Big Thinking for Young Scientists at the University of Birmingham

More than 70 teams from schools across the country will be putting their knowledge of science to the test at the University of Birmingham's Physics Big Quiz 2009 on Friday 23 January. Organised by the University's Outreach department and the School of Physics and Astronomy, the event is aimed at celebrating physics and raising the aspirations of young people to study the sciences. The quiz, which takes place at the University's Edgbaston campus, in the Great Hall, will see about 300 students aged 13 and 14 years old, competing against each other in a number of different rounds, focusing on different aspects of Physics. The specialist round this year is on Astronomy, linking in to the Year of Astronomy 2009, and those keen scientific minds have the opportunity to add some extra points to their scores by doing some homework before the event. As part of their visit to the University students will also listen to a key note lecture given Somak Raychaudhury about the universe. The winning team will be presented with gold medals and a prize each, while the school will be presented with a crystal trophy and a vase celebrating their victory. Mohammed Ansar, outreach officer and event organiser, said: "This is all about getting students enthused about physics and having fun.