Four teams of Pakistani students represented their country in the 22nd International Biology Olympiad (IBO) in Taipei, Taiwan, 43rd International Chemistry Olympiad (IChO) in Ankara, Turkey, 52nd International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO) in Amsterdam, the Netherlands and 42nd International Physics Olympiad (IPhO) in Bangkok, Thailand.
All the four teams showed excellent performance, altogether winning nine bronze medals and four honorable mentions in these events.
According to a press release issued here on Thursday, the students participated in these Olympiads under the auspices of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM), a joint project of Higher Education Commission (HEC) and Pakistan Institute of Engineering and Applied Sciences (PIEAS), Islamabad.
The 22nd International Biology Olympiad (IBO) was hosted by Taiwan from July 10-17, 2011. All members of the Pakistani team won Bronze Medals in the event, wherein 220 students from 59 countries participated. The team included Armaghan-e-Rehman Mansoor from Divisional Model College, Faisalabad; Numra Abdul Aleem from Lahore Grammar School Lahore; Urooj Imdad Ali from BAMM PECHS Government College, Karachi and Saneeha Shahid from the City School, Islamabad. IBO team was led by Dr. Zafar M. Khalid and Dr. Zahid Mukhtar of National Institute of Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering (NIBGE), Faisalabad.
The 42nd International Physics Olympiad (IPhO) was hosted by Thailand from July 10-18, 2011. A total of 400 students from 84 countries participated in the Olympiad. Of the five students who participated from Pakistan, two won Bronze Medals while two got Honorable Mention. The winners are Urwa Muaz (Bronze Medal) from Bloomfield Hall School, Multan; Muhammad Umar (Bronze Medal) from Pak Turk International School and College, Islamabad; Salman Azmat (Honorable Mention) from Punjab College of Science, Lahore and Ibrahim Ahmad (Honorable Mention) from Roots Montessori and High School, Islamabad. The IPhO team was led by Dr. Shahid Qamar and Dr. Aftab Rafiq of PIEAS, Islamabad.
The 43rd International Chemistry Olympiad (IChO) was hosted by Turkey, from July 10-18, 2011. Over 270 students from 70 countries participated in the event. Two of the four Pakistani students won Bronze Medals while one of them clinched Honorable Mention. The winners are Syed Muhammad Saad Imran (Bronze Medal) from Generation’s School, Karachi; Marium Ahmed Uqaili (Honrable Mention) from Lahore Grammar School, Lahore and Amna Rashid (Honorable Mention) from Lahore Grammar School, Islamabad. The IChO team was led by Dr. Khalid M. Khan and Dr. Raza Shah of HEJ Research Institute, Karachi.
The 52nd International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO) was hosted by The Netherlands from July 16-24, 2011. As many as 564 students from 101 countries participated in the event. Waqar Ali Syed of Beacon House School, Karachi won Bronze Medal while Hammad Ali Khan Seyal from Lahore Grammar School, Lahore won Honorable Mention. The IMO team was led by Dr. Barbu Berceanu and Dr. Ahmed Mahmood Qureshi of Abdus Salam School of Mathematical Sciences (ASSMS), Government College University, Lahore.
The annual International Olympiads provide pre-university science students from around the world an opportunity to compete in solving challenging theoretical and experimental science problems that only the most talented youth of their age can answer. Most of the Pakistani students receive scholarship for higher studies in world’s leading universities such as Harvard, MIT, Princeton, Stanford, Caltech and Oxford.
The process of selection for the National Science Talent Contest (NSTC) commences in September each year. More than 5000 student who must have scored a minimum of 70 per cent marks in their SSC or O-level exams take part in the contest. Fifty of the top scorers in each subject of NSTC are selected on the basis of their performance in the Screening Test. Further grooming and screening through a series of training camps at the home institutes of each subject leads to the selection of 4‑6 member teams for the Olympiads.