Five Taiwanese students claimed gold medals in this year’s International Physics Olympiad that ended yesterday in Kazakhstan, landing Taiwan the second spot in terms of overall performance.
The nation’s team comprised Taipei Municipal Jianguo High School students Chang Chuan-han (張巏瀚), Chen Chi-fang (陳麒方) and Chen Chih-wei (陳致維); National Hualien Senior High School student Sung Ya-lun (宋亞倫); and Lin Ting-chun (林鼎鈞) from Taichung Municipal Hui-wen High School.
The medalists were named shortly after the results of this year’s International Olympiad in Informatics were announced on Sunday, in which Taiwan won one gold and three silver medals.
The Ministry of Education said that of the five students, Chang has the best world ranking — No. 5 — at the international contest thanks in part to his win in the “best theory” category at the Physics Olympiad.
Chang’s father, Chang Teng-ke (張登科), said his son does not have a preference when it comes to the acquisition of knowledge; however, physics is where he has always excelled.
Even though he did not make it to the final stage when he first participated in the Olympiad two years ago, the experience ignited Chang Chuan-han’s interest in physics, Chang Teng-ke said.
Sung’s mother, Lin Joe-yi (林柔伊), said her son has demonstrated a natural aptitude for numbers since he was very young. An accelerated student, Sung was introduced to eighth-grade mathematics two years ahead of his peers, she said, adding that he has never been to cram schools.
Lin said that while others adhered to a traditional math curriculum, Sung focused on applied math, which really helped to prime him for the study of physics. Moreover, his passion for the subject motivated him to read physics journals, where he has gained a considerable amount of knowledge, she said.
When asked if she had a word of advice for Taiwanese high-school students, Lin suggested that they emphasize mathematics study, as it is the foundation of all science.
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