ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan team won three bronze medals in the 54th International Physics Olympiad (IPhO), held in Isfahan, Iran from July 21 to 28.

Talha Ashraf (Nixor College, Karachi), Huzaifa Altamash (Lahore Grammar School, Senior Boys Campus, Johar Town, Lahore) and Mohammad

Salman Tarar (The Science School, H-9/1, Islamabad) won bronze medals while Mohammad Saad Bilal (Siddeeq Public School & College, Rawalpindi) received an honourable mention for Pakistan.

The Pakistan team participated in the Physics Olympiad under the sponsorship of STEM Careers programme, which is a joint venture of the Higher Education Commission (HEC) and Pakistan Institute of Engineering and Applied Science (PIEAS).

The Physics team was trained at PIEAS, Islamabad by Dr Mohammad Irfan and Prof Dr Amanur Rehman and was led in the competition by Prof Dr Najeebur Rehman, Comsats, Islamabad and Dr Rahmatullah (Comsats). This is the first time that all four team members trained at PIEAS got medals and certificates.

PIEAS, which works under the auspices of Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC) conducts a National Science Talent Contest (NSTC) in four subjects - physics, chemistry, biology and mathematics - each year.

The NSTC is an extension of the National Physics Talent Contest (NPTC), which was initiated by PIEAS in 1995 and has been a regular annual event since 2003. It strives to vitalise science education at the intermediate level (in 9th, 10th, O level, FSc (Part-I), A Level (Part-I)), a crucial stage for professional career choices.

Under the umbrella of Stem careers programme, students selected under NSTC, which is conducted in 19 cities across Pakistan, are further trained for participation in the International Science Olympiads (ISOs) at four home institutes.

The top 50 students from the screening test are initially invited to residential training camps at the home institutes for each subject.

Published in Dawn, July 29th, 2024