US Invitational Young Physicists Tournament 2022 - results!

If it wasn't international travel issues or the plague, it was midwestern weather.  Nevertheless, the USIYPT happened this year, hosted by The Science House at NC State University. 

Despite the craziness in the world, this year's event still felt like a Young Physicists Tournament.  A diverse group of professional jurors watched physics fights.  Dr. Rongmon Bordoloi of NC State delivered a keynote address about his work on galaxy evolution using the James Webb telescope.  Student teams competed in preliminary and final rounds.  We talked about physics at a level where I can barely keep up (but the students could!).

A "Young Physicists Tournament" is no science fair.  Students present their work on four common problems (see below).  But, that's not the end of it - students from another school are appointed to lead a discussion about each presentation.  That's the heart and soul of the "physics fight:" two students from different parts of the world demonstrating their understanding through collegial conversation about their research.  This is a tournament in name and in that we award medals; but the better descriptor of the actual event would be to call it a scientific conference.

This year's problems asked students to:

• Measure their longitude using technology available before 1760
• Investigate the onset of turbulence in a French press coffee maker
• Derive and test an equation for the force between spherical magnets
• Explain the unusual properties of the "chain fountain"

Medals awarded include:

The Champions were the Nueva School of San Mateo, California.

Second place was awarded to Cary Academy of Cary, North Carolina.

The Clifford Swartz Medal, this year for the best performance in the final rounds, was awarded to Phillips Andover Academy of Andover, Massachuttses.

All the schools above, and Woodberry Forest School of Woodberry Forest, VA, were awarded the Bibilashvili Medal for excellence in physics.

In a unique event this year, teams whose physical attendance was not possible sent in posters of their work.  The poster session was juried by students from participating teams.  The student captains from each team conclaved with the Problem Master, and made a recommendation of the winning poster.  The Harker School of San Jose, California, were declared poster session champion, and earned a Bibilashvili Medal.

Most importantly, this tournament is about building relationships within a kind community of physicists.  Jurors spent time with other jurors, at and outside the tournament.  Students met other students like them who love physics, and also are interesting people beyond the confines of the tournament rounds.  Faculty from the participating schools collaborated with jurors and with other team leaders.  The people involved with the tournament become friends as well as colleagues.  And I can't wait to see my friends, old and new, again in 2023.

Oh, yeah: the 2023 US Invitational Young Physicists Tournament will be held on February 4-5 at the Nueva School in San Mateo, California.  Problems to be solved involve modeling how tuning forks work, investigating transmission of light through semi-transparent materials, the electrostatic pendulum, and investigating how and why the speed of sound depends on temperature.

If you'd like to attend, either as a juror, or with a team of your own, contact me!  I'm (for one more year) the president of the sponsoring organization.  I'd love to talk you through this unique and exciting event.  

(Here is the link to all participating schools and championships in the 15 year history of the tournament.)