Daily Local News (West Chester, PA)
Students secure spot on tournament team
Four from Chester County will represent the United States during the competition in July
DOWNINGTOWN >> Several local students earned a spot on the United States International Young Physicists Tournament team because of their ability to solve problems.
Three Chester County high school teams competed against teams from across the United States to solve challenges at the United States IYPT Selection Competition in April, hosted by the Chester County Intermediate Unit (CCIU). Anna Cassidy and Emily Solomon from Octorara Senior High School, and Conor Robert McQuiston from Phoenixville Area High School secured a spot on the International Young Physicists Tournament (IYPT) team and Matthew Poppellwell from Coatesville Area Senior High School will be an alternate.
Gerard Jennings, a teacher from Phoenixville Area High School and co-founder of the United States selection competition, explained that IYPT is a team-oriented, international competition between secondary school students.
“The competition is a transformational student experience, providing students with the opportunity to represent the United States and compete on an international stage,” Jennings said. “These students get to say that they represented the U.S. and helped build something that could legitimately revolutionize and reinvigorate physics in this country. We’re really behind other countries in physics, and this could help change that. It’s a way to give students learning opportunities, but also to build better teachers.”
Chester County students Cassidy, Solomon, McQuiston and Poppellwell will be joined on the U.S. team by Seojin (Skylar) Jung from Torrey Pines High School in California and Japnidh Thakral from Dougherty Valley High School in California. The highlight of the competition for Octorara Senior High School student Natalie Mowrey was competing with schools from across the country.
“I’ve really enjoyed being able to work together with the schools to help solve the problems,” Mowrey said. “There is really no pressure because we are all just trying to help each other out in the end.”
The competition last month at the CCIU had teams compete as presenters, opposers and reviewers. Presenting teams shared their solution and supporting research to solve one of 17 problems created by IYPT. Opposers observed and listened carefully for any flaws in the presenter’s conclusions, formulated a challenge and interrogated the presenters at the end of their delivery. Reviewers then evaluated the presenters and opposers. All the while, a team of qualified industry experts judged the students on their presentation skills and the science that went into developing their arguments. Teams cycled roles throughout the day, and after 12 stages of competition, judges announced the advancing students. Judge Andrew Mangabat was impressed with the stu-
dents’ level of knowledge, and noted that collaborating as an all-star American team “will only increase their capabilities and allow them to excel even beyond what they have presented here.”
The annual IYPT Tournament, also known as the “Physics World Cup,” began in 1988 and is one of the world’s largest and most prestigious international physics contests, boasting teams from nations and regions around the world. A cross between a thesis defense and the Olympics, according to event organizers, the IYPT engages teams in debates about their solutions to experiment-based research problems. This
year, 32 teams will compete, including teams from New Zealand, Nigeria, Pakistan, China, Russia and Brazil.
For more information about the International Young Physicists Tournament Selection Competition, contact Mary Driscoll, program development specialist, at MaryDr@cciu.org or 484-237-5137.