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500 Delegates, 4 Days, Endless Ideas: LUMS Science Symposium 2025
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From 9th to 12th August 2025, the Syed Babar Ali School of Science and Engineering (SBASSE) hosted the fifth edition of the LUMS Science Symposium (LSS), welcoming over 500 high school students from across Pakistan. Organised by SPADES, the student-led science society at LUMS, the symposium has grown into a landmark event that helps young learners take their first confident steps into research and discovery.
This year’s edition, convened by Kiswah Saboor and Wasay Rafaqat, offered four academic streams: AI/ML, Life Sciences, Autonomous Systems, and Quantum Computing. Each guided by SPADES stream leads and mentors from LUMS and beyond. Delegates worked closely with them to design projects and research papers, with the best submissions celebrated at the closing ceremony.
The Life Sciences stream delved into artificial organs, CRISPR, and bioethics debates, while Autonomous Systems focused on Arduino programming and agricultural prototypes. Quantum Computing introduced delegates to quantum gates, cryptography, and hardware with lectures by faculty experts, and AI/ML progressed from coding challenges to neural networks and no-code tools.
For the first time, a Women in STEM round was launched, led by Roshanay Fatima and Wardah Rasheed. In a Shark Tank–style competition, delegates proposed STEM-based solutions to challenges in FemTech, Domestic Safety, and Financial Empowerment, culminating in impactful pitches on Day 4.
The symposium also featured a cultural first: LSS Social, Qawali Night, adding celebration to four days of intense learning.
Closing the event, Dean Dr. Walther Schwarzacher commended the delegates for their creativity and curiosity, marking the symposium as not just a competition, but a starting point for future innovators.
