Biology Olympiad finals week: The experience

It all started on Monday, the day we were still full of joy and hope. After dropping off our luggage at the Hostel 77 in Bern, our accommodation for this turbulent week, we got a short tour of the facilities that we would be spending most of our time in. To familiarise ourselves with the material, we received an introduction into micropipetting and were then tasked with creating various dilutions using the newly acquired skills. To finish off the day, we ate a delicious meal in the cafeteria and went back to the hostel to get some rest.

Full of anticipation and motivation, we started into the first day of the national biology finals which consisted of various exams from disciplines such as bioinformatics and island biogeography. Upon seeing the exam papers, a range of different emotions were felt, everything from excitement up to confusion and disappointment. Besides the theoretical exercises, we also had our first opportunity to test our skills in the lab – in a microbiological experiment involving vanillin (yes, the one we put into cookies) and E. coli. 

On Wednesday, the first thing for us to notice whilst entering the university was a pungent smell of fish - a sign of what was about to come. Walking into the exam room, we were greeted by 10 pairs of squid eyes staring back at us. Following the dissection of these slimy creatures we were handed our next friend for this practical: a trout. Having bathed in the stinky fumes of our victims, we quickly escaped to the cafeteria for some fresh air and a tasty lunch cooked by our leaders. What followed were two theoretical exams on palaeontology and human physiology and another practical in the lab where we used gel electrophoresis to search for dolphin genes in canned tuna. Here once again, we made our way back to the hostel after another homecooked meal at the cafeteria. 

On our sole free day, we got some of our precious sleep back. After a quick debriefing about the last two days, we spent the time reconnecting with nature at the Tierpark Bern whilst educating ourselves on Italian brain rot. Every group fulfilled their task of creating their AI character early, so we ended up stealing the big swing from the kids on the playground and launched some volunteers up in the air. For dinner, we went grilling in a nearby park and had a great time with each other. 

Friday probably marked the most packed day of the week. Filled with practical exams, we identified drosophila flies, isolated enzymes from washing detergent, continued working on our glowing bacteria and dissected a kidney. Another emotionally filled day ended and we quickly returned to our hostel in hope of getting a good night’s sleep (spoiler: we didn’t - card games were of bigger importance). 

With Saturday, the end of the week came into sight. Luckily, our last exams weren’t as intense anymore (thank God for habituation) but there was still much to do such as preparing and analysing our own microscopy samples or getting our plant systematics knowledge tested. Our very final exam in the lab proved to be quite relaxing, as we were tasked with the planning and conduction of our own experiments to determine the presence of cyanide inside two different clovers samples.  As a reward for finishing such a taxing week, our entire group got together at Sous Le Pont for some tasty food. 

On Sunday, the day we’ve been eagerly awaiting, we helped clean up the university rooms and prepared ourselves for the upcoming ceremony. Our bellies filled with Pizza and our nerves through the roof, we anticipated the last part of the week and with it the upcoming results of our endurance and hard work.

All in all, the week proved to be exhausting yet rewarding and thrilling. Still, we knew, no matter the results, we had an awesome time. New friends made and our biology knowledge expanded, we would leave this week full of long-lasting memories.