In this blog post, I will discuss how the challenges and collaborative experiences I encountered during the KYPT preparation process changed my research capabilities and teamwork skills.
KYPT is a competition in which teams of five students conduct preliminary research on 14 physics topics, design experiments, create presentation materials, and discuss each topic with other teams in English at a conference. This competition serves as an important opportunity to teach high school students the joy of scientific research and the importance of collaboration, attracting many participants each year. The competition takes place in early February, and students who win gold medals at KYPT form new teams to compete in the IYPT international competition. IYPT is a prestigious global event where outstanding students from around the world gather to compete in physics knowledge, making it a highly honorable challenge in itself.
In the second semester of my first year of high school, I formed a team with two of my high school classmates and my older brother and sister, who were also attending the same high school, and participated in the KYPT. Although the team was formed in September 20@@, we were all very busy during the semester, so we began preparing for the competition in earnest during the winter break.
Considering that the competition organizers planned to release 14 problems around September, we started later than other teams. To make up for the delay, we decided to each take on 2 or 3 problems to solve quickly. However, this individual approach backfired.
Thinking alone narrowed our perspective and made it easier to give up. Fortunately, our team quickly understood the problems and worked together to solve them one by one. This approach allowed us to thoroughly investigate prior research and conduct experiments that required multiple people. Additionally, during the competition, it helped us respond effectively to opposing arguments by collectively brainstorming counterarguments.
The most memorable topic was the third problem, titled “Car.” This problem was about improving the efficiency of a car propelled by air escaping from a balloon. When I was assigned this problem alone, I couldn’t come up with an answer. There were many factors to consider, and it required a lot of work, from building the car to conducting experiments. However, by studying concepts such as the expulsion of air molecules in thermodynamics and rocket motion in mechanics, I was able to develop a model. For the experiment, instead of building the car from scratch, we used a model on an air track to better control variables like friction. Additionally, since the experiment involved a balloon, we had to measure the balloon’s volume using the water displacement method, measure its pressure, and film the car model’s movement—all of which were challenging tasks.
However, by pooling the efforts of five people, we were able to collect sufficient data. Every time our efforts in various areas bore fruit, all team members felt a great sense of accomplishment. Especially through the process of giving our best in our respective roles and collaborating, we deeply realized the importance of teamwork. Of course, we also faced other challenges beyond research. I was unable to conduct experiments for about a week in January due to attending the Korean Physics Olympiad Winter School.
Additionally, my older siblings at Daewon Foreign Language High School had to prepare for college entrance exams in the next semester, including the SAT, so they were unable to participate in the experiments. With the team members unable to continue their research due to the short preparation period, progress slowed down. Furthermore, a science and engineering experience program in the US for first-year high school students overlapped with the competition period, leaving our team members in a serious dilemma. At the time, our research results were still far from sufficient, and we thought it would be better to go to the US to learn a lot and make good memories with friends rather than risk not achieving good results at the competition. Seeing my friends, who had always been diligent and quiet about their work, consider giving up the competition left me feeling very flustered. Having never before led a team on a project in my life, I had no idea how to handle such a situation. Moreover, I felt even more guilty knowing that the friends who had been more dedicated to the team were considering quitting. However, in this situation, I sincerely persuaded my friends. I felt that the two months we had invested without achieving anything were wasted, and I also regretted the opportunity to build good relationships with the seniors from Daewon High School. My sincerity must have come through, as the team members resolved their conflicts and agreed to work much harder for the remaining two weeks. Those two weeks were the hardest I’ve ever worked in my life. Even though it was vacation, I asked the teachers on duty to let me use the school lab, and at night, we gathered at a café to work on our presentation materials and practice our English presentations until dawn. Thanks to these efforts, our team won a silver award at the competition.
I still keep in touch with my older brothers and sisters from Daewon High School who went to study abroad in the US. The period of preparing for KYPT was physically challenging, but it improved my research skills and gave me a sense of fulfillment from achieving something with great passion in my life.
Most importantly, I learned how to resolve conflicts among team members and realized the power of teamwork in research. In particular, the close collaboration with my teammates was an important experience that will be of great help in my future university and social life. I am grateful to have had this experience as a high school student, and I believe it will be of great help when I engage in collaborative research as a medical researcher in the future. This experience, which allowed me to personally witness the amazing results that can be achieved when cooperation, perseverance, and passion come together, will be a valuable asset in my future life.
What I learned from this competition had a significant impact on my growth in various aspects, including problem-solving skills, creative thinking, and communication skills, as well as simply gaining knowledge in physics. I hope to continue growing based on this experience.
