University of Cambridge Senior Physics Challenge

The Department of Physics (Cavendish Laboratory) at the University of Cambridge has a national schools physics development programme and university access initiative entitled the Senior Physics Challenge (SPC).

The 2009 Senior Physics Challenge will consist of a four night residential summer school, directed at gifted and talented AS Level/Year 12 secondary students,  and will be held in Cambridge from (provisional dates) Sunday 28 June 2009 (arrive late afternoon) to Thursday 2 July 2009(after lunch).

Higher physics demands fluency and ability in physical and mathematical analysis that are not given prominence in school physics syllabii. 

Some students are subsequently surprised and disadvantaged by the discrepancy between their expectations of physics admissions and subsequent University courses, and their reality. 

Students can be especially disadvantaged by their unfamiliarity with skills and preparation universities are seeking.   Therefore during the SPC students will receive intensive tuition with an emphasis on developing both problem-solving and experimental skills

Overall the aims of the SPC summer school are to increase University applications to study Physics, and to demystify, and in turn make accessible to a wider range of students, the transition to university physics in the UK ( this latter aim is vewed as an important access issue).

Please note that the level of mathematical skill demanded on this Challenge summer school is extremely high and the organisers are keen that students are aware of this beforehand. 

Furthermore the SPC is specifically aimed at students whose primary interest is Physics, rather than the sciences or mathematics in general.

Please note also that application to attend the SPC summer school is through teacher recommendation only.

The preparatory Mathematics Workbook from the 2008 SPC which students/teachers can check out can be found at http://www-spc.phy.cam.ac.uk/spcworkbook/spcworkbook.php. 

Students will be accommodated as the guests of a small number of Colleges and will eat together in various Colleges in the evening - read last year's SPC web story about a group of students and how they got on:  http://www.admin.cam.ac.uk/news/dp/2008070307

For more details, please see the attached flyer available to download from the download column on the right,  or vist the website link http://www-spc.phy.cam.ac.uk/.   

The Senior Physics Challenge is free of charge and a maximum of two students from any one school can be nominated.   

Applications will open early in the New Year so interested teachers should register* at http://www-spc.phy.cam.ac.uk/forms/reg_schools_and_teachers.php in order to be notified when the 2009 SPC is open for nominations.

* If you have registered in earlier years, there is no need to register again.  Howeveri if your details have changed (school, email address), then re-registering is a good way of remaining in touch.

Contact details for the Senior Physics Challenge can be found at http://www-spc.phy.cam.ac.uk/contact.html