This year, the state seminar for the third round of the International Biology Olympiad took place once again in Osnabrück! Over two days, the School of Biology/Chemistry had the privilege of hosting particularly committed and high-achieving students of biology (short: SuS). The two theme days were organised by Dr Felix Przesdzink and Sebastian Holt (Biology Didactics division, first day) and PD Dr Knut Jahreis (Genetics division & head of the Student Laboratory, second day) in collaboration with Kristina Themann, subject coordinator for biology at Bersenbrück Grammar School.
On the first day, the students gained experience in using dichotomous identification keys on various specimens. The programme was supplemented by a botanical tour of Osnabrück University's Botanical Garden and the preparation of botanical sections of exemplary plants in the student laboratory. They were also able to participate in two demonstration preparations.
The focus of the second theme day was on practical biological laboratory experiments in the student laboratory under the direction of PD Dr. Knut Jahreis. On the one hand, this involved gene regulation and the identification of genetic switches. On the other hand, the question of how much Neanderthal is in a typical European was explored. To this end, the students isolated their own DNA and determined their genotype at a selected section of their genome.
The commendable commitment and extensive expertise of the students is particularly noteworthy again this year. Despite the winter weather conditions and school closures in many places, students from all over Lower Saxony arrived early in the morning. This year's participants included students from Hannover, Cloppenburg and Braunschweig.
The International Biology Olympiad (IBO) is an annual school competition divided into several rounds. The actual third round of the IBO takes place every year at the Leibniz Institute for Science and Mathematics Education (IPN) in Kiel. This year, three students from Lower Saxony qualified for the Germany-wide competition. A total of 45 students from all over Germany are taking part in the third round.
