Successful physics app
"phyphox" awarded with Archimedes Prize
The Association for the Promotion of MINT Education (MNU) awarded the Archimedes Prize to the physics app "phyphox". JARA-FIT scientists Prof. Christoph Stampfer and Dr. Sebastian Staacks, both from the II Physics Institute of RWTH Aachen University, developed the app in cooperation with PhD students and students of the institute.
It is not always easy to understand physical phenomena correctly. "Learning by doing" is often a proven solution. This is what Prof. Christoph Stampfer (JARA-FIT) and Dr. Sebastian Staacks from the II Physics Institute of RWTH Aachen University thought. Together, the two scientists developed an app in 2016 that turns a smartphone into a physics laboratory. The mobile phone's sensors act as measuring instruments and generate the data. The two experts have already achieved 600,000 downloads with their app.
With the Archimedes Award, the MNU jury recognizes the positive benefits of the program for physics education. The app enriches everyday school life in times of increasing digitalization. In addition, the extra information and explanatory videos that are available to the pupils in the app were particularly convincing.
The Archimedes Prize is endowed with 4,000 euros and is awarded annually alternately for physics and mathematics. The award ceremony took place at the 110th MNU Federal Congress in Hannover.
Further information on the smartphone app "phyphox" is available online.
More details on the Archimedes Award ceremony can be found on the website of the Association for the Promotion of MINT Education.