Assistant Professor Yang Bo addressing the students at the opening of the NTU Physics Challenge 2023. Photo credit: Li Ziqi.
In the heart of Nanyang Technological University, the School of Physical and Mathematical Sciences (SPMS) hosted the NTU Physics Challenge on 22 July 2023. At this event, 184 students from various junior colleges in Singapore took part in a challenging physics quiz, and attended lectures about advanced topics in physics.
The NTU Physics Challenge commenced with a physics test, based on problems set by physics faculty from SPMS. The test questions were designed to fall within the A-Level syllabus, while pushing the envelope of students’ understanding of physics concepts.
Participants scoring in the top 20% won book prizes. In addition, five high-scoring students – Shanay Jindal (NUS High), Tan E-Jie (NUS High), Tiange Xu (Hwa Chong), Timothy Koo (Hwa Chong), and Katelyn Teoh (Eunoia JC) – scored an invitation to the Global Young Scientists Summit, a prestigious symposium hosted by Singapore’s National Research Foundation and featuring Nobel Laureates and Fields Medalists, in January 2024.
In the afternoon programme, the students attended a variety of physics lectures by SPMS faculty members. Associate Professor Elbert Chia gave a lecture about counter-intuitive physical phenomena that can be understood using the knowledge of mechanics taught in A-Level physics. He was followed by Nanyang Assistant Professor Gu Mile, who gave a lecture on quantum theory, and Associate Professor Cheong Siew Ann, who explained the use of physics principles to model human societies. Finally, Dr Leek Meng Lee spoke about the physics of black holes and gravitation, and whether they were accurately portrayed in the movie “Interstellar”.
Assistant Professor Yang Bo, who chaired the organising committee for the NTU Physics Challenge, saw the event as a great success. “We wanted this event to not only be an academic competition, but a platform for students to explore the boundless possibilities of physics, and fostering a love for learning and discovery. Hopefully, the students attending the Physics Challenge will have caught a glimpse of the interesting topics covered in university-level physics.”
This year’s NTU Physics Challenge is the revival of an earlier event known as the Nanyang Concept Test, after a nearly decade-long hiatus. The event was made possible through the support of the Global Young Scientists Summit and the National Research Foundation. The organising committee consisted of Assistant Professor Yang Bo, Associate Professor Cheong Siew Ann, and Senior Lecturer Leek Meng Lee. Moving forward, SPMS intends to hold the NTU Physics Challenge annually.