For the first time a team from Singapore will be participating in the Tournament of Minds state final.
The event will be held at The University of Queensland on September 15th.
Eighty-two teams of children aged between 6 and 16 will demonstrate their ingenuity through their participation in challenging problem solving activities, which require creative thinking and cooperative action.
Teams of seven students will develop solutions to a problem selected from one of three disciplines: language literature; maths engineering; and social sciences.
State Director Fiona Meyer said she hoped that the children would learn to work together and solve problems through self-knowledge, communication skills and looking beyond the obvious.
“They will learn about themselves and what they are capable of,” she said.
They will be judged based on their teamwork skills, the originality of their solutions and how well they meet the set criteria.
Ms Meyer said there was no right or wrong answer. “It is about being unashamedly excellent and being all that you can be,” she said.
The children were selected from 1347 teams from 15 regions around Queensland including Torres Strait, Mt Isa and Cairns as well as Singapore.
The teams have three hours to prepare their problem solution, put the solution into a dramatic presentation and make their props and costumes. They will also have a spontaneous problem to solve.
Six teams will be selected from these state finals to represent Queensland at the Australian final in Melbourne on October 26th.
“It is an occasion which draws into itself a wealth of talent, skill, team work, collaboration, problem solving, energy, excitement, fun, enthusiasm and incredible generosity of spirit,” Ms Meyer said.
She said that this was shown through the support of sponsors, particularly The University of Queensland.
The University will provide its services, including the newly built UQ Centre and an extra 100 rooms in 23 buildings.
The Faculty of Engineering, Physical Sciences and Architecture will also sponsor the maths engineering question.
This will be the eighth consecutive year that the Commonwealth Bank and Education Queensland have sponsored the event.
Since its inception in Queensland in 1998 over 65 percent of all Queensland schools have participated in the Tournament.
The team presentations will be judged by a panel comprising educators, members of the scientific and commercial sectors, cultural organisations and representatives of the wider community.
Guests at the presentation ceremony will include UQ Dean of Students Dr Lisa Gaffney, the Director-General of the Department of Primary Industries Dr Warren Hoey and the representative of the Minister for Education and Director-General of Education Mr Jim Horton.
Media: For further information, contact Ms Fiona Meyer (telephone 07 3356 4455, email: tomqld@ozemail.com.au) or UQ Communications (telephone 07 3365 3367, email: communications@uq.edu.au).
