This year, Jubayer Ahmed from Hathazari Government College and Muhammed Mohiuddin Sourav from Adamjee Cantonment College won the silver medals. Additionally, Nafesa Anzum Helaly from Viqarunnisa Noon School and College won the bronze medal. 

Jubayer came to know about the Olympiad from last year's bronze medalist, Anik Dey. "I have always been fascinated by biology and genetics and wanted to test my knowledge through this event. Since this was an entirely new experience, I am really happy with my performance," he added.

The virtual Olympiad was organised over a period of two days. On the first day, participants sat for their individual exams, while the second day was reserved for the team event. "We were provided with a syllabus prior to the exam. The exam was run by an auto proctor software and the organisers monitored us through a webcam. The entire event was organised under the supervision of artificial intelligence," Nafeesa shared.

Students had to register by paying $ 200. The main challenge faced by the students was in maintaining a stable internet connection and a disturbance-free atmosphere. "We were being timed by a stopwatch. Even when I lost my internet connection, the stopwatch was running and I had to use a personal hotspot to reconnect. Thankfully, they did not refresh the webpage and I could continue from where I left," Mohiuddin explained.

The author is a freelance journalist who likes reading, planning, and scribbling. Email: mislammonamee@gmail.com.