A team of young British physicists has triumphed at the latest International Olympiad on Astronomy and Astrophysics, held in Katowice, Poland.
The UK team, sponsored by G-Research, managed five gold medals in total, resulting in a first place finish out of 50 countries represented and one of the UK’s best ever performances at a Science Olympiad.
Dr Alex Calverley, Chair of the British Astronomy and Astrophysics Olympiad (BAAO), said:
“To get more than one gold medal is already pretty special, but to get a clean sweep is just on another level and has only been achieved a handful of times by any country in this competition’s history.
“All the congratulations go to the students for their hard work and dedication as well as to their team leaders who have worked tirelessly to train them into world-class astronomers. We are very hopeful that this “Golden Generation” can inspire the next young astronomers to follow in their footsteps and maintain the UK’s position as a leader in this field on the global stage.
“We are so grateful to G-Research for sponsoring all the training camps and travel costs for the students, and we hope that everyone connected with the team and the Olympiad this year enjoyed celebrating these truly historic results.”
Mr Robin Hughes, Chair of the British Physics Olympiad (BPhO), said:
“To achieve these medals is the culmination of an exceptional team effort from students, trainers, teachers and the support of our sponsor, G-Research.
“We are delighted by the results and hope that this spurs on younger students to develop their talents in physics and astrophysics.”
Christoph Bergemann, Head of Research at G-Research, said:
“We’re incredibly proud of all the participants and the small role we’ve played in supporting their journey to Poland, and to the top of the medal table.
“At G-Research, we recognise the importance of the International Science and Maths Olympiads. We count a number of former Olympiad competitors in our ranks, so we can vouch for the hard work and dedication required to get there and compete. Well done to all participants!”
G-Research and the British Physics Olympiad (BPhO)
G-Research is principal sponsor of the BPhO and with that, we want to help inspire the next generation of students to explore the beauty of physics.
Our sponsorship and support will enable BPhO to expand its work, reach more students and provide more schools with free access to its papers.
In addition, BPhO have utilised some of the talent from within G-Research to support in its student and teacher training camps, as well as G-Research’s premises to host events and workshops.