Taiwan Wins One Silver, Five Gold Medals at 2015 International Physics Olympiad

Professor Chia Chih-Ta (賈至達), Dean of the Department of Physics at National Taiwan Normal University, led a team of more than ten professors who looked after and trained the Taiwanese team. Nearly 3,200 students took part in the initial competition for the selection of this year’s team. This was followed by semi-finals, a training camp, and then the finals, to select just five students to represent Taiwan in the IPhO. The Taiwanese team went to Mumbai on July 4, and the closing and award ceremonies were held on July 12.

Taiwan has been participating in the IPhO since 1994 and has performed very well each year. To date, Taiwan has won 59 gold, 22 silver, and 18 bronze medals, and eight honor awards, and it ranks third among the countries competing in the last five years.

The following table lists the team members who won awards:

The MOE formulated the Regulations for Preferred Status Admission to Institutions of Higher Education for Award Winners at the International Mathematics and Science Olympiads and International Science Fair to officially recognize students who give an outstanding performance. Under these regulations a student who wins a gold, silver, or bronze medal at the IPhO will be automatically admitted into a physics-related university department, or recommended for admission to any other department they apply for. A student who wins a gold medal will also receive a NTD$200,000 scholarship; a silver medal winner will receive a NTD$100,000 scholarship; and a bronze medal winner will receive a NTD$50,000 scholarship. A student who wins two or more different awards during the same academic year can only apply for the most valuable scholarship he or she is eligible for.

The Ministry will continue training and selecting outstanding students to participate in international contests, to promote international exchanges and expand their global outlook. Next year’s IPhO will be held in Switzerland.

Front row, from left: Tsai Pei-Kai (蔡沛愷) from Taipei Municipal Jianguo High School (L), Cheng Chung-Yao (鄭仲堯) from Kaohsiung Municipal Kaohsiung Senior High School
Back row, from left:Yang Chih-Hsiang (楊智翔) from Taipei Municipal Jianguo High School, Lin Yu-Chia (林昱嘉) from National Taichung First Senior High School, Tsao Yi-Lin (曹以琳) from Taipei Municipal Jianguo High School