LMH students Robin Wopalenski (2023, MPhys Physics) and Kiefer Lim Yi Heng (2023, MPhys Physics) helped their team to second place in the UK and Ireland round of the international physics competition PLANCKS, before securing third place at the international final in Eindhoven.
How far could a pig fly? This was one of ten problems facing a teams during this year’s PLANCKS competition, alongside questions on why Cheerios clump together in milk, and how gravity might work in four dimensions.
LMH students Robin Wopalenski and Kiefer Lim Yi Heng competed with Parkin Pham of Oriel College and Tejas Penugonda of Imperial College London. After placing second at the national round in Canterbury, they represented the UK and Ireland at the international final in Eindhoven, where they finished third behind teams from Italy and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
PLANCKS is an annual international physics competition held in a different city each year. Teams of up to four students first compete in national rounds, with the highest-placed teams progressing to the international final.
Each round consists of a four-hour examination featuring ten problems drawn from different areas of physics. Team members must decide how to divide the questions, compare possible approaches and check one another’s answers before their time runs out.
The national round, organised jointly with the Institute of Physics, brought teams from across the UK and Ireland to Canterbury. Robin said meeting their competitors initially felt intimidating, but the atmosphere quickly became more collaborative.
“Everyone was exceedingly friendly,” he said. “Facing the prospect of a gruelling four-hour exam, it felt as though we were all in it together: one team of students against a monster physics challenge.”
The length and difficulty of the paper made it hard for the team to judge how well they had performed. When the results below the podium places were announced in Canterbury, they realised that they had secured a medal.
“You can’t help but feel the exam has been a car crash, no matter how well you’ve done,” Robin said. “I don’t think we ever believed we were tuned well enough to contend with the top teams.
“It was very easy to wear a beaming smile throughout the award ceremony, knowing that our work really had been a success.”
The team travelled on to Eindhoven with more modest expectations for the international final. Their third-place finish prompted what Robin suspects was “the loudest celebration” of the event.
Reaching the two competitions required the team to manage travel and entry costs alongside their academic commitments. Both rounds took place during term, with the international final falling in Trinity term.
LMH provided financial assistance towards the team’s participation. Robin said this support was particularly important in ensuring that cost did not prevent a student from taking part.
“The opportunity to travel, meet other students from around the world, compete in PLANCKS and prove yourself is very special,” Robin said. “Without the College’s support, we wouldn’t have gone to the final.”
The experience also tested the team beyond the examination room. Across the two rounds, they dealt with visa difficulties, a late substitution and nights spent in military-style bunk beds in a university gymnasium.
Through it all, they developed a close understanding of how each member approached a problem.
“We have developed a great trust in each other’s approach to physics, which is what allowed us to delegate so successfully,” Robin said. “Seeing how other people think is one of the most valuable ways to improve, and that is what made competing as a team so rewarding. Whether some of us compete in next year's PLANCKS 2027 remains open!"
