1     The Ministry of Education congratulates five Singapore students on their outstanding achievement at the 36th International Physics Olympiad (IPhO) held in Salamanca, Spain.  The five student contestants hauled in a total of three Gold and two Bronze medals, bringing Singapore to a 5th placing out of the 74 participating countries.  This was Singapore’s best performance in our 17 years of participation in the Physics Olympiad.

2     The medallists are Ng Wei Xiang Jonathan of Anglo Chinese Junior College, Koh Chan Swee and Wong Da Wei of Hwa Chong Institution, and Ang Jian Peng and Li Hongyi of Raffles Junior College.  Ng Wei Xiang Jonathan also received a Special Award for the best score in the experimental segment.  The team is led by Dr Rawat Rajdeep Singh from the National Institute of Education, Nanyang Technological University.

3     The IPhO is an annual international physics competition organised for school students.  The competition is held in recognition of the growing significance of physics in all fields of science and technology.  At the IPhO, the participants are pitted against the best physics students in the participating countries and they are tested in their ability to solve both theoretical and experimental problems.

4     The 36th IPhO was held in Salamanca, Spain from 3-12 July 2005.  The participants will be returning to Singapore on 13 July 2005.

5     Our students' participation in the International Olympiads is a joint effort between the Ministry of Education and the following organisations:

• Institute of Physics, Singapore
• National University of Singapore
• National Institute of Education, Nanyang Technological University
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MINISTRY OF EDUCATION

12 July 2005