Are you a high school student wondering whether you should sit the CAP exam next year? Are you curious about what it’s like to participate in an International Physics Olympiad?
From learning through intensive physics classes at training camp, to representing Canada as part of the national team in this world competition, our Canadian Olympiad alumni have stories and unique perspectives that will encourage and inspire high school physics students to reach for the top!
Student Mentoring
Our alumni are active in helping us train future competitors: Responsible for running the 2025 pre-camp study sessions (new!) with question sets and mentoring are Canadian Olympiad alumni Athanasios, Connor, Tian, Tristan and Vincent:
Athanasios Mavrakanas
Athanasios participated in the 2024 European Physics Olympiad in Kutaisi, Georgia as part of Team Canada, where he won an honourable mention. He retains a deep interest in physics olympiads. He is currently studying mechanical engineering at McGill University.
Connor Wong
Connor was a member of the Canadian Physics Team, winning a bronze medal at the 2023 International Physics Olympiad in Tokyo, Japan. He attended the 2023 Canadian Physics Olympiad in his senior year and is still heavily involved in and passionate about olympiads, teaching and creating problems for various physics and astronomy competitions. He also attended the 2022 International Olympiad on Astronomy and Astrophysics, winning a silver medal in Kutaisi, Georgia. He is currently studying physics at the University of Cambridge.
Tian Pu
Tian is a bronze medalist at the International Olympiad on Astronomy and Astrophysics in 2023, Poland. He was an attendee of CPhO in 2023 and 2024. He is passionate about helping anyone interested in physics. He is a current freshman at Princeton University majoring in physics.
Tristan Yan-Klassen
Tristan was a member of Physics Team Canada in 2024, winning a bronze medal at the 2024 European Physics Olympiad in Kutaisi, Georgia. An attendee of the Canadian Physics Olympiad in 2023 and 2024, he is incredibly passionate about physics and high school olympiads. He is currently studying mechatronics engineering at the University of Waterloo.
Vincent Millington
Vincent was a member of the Canadian physics team, earning an honorable mention at the 2023 International Physics Olympiad in Tokyo. He has also built a few Tesla coils in his spare time, which he will talk about for hours if you let him! He is currently studying mechanical engineering at McGill University, in Montreal.
Meet the Professionals
In our video below, meet Olympiad alumni members and current PhD-holders, Sonny Chan (Research Scientist at Meta Reality Labs, Washington), Felip Crnogorac (Director of Technology [Biotech] at Centrillion Technologies, California) and Boris Braverman (Senior Research Scientist at QuEra Computing, Boston), who share highlights of their experiences as former Team Canada participants, and how this competition influenced their subsequent careers and enhanced their professional opportunities in physics.
Olympiad alumni: Sonny Chan (IPhO 1998, 1999), Felip Crnogorac (IPhO 1998 & 1999) and Boris Braverman (IPhO 2006); interview with Kirsty Dickson, Department of Physics & Astronomy Communications & Outreach Coordinator, March 15, 2023.
