1,000+ high school students contend for honours at UBC Physics Olympics
More than 1,000 high school students and teachers from across B.C. will meet at UBC on Saturday for the 47th annual UBC Physics Olympics, where they will show off their physics expertise and experimental design skills.
Teams of students will compete in six events that test hands-on skills and scientific concepts including:
- Testing light boxes and solar-powered boats that the students have previously assembled
- Mini golf and buoyancy labs
- “Quizzics,” a quiz show
- Fermi questions, inspired by the great 20th-century physicist Enrico Fermi, where students try to answer order-of-magnitude questions, such as “What is the total mass of the students competing in the Physics Olympics today?”
The Olympics aim to help students see how physics is exciting and relevant to their daily lives and to provide an opportunity to work together.
The UBC Physics Olympics is one of the largest and oldest high school physics competitions in North America. The event is organized by students and professors in the department of physics and astronomy and department of curriculum and pedagogy. UBC undergraduate students, many of them Physics Olympics alumni, volunteer their time.
Event: 47th annual UBC Physics Olympics
Date/Time: Saturday, March 1, labs from 9 a.m.-3:30 p.m., awards from 4:30 p.m.
Maps and parking: Various locations at UBC Vancouver. Please email alex.walls@ubc.ca
Interview opportunities:
- High school students and teachers
- Dr. Mike Hasinoff, co-chair and professor of UBC physics and astronomy, buoyancy lab
- Dr. Aaron Boley, co-chair and professor of UBC physics and astronomy, Quizzics
- Dr. Marina Milner-Bolotin, lead organizer of UBC Physics Olympics and professor of curriculum and pedagogy
Event website: https://physoly.phas.ubc.ca/
Assignment editors: Please RSVP to alex.walls@ubc.ca
