Redrich Putyatin, a graduate student in the Department of Technical and Software Automation at the Faculty of Applied Physics and Engineering (FAPIE) of Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute (KPI), achieved a strong result at The International Physics Competition (IPhyC).
On Physics, Poetry, and a Future President
Ukrainian scientists are deeply concerned about the dramatic decline in the number of school students interested in the natural sciences, particularly physics. This trend inevitably leads to a decrease in the number of applicants pursuing engineering and other technical disciplines, resulting in a shortage of specialists essential for Ukraine's recovery and future development. Against this backdrop, the achievements of young people from Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute—participants and winners of academic competitions and subject Olympiads—deserve special recognition, support, and encouragement.
The International Physics Competition (IPhyC) brings together thousands of participants from around the world each year, offering them an opportunity to join a global community of physicists, expand their knowledge, connect with peers, and compete at an international level. "For thousands of years, humanity has sought to understand how nature works—whether by discovering the principles of motion, unraveling the mysteries of energy and matter, or exploring the quantum world. IPhyC embraces this spirit of discovery, giving participants the opportunity to test their knowledge of physics while deepening their understanding of this fascinating discipline," the organizers note.
We are delighted to join in congratulating this year's IPhyC winners from Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute, who ranked among the best of the competition's 960 finalists. They are Redrikh Putiatin, a PhD student at the Automation Hardware and Software Department (TPZA), Faculty of Chemical Engineering, and Oleksandr Matsybora, a first-year student at the Department of Artificial Intelligence, Educational and Research Institute for Applied Systems Analysis.
On photo: Redrikh PutiatinWithout Science, Life Is Boring; With Science, It Is Challenging
"I received a Silver Award in the senior age category, the second-highest distinction among participants from Ukraine. Overall, I ranked among the top 300 finalists," Redrikh Putiatin shared shortly after the competition results were announced. The young researcher spoke with Kyiv Polytechnic about his journey at Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute (at his request, his distinctive word choices have been preserved in this publication): "I completed my bachelor's degree in Automation and Computer-Integrated Technologies, a program that was later expanded to include robotics. Choosing a university wasn't easy, and, to be honest, the department's name at the time—Department of Automation of Chemical Production—didn't sound particularly appealing. I had originally wanted to study at the Faculty of Physics and Engineering, focusing on applied physics or mathematics. But in the end, my instructor from the preparatory courses convinced me. Of course, I considered other universities as well, but after attending the preparatory courses at KPI, I realized that this was exactly where I wanted to study." So, to future applicants: get to know the university in person, experience its atmosphere, and discover what makes it special—you won't regret it.
During his studies, Redrikh became interested in the automatic control of electrostatic crude oil dehydration. He dedicated both his bachelor's thesis and master's thesis to this topic. Now, as a PhD student, he continues to develop this research area by investigating optimal operating modes for electrostatic dehydrators and exploring model predictive control using recurrent neural networks.
He hopes to "combine further research, which is highly mathematical in itself, with practical technological applications where these findings can be effectively implemented."
Reflecting on the competition, Redrikh recalled:
"It is a global competition for senior school students and university students. I felt like the oldest participant because the highest age category was described as 'first-year college/university students and above.'
Taking part gives you the opportunity to refresh—or even learn—the theoretical material, practice solving problems under time constraints, improve your English and your knowledge of physics terminology, and read the latest research paper on an interesting topic in physics.
I can't say they simply hold your hand through the process, because the difficulty of the study materials they provide for preparation is two orders of magnitude greater than the difficulty of the problems featured in the competition itself."
Everything took place remotely. The qualifying round ranged from simple school-level problems on uniform linear motion to questions appropriate for well-prepared university applicants. There was no supervision, and participants had more than a month to complete the tasks. "In my opinion, the purpose of this stage was not to eliminate participants but to attract and engage as many people as possible.
The next stage—the semifinal—was held under the supervision of an instructor in a classroom, with only one hour to complete the tasks. The final resembled a remote examination: besides the webcam, participants had to set up a second camera showing all potential areas where cheating could occur. There were 30 problems, with only one or two minutes allocated to each, depending on whether it was a multiple-choice question or required an open-ended answer. No one was interested in seeing the solutions—only the final answers mattered."
Speaking about the problems themselves, Redrikh laughed:
"For the semifinal, we were given a research paper on the nature of black holes, gravitational waves, harmonics, and Hawking's area theorem. We had to read it in advance and then answer seemingly straightforward questions: What is the second law of black hole dynamics? Which harmonic decays faster? How does this paper improve upon previous research? And so on.
There was one problem in the final that completely threw me off. By the way, calculators were prohibited. The question involved a pendulum, and in the end we had to calculate (2\pi\sqrt{1/g}). As everyone knows, (g = 9.81). Now try calculating that by hand—to two decimal places! It turns out the answer is 2.01 (though they probably would have accepted 2.00 as well). The funny part is that there's an old joke among physicists and mathematicians: (\pi^2 = g). If only I had remembered it, I would have solved the problem correctly!" Well, what can one say? Among mathematicians, jokes are often closer to the truth than they seem.
