A team of students from Karachi Grammar School (KGS) has brought international recognition to Pakistan after securing multiple awards at the International Olympiad on Climate Change and the Environment in Russia.
The competition, hosted at Sirius University of Science and Technology, brought together young scientists from different countries for a series of demanding theoretical, practical and collaborative challenges. The Pakistani delegation — Sharym Danish Kalia, Muhammad Aazan Khurram, Abdullah Siddiqui Ghani and Muhammad Gardezi — emerged among the leading teams at the event.
The students won the Gold Medal for Best Team Performance, following their participation in both theoretical and practical rounds. Their success extended to the individual competition, where Sharym Danish Kalia earned a silver medal and Muhammad Aazan Khurram secured bronze. Abdullah Siddiqui Ghani was also recognized with a certificate of merit for his individual performance.
The team received another major distinction at the Olympiad’s Festival of Projects, where its research was awarded the Ozon Limited Partners Award for Best Team Project.
At the heart of their project was an investigation into ways of reducing extreme urban temperatures in Karachi and Sochi. The students combined remote-sensing information, machine-learning techniques and microclimate modelling to examine how greater tree coverage and reflective “cool” roofs could help reduce the urban heat-island effect.
Their work focused on practical, data-based approaches to improving climate resilience in rapidly expanding cities. The achievement demonstrates the ability of Pakistani students to engage with complex environmental challenges while competing successfully on an international scientific platform.
Source: Dawn
