saving the
planet by solving its environmental issues. We were also able to
learn about their cultures, because each team got 2 booths: one
for its project and one for presenting culture. Aside from
learning about different countries, we also learned about
presentations. From one judge's yawns and quick glances at the
floor, we learned that presentations sometimes should be quite
different from the typical/formal classroom presentations. The
way we present information should depend on the judges. If the
judge gives the impression that s/he is funny and light-hearted,
we also must present our information in a light- hearted way
instead of a serious way, and vice versa. Nevertheless, we were
proud to present our findings and show our persistence to the
judges. Lastly, I would like to encourage others to jump at
these opportunities. Never stop learning!
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