Dr. Todd Rimkus<\/a>, chair of MU\u0092s Department of Biology & Physical Sciences, said hosting the Biology Olympiad at Marymount was a great experience for both James and the faculty.<\/span><\/p>\n\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u0093They were very bright kids who were like sponges, just soaking up knowledge,\u0094 he added.<\/span><\/p>\n\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0He also said that in whatever she does, James is always willing to go the extra mile.<\/span><\/p>\n\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u0093She\u0092s extremely dynamic, extremely capable, and though trained in microbiology, she\u0092s always looking for ways to expand her knowledge and learn more in other areas,\u0094 he said.<\/span><\/p>\n\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0The trip was an eye-opener for James, who said the competition was intense for the students, with exams full of graduate level questions that required critical thinking skills and a strong knowledge of science.<\/span><\/p>\n\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u0093Students from several countries had never touched some of the lab equipment they were tested on due to lack of resources, and this no doubt affected their marks on the exams. This was very eye opening for me and made me feel very fortunate that Marymount and many schools across the U.S. have such great resources for students to work with.\u0094<\/span><\/p>\n\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0The trip wasn\u0092t all work. It included excursions to museums, villages, rivers and lakes along with music and local cuisine.<\/span><\/p>\n\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0While biology was the focus of the Hanoi event, world politics did impact the competition. Because of the recent coup attempt in Turkey, members of the Turkish team were stranded in the Istanbul airport, delaying their arrival. Their government also ordered them to return home early, after taking only a portion of their exams.<\/span><\/p>\n\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u0093All\u00a0<\/span>member states were sympathetic to these students, and we all quite literally stood with them in solidarity,\u0094 James said. It was also in a spirit of unity that the entire group celebrated the birthday of a fellow competitor.<\/span><\/p>\n\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u0093Being in a third world country singing Happy Birthday to a Russian delegate in unison with 72 other countries right after standing united with the delegates from Turkey was one of the most uplifting experiences of my life,\u0094 she said. \u0093It made me find hope for a better world and was my favorite part of the entire trip.\u0094<\/span><\/p>\n\u00a0<\/p>\n
Photo captions<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n Photo 1<\/span><\/p>\nAlena James of Marymount University, left, and Kathy Frames of the Center for Excellence in Education take a boat tour through a UNESCO World Heritage site in Vietnam\u0092s Ninh Binh province.<\/span><\/p>\nPhoto 2<\/span><\/p>\nAlena James of Marymount University, left, is shown with U.S. team members Thomas Xiong of Katy, Texas; Peter Dun of Fort Wayne, Indiana; Varkey Alumootil of San Diego, California; Bowen Jing of West Lafayette, Indiana; and Kathy Frames of the Center for Excellence in Education.<\/span><\/p>\nPhoto 3<\/span><\/p>\nHanoia, Vietnam, site of the 27th International Biology Olympiad.<\/span><\/p>\nPhoto 4<\/span><\/p>\nSt. Joseph\u0092s Cathedral, Hanoi, Vietnam.<\/span><\/p>\nPhoto 5<\/span><\/p>\nBai Dinh Pagoda in Vietnam.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Marymount University\u0092s Alena James recently returned home from Hanoi, Vietnam, where she served as a juror at the International Biology Olympiad. Competing in the July 17-23 event were some of the world\u0092s brightest high school students.\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u0093It was quite the experience to be a part of an international event in the spirit of biology […]<\/p>\n
Read More…<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nMarymount Staffer Travels to Vietnam to Help With Biology Olympiad - Marymount University<\/title>\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n\t \n\t \n\t \n