Student teams from the Shanghai Jiao Tong University Global College (SJTUGC, abbreviated as GC hereafter) have achieved strong results in the 2025 University Physics Competition (UPC), securing a total of 13 silver medals and 8 bronze medals, according to the official results recently released by the organizer.
A diagram illustrating the relationship between wind speed and deflection angle produced by a GC sliver-medal team
UPC is an international contest for undergraduate students worldwide. Teams of up to three students collaborate to analyze real-world physical problems and submit a formal research paper within 48 hours. The competition emphasizes participants’ ability to apply fundamental physics principles to modeling, problem-solving, and scientific communication.
This year’s competition presented two open-ended problems. Problem A focused on the electro-acoustic adaptation of the traditional Indonesian string instrument, the Sasando, requiring teams to design solutions that preserve acoustic fidelity while ensuring portability. Problem B centered on historical artillery trajectory calculations, asking participants to determine projectile initial velocity and launch angles under specific conditions and to develop a rapid estimation method for firing parameters without electronic assistance.
A total of 838 teams from universities around the world participated in the 2025 competition. SJTU teams mainly composed of GC students started to participate the annual event from 2012. To date, GC students have won 10 gold medals, 58 silver medals, and 66 bronze medals in the competition.
