École Polytechnique, silver medallist at the 2024 International Physicists Tournament

A team of École Polytechnique’s Ingénieur polytechnicien program students (X22), representing France, won the silver medal in the sixteenth edition of the International Physicists' Tournament, behind Germany and ahead of Italy, two countries that reached the final of the competition for the first time.

The School organized this tournament in 2023 and has won it three times in the past, most recently in 2022. 

The aim of the tournament, which took place this year from April 2 to 6 at ETH Zürich, the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zürich, is to stimulate discussion between teams of students from different countries around physics questions. Seventeen open physics problems were submitted to the 21 teams taking part in the final.

The tournament is organized around “Physics' Fights”. Teams take on different roles. Students take it in turns to present their results, constructively criticize the other group's work and moderate the debate. At the end of this scientific marathon, a jury of researchers rates the three performances.

For the six members of team - Martin Drieux, Jean Jourdan, Paul-Alexis Mor, Robin Ostertag and Guilhem Stricker - led by their captain Guillaume Delamare, participation in IPT 2024 corresponds to a collective scientific project (CSP). 

All second-year École Polytechnique’s Ingénieur polytechnicien program students take part in a CSP, the aim of which is to collectively identify, pose and work towards solving a large-scale problem, or design and produce an innovative technological demonstrator, by independently implementing one or more scientific disciplines over a long period, using an appropriate method and organization.

Each year, the best CSPs selected by École Polytechnique's teaching and research departments are evaluated by a jury of leading figures from the worlds of academia, business and the press, who select the top three. 

The X22 team, participating in IPT 2024, was coached by Guilhem Gallot, teacher-researcher at the Optics and Biosciences Laboratory (LOB*), Hector Abel from the Hydrodynamics Laboratory (LADHYX**) and Gaspard Aymerich (X2018). 

*LOB: a joint research unit of CNRS, École Polytechnique - Institut Polytechnique de Paris, Inserm. 

**LADHYX: a joint research unit of CNRS, École polytechnique - Institut Polytechnique de Paris.