ISLAMABAD: Pakistan secured three bronze medals at the 56th International Physics Olympiad (IPhO), held in Bucaramanga, Colombia, from July 4 to 12, marking another achievement for the country’s young scientists at one of the world’s most prestigious international science competitions.
The bronze medals were won by Zulfiqar Ali of Government City Boys School, Dera Ghazi Khan; Ali Hamdan Alvi of FG Sir Syed College, Rawalpindi; and Daniyal Shahzad Hamid of The Science School, Rawat, Islamabad.
Hazza Mahmood of Aitchison College, Lahore, and Abdullah Ejaz of Siddeeq Public School, Rawalpindi, received honourable mentions for their performances.
The 56th International Physics Olympiad brought together more than 400 students from over 90 countries, providing a global platform for young physicists to demonstrate their scientific knowledge and problem-solving skills.
The Pakistani students were selected through the 22nd National Science Talent Contest (NSTC), conducted under the STEM Careers Programme, a joint initiative of the Higher Education Commission (HEC) and the Pakistan Institute of Engineering and Applied Sciences (PIEAS).
Following a nationwide selection process, the students underwent a series of intensive residential training camps at the PIEAS campus, where they received advanced theoretical and experimental instruction from national and international experts before representing Pakistan at the Olympiad.
The Pakistan team was led by Prof. Dr Muhammad Irfan and Dr Muhammad Waseem of PIEAS.
Working under the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC), PIEAS organises the National Science Talent Contest annually in physics, chemistry, biology and mathematics to identify talented students at the secondary and higher secondary levels, including students of Classes 9 and 10, O-Level, F.Sc. Part-I and A-Level Part-I.
The competition is conducted in 19 cities across Pakistan. Top-performing students are invited to advanced residential training camps before the national teams are selected for participation in the International Science Olympiads.
The STEM Careers Programme Office at HEC coordinates the training activities and facilitates Pakistan’s participation in the international competitions.
The programme’s home institutions include PIEAS for physics, the National Institute for Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering Centre (NIBGE-C), under PIEAS, for biology, the HEJ Research Institute of Chemistry at the University of Karachi for chemistry, and COMSATS University Islamabad’s Lahore Campus for mathematics.
Pakistan has participated in the International Physics Olympiad since 2001, the International Mathematical Olympiad since 2005, and the International Biology and Chemistry Olympiads since 2006.
Since the launch of the STEM Careers Programme, more than 365 Pakistani students have represented the country at International Science Olympiads, winning a total of 144 medals.
More than 5,000 students have also benefited from over 256 advanced training camps organised under the programme.
