Students at UK schools have won their largest ever haul of medals in the International Olympiad on Astronomy and Astrophysics. The team of three girls and two boys were among 298 pupils from 48 countries, with the online competition run from Bogota in Colombia. All team members were successful, winning two gold medals, two silver medals and one bronze medal. The winners are:
- Emma Harris, The Perse School, Cambridge (Gold)
- Francesca di Cecio, St Paul’s Girls’ School (Gold)
- Moonis Haider, Bishop Vesey’s Grammar School (Silver)
- Reon Raju, The Trinity Catholic School, Nottingham (Silver)
- Sofia Vasieva, West Kirby Grammar School (Bronze)
The team were led by Dr Alex Calverley of the Royal Grammar School in Guildford and Nick Koukoufilippas of the University of Oxford.
Philip Diamond, Executive Director of the Royal Astronomical Society was delighted at the results. He said: “It’s always a pleasure to see young people doing so well in astronomy and astrophysics. We’re incredibly proud to see these results, a testament to such a talented team. My congratulations to you all!”
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Royal Astronomical Society
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Gurjeet Kahlon
Royal Astronomical Society
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Notes for editors
The Royal Astronomical Society (RAS), founded in 1820, encourages and promotes the study of astronomy, solar-system science, geophysics and closely related branches of science. The RAS organises scientific meetings, publishes international research and review journals, recognises outstanding achievements by the award of medals and prizes, maintains an extensive library, supports education through grants and outreach activities and represents UK astronomy nationally and internationally. Its more than 4,000 members (Fellows), a third based overseas, include scientific researchers in universities, observatories and laboratories as well as historians of astronomy and others.
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