Norwegian version of this page

About the Norwegian Astronomy Olympiad

The International Olympiad on Astronomy and Astrophysics (IOAA) is an international competition for high school students along the lines of the other International Science Olympiads, covering the fields of Astronomy and Astrophysics.

Objectives

The main goal of IOAA is to promote the growing interest in astronomy and related subjects, through the general education of young people, and enhancing the development of international contacts among different countries in promoting astronomy and astrophysics in schools.

Through the event like IOAA, we aim at stimulating high school students to deepen and feed their "passion" for astronomy by studying astronomy and astrophysics at the university level.

Great emphasis is placed on the value of professional and social interaction with peers from many countries.

Organisation

The IOAA competition was established in 2007, when 21 countries joined. Now there are more than 65 countries participating, and Norway joined the IOAA in 2019.

Those who will represent Norway are selected through several national selection rounds.

Round 1: Standardized multiple-choice assignments that are completed in school during the autumn semester. The syllabus consists of Physics 1 plus momentum and energy conservation from Physics 2.
Round 2: Multiple choice tasks and short answer tasks that are completed in school. The syllabus consists of Physics 1 plus momentum and energy conservation and gravity from Physics 2., and some assignments taken from previous international finals.
Final week: The best students from round 2 are invited to participate in an intensive final week at the University of Oslo. The week ends with a final written test. The winners will be offered to participate in the International Olympiad in Astronomy and Astrophysics later that year.
NB: Participating students must be under 20 years of age (as of June 30, the same year as the International Olympiad is held).

The importance of Norwegian participation

The Institute of Theoretical Astrophysics and the Rosseland Centre for Solar Physics look at competitions, training stays at the university and of course the international Olympiad itself, as a great way to stimulate interest in the sciences.

During the international final students will:

solve theoretical assignments
perform data analysis
make telescope observations
solve assignments based on simulations of astronomical phenomena in a planetarium
participate in problem solving

both individually and in groups under controlled and timed conditions over a period of 10 days. The Norwegian final week will introduce the students to such activities while also providing a broader introduction to the field of astronomy.

Who designs the national exams?

The Institute of Theoretical Astrophysics collaborates with:

Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU)
Andoya Space Education
Norwegian Astronomical Society (NAS)
teachers in high school
former IOAA winners

in designing the national exams, making the selection of students as well as conducting training courses for the students at the University of Oslo. The top candidates will represent Norway at the International Olympiad.