When Joe Novelli (pictured) was encouraged by his physics teacher at Stanborough School in Welwyn Garden City to apply for the Senior Physics Challenge, an intensive four-day residential at Cambridge University, he didn’t know what to expect.

“I was unsure about the other students who’d be coming, whether I’d get on with them, and what they’d be like – but the other guys are all very cool,” he said, looking round the first year practical lab at the Cavendish Laboratory where heads are bent in concentration over the afternoon’s experimental assignment.

Joe, who’s 17 and especially keen on “stars and astronomy stuff”, is thinking about applying to Cambridge to study Natural Sciences. He was one of 66 pupils from almost as many schools and colleges around the country who took part in last week’s Senior Physics Challenge.

Now in its fifth year, the Senior Physics Challenge, which is free to participants, aims to introduce lower sixth formers to university-level physics, encourage them to think beyond the school curriculum, and consider taking their interest in physics beyond A-level.

“The idea is to put the maths back into the physics they’re studying at school and to give them a taste of the excitement of physics – and an inking of the career choices it opens up,” said Dr Anson Cheung, who organises the project in partnership with Dr Lisa Jardine-Wright, the Cavendish Outreach Officer.

In an adjoining lab, Freddie Barker, a student at King's College in Taunton, Somerset, and Charlotte Feather, a pupil at Bradford Girls Grammar School in Yorkshire, were among pairs of students doing an experiment involving laser diffraction – an exercise that encouraged them to think about the wave nature of light.

“My sixth form is relatively small and there are only four of us doing physics A-level – and I’m the only one who’s thinking of studying physics at university - so it’s easy to feel a bit isolated. Coming here is a great chance to meet people with similar interests,” said Charlotte.

“People think physics has no soul and that it’s an impossibly hard subject – but I find it so exciting as it’s all around us and the basis of everything we know. Physics really is the language of the universe and to study physics involves using your imagination,” said Freddie.

Participants in the scheme stay at a range of Cambridge colleges and each night have dinner at a different college. Last week’s group stayed at Corpus Christi, Christ’s, Churchill, Fitzwilliam, Newnham, Robinson and Trinity.

“We work students hard but they have lots of fun too. We’re thrilled by the response from the schools with increasing numbers of them applying for places each year,” said Dr Cheung.

 

 

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Licence. If you use this content on your site please link back to this page.