The International Physicist Tournament
Presentation of the IPT (english and italian)
I particularly enjoyed participating in the International Physicist Tournament (IPT) during my M.Sc. at the ENS. It is an incredible experience to learn research & communication skills. During one year, I worked in a team on several physics projects, before defending our solution during the tournament.
Enthusiast, I created the first Italian team at the Politecnico di Milano, coaching the students and bringing them to Göteborg for the international competition (see video).
Back in France, during my PhD, I coached the French team at the ENS.
A list of 17 problems is created every year for the IPT. In April, all teams gather to compare their solutions! During this week, you and your team will take part in several rounds of so-called Physics Fights. During each Physics Fight, 3 teams confront each other. Fight after fight, they play the roles of Reporter, Opponent, and Reviewer.
The Reporter has 10 minutes to expose his solution to a problem. Then, he/she has to defend his answer and points of view during the following discussions. The Opponent has to explain in 5 minutes the weaknesses and eventual errors of the Reporter's solution. The Opponent then participates in the discussion to improve the Reporter's solution. The Reviewer will review both the Reporter and the Opponent performances. His role is to help the jury decide their marks by pointing out the progresses made during the discussions.
The performance of the teams is judged by an experienced jury, and the 3 best teams get into the final! Unlike a typical physics exam, the problems must not only be presented, but also challenged and reviewed by the other participants.