Physics Students at the International Physicists’ Tournament

In April, 2024, two of our talented physics students, Matthew Maxim and Kudzai Musarandega,  participated in the International Physicists’ Tournament (IPT),  which is a research-based competition for undergraduate and master’s students. Participants are tasked with developing theoretical frameworks and investigating a diverse set of open-ended scientific problems. Following the national selection in December 2024, Matthew and Kudzai from our UArizona team were chosen to join the Oklahoma State University team in representing the U.S. at the tournament held in Zurich, Switzerland. The experience was filled with enriching activities, from touring the CERN facilities in Geneva and taking a scenic train ride to Zurich, to interacting with students, faculty, and researchers from around the globe. We also gained insights into unique problem-solving approaches.

 

Our team performed impressively, maintaining a position within the top three for the first three rounds. Ultimately, we finished the competition in 6th place out of 21 participating countries. This achievement marks the highest ranking a U.S. team has attained in a standard IPT to date. Beyond the unique experience, the IPT has provided our students with an opportunity to learn and practice the fundamentals of conducting world-class research. As we reflect on our practices, we eagerly anticipate the release of the 2025 IPT prompts in September, marking the beginning of another journey towards the national selections in December and the tournament in Warsaw, Poland, next year. We would like to extend the team's deepest gratitude to the Physics Department, and our donor Charles Lyons for their support. We invite interested donors to contribute here, please type "IPT UArizona" for the "I would like to support..." option.