British Physics Olympiad Prizegiving
Over the Easter break, Isaac and I both had the pleasure of attending the selection camps for the teams who represent the UK at the International Astrophysics and Astronomy Olympiad (IOAA), and the International Physics Olympiad (IPhO) this coming summer and autumn. Both camps were very intense, our schedule of lectures and work going from 9am to 9pm each day.
On the Physics side, as well as the lectures we had several demanding practicals, each lasting at least 2 hours. They were certainly a lot tougher than the ones we get at A level, requiring derivations of certain formulae as well as being quick and precise with one’s measurements. I remember after our second two-hour one feeling totally exhausted, and then having to complete two practicals back-to-back in a four-hour session the next morning, where one of my data sets literally looked like a zero-correlation scatter graph in an optics experiment we did. On the Astro side, from what I’ve heard in addition to the vast amount of astrophysics they learnt in just those five days, I believe they also did stargazing with telescopes at night, and identifying various constellations with a makeshift planetarium in a hemispherical tent.
All in all, the camp was a lovely experience. My favourite part was definitely meeting everyone there, including multiple people who I will hopefully see next year at uni. A few days later after it ended, I was emailed that I had the opportunity to be part of the team of five to take part in the IPhO this summer, so my Olympiad journey is not quite finished yet. Next, I will have a camp in Cambridge right after my A-Levels to look forward to, as some final training. I have heard that it is even more intense than the Easter ones. Right after, we will be flying out to Bucaramanga, Columbia for the competition. I think we will stay there for a week; however, only two of those days have exams, so there will be lots of time to enjoy Columbia and do various activities and sightseeing, which I am sure will be great fun. For now, I need to balance revising for my A levels and practicing for the IPhO, learning whatever content I am not confident with yet.
Moreover, last week I was able to attend the BPhO Prizegiving at the Royal Society with Jamie, Egemen (both Year 12), and Howard (Year 11), who were invited for their fantastic performances on the Senior and Intermediate Physics Challenges. It was very nice meeting with everyone from the camps again. After getting a few free items (including a G-Research Sponsored Sudoku Board!), we got to listen to a lecture given by Dr Carly Howett on finding aliens, where she spoke about what scientists look for in exoplanets which could be signs of life, as well as what the recently-launched Europa Clipper will be aiming to measure as it passes by its moon of Jupiter.
Overall, it has certainly been a memorable and rewarding past few weeks, and I am very grateful for the opportunities I have been given, both from my teachers allowing me to sit these sets of competitions, as well as the BPhO for selecting me to experience the camp and the coming IPhO. I am curious to what it will bring this summer, but I know for certain that it will definitely be an amazing experience that I am very fortunate to have.
