Pune boy wins bronze at International Linguistics Olympiad

The Olympiad co-organised by Microsoft Research aims to encourage computational thinking and the study of linguistics among students.

Pune boy Aalok Sathe, studying in Class 12 in Sir Parashurambhau College, has won Bronze medal at the 14th International Linguistics Olympiad promoted by Microsoft Research India.

Aalok Sathe, who won the Bronze medal at International Linguistics Olympiad competed with 170 students from 30 different countries.(Handout Image)

“I am extremely elated at this achievement and would wish to carry forward the learnings – to next year’s competition. My experience at this year’s Olympiad has helped me widen my horizon to understand that global languages vary to a considerable extend and hold different perspectives. One can undoubtedly learn more about global languages and gain analytical skills by studying linguistics. Linguistics is a logical discipline and is increasingly becoming an important study in fields such as cognitive science and artificial intelligence,” Sathe told HT Education.

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One of the 12 international science olympiads held globally, the contest evaluated participants’ computational thinking, analytical reasoning and logical deduction. Jaeyeong Yang from Republic of Korea, James Wedgwood from USA and Liam Robert McKnight from UK emerged as individual scorers while the teams from Sweden, Australia and UK took the top three positions in the team contest.

The global competition is aimed at secondary school students and has been held annually since 2003. More than 170 students from 30 different countries, including India, the US, Japan, Germany and Singapore participated this year to test their skills in tackling some of the toughest puzzles in language and linguistics.

“India was represented by 10 students shortlisted through the Panini Linguistic Olympiad, the national programme for selection and training of the candidates for the International Linguistics Olympiad. Microsoft Research India has been one of the key drivers in establishing Linguistic Centres in five cities across India. After selections, students are trained for the global meet at these centres. The group is also involved in promoting awareness among students and schools by hosting various events periodically, and by driving interest within institutes and companies in the country,” a press statement said.

The five-day long event saw two competitive individual tests, team contests, jeopardy-style quizzes and cultural performances introducing global students to the rich and diverse (cultural) heritage of India.