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Report on the First Preparatory Seminar in Vienna

by Tim Hell (translated by Georg Hofferek)

IYPT-Preparation in Vienna

Thomas, 30.6°C cool

As always, this year's preparatory seminars took place at the University of Vienna. As usual, the team worked diligently, assisted by some of the "IYPT veterans" and with the help of Ass.Prof. Dr. Heinz Kabelka and Dr. Heribert Tilgner. Unlike in the past we now have a thermal imager at our disposal, with which we took some portraits. Photographies of our experiments are obviously "top secret", until the IYPT. :)

Day 1

Michael from team Graze, at 35°C

Arrival together with the three team members from Graz, 35 minutes late - thus, within the limits of our measurement error. Thomas starts with a few greetings and we start to discuss the further agenda. After that we do an introductory round. Everyone tells about their strengths and weaknesses, and which tasks are suited for them. Then we start to divide the work. I start to keep minutes of what happens.

Georg, IYPT veteran and chief of IT, here at 34.6°C

All the measurement data, the presentations and all the other material must be kept safe and managable. This year we will use a central svn server as well as our board to ensure communication and data exchange among the participants. Thanks to Georg, who cares about the server!

Heinz, at 33.8°C

Heinz distributes internet logon credentials and we start to chat via Skype.

Bernhard, at exactly 33°C

After that we start the most important and lengthy item on our agenda: All presentations which had been created for the AYPT are discussed. The audience acts as an Opponent and criticism is logged in the board. Report and discussion of each problem takes about the same time as a real IYPT Physics Fight does. At half past four, after having discussed 5 Problems, we had some pizza and a break. During the break we watched the video which we made during the preparation for the IYPT 2007, as well as records of experiments with the potatoe gun in Bernhard's garden.

After we discussed seven problems, our concentration started to decline. We reached a phase of open discussion, with a lot of playful experiments in between (as always, there was plenty of liquid nitrogen at our disposal). But for those problems for which the solution is still rather weak, ideas are still sparkling and the blackboard fills up more and more.

Day 2, 3 and 4

Johannes starts Day 2 with 34.8°C

Day 2 starts almost punctual at 9 o'clock (which actually means 09:35). Johannes shows one of his Reports. At half past eleven we start the experiments.

Markus, at cool, british 32,7°C

The next days are quite busy. We all miss Angel, most of all Markus. Together they usually entertain us with numerous variations of the Monty Python sketch at the Argument Clinic. No, they don't. Yes they do.

Peter, 34.8°C

Of course, we should not forget to mention Peter and Michaela, our two backup members, who worked at least as hard and motivated as the rest of the team.

Special thanks go also to the abovementioned IYPT veterans. On one hand they share their technical skills and their IYPT experience. And on the other hand these seminars are a good opportunity for them to get to know the new team and to reunite. Ricky paid a visit, who like myself was part of the team in 2006; Harald, who participated in 3 IYPTs and is a real veteran. Florian sent us some Swiss chocolate, because he could not come. Not an adequate, but a delicious compensations. :)

Tim keeps the minutes of the first preparatoryt seminar, at 35.6°C facial temperature