Collegiate student attends Waterloo physics camp
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This article was published 01/08/2018 (2659 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
Unlike most teens, Leah Schwartz was “really, really excited” when she found out she was headed to summer school.
The 16-year-old University of Winnipeg Collegiate student was one of 40 teenagers from around the world selected to attend the International Summer School for Young Physicists at the Perimeter Institute in Waterloo, Ontario.
Schwartz took a break from her busy slate of classes, lectures and hands-on labs to speak to The Metro about her ISSYP experience.
“It’s been amazing meeting these people from all over the world who have similar interests as me, but can also teach me about different things,” she said.
The program, which was started in 2003, receives hundreds of applications from Grade 11 and 12 students across the globe each year. The makeup of the classroom is meant to mimic the reality of a career in physics, says Perimeter outreach scientist Kelly Foyle.
“Physics is an international endeavour,” Foyle said. “An intrinsic part of the process is being international, being willing to travel, being exposed to people with different backgrounds.”
Each cohort has an equal gender split and is made up of 20 international and 20 Canadian students — all of whom have high grades, are involved in extracurricular activities and a strong passion for physics and math.
The main goal of ISSYP is to give high school students the opportunity to push themselves and get a taste of cutting-edge physics before heading off to college or university.
Even though she still has two years of high school to finish, Schwartz is hoping the program will give her some direction for the future.
“I am interested in all of the sciences,” she said. “When I heard about this program I thought maybe it could help guide me, because I’m really uncertain in what I want to pursue.”
For Schwartz, highlights of the two-week program have been discovering a new interest in quantum mechanics and visiting the SNOLAB facility in Sudbury, Ont.
The laboratory, which is located two kilometres underground in a former mine, allows scientists to study rare physics phenomena.
“I was definitely nervous,” Schwartz said of the elevator journey into SNOLAB. “But once you’re underground you forget that you’re underground and you just focus on the science and it was really interesting.”
Gerry Narynski teaches physics and math at the Collegiate and says it’s “phenomenal” that Schwartz was accepted into the ISSYP program. Schwartz’s passion for learning and strong work ethic make her a standout student, according to Narynski.
“The fact that she’s bright and works super hard is a win-win combination,” he said, adding jokingly that he’s a bit nervous to have her back in his class come September. “She’ll probably be teaching me a few things.”