Bengaluru student wins 1st rank in International Earth Sciences Olympiad

The Earth Science Olympiad programme has a national-level entrance test, the Indian National Earth Science Olympiad, and the pre-departure training camp, and culminates with the International Earth Science Olympiad. Students from 32 countries from around the world participated in the 16th edition of the International Earth Sciences Olympiad (IESO). 

The 16th edition of the International Earth Sciences Olympiad (IESO), held online in collaboration with the Ministry of Earth Sciences, and Geological Society of India, came to an end on August 26, with four high school students from Bengaluru pronounced winners of the IESO, securing various medals in the programme. 

The Earth Science Olympiad programme has a national-level entrance test, the Indian National Earth Science Olympiad, and the pre-departure training camp, and culminates with the International Earth Science Olympiad. Students from 32 countries from around the world participated in the 16th edition of the International Earth Sciences Olympiad (IESO). 

As many as 35 students from all over India from classes 9 to 12 qualified for the pre-departure training camp where they worked on preparing practical and sustainable projects in the field of earth sciences.

Hema Achyuthan, coordinator of the programme and Professor at Institute for Ocean Management, Anna University, said, “IESO is not typical teaching or rote learning. It is about understanding the concepts, and how they think for themselves so that they can perform well.”  

Winners from Bengaluru were Kshemaahna Nagi who secured 1st rank, Badri Vishal K. who secured 2nd rank, Daksh Lahoty who secured 6th rank, and Rigveda Dinesh Gupta who secured 8th rank.

Kshemaahna Nagi, a class 12 student of Vidyashilp Academy, worked on an individual project for a data mining test. She won the gold medal. She was part of a team project that was focused on storm water polishing, for which the team secured a silver medal. She also won several medals for her artwork.

“I was very surprised on being selected for the camp. We went through a rigorous procedure in the camp where we learnt about things we weren’t previously aware of. The camp was very different from other Olympiad camps because we learned things that couldn’t be found in books,” she said.