Press Release

(Hong Kong – 12 June 2012) To enhance the interests and develop the talents of students in Physics, the 10th Hong Kong Physics Olympiad (HKPhO), which attracted around 1,200 students from more than 100 schools to participate, was successfully held.

80 outstanding contestants at the HKPhO will attend the one-year training programmes in Physics, organised by the HKAGE and commissioned to the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST). The students outperformed in the training programmes will be selected to represent Hong Kong to take part in the International Physics Olympiad (IPhO) in July 2013.

The success of this year’s HKPhO marked the attainment of excellent collaboration among the co-organisers including the HKAGE, Education Bureau (EDB), HKUST, Physical Society of Hong Kong and Hong Kong Physics Olympiad Committee. The HKPhO aims at providing students with various learning opportunities in Physics. The contest is divided into junior (S4 or below) and senior (S5) level. It requires students to finish the written test with multiple-choice and open-ended questions in three hours. Each level presented awards of Champion, First Runner-Up, Second Runner-up, First Honour, Second Honour, Third Honour and Best School Award, while Honourable mentions were also presented to some junior level contestants, so as to complement students on their hard work and persistence in Physics.

Winners of HKPhO

This year, HKPhO was held in March at HKUST and the prize presentation ceremony has been held recently. For junior level, the Champion was Ng Kwok Ching Arnold from St. Paul’s Co-educational College, while the First Runner-up and Second Runner-up was Cheng Ho Ching Justin from Queen’s College and Li Kin Hei from Fukien Secondary School respectively. For senior level, there were two Champions, namely Lai Ting Hei Adrian from St. Paul’s Co-educational College and Wong Yiu Man from Queen Elizabeth School, while the Second Runner-up was Shing Ming Tony from Wong Shiu Chi Secondary School. The Champions, First Runner-ups and Second Runner-ups are also student members of the HKAGE. The schools that achieved the highest score among the awardees of the Best School Award of junior and senior level were St. Paul’s Co-educational College and La Salle College respectively.

Encouragement to Contestants

In the ceremony, Dr Stephen Tommis, Executive Director of the HKAGE, congratulated the awardees. He also quoted the achievements of Galileo Galilei, a well-known Physicist, to encourage students to be imaginative and creative and analyse things in different angles. Mr Chan Pui Tin, Chief Curriculum Development Officer, Gifted Education Section, Curriculum Development Institute, EDB, expressed his gratitude to the organising partners, especially to teachers who helped to set questions that lead students to have a deep thinking in Physics. Professor Xie Mao Hai, President of the Physical Society of Hong Kong, also encouraged students to pursue their career in Physics as it would be nice if one could work for his/her interest.

HKPhO’s Inspiration to Contestants

The Champion of junior level, Arnold Ng said Physics could explain how things operated and interacted so this was why he loved Physics. He liked applying Physics theories to investigate things happening around, “I am curious about why we don’t feel the pain when rain drops on our body. Then I used what I learnt from Physics to study about the relationship between the speed, size of the raindrops and gravity”. He hoped to learn more in-depth knowledge in Physics throughout the forthcoming training programmes. The First Runner-up Justin Cheng, who is also the gold medalist of International Junior Science Olympiad, said he participated in HKPhO not only because he liked Physics but also because he wanted to know the standard he reached and learnt about others’ abilities. He said he developed interests in Physics and computer technology due to the influence of his father, who was a teacher.

The Champion of senior level, Adrian Lai, said he joined the competition to test his skills and understanding of physics by tackling challenging questions, “My ability to deal with new situations and my problem-solving skills improved because in the contest I had to solve problems that were never encountered in school.” He also shared his  learning experience, “I try to appreciate the beauty of  each subject. The beauty of a subject lies in its applicability to our daily lives and its ability to describe vague concepts which we can hardly experience. Appreciating the beauty of something arouses one’s interest in that aspect, and this is what has sparked my interest in different subjects.” The Second Runner-up of senior level, Tony Shing liked to read books of university level to enhance his knowledge. He said the contest enriched his knowledge and enhanced his techniques in competitions and confidence.

Flag Presentation to Hong Kong Team of IPhO 2012

In the ceremony, a flag presentation was arranged to cheer up Hong Kong Team who would take part in the 43rd IPhO in Estonia in July. The trip is funded by the EDB with the aim of nurturing talents.

Involvement of local universities also contributes to the success of HKPhO and the remarkable results in various cross-regional Physics Olympiads. Professor Yang Zhi Yu, Chairman of Hong Kong Physics Olympiad Committee and Professor of Physics Department at HKUST, delivered an address at the ceremony to encourage the Hong Kong Team and awardees. He said the first HKPhO was held when Hong Kong was affected by the outbreak of SARS. What made them persist till today was the mission that brought Physics into students’ lives. He said HKUST contributed a lot to the development of the Physics Olympiad in Hong Kong. He also stated that the Hong Kong Team has produced excellent achievements in various international competitions in Physics. The members did not necessarily come from traditional elite schools and many came from the non-traditional elite schools instead. Thus, he encouraged students to continue to work hard and take up challenges.

The students representing Hong Kong at the forthcoming IPhO include Chan Cheuk Lun from La Salle College, Fung Tsz Chai from Po Leung Kuk Centenary Li Shiu Chung Memorial College, Lai Kwun Hang from Shatin Pui Ying College, Lam Ho Tat from Pui Shing Catholic Secondary School and Lo Hei Chun from Chan Sui Ki (La Salle) College. They said they were confident in getting awards but they treasured more about the learning process and experience in the Olympiad than winning medals.

The Champion of junior level, Arnold Ng (3rd from right) and other outstanding contestants in the HKPhO received the commendation from Prof Yang Zhi Yu.	The Champion of senior level, Adrian Lai (left) thought it was important to recognise the beauty of subjects studied. In the prize presentation ceremony, he received the commendation from Dr Tommis.
The guests cheered up Hong Kong Team who would take part in the forthcoming IPhO.