Successes of the Greek team at the European Physics Olympiad 2024

Competing at the European Physics Olympiad against over 250 of their peers across 55 countries from Europe, America, and Asia, a Greek team of five students won a bronze medal and three honourable mentions in Kutaisi, Georgia, from 15 to 19 July 2024.

Ermis Souldatos from ‘Avavryta’ High School won the bronze medal,while Vasileios Tsioutsias (5^th High School of Glyfada), Fotios-Foivos Apostolaras (‘Anavryta’ High School), and Lampros-Christos Vlachos (‘Anavryta’ High School) won honourable mentions. The Greek team also comprised Valasia Deliprimi-Karakosta from the 2^nd Model High School of Athens.

Accompanying the Greek team were Mr George Tombras, Professor at the Department of Physics of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (NKUA) and President of the Hellenic Physics Society for Science and Education (HPSSE), and Dr Panagiotis Tsakonas, Laboratory Teaching Staff at the Department of Informatics of the University of Piraeus and Member of HPSEE.

Greek students competing in International Physics Olympiads are chosen solely through the official Panhellenic Physics Competitions ‘Aristotle’ and follow an intensive preparation programme at the NKUA’s Department of Physics focusing on theory and real laboratory exercises.

The above competitions are organized yearly by the NKUA’s Department of Physics and HPSEE in schools across the country, with the approval and under the auspices of the Hellenic Ministry of Education. They operate on a voluntary and non-profit basis, with extensive transparency, an online publication of the problems and solutions, and adherence to the highest ethical standards in science and education.

The scientific/steering committee of the Panhellenic Competition ‘Aristotle’ of the NKUA’s Department of Physics and HPSEE wishes to congratulate all five students and thank our invaluable sponsor,

• DESMOS Non-profit Foundation (https://www.desmos.org/)

without whom the Greek team’s participation in the European Physics Olympiad would, once again, not have been possible.