Pakistani Students Make Nation Proud at International Physics Olympiad

The Pakistan team secured three bronze medals at 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 honorable mention for Pakistan.

The team participated in the Physics Olympiad under the sponsorship of the STEM Careers Programme, a collaboration between the Higher Education Commission (HEC) and the 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. The team was led in the competition by Prof. Dr. Najeebur Rehman and Dr. Rahmatullah from Comsats, Islamabad. This year marks the first time all four team members trained at PIEAS received medals and certificates.

PIEAS, operating under the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC), conducts the National Science Talent Contest (NSTC) annually in four subjects: physics, chemistry, biology, and mathematics. The NSTC is an extension of the National Physics Talent Contest (NPTC), which PIEAS initiated in 1995 and has been held annually since 2003. The contest aims to invigorate science education at the intermediate level (9th, 10th, O Level, FSc Part-I, A Level Part-I), a crucial stage for students’ professional career choices.

Through the STEM Careers Programme, students selected in the NSTC in 19 cities across Pakistan receive further training for participation in International Science Olympiads (ISOs) at four designated home institutes. The top 50 students from the screening test are invited to attend residential training camps at these institutes, providing intensive preparation for the ISOs.