The young researcher has many ideas that, as he puts it, he "simply doesn't have enough time to pursue." These include similarity theory for designing automatic controllers, integer compositions in combinatorics, mnemonic techniques for teaching engineering disciplines, and the development of Ukrainian technical and mathematical terminology. For now, however, he says he is "staying with the department and the field." "It was the right choice," the PhD student says. "It gives me the opportunity to put my love of mathematics and physics to good use. I dream of writing high-quality textbooks for our field, because there is a real shortage of modern textbooks in Ukrainian. In general, I love teaching. I honestly don't know which I enjoy more—doing research or teaching. Without science, life is boring; with science, it is challenging. Without teaching, life is boring; with teaching—well, I'd almost say 'you're always hungry,' because it's certainly not the same as working as a software engineer. Still, we'll make it through."
The young researcher is also a poet: "According to Rostyslav Semkiv's classification, I mostly write experimental and/or dense, intellectually demanding poetry. I've been fortunate to publish my work in literary journals such as ‘Lehit’ and ‘Pniabzyk’. If you're curious about what poetry written, so to speak, 'by a mathematician for mathematicians' looks like—that's me. Outside the university, poetry is truly my life's calling."
Redrikh also speaks highly of his department and its leadership, particularly praising their active collaboration with industry and the wide range of opportunities available for participation in international research projects. "It's a place where you can do cutting-edge research while also ensuring decent salaries for academic staff," he emphasizes.
Ranked Among the Top 5% of Nearly 5,600 Participants
About thirty years ago, when one of the humanities faculties at Kyiv Polytechnic was established, its dean famously declared, "This is where we educate future presidents." Times have changed rapidly, and today such ambitions are increasingly shared by engineering students as well—young people who chose to study in their own country during one of its most challenging periods and are determined to contribute to its recovery and future prosperity.
On photo: Oleksandr MatsyboraOleksandr Matsybora is one of those students—and someone with a genuine passion for physics. In this year's International Physics Competition (IPhyC), he earned a Silver Honour distinction, placing among the top 5% of approximately 5,600 participants worldwide. He also achieved the third-highest result among all participants from Ukraine. This accomplishment reflects the high level of preparation and motivation of a student who is only beginning his academic journey.
Oleksandr is pursuing a degree in Computer Science. He considers Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute to be objectively one of the best technical universities in Ukraine and chose the Department of Artificial Intelligence because, in his view, AI is perhaps the most transformative technology of this century—and possibly the next. He is already looking for practical applications of this knowledge, most recently participating in the EDTH 2026 hackathon. Over the next 10 to 15 years, Oleksandr hopes to gain professional experience and build a career in the financial sector. Later, given the right opportunities, he would like to establish his own IT company. And after that—why not?—perhaps even consider running for president. We wish him every success in achieving these ambitious goals.
At the editorial team's request, Oleksandr shared his thoughts on how to rekindle school students' interest in the natural sciences:
"First and foremost, students should have the opportunity to build something with their own hands—even something as simple as a remote-controlled car. Lessons should not become exercises in rote memorization; they should motivate students to understand how things work and to apply or test that knowledge in practice. Demonstrations of physical phenomena are also extremely effective because abstract formulas on their own can be difficult to grasp. And, of course, it's important to find like-minded people through clubs or interest groups. These communities provide opportunities not only to exchange knowledge and experience but also to challenge yourself by taking part in competitions, Olympiads, and contests, helping you identify areas for improvement. Promoting your work through platforms such as TikTok or Instagram can also be worthwhile." To this, one can only add that we should not forget to recognize and celebrate the small but dedicated group of young people who, despite recent trends, remain genuinely fascinated by fundamental science and are willing to explore it in depth.
As these students demonstrate, Ukraine is rich in talent and has proven it time and again. It is therefore essential for the state to make sustained investments in the development of the exact sciences and in supporting gifted young people, enabling the country to strengthen its long-term competitiveness in technology and innovation.
ℹ️ IPhyC is a global scientific competition that brings together participants from dozens of countries around the world each year and takes place in three stages. Its problems go beyond the standard curriculum and are often based on current research in astrophysics, condensed matter physics, and other fields.
Based on the competition results, Redrich Putyatin achieved a high score among 900 participants, ranking in:
🔹 the top 5% of all contest participants
🔹 the top 30% of the final round’s best participants in the international ranking
🔹 the top performers among Ukrainian representatives — 2nd place📌 This is not only a personal achievement but also direct confirmation of the high level of training at Igor Sikorsky KPI.
A strong foundation in engineering, physics, and mathematics enables young specialists to compete successfully at the international level.🥈 According to the results of the competition, Oleksandr Matsybora received the Silver Honour award among about 5600 participants and was among the strongest:
📌 top 5% of all participants in the competition
📌 top 30% of the final round among the 960 best participants in the international rating
📌 one of the leaders among the representatives of Ukraine — 3rd place🤝 We sincerely congratulate Redrich and Oleksandr and wish them new scientific achievements!