Physics Talented Student Program

For students who want a little more

If you have a high UAI (or equivalent) then there is a special physics program for you! The School of Physics Talented Student Program (TSP) is part of the Faculty of Science Talented Student Program. The program is offered by invitation of the Dean of Science on the basis of UAI score for first year students, and examination performance for students in subsequent years (see the Faculty information for details). In special circumstances, Physics may allow a small additional number of high-achieving students to participate in Physics TSP activities.

This program extends the physics course by special seminars and project work, together with a major excursion in the second semester break to locations of interest. The seminar program often has a theme each year. In recent years the themes have been `communications', `the quantum world', `the arrow of time' and `self organised systems'. In 2005 we focussed on the International Year of Physics which celebrated the 100th anniversary of Einstein's miracle year. In 2007, 2008 and again in 2009 we introduce you to research highlights in the School of Physics, with presentations by staff, postdoctoral fellows and postgraduate students. Since 2009 is the International Year of Astronomy we will have a special focus on research highlights from our Sydney Institute for Astronomy.

The special project work in the July semester introduces students directly to research activities in the School and to other staff members and postdocs. The aim is to broaden your knowledge of physics and give you an insight into how physicists think and how a real research project is tackled. There is also an emphasis on cross disciplinary subjects and the relationship of physics to the community as a whole. Check out below the diverse range of topics covered in the TSP projects in previous years. All the oral presentations were made in PowerPoint, and you can download selected presentations by clicking on the title pages. You can also download selected project reports.

Why do a program that involves extra work? Students in the program are the top students of their year. You will get special tuition and attention. As well, you will enjoy the company of other talented students working on special projects.

The TSP coordinators are and . Contact them for more information.

2008 TSP Excursion

In 2008 the excursion took TSP students to the Canberra region to visit the Molonglo Radio Observatory, home of the MOST, the largest radio telescope in the southern hemisphere. We stayed over at the Canberra City Youth Hostel and the following day we were given an insider tour of Mt Stromlo Observatory, including their new instrumentation facility, by the Director, Prof Harvey Butcher and staff scientist, Dr Stefan Keller. We then travelled to Canberra's Deep Space Tracking Station at Tidbinbilla where we met the Director, Dr Miriam Baltuck, and were given a guided tour by CSIRO radio astronomer, Dr David Jauncey. We returned to Stromlo in the evening to look at the night sky through one of the small outreach telescopes. On the final day we were given a tour of ANU's Research School of Physical Sciences by Dr Christine Charles, Prof John Howard and Dr Greg Lane, followed by a tour of the Australian Research Council Centre for Quantum-Atom Optics by the Director, Prof Hans Bachor, and his PhD students.

TSP Research seminars 2009: LT 5, Thursdays 1pm