TEHRAN – Ten students from Iran will compete in the 15th International Olympiad on Astronomy and Astrophysics (IOAA 2022) which will be held at Kutaisi in Georgia from 14-22 August 2022. 

Mehdi Ostad-Mohammadi, Sepehr Salamat, Mohammad-Mehdi Abedian, Farhad Azizi-Satri, Yousef Miryousefi, Alireza Alaei, Sahand Akramipour, Arya Qanbari, and Arsam Majd, all from Tehran, and Sahand Esmaeilzadeh from Mashhad comprise the Iranian team, ISNA reported.

Iranian students grabbed 9 medals, including 2 gold, 5 silver, and 2 bronze medals, and an honorary diploma in the 14th edition of the competition, which was held in Colombia on November 14-21, 2021.

The International Olympiad on Astronomy and Astrophysics is an annual event for highly performed high school students from all around the world.

Established in Thailand in 2006, it was initiated by five countries including Thailand, Indonesia, Iran, China, and Poland with the aim to proliferate astronomy among high school students, foster friendship among young astronomers at the international level so as to build cooperation in the field of Astronomy in the future among the young scholars.

Over the past Iranian calendar year, which ended on March 20, Iranian students won seven gold medals, 11 silver medals, and nine bronze medals at different international Olympiads.The main goal of the IOAA is to promote the growing interest in Astronomy and related STEM subjects, especially through the general education of young people, and to enhance the development of international contacts among different countries in promoting Astronomy and Astrophysics in schools. It is expected that, through events like the IOAA, brighter high-school students will be eager to study astronomy at the university level to become the next generation of astronomy and astrophysics professionals.

Over the past Iranian calendar year, which ended on March 20, Iranian students won seven gold medals, 11 silver medals, and nine bronze medals at different international Olympiads.

According to the Ministry of Education, Iranian students have won 192 gold medals, 371 silver medals, and 204 bronze medals since 2005, IRNA reported.

In the field of mathematics, they have grabbed 46 gold medals, 99 silver medals, and 45 bronze medals. In the field of physics, they have grabbed 36 gold medals, 57 silver medals, and 35 bronze medals, and in the field of computers, they have won 27 gold medals, 58 silver medals, and 23 bronze medals. 

Moreover, they have gained 37 gold medals, 50 silver medals, and 24 bronze medals in the field of chemistry; 10 gold medals, 47 silver medals, and 27 bronze medals in the field of biology; 30 gold medals, 49 silver medals, and 40 bronze medals in the field of astronomy; and 6 gold medals, 11 silver medals, and 10 bronze medals in the field of astronomy.

Studies show that Iran enters the year 2022 with the 15th rank in science production worldwide and it is expected to make progress over the next years as the coronavirus pandemic is going to be eased.

A country’s scientific products are a collection of research, articles, citations, international collaborations, activities of researchers, and educational and research institutions of a country.

In reviewing scientific products, various indicators such as publication of articles in prestigious international journals, citations, validity of journals, the level of productivity, and scientific impact of scientists are considered quantitatively and qualitatively.

According to the latest information on science production, Iran is ranked 15th in the world in the international system of Web of Science in 2021, with an h-index of 383, which indicates the quality of Iranian articles registered.

MG