Pakistan has achieved another milestone in international science by winning three bronze medals at the 56th International Physics Olympiad (IPhO), which was held in Colombia.
The bronze medals were won by Zulfiqar Ali from Government City Boys School, Dera Ghazi Khan, Ali Hamdan Alvi from FG Sir Syed College, Rawalpindi, and Daniyal Shahzad Hamid from The Science School, Rawat, Islamabad.
Two other students, Hazza Mahmood of Aitchison College, Lahore, and Abdullah Ejaz of Siddeeq Public School, Rawalpindi, received Honourable Mentions for their performance.
This year’s Olympiad brought together more than 400 students from over 90 countries, giving young physicists the chance to compete at the highest international level.
The Pakistani team was selected through the 22nd National Science Talent Contest (NSTC), organised under the STEM Careers Programme, a joint initiative of the Higher Education Commission (HEC) and the Pakistan Institute of Engineering and Applied Sciences (PIEAS).
After a nationwide selection process, the students attended intensive training camps at the PIEAS campus, where they received advanced theoretical and practical training from local and international experts before representing Pakistan at the Olympiad.
The team was led by Prof Dr Muhammad Irfan and Dr Muhammad Waseem of PIEAS.
PIEAS, working under the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC), organises the National Science Talent Contest every year in Physics, Chemistry, Biology and Mathematics to identify talented school and college students across Pakistan.
Pakistan has taken part in the International Physics Olympiad since 2001, the International Mathematical Olympiad since 2005, and the International Biology and Chemistry Olympiads since 2006.
