The Pakistan team won three bronze medals at the 54th International Physics Olympiad (IPhO 2024) 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) earned bronze medals, while Mohammad Saad Bilal (Siddeeq Public School & College, Rawalpindi) received an honorable mention.
The team participated under the STEM Careers Programme, a collaboration between the Higher Education Commission (HEC) and the Pakistan Institute of Engineering and Applied Science (PIEAS). Trained by Dr Mohammad Irfan and Prof Dr Amanur Rehman at PIEAS, Islamabad, the team was led by Prof Dr Najeebur Rehman and Dr Rahmatullah from Comsats, Islamabad. This year, all four team members trained at PIEAS received medals and certificates for the first time.
PIEAS, part of the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC), conducts the annual National Science Talent Contest (NSTC) in physics, chemistry, biology, and mathematics. The NSTC, an extension of the National Physics Talent Contest (NPTC) started by PIEAS in 1995, aims to enhance science education at the intermediate level (9th, 10th, O Level, FSc Part-I, A Level Part-I), a critical stage for students’ career decisions.
Through the STEM Careers Programme, students selected in the NSTC from 19 cities across Pakistan receive further training for International Science Olympiads (ISOs) at four designated institutes. The top 50 students from the screening test attend residential training camps at these institutes for intensive ISO preparation.