PLANCKS “Physics League Across Numerous Countries for Kick-Ass Students” is an annual international theoretical physics competition for undergraduate and master’s students that is overseen by the International Association of Physics Students (IAPS). This competition brings together teams of three to four students during a three-day conference for intense competition and a programme of social, cultural, and educational events.
Following their selection to represent Hong Kong by excelling in a preliminary round of competition organized by the Physical Society of Hong Kong, a team of students studying physics at HKUST participated in the international finals of the PLANCKS competition that was hosted by the Institute of Physics at Trinity College Dublin, Ireland on 23-27 May 2024. The members of the team, who chose to the moniker “Non-renormalizable Theorists”, were Kwan To CHAN (year 4), Ching FONG (year 3), Xuan Tan NGUYEN (year 4), and Dao Cong Minh TRANG (year 2). The Non-renormalizable Theorists proudly placed 10th among 48 seasoned teams from 28 countries and regions in Europe, Asia, North and South America that participated in PLANCKS this year.
The accompanying photos show the (i) the PLANCKS organizers and participants, (ii) the HKUST team solving problems in the competition venue, and (iii) the HKUST physics students who comprised the team (left to right): Xuan Tan Nguyen, Kwan To Chan, Dong Cong Minh Trang, and Ching Fong.
