Four students of the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Mandi have been chosen to represent India in the Physics League Across Many Countries for Kick-ass Students (PLANCKS) 2025.
The global competition will take place in Barcelona, Spain, between 1 and 5 May, and organized by the Autonomous University of Barcelona. The team, consisting of M.Sc. Physics 2023 students Aneet Kaur, Bhavya, Kumar Ashish, and Bhanu Pratap Singh from the School of Physical Sciences at IIT Mandi, was one of three Indian teams chosen after a national selection process among 41 teams. They are the sole team from an IIT to make it to the event.
The students won second place in the Indian Young Physicists League (IYPL) 2025 and were given a chance to compete globally. PLANCKS will unite undergraduate and postgraduate physics students from over 25 nations.
Academic and cultural exchange opportunity
The competition is run by the International Association of Physics Students and has been held annually for over a decade. It offers a stage for students to interact, deal with tough physics issues, and exchange information across national and academic divides.
Dr Bindu Radhamany, Chairperson, School of Physical Sciences, IIT Mandi, states: "Four students from our school have been chosen for PLANCKS 2025, which is indeed a matter of appreciable moment for our school. Such academic competition will contribute to the widening of the experience of our students towards their journey in learning and cultural exchange among the participants across the globe".
Dr Radhamany goes on: "The competition saw teams from top institutions in the country fight their way through tough physics challenges. Among the Indian teams who made it to PLANCKS 2025, IIT Mandi was one of the strongest contenders along with teams from the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) Bangalore, IITs, and IISERs".
