A winning team

A winning team

By The Nation
Published on August 29, 2008

Students come home with 1 gold medal, 1 bronze and 3 honourable mentions.

A group of Thai students return with a gold medal, a bronze medal and three honourable mentions in the second International Olympiad on Astronomy and Astrophysics (IOAA) in Indonesia.

The five competed against counterparts from 24 countries in Bandang City from August 1928.

Samaporn Thinyanont of Srinakharinwirot University's Pathumwan Demonstration School won a gold medal with the highest score in observation and data analysis, while Chayanant Ruamcharoen of Mahidol Wittayanusorn School collected a bronze medal.

The three who received honourable mention are Thanavuth Thanathibodi of Suankularb Wittayalai School, Thaveewat Somboonpanyakul of Mahidol Wittayanusorn School and Pornpassorn Kanchanakanok of Mahidol Wittayanusorn School.

The IOAA, initiated by HRH Princess Galyani Vadhana, was launched in Chiang Mai last year when local students won three gold and two silver medals.

Assoc Prof Yenjai Somwichian, a panel member of the Promotion of Academic Olympiads and Development of Science Education Foundation under Princess Galyani's patronage, says this competition had tougher questions.

Thailand did better because fancied countries like Poland, Iran and China each won only one gold medal while India and Indonesia each pocketed two gold medals, he added.

The third competition will be held in Iran next year.