Four pupils have been chosen to represent the UK at this year’s International Biology Olympiad, taking place in Szeged, Hungary.

The pupils selected are Ina Kruger from Chelmsford County High School for Girls, James Panayis from Sandringham School, Ben Robinson from Marling School, and Henry Wei from Warwick School.

16 finalists who scored highest on this year’s British Biology Olympiad were invited to the three-day selection process, which took place in April at the University of Warwick School of Life Sciences. The selection process was run by the UK Biology Competitions (UKBC) committee, a Special Interest Group of the RSB.

The finalists took part in practical examinations on a selection of biosciences skills including micro pipetting and spectrophotometry, fine small invertebrate dissection, and floral morphology identification.

The students are (FLTR): Ben Robinson, Marling School, James Panayis, Sandringham School, Ina Kruger, Chelmsford County High School for Girls and Henry Wei, Warwick School

Secretary of UKBC, Maggy Linford FRSB, congratulated the team: “The three-day team selection process this year enabled the students to gain many skills that may well be needed for the international competition.

“The team selection process would not have been possible without the continued dedication and outreach support from Professor Kevin Moffatt, Dr Leanne Williams, Dr Robert Spooner and Dr Miriam Gifford and their amazing technical team at the School of Life Sciences at the University of Warwick.”

The UK team will receive further training in the summer at the Imperial College London, the Natural History Museum, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, and at the University of Reading in preparation for the International Biology Olympiad.

The International Biology Olympiad, now in its 30^th year, will take place in Szeged, Hungary. The UK team will compete against pre-university students from over 60 countries in a series of practical tasks and theoretical exams aimed to test their bioscience skills.