Canadian Chemistry Olympiad 2012 - Online registration is open!

Hello!

This is a heads up to Science Department Heads and Chemistry teachers that (free) registration for the online preparation course for the Canadian Chemistry Olympiad (CCO) is now active. As you may know, the Canadian Chemistry Contest and the CCO are written by senior high school students in Canada, usually in April. The CCO is the more difficult of the two exams and highly successful students have the opportunity to earn a spot on the team to represent Canada in the international competition.

Because the material on the CCO exam goes beyond what most students encounter in the regular high school curriculum, monthly problem sets and as well as a take-home practice exam in March are provided for students wishing to prepare themselves for the actual exam in April. Registration for the online component is open and the first problem set for October is online now.

Registration information:
http://www.chem.utoronto.ca/IChO.Ontario/en/registration.html
Problem sets: 
http://www.chem.utoronto.ca/IChO.Ontario/en/problemsets.html

Once the students have registered, they can use the online submission form to check their answers and get feedback on their current understanding. Use of the online component is completely optional and students can register to write the CCO in April without having done any of the problem sets. However, the resource is there if you have any keen students looking for the challenge. If you have any students in mind for the CCO, I would encourage you to direct their attention to the CCO website.

Selection of the national team takes place from the top 10 students in Canada. Last year, our region (BC/Alberta/Yukon/NWT) sent three students to Montreal for the selection camp. Of those three, one (Steven Song) was selected for the team. The Canadian team went on to compete at the International Chemistry Olympiad in Turkey and earn its highest result ever - one gold (for Steven!) and three silver medals!!

If you have any questions or comments, I would be happy to hear them. Cheers and thank you for your time!
- Amanda Whiting

CCC BC/YK Regional Coordinator and CCO BC/YK/AB/NWT Regional Coordinator

Department of Chemistry, University of Victoria