Muscat – Two Omani school students have won top honours at the 2025 GLOBE International Virtual Science Symposium (IVSS), securing first place globally and within the Near East and North Africa region for their scientific research.

Khalfan bin Issa al Hussaini and Elias bin Walid al Sulaimani, students at Said bin Nasser al Kindi Basic Education School in Muscat, presented a project titled ‘An Investigation of Temperatures Recorded by GLOBE Students Compared to the Meteorological Station in Al Amerat over the Past Ten Years’.

Using protocols set by the GLOBE Programme, the students collected daily temperature data from 2015 to 2024 in Amerat and compared it with official records from the Meteorological Authority. Their aim was to assess the consistency between both datasets and explore reasons for any discrepancies.

The study found slight but consistent variations in monthly temperatures between the student data and meteorological station records. These differences were attributed to factors such as location of instruments and variations in monitoring equipment.

“This win highlights the ability of our students to engage with real-world data and contribute meaningfully to scientific understanding,” a spokesperson for the school said.

Oman joined the ‘GLOBE Programme’ – a global science and education initiative led by NASA – in December 2009 through a Memorandum of Understanding for Environmental Cooperation. The programme promotes scientific learning through environmental research and fosters international collaboration among students.

The 2025 award is seen as a significant achievement for Oman’s education sector and a recognition of the country’s continued involvement in international scientific research.