The young Pakistani team earned three Bronze medals at the 54th International Physics Olympiad (IPhO) held in Isfahan, Iran from July 21-28.
Pakistani students Talha Ashraf (Nixor College, Karachi), Huzaifa Altamash (Lahore Grammar School, Johar Town, Lahore), and Muhammad Salman Tarar (The Science School, Islamabad) secured Bronze medals, while Muhammad Saad Bilal (Siddeeq Public School and College, Rawalpindi) received an Honorable Mention.
The team, sponsored by the STEM Careers program—a collaboration between the Higher Education Commission (HEC) and the Pakistan Institute of Engineering and Applied Sciences (PIEAS)—was trained at PIEAS, Islamabad by Dr. Muhammad Irfan and Prof. Dr. Aman-ur-Rehman. The team was led by Prof. Dr. Najeeb-ur-Rehman and Dr. Rahmat Ullah from COMSATS, Islamabad.
This marks the first time that all four PIEAS-trained team members have received medals and certificates. PIEAS, under the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC), conducts the National Science Talent Contest (NSTC) annually, which includes Physics, Chemistry, Biology, and Mathematics, and is an extension of the National Physics Talent Contest (NPTC) initiated in 1995.
