WCM-Q faculty help Qatari team take bronze at global science Olympiad

A professor at Weill Cornell Medicine-Qatar (WCM-Q) provided teaching support to the team of high school students representing Qatar who secured third place and two bronze medals at the International Juniors Science Olympiad (IJSO) held in Thailand recently.

Dr. Mohammad Yousef, professor of physics, offered ten coaching sessions in the essential principles of physics. The concluding session was held in the physics teaching laboratory of WCM-Q’s campus at Education City, during which eight student finalists participated in rigorous training to help them prepare to take on teams from all over the world at the 20th IJSO, which was held at Srinakharinwirot University in Bangkok.

In addition, other WCM-Q academic staff who provided laboratory teaching support to the team were Ms. Hanan Saba, laboratory coordinator for physics and physiology, and Dr. Branislav Alaksic, teaching specialist in physics.

The IJSO is a science competition for students aged 15 and under which promotes interest in science, fosters key skills such as problem-solving, critical thinking and experimentation, and encourages friendship among young people of diverse backgrounds and nationalities. The academic competitions of the IJSO include challenging tests across a wide variety of scientific topics, both as theory questions and practical tasks.

After performing exceptionally well, the team from Qatar finished in third place in the team contest out of a field of more than 50 countries. Two members of Qatar’s team also took third place in the individual contest, meaning the team returned with two bronze medals.

Dr. Yousef said: “It was a great privilege for us at WCM-Q to be able to assist such a talented and enthusiastic group of young scientists in their mission to take part in the International Juniors Science Olympiad. They showed a huge passion for science and great dedication to their task, and they fully deserved to win two bronze medals.”

This faculty-led outreach activity was organized in collaboration between the Ministry of Education and Higher Education and the Office of Student Outreach and Educational Development at WCM-Q. Such collaboration exemplifies the commitment of WCM-Q towards teaching and empowering the young generations in Qatar, and the support for national efforts that aim at enhancing local capacity-building in the fields of science.