Last weekend (January 26-27, 2019) Rye Country Day School hosted the 12th annual USIYPT. There, teams compete in "physics fights" over four problems, this year involving:
* Faraday's homopolar generator
* Rainbow formation on this and other planets
* Pneumatic tubes, and scaling them up for transportation
* How a hammer twists in the air when tossed
This is not a science fair! Teams report unique solutions, yes... but before the jurors say anything, the other team engages the reporter in conversation and questioning. The jurors' job is to evaluate the strength of the physics in each team's discussion. The USIYPT is more similar to a scientific conference than to a typical high school contest.
This year's winners, for the second year in a row: Phillips Exeter Academy of New Hampshire, led by physics teacher Scott Saltman.
In second place was Phillips Andover Academy of Massachusetts, led by Mika Latva-Kokko.
The winner of the Swartz Poster Session was the Pioneer School of Ariana, Tunisia, led by Safouen Rezgui.
The overall order of finish is below. Our rules state that a number of places are shared by similar teams - this is to emphasize that just participating, merely being able to engage in high level physics fights, marks a team as among the best high school physicists in the world.
The ** means that this team won the prestigious Bibilashvili Award for Excellence in Physics. It is awarded to teams with superior physics understanding, irrespective of their placement, at the tournament director's discretion.
Champion:
Phillips Exeter Academy, NH**
Second place:
Phillips Andover Academy, MA**
Third place:
Woodberry Forest School, VA**
Shenzhen Middle School, China**
The Nueva School, CA**
Fourth Place:
Cary Academy, NC**
Fifth Place:
The Harker School, CA**
Pioneer School of Ariana, Tunisia**
Sixth Place with Bibilashvili Medal:
Rye Country Day School**
Sixth Place, in alphabetical order:
Pioneer School of Menzah VIII, Tunisia
Qingdao No. 2 High School, China
Spartanburg Day School, SC
Vanke Meisha Academy, China
How do you participate in the USIYPT experience?
Our 2020 tournament will be hosted at Phillips Exeter Academy in New Hampshire, on Feb. 8-9. I'd suggest starting out by serving as a juror. We try to get jurors from all sorts of backgrounds... retired folks, industry professionals, university professors of all sorts, high school teachers, graduate students, undergraduates, etc. Juries develop a deep and special camaraderie after a day or two discussing physics with each other and with students. If you have a background in the physical sciences, we'd love to get you involved. The sponsoring organization (USAYPT) can put you up in a hotel for the weekend, and we'll invite you to the much-anticipated annual Juror Dinner.
To bring a team, start by taking a look at the problems for 2020. Your team must have a ten minute report prepared on three of these problems. Then the physics teacher at the prospective school should email me to request an invitation. Later in the summer, we will post information about fees; we'll issue invitations in September or so.
I'm always happy to discuss the USIYPT experience. The tournament is, every year, the highlight of my professional life. Those who participate contribute to a special, unique culture in which the "Search for the Truth" of physics leads to discussions, debates... and long-lasting friendships.
Greg Jacobs
President, US Association for Young Physicists Tournaments
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