Exploring Space with Viraj and the IAAC

Viraj from Grade 11, recently took part in the 2021 International Astronomy and Astrophysics Competition (IAAC). The event is an online astronomy competition for High School and University students from all parts of the world, giving them a unique opportunity to apply their knowledge, skills and creativity to solve challenging problems in astronomy and astrophysics. We contacted Viraj to learn more about his experience in the competition.

It's fun to do something not related to one's day to day focus, because one never knows how the stars line up! – Viraj, Grade 11

The annual IAAC event is coordinated by Edu.Harbour. High School and University students from different countries are invited to participate in two categories: Junior (under 18 years old) and Youth (over 18 years old). The three rounds of the competition, qualification, pre-final and final, were held in April, May and June respectively.

The pre-final round included advanced research problems, which Viraj prepared for by reviewing scientific papers. “The questions were application-based and even though they provided some study material, a fair amount of real-world application was needed to answer the questions”, says Viraj. 

The final round was a multiple-choice exam with 30 questions on a variety of topics on astronomy and astrophysics. “There were 60 seconds to answer each question!”, says Viraj who under proper exam conditions with video surveillance, received Silver Honour for qualifying in the top 15% of all finalists in the final round.

While the IAAC was challenging, Viraj found it to very rewarding – not only because of the prize, but because he believe that all areas of study are interconnected and interdisciplinary. “So, by studying new subjects like astronomy and astrophysics, I hoped that it would give me a new perspective to approach my regular subjects in school, challenge me and broaden my world”, says Viraj, who got to explore exciting areas and concepts, such as special relativity, Bernoulli's Law, dark matter and specific enthalpy. “It reminds me of the quote: “the more I learn, the more I realize how much I don't know". Another way to look at it is philosophically and realize how insignificant our problems are in this great, big world, especially when we feel overwhelmed by them". 

For more information about the competition and to find out ways to join next year’s batch, visit the IAAC website.