Under the aegis of Board of Research in Nuclear Sciences, the Department of Atomic Energy has decided to support from this year a vigorous programme of selection and training students for participation in the International Physics Olympiad.  The Physics Olympiad programme in the country will be implemented mainly by the Homi Bhabha Centre for Science Education (HBCSE) (Tata Institute of Fundamental Research), Mumbai and the Indian Association of Physics Teachers (IAPT) with assistance from several organisations such as IPA and Government Departments like DST, NCERT and MHRD.  A Steering Committee has been formed by the BRNS with Director HBCSE, Dr. Arvind Kumar, as its Convener.  DAE supports a similar programme in  mathematics.

About 200 students will be selected from the National Standard  Examination in Physics to be conducted by IAPT for Class XI and XII  students on December 21, 1997.  These students will then appear for the first Indian National Physics Olympiad to be held at different Centres in  the country in April 1998.  About 35 students selected on the basis of the  basis of this nation-wide examination will undergo a month-long intensive  training in problem-solving and experiments in May/June every year at  HBCSE.  The top 5 awardees at the end of the camp will represent the  county at the international event.

As a first step in the preparation participation, a training camp has begun at HBCSE from October 13 for about 30 students selected from  across the country.  The top five students received merit awards on  Friday, October 24th afternoon 3.30 p.m. at a function held at the  HBCSE.