Highlights from e-EPS: Physics league… for kick-ass students

e-EPS News is an addition to the CERN Bulletin line-up, showcasing articles from e-EPS – the European Physical Society newsletter – as part of a collaboration between the two publications.

The International Association of Physics Students (IAPS), the Dutch umbrella organisation for physics study associations (SPIN) and the physics students association in Utrecht (A–Eskwadraat) have launched a new contest challenging physics undergraduate students. The first edition of the Physics League Across Numerous Countries for Kick-ass Students (PLANCKS) will be organised in April 2014 in Utrecht, the Netherlands.

The competition focuses on theoretical physics problems to be solved by participating teams. Some sample exercises are already available on the PLANCKS website.

The goal of the competition is to increase the international collaboration, social activities and personal development of individual contestants. By bringing together physics students from different parts of the world, a setting to exchange ideas and experiences in a challenging environment will be created.

Students who want to participate must form a team of four people from the same country. A national competition will have to be organised to select the best three teams per country. The PLANCKS organisers encourage universities, national learned societies and national student associations to organise the selection and to disseminate the contest.

More information is available on the PLANCKS website.

by Bénédicte Huchet