Six Physics Talents Shine at the Regional Competition
Six budding physics talents from regional grammar schools qualified in January for the German Physics Championship through the regional competition of the German Young Physicists’ Tournament (GYPT).
from left: Benjamin Graf (Hochfranken Grammar School, Naila), Viktoria Stülpnagel (Fränkische Schweiz Grammar School, Ebermannstadt), Magnus Bieswanger (Pegnitz Grammar School), Luan Janal, Daniil Shuigin (both Graf-Münster Grammar School, Bayreuth), Elisa Schöps (Münchberg Grammar School), and Professor Walter Zimmermann (competition organiser).
On 18 January 2025, six secondary school students from Upper Franconia achieved outstanding results with their school research projects at the GYPT regional competition held at the University of Bayreuth, earning their places in the German Physics Championship. The national championship will take place from 7–9 March at the Physics Centre of the German Physical Society in Bad Honnef, a venue renowned for hosting top-tier scientific conferences.
GYPT is a team competition. Team “Under Pressure,” featuring Benjamin Graf (Hochfranken Grammar School, Naila), Sofia Felk, and Daniil Shuigin (both Graf-Münster Grammar School, Bayreuth), won the gold medal. Team “Undefined,” with Magnus Bieswanger (Pegnitz Grammar School) and Luan Janal (Graf-Münster Grammar School, Bayreuth), secured the silver medal, while team “Die π-loten” (The π-lots), with Elisa Schöps (Münchberg Grammar School) and Anja Thiem (Fränkische Schweiz Grammar School, Ebermannstadt), claimed bronze.
“Some participants in the field show potential to reach the national top,” said long-time organiser Professor Walter Zimmermann. The minimum age for the national competition is 14, but Zimmermann noted that the regional competition allows for more flexibility: “We even had a remarkable case of a 12-year-old boy from Bogen in Lower Bavaria participating for the first time. Overall, we had a very young group of participants, and with more competition experience in the coming years, they will only get better.”
Each year from August onwards, GYPT participants select one of 17 challenging physics problems, set in English and announced globally for the International Young Physicists’ Tournament (IYPT). Approaches to these problems vary, just like in scientific research, combining experimental and theoretical investigations. At the regional competition on 18 January, held at the TAO Student Research Centre at the University of Bayreuth, participants presented their measurements and findings in English. They faced critical questions from other competitors and a distinguished expert jury, just like at a scientific conference. The jury evaluated the participants’ presentations and their ability to discuss another participant's presentation, ultimately selecting six students to compete in the German Physics Championship.
Dripping Faucet and Water Bottle Rocket
Benjamin Graf from Naila Grammar School made an impressive analysis of a dripping tap using simple tools and a high-resolution camera borrowed from his church. He convincingly explained the physics behind the phenomenon, showing how droplet patterns depend on the flow rate, or the degree of the tap’s leakiness. He also demonstrated how droplets detach periodically, quasi-periodically, or even chaotically, depending on the flow rate.
Elisa Schöps excelled with her research on the water bottle rocket. In this experiment, air is pumped into an upside-down plastic bottle partially filled with water through a small hole in the cap until the cap is blown off, propelling the bottle into the air. Elisa combined her experimental observations with classical physics principles to provide an impressive explanation of the phenomenon.
The TAO Student Research Centre at the University of Bayreuth, which also serves as a GYPT centre, has been discovering and fostering young talents in collaboration with schools and teachers for many years.
The Technology Alliance of Upper Franconia (TAO) is a collaboration between the universities of Bamberg and Bayreuth and the universities of applied sciences in Coburg and Hof. At the TAO Student Research Centre, students are also mentored by former GYPT participants who are now studying physics or related fields, such as Tarek Becic, Berin Becic, Niklas Brütting, Sebastian Friedl (computer science), and Frederik Gareis. This competition, recognised by the ministries of education, is an early talent development programme supported by the German Physical Society and the Wilhelm and Else Heraeus Foundation.
Since 2014, the TAO Student Research Centre has been the only location in Germany to contribute 1–3 members annually to the five-member physics national team representing Germany at the IYPT world championships.
“In this competition, the enthusiastic students not only learn teamwork but also gain experience and confidence in discussing and presenting in English,” Zimmermann explained. “They develop problem-solving skills with creativity and perseverance while significantly growing as individuals. Our country needs many such confident problem-solvers because merely describing problems or protesting will not secure our future, especially that of young people.”
Prof. Dr. Walter Zimmermann
Wilhelm and Else Hearaeus Senior Professorship Theoretical Physics
University of Bayreuth
Depertment of Physics
phone: +49 (0)921 / 55-3181
e-mail: walter.zimmermann@uni-bayreuth.de
web: https://www.zimmermann.physik.uni-bayreuth.de