Physics paves flight path to a dynamic career

Eric, now a process analyst at the Civil Aviation Authority New Zealand, trained to become a flight instructor after high school. Even though this was not directly a physics career, he recalls three specific problems from the competition that would later aid him in his professional journey.

First, he says, was the torsion gyroscope problem which involved hanging a gyroscope from a twisted piece of rope. As the gyroscope unwound, it would tilt relative to the vertical axis as well as rotate. “During my selection process, we had to prepare a presentation, and I used my torsion gyroscope problem. Given that the concept behind the selection presentation was similar to the competition, I presented my presentation almost exactly how it was during the competition.

“The selection presentation involved a 10-minute presentation followed by 10 minutes of questions which was almost the same as the competition. Having already done this presentation I was very well prepared and excelled through this stage of selection. I also didn’t know at this time that gyroscopic motion was fundamental to how a lot of instruments work in a plane and this knowledge would again be useful during my theory exams.”

His second IYPT problem was magnetic hills which he used during the instructional techniques training. “In this, we had to teach some concepts to people that before the lesson they had no idea about. I adapted my magnetic hills presentation to just focus on magnetism and combined this with a previous problem I did from NZYPT to make mini electromagnetic motors in the session. Again, having the detailed knowledge from IYPT helped me teach this with ease and also helped with coming up with a unique idea.”

His final problem, the vacuum bazooka, focused largely on pressure and aerodynamics. This contained a selection of principles that were fundamental to the way planes fly. “During my training, a large focus of the theory training was around the physics of how planes fly and this advanced knowledge of pressure and aerodynamics gave me a head start,” he says.

Though the COVID-19 pandemic shifted Eric’s career path to analytical work, he continues to apply the principles from IYPT in his current role. “I still fly and use many of the same concepts from the competition in my job.”

At the Civil Aviation Authority, Eric produces reports on various parts of the Aviation Security system mainly focusing on process efficiency.

“This comprises three main parts, first, simulation work where we use real world data to model various theoretical scenarios, general statistics where I use data from various sources to produce reports on whether a change has resulted in an impact. I also produce various 3D models of various Aviation Security spaces around New Zealand to look at space efficiency assisting with the installation of future equipment.”

Another invaluable skill he developed through IYPT was presentation and questioning techniques. “I currently present complex analysis to people who may not have a strong background in statistics, which is the same as IYPT where we presented complex physics problems to some people that may have never seen these concepts.”

One memorable moment from the competition was when the NZ team narrowly missed the finals. In the final round, the team had won all their fights and would therefore reach the final.

“We then won the final round, resulting in us thinking that we had made the final. However, once the final scores came out, the team that was in 4th place who had not won all their fights had an amazing round resulting in their final position being 3rd. The team that was in 3rd which had won all of their fights now finished in 4th meaning that because there cannot be a 5 team final, we missed out.”

Even though the Kiwi contingent didn’t make it to the final, he says the team-oriented nature of the competition taught him a valuable lesson that he now applies at the Civil Aviation Authority.

“We worked together prior to the competition critiquing each others’ solutions and working together to brainstorm on solutions,” says Eric. “This is the same at my current job where we start by preparing a project and follow the same process by getting feedback from the team. Having the experience of the competition and getting criticism on a project that I thought was really good was useful for preparing me for the workforce where other people always come up with other ideas and add value in ways that I was not expecting before starting the project.”

When asked which physics concept he would like to teach, Eric readily names gyroscopic precession. “Even though there are so many principles that would be really good, this one stands out to me as special and still quite useful. It was the main concept in the presentation that I got to present in the competition, and it also helped start my career in aviation. It is surprising how many systems in the world follow the principle of gyroscopic precession from aviation avionics to a bicycle wheel. It also is very interesting to watch and understand as well as being reasonably simple.”

Eric believes taking opportunities, whether through IYPT or similar competitions, can significantly benefit those considering a career in STEM.

“There are a large number of intelligent people around, all with similar qualifications and having something like IYPT really stands out compared to the competition. In all of the job interviews that I have had, IYPT has always been a topic of discussion and has sparked a lot of interest. The experience I gained from the competition also helped me answer interview questions with concrete examples.” – As told to Divina Paredes