Alex’s Gold Secures Chance of International Selection

The physics department couldn’t be any prouder of its pupils this term. From achieving 24 medals in Round 1 of the British Physics Olympiad (BPhO) including two prestigious Top Golds to our Intermediate Physics Challenge competitors in Fourth and Fifth Year receiving a further 23 medals, it has undoubtedly been another very successful term. To top it all off, Alex M in the Upper Sixth was invited to take part in both Round Two of the BPhO, a would-be gruelling experience for any undergraduate student let alone an A Level candidate, as well as the British Astronomy and Astrophysics Olympiad (BAAO). Alex went on to score Golds, the highest award, in both of these competitions placing him among the top 24 physics students and the top 12 astronomy students nationally – an outstanding achievement. This week, we heard back from the University of Oxford, who run the Physics Olympiad programme, confirming that Alex had made it through to the select few places on the Easter training camp at Jesus College (Oxford) which prepares students for the international(!) Physics and Astronomy Olympiads. From the training camp’s cohort of around twenty students drawn from across the UK, Alex could be picked to represent the UK at either the IPhO, held in Tokyo, or the IAAO, the astronomy equivalent held in Poland!