L’X hosts the 15th International Physicists’Tournament
The Physics Department of École Polytechnique, in collaboration with the French Society of Physics (SFP), organized the International Physicists' Tournament (IPT) on campus from April 23rd to 29th.
The event brought together 18 teams of six students from recognized French and international higher education and research institutions in the field of physics.
The team from École Polytechnique, who came in fifth place, was composed of three female students and three male students, all in their second year of engineering studies: Léa Bohbot, Martin Chatel, Matthieu Couturier, Zayneb El Omari El Alaoui, Marine Le Chatelier, and Hugo Schreckenberg. They worked for eight months under the supervision of their mentors, Hector Abel, a PhD student, and Aymerich Gaspard (X18).
"This was the highlight of our year-long work. Being part of a cohesive team, becoming aware of our strengths and weaknesses, and finally being pitted against all the other participants - all of this constitutes a unique experience," explains Martin Chatel, the team captain.
COLLABORATION AND COMPETITION
During the tournament, participants debate an open-ended question that they have studied before the competition. Seventeen problems inspired by daily life were submitted to the expertise of each team. Among the challenges submitted to their acumen: Why is it possible to prevent liquid honey from flowing by simply turning the spoon on its longitudinal axis? What physical parameters allow a Pringles chip crown to be made without glue or any other elements? Or under what conditions do two soap bubbles that collide merge or bounce?
The teams must answer these questions with a strong experimental component, question an existing theory, and work autonomously.
"The Tournament aims to be both a playful time around physics and a training for research careers adapted to students. Allowing them to understand a researcher's life based on collaborative work and emulation," emphasizes Guilhem Gallot, a professor researcher at the Laboratory of Optics and Biosciences (LOB) at École Polytechnique and vice-president of the Tournament.
Guilhem Gallot is one of the main organizers of this edition along with Arnaud Raoux, the national IPT referent, and Thibault Fredon, vice-president of SFP/IAPS (International Association of Physics Students).
The tournament is organized around "Physics Fights". During these verbal jousts, three teams take on different roles. Students take turns presenting their results, constructively criticizing the work of the other group, and moderating the debates. At the end of this scientific marathon, a jury of researchers scores the three performances.
The teams from the University of Warsaw and ENS Lyon won this 15th edition jointly. "I've never seen such a result [in the tournament], we worked hard before and during the competition," said Jakub Trzaska, captain of the Polish team, also paying tribute to his comrades from ENS Lyon.
The 15th edition of the IPT, chaired by Anastasiia Vasylchenkova, brought together participants from, among others, Denmark, Canada, the United States, Brazil, and Sweden. Ukraine and Russia, the originators of the competition, also competed, the former under their colors, the latter under the neutral IPT Team banner.