On Saturday, March 8th, more than 400 students and 50 physics teachers from all over BC came to UBC to take part in 36th UBC Physics Olympics: 55 teams participated in the event with the teams ranged from 4 to 25 students. The teams came from all over BC – Terrace, Prince George, Penticton, Mission, Lower Mainland and Vancouver Island. The Olympics included 6 different science events and every team had a chance to win medals. The team that showed the best scores overall, received a trophy.
This year it was a Secondary School from Penticton, whose physics teacher, Mr. Bruce Gowe is also a Canadian Association of Physicists medal winner for excellence in High School Physics Teaching (see photo above). This year many girls participated in the event! Dr. Marina Milner-Bolotin was one of the event organizers. She also conducted a workshop for secondary physics teachers attended by 26 people.
We hope that this event will bring more excellent physics teachers into our graduate programs. This event is a collaboration between the Faculty of Science (Department of Physics and Astronomy) and the Faculty of Education (Department of Curriculum and Pedagogy) and it is supported by the EDCP Rex Boughton Fund.
Feedback from teachers:
Hi Marina,
Thanks for your organization this weekend. It was a well run event (as it has been for a while).
-David Riendl, UBC M.Ed. graduate, physics teachers York House School.
Hi Marina,
I just wanted to thank you and the whole team of people which made the Physics Olympics possible. Our students really enjoyed it. Thank you for arranging the tours for our students as well.
-Mike, a physics teacher from Prince George
Hi Marina,
And thanks again for a truly engaging and inspiring physics Olympics!
-Adam (UBC, B.Ed 2013, physics teacher at Howe Sound secondary school).