Press Releases
Singapore Team Wins Championship at the 23rd International Young Physicists’ Tournament
The Ministry of Education (MOE) congratulates the Singapore team for clinching the championship title at the 23rd International Young Physicists’ Tournament (IYPT) held in Vienna, Austria, from 9 to 16 July 2010. Competing against teams from 23 countries, the Singapore team was awarded the coveted Winners’ Cup and Gold medal.
The Singapore team put in a highly commendable effort to achieve the highest score in the preliminary rounds. In the final round, three members of the panel of 10 judges even awarded a perfect score to the team for their comprehensive investigation and clear presentation. The other three teams in the final round were from Austria, New Zealand and South Korea.
The Singapore team comprised Li Kewei, Lin Jiahuang and Kang Zi Yang from Raffles Institution (RI), Wong Say Juan Jeremias from NUS High School of Mathematics and Science, and Yee Weiliang Samuel from Anglo-Chinese School (Independent). The team was coached by Dr Yeo Ye, Physics lecturer at the National University of Singapore, and led by Wee Chye Huat Mark, Programme Head at Raffles Institution and Seow Yongli, Curriculum Planning Officer from MOE.
Background on the IYPT
The IYPT is a competition for students between 15–18 years old to solve complicated scientific problems in teams. Participants apply the actual scientific methods used by real physicists to solve these problems – from research, modelling, experimentation to an oral defence of their proposed solutions to experts and peers.
The scientific problems in IYPT cover different aspects of Physics. They are open-ended and can be approached from many different angles. Participants need to outline theories and models, review research literature, conduct experiments and engage with experts. Unlike the traditional Science Olympiads, which are pen-and-paper assessments for individuals, the IYPT requires the participants to demonstrate the abilities to work in teams, to manage uncertainties and complexities as well as to defend their ideas and proposals. Details on the IYPT competition process are attached as Annex A.
Members of the team representing Singapore this year at the IYPT were selected from the inaugural Singapore Young Physicists’ Tournament (SYPT), a local competition modelled after the IYPT organised by RI and supported by MOE and the Institute of Physics Singapore. The SYPT provides opportunities to develop our budding physicists and engineers, and promote a new and exciting way in the learning of physics.