IYPT Australia

The principal aim of the competition was to foster scientific research and improved international communication in Physics. To facilitate this the tournament is based on problems requiring extensive research, presentation in English and highly developed debating and communicating skills. The target audience of high school students meant that it is also a vehicle for generating interest in science and engineering careers.

“The International Young Physicists’ Tournament (IYPT) is a competition among teams of secondary school students in their ability to solve complicated scientific problems, to present solutions to these problems in a convincing form and to defend them in scientific discussions, called Physics Fights (PF)” [from the Regulations of the International Young Physicists’ Tournament]

The specific features that characterise the IYPT and make it a unique competition for high school physics students:
• The problems are of a complex character
• Team work is an integral part of the event
• Teams research the problems for many months
• Public presentation of the results
• Interpersonal discussion (defending of own solution)
• Equal achievements of both boys and girls

Participation in the IYPT develops following skills
• Ability to use scientific methods and tools for solving complex problems
• Ability to work in a team
• Communication skills (human interactions)
• Adaptation to an international environment
• Leadership skills (every team is headed by a captain)

ORGANISATION OF THE IYPT:

The structure of the organization of the IYPT has developed with two distinct levels:
• The International Organising Committee (IOC) and
• the Local Organising Committee (LOC)

The International Organising Committee (IOC) is composed of a representative of each participating country. The IOC meets twice a year during the Preparatory Seminar (in October) and at the IYPT (in May - July). It is a policy forming organization and it leaves the financial requirements to the individual countries and the Local Organising Committee of each separate IYPT.
The IOC formulates the problems for the IYPT, establishes and changes the Regulations as required. The members also elect the President of the IOC, the Secretary General of the IOC and two members of the Executive Committee. They also select the host country for the IYPT of the following year. The executive committee acts to coordinate the actions of the LOC and IOC and manage the day-to-day affairs as necessary.

The current Executive Committee (2009) is:
• President of the IYPT - Alan Allinson (Australia)
Head of the Brisbane Girls Grammar School Centre for Science Research, E-mail: allinson@iyptaustralia.org

• Secretary General - Martin Plesch (Slovakia)

• Treasurer - John Balcombe (UK)

• Chairpersons of the LOC:
- Kreso Zadro (Croatia) – IYPT 2008
- Li ChuanYong (China) – IYPT 2009
- Paul Haines (New Zealand) – IYPT 2010

• Two Members elected by the IOC
- Rudolf Lehn (Germany)
- Brigitte Pagana-Hammer (Austria)

The Local Organising Committee (LOC) organises the IYPT and the IOC meetings that immediately follow the event. It is the responsibility of the LOC to raise the funds necessary to stage the IYPT.

Previous IYPTs:

Proposed IYPTs: