Apurba De, 17, devotes at least four hours every day poring through his physics books reviewing gravitation, optics, kinematics, thermodynamics, quantum mechanics and other interdisciplinary fields as he and four other students from the UAE are in the thick of preparation for the International Physics Olympiad (IPhO) happening from July 16-24 in Yogyakarta, Indonesia.

The IPhO is an annual international physics competition for secondary school students coming from around 90 countries aimed at enhancing the level of physics in school education and identifying future scientists.

"IPhO is a very tough competition," Apurba told Khaleej Times. "It is an international level competition where talented students from different countries come and prove their interest and knowledge in field of physics," added Apurba, who received a special mention award in the Asia Physics Olympiad held recently in Yakutsk, Russia.

Apurba, who wants to study Applied Physics at an Ivy League university, aims to win at least a bronze medal in the upcoming IPhO. "I started preparing for the olympiad by completely devoting four hours from my regular studies. Olympiad questions are 'high order thinking,' meaning the concepts are to be applied practically, so practice is a must and one must read in wide perspective," he said.

"I'm both excited and nervous. To participate in an international event and getting opportunity to represent a country is a big responsibility and achievement," he added.

Apurba's parents said: "It would be a major achievement if he is able to win a medal as it will catapult his prospects in getting admission into an Ivy League college."

Aside from Apurba, the other students who will represent the UAE at IPhO are: Ashwin Sudheer, 16, from Our Own English High School, Sharjah; Devanshee Mishra, 17, Sunrise English Private School, Abu Dhabi; Dhruv Sandeep Jain, 17, Indian High School, Dubai; and Shivangi Jha, 17, Indian High School, Dubai.

All five students were shortlisted by the International Olympiad Foundation (IOF), the only authorised body in the UAE that screens students for international olympiads in Science, Mathematics, English and Informatics.

"We (IOF) have a very critical and strict variety of exams in different stages such as the preliminary qualifier and the final qualifier and only then the finest of the students emerge. These students would then be put under strenuous training and sent to the international olympiad," Puneet, advisor to IOF, told Khaleej Times.

Early this year, Kaoushik Murugan, a student from Delhi Private School-Dubai, grabbed bronze medal at the International Junior Science Olympiad held in Bali, Indonesia.

Source: Khaleej Times