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The final of the 29th edition of the French Physics Olympiad

Science and society Article published on 01 February 2022 , Updated on 04 February 2022

On 28 and 29 January 2022, Université Paris-Saclay hosted the final of the national French Physics Olympiad. The 29th edition of the competition was sponsored by Sylvie Retailleau, President of Université Paris-Saclay and Professor of Physics.

The French Physics Olympiads are organised annually by the French Physics Society (SFP) and the French Union of Physics and Chemistry Teachers (UdPPC),

For the event’s 2022 edition, 23 teams of secondary school students, who had been previously selected during inter-academic trials, presented their experimental projects to the jury, having prepared them throughout the year with the support of their teachers and often with the advice and guidance of laboratories. Over 100 secondary school students from across France and their teachers came to the final, which took place at the University’s building for Physics, H-Bar, on the plateau de Moulon.

On Friday, the teams presented their work to the jury and the day finished with a conference on ‘Are Diamonds Eternal?’, given by Brigitte Pansu, Professor at Université Paris-Saclay and researcher at the Laboratory of Solid-State Physics (LPS - CNRS/Univ. Paris-Saclay) and Pierre Pansu, Professor at Université Paris-Saclay and head of the Mathematics Graduate School.

On Saturday, the teams presented their work on stands as part of a public exhibition and Sylvie Retailleau, President of Université Paris-Saclay, Professor of Physics and the event’s patron, gave a conference on 'The Wonderful History of Nanoelectronics'.

None of the teams in the final went home empty-handed: half of them were awarded the third prize, a quarter the second prize and the final quarter the first prize. All of the students and teachers were given books and journals and each student received a certificate confirming their participation in the national competition. Science trips for the Olympiad winners will be planned by prestigious laboratories.

The winning teams’ schools will also be provided with scientific material from the event’s partners.

 

About the French Physics Olympiad

The French Physics Olympiad was launched in 1992 by the French Physics Society (SFP) and the French Union of Physics and Chemistry Teachers (UdPPC), and is supported by numerous scientists, including the Physics Nobel Prize winners Claude Cohen-Tannoudji, Albert Fert and Serge Haroche. With an average of over 200 secondary school students competing in teams, the Olympiad aims to encourage young people to develop an interest in physical sciences and give them a taste for research. The competition is a fun and creative way to promote scientific projects through experimental projects and to encourage students to pursue science in higher education.

Students are free to choose their research subject, with just one condition: they must carry out experiments which involve physics. The only limit is their imagination, inspired by the advice of their teachers and contacts in research laboratories.

The objectives of the competition

  • Increase the awareness of secondary school students about physics and science activities in general by involving them in scientific thinking and experimentation

  • Help young people to develop their taste for research, sense of initiative and team spirit, whilst building their confidence to communicate and debate with others

  • Promote sciences and technology to the public