The four-member student team wins multiple medals in Beijing

India’s student team has made the country proud by winning multiple prestigious medals at the 17th International Earth Sciences Olympiad (IESO) held in Beijing, China, from August 8-16. The four-member team, representing different states across India, secured an impressive haul of medals, including three gold, two silver, and one bronze, across various competition categories.

The team, consisting of students from Gujarat, Kerala, Chhattisgarh, and Rajasthan, excelled in the challenging events of the Olympiad. They competed in three key categories: Theory and Practical, Earth System Project, and International Team Field Investigation. Their remarkable performance highlighted India's growing expertise in earth sciences at the global level.

Dr. Jitendra Singh, Minister of State (Independent Charge) for the Ministry of Earth Sciences and Ministry of Science and Technology, lauded the team for their outstanding achievement. He expressed his appreciation, he said, “These young earth science wizards have brought a coveted academic laurel to the country, and we are immensely proud of their success.”

Dr. M Ravichandran, Secretary to the Government of India, Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES), also congratulated the students, emphasizing the significance of the Olympiad as a student-centric initiative under the Ministry's REACHOUT (Research, Education, Training, and Outreach) scheme.
He said, “The International Earth Science Olympiad is one of the most successful programs we facilitate. It is heartening to see our students shine on such a prestigious international platform.”

The IESO, an annual competition established in 2003 by the International Geoscience Education Organization, brings together secondary school students from around the world to foster awareness of earth sciences through teamwork, collaboration, and competition. The Olympiad aims to ignite interest among young students in various fields of earth system sciences, focusing on promoting awareness and solution-centric discussions around climate change, environmental challenges, and natural disasters.

India has been participating in the IESO since 2007 and even hosted the 10th edition in Mysore. This year’s Olympiad saw participation from teams representing 35 countries, with 32 making it to the finals. The competition categories included Theory and Practical, Earth Science Project, International Team Field Investigation, and Data Mining.

The MoES’s support for both INESO and IESO is part of the broader PRITHVI (PRITHvi Vigyan) scheme, approved by the Union Cabinet in January 2024. The scheme aims to enhance understanding of earth system sciences through research and development and to provide reliable services to the nation.