Vadodara: Four school students trained and selected at the geology department of Maharaja Sayajirao University (MSU) have helped India achieve its best-ever performance at the International Earth Science Olympiad (IESO). They won nine medals at the 19th edition of the event held in Turin, Italy, from Aug 20 to 27.The Indian contingent comprising Saumik Mandal, Aaron Maiti, Riddhi Ranjan and Md Ehtesham Rizwi won four gold, three silver and two bronze medals across the written and practical examinations, international team field investigation and Earth science project competitions.The students underwent an intensive three-week training and selection programme at MSU’s department of geology under the science faculty from May 20 to June 11. They were selected on merit from among 17,000 students who competed for a place in the Indian team.The programme was coordinated by senior professor D M Maurya and involved faculty members from the geology department, along with geoscientists from leading educational and research institutions across the country. The training was funded by the ministry of Earth sciences, with the Geological Society of India, Bengaluru, serving as the nodal agency.MSU vice-chancellor Bhalachandra M Bhanage interacted with and encouraged the students at the inaugural and valedictory functions. Faculty of science dean Vipul A Kalamkar and head of the geology department B S Deota also supported the initiative.IESO is an annual competition for secondary-school students aged up to 18 years. It tests participants in geology, geophysics, meteorology, oceanography, terrestrial astronomy and environmental sciences through theoretical and practical examinations. The Olympiad also features an international team field investigation, making it distinct from other international Olympiads.India had finished fourth with two silver medals when the inaugural IESO was held in Daegu, South Korea, in 2007. The country later hosted the seventh edition of the Olympiad in Mysore in 2013.The Indian Olympiad campaign was led by Dr Jagvir Singh, advisor, ministry of Earth sciences and supported by Hema Achyuthan, national coordinator at IESO and Devesh Walia of North-Eastern Hill University, Shillong.
