The UAE is hosting a global tournament for high school students in the field of chemistry and a team of four young Emirati girls has been chosen to represent the nation.
The 57th edition of the International Chemistry Olympiad (IChO) kicked off on Sunday and will run until July 14, with participants from 90 countries.
Up to four students from each country are carefully picked to compete in theoretical and experimental chemistry sections, along with two mentors.
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Take a look at the proud moment when the UAE team — comprising Shaikha Al Dhanhani, Amna Abdullah Al Shehhi, Salama Ahmed Al Yammahi, and Maryam Obaid Al Abd — took to the stage:
Al Shehhi said that the decision to choose her to compete was “kind of sudden” because her grades used to be low, but “then suddenly they went up, and so I started loving chemistry, why? Because I got good grades,” she said.
The four girls told Khaleej Times that they found out about the competition through their teachers, who encouraged them to apply to the IChO. After getting accepted, they went to Russia for two weeks to practice, then came back to the UAE to study for another week and a half.
The Emirati teens’ plan this week is “studying, studying, and studying,” Al Shehhi said. “We’re very honoured and proud to be representing the UAE in the first Olympiad in the UAE,” she added.
This year’s edition of the chemistry Olympiad will see the highest turnout in the tournament’s history.
Gold medals will be awarded to the top 12 per cent of students, silver medals to the next 22 per cent, and bronze medals to the following 32 per cent of participants.
