ISLAMABAD (The Thursday Times) — The Higher Education Commission has honoured 23 Pakistani students who represented the country at this year’s International Science Olympiads, where they won a silver medal, six bronze medals and five honourable mentions across biology, chemistry, physics, mathematics and artificial intelligence.
Hassan Atif Cheema won the silver medal at the International Biology Olympiad. The year also brought Pakistan’s first official entry at the International Olympiad in Artificial Intelligence. With a certificate of merit and a certificate of recognition, the teams took 14 awards in all.
HEC Chairman Prof. Dr Niaz Ahmad Akhtar handed out cash prizes and certificates at the ceremony, organised by the STEM Careers Programme, which finds talented students and prepares them for international competitions with the Pakistan Institute of Engineering and Applied Sciences (PIEAS).
He thanked the parents, teachers and mentors behind the teams, including those at PIEAS, COMSATS University Lahore, the National Institute for Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering and the International Centre for Chemical and Biological Sciences at the University of Karachi, and said the commission and the government were committed to nurturing the next generation of scientists. PIEAS Rector Dr Anila Usman and Pro-Rector Dr Jamil Ahmad also attended.
The olympiads are the world’s leading science competitions for secondary school students, held each year in a different host country.
