Two years ago, ITMO University launched a contest for developing a training course where students will get advanced knowledge in physics. This course aims at explaining the fundamentals of physic. Point is, there are too few classes of physics in the curriculum, and there is just not enough time to explain it. Following this course, students get knowledge in physics on advanced level, explains Alexandr Chirtsov.
"ITMO University encourages students to take part in research and conferences. Apart from research, there is a lot more to science: reading specific literature, writing reports, presenting results. The mini-conference is aimed at training this skills. Such conferences are aimed at gaining experience in presenting research results and getting a deeper understanding of special sections of physics. As a rule, at each of these conferences two to three research articles are presented, that might once become Bachelor's and Master's theses or published in research journals. This way, the problem of engaging students in research is solved", shared Mr. Chirtsov.
Mini-conference for physics students
25 reports were applied to the conference. In most of them, students used visualization software to create models of different physical systems. Last year, the authors of best projects created virtual models of physical systems using existing software products. This year, most students developed their own instuments.
Young physicists researched different phenomena: they've modeled the movement of charged particles, diffusion, gravitational interaction, Gaussian batches and others. The students used not only the textbook methods, but relevant research articles and new methods that have never been used before.
For instance, for the "Simulation of Physics of Liquids" research a student created a computational model of a liquid that is dashed into a quadrangular glass.
Young physicists researched different phenomena: they've modeled the movement of charged particles, diffusion, gravitational interaction, Gaussian batches and others. The students used not only the textbook methods, but relevant research articles and new methods that have never been used before.
For instance, for the "Simulation of Physics of Liquids" research a student created a computational model of a liquid that is dashed into a quadrangular glass.
Mini-conference for physics students
Another team used three new methods for computing different configurations of a soap film stretched upon a free-form outline. For the next semester, they will be doing computational modeling of electrostatic field configurations in nonlocal plasma of gas discharges or computing 3D configurations of vector potential in a system comprised of a permament magnet and a high temperature superconductor, shared Alexander Chirtsov.
The students who presented a research on visualization of the basic effects of special theory of relativity using Minkowskian geometry decided to make use of the popular idea of a relativist description and did it so well that it can now be used for explaining this idea at conferences and lectures for non-professionals.
The students who presented a research on visualization of the basic effects of special theory of relativity using Minkowskian geometry decided to make use of the popular idea of a relativist description and did it so well that it can now be used for explaining this idea at conferences and lectures for non-professionals.
Aleksander Chirtsov
"A third or even half of the works presented at the conference can be improved and then presented at bigger or even international conferences. Also, some of the articles can be published in science journals. Also, the experience of participating in such conferences will be a great advantage to students when they'll be doing their theses. As of now, their award is getting additional points in physics", concluded Alexandr Chirtsov.
