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| 2005 Media release |
South Africa's wannabee Einsteins writing entry exam for first-ever SA Physics Olympiad
18 May 2005
A group of 189 South African wannabee Einsteins will write the first round of the country's first-ever Physics Olympiad on Wednesday 18 May, 2005.
"With a combined bursary prize of R42 500 for tertiary studies, we believe the Physics Olympiad will set the scene to establish this as an annual event," says project leader Case Rijsdijk.
The Olympiad forms part of the Department of Science and Technology's support for the UN's International Year of Physics campaign to prove to particularly the youth that physics is an everyday part of life - under the slogan 'It's Your Physics'.
"From the some 15 000 entries for the annual ISPAT-ISCOR South African Science Olympiad, 189 grade 12 learners with an aptitude for physics have been selected to write the first round.
"After evaluating the results, 10 candidates will be selected to attend a Physics Olympiad camp in Cape Town from 10 to 16 July 2005. Here they will be coached by members of the University of Cape Town's physics department. They will then complete a three-hour theoretical exam and a three-hour practical exam. Part of the camp includes a visit to the Southern African Large Telescope (SALT) in Sutherland, which will be officially opened towards the end of the year. "
The results of these two Physics Olympiad exams will culminate in the awarding of two gold, three silver and five bronze awards for tertiary study at a South African university of the holder's choice, at an awards dinner on Saturday, 16 July 2005 in Cape Town.
Rijsdijk says the awarding of these bursaries by the Department of Science and Technology must be applauded and the assistance of the South African Agency for Science and Technology Advancement, SAASTA, in implementing the Physics Olympiad is much appreciated.
"The department is certainly putting its money where its mouth is in addressing the shortage of physicists in the country by creating a conducive environment for further studies in this field. We trust that the private sector will follow suit and help build this Olympiad to international dimensions. The aim is to eventually participate in the annual International Physics Olympiad, " says Rijsdijk.
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