High school students chosen for international physics competition

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEMay 26, 2009(College Park, MD) -- Five students have been selected to represent the U.S Physics Team as the 2009 Traveling Team at the 40th International Physics Olympiad, a competition among high-school physics students, held this summer in Merida, Yucatan, Mexico.

The students are: David Field, of Andover, MA, a sophomore at the Phillips Andover Academy in Andover, MA; bio at http://www.aapt.org/physicsteam/team.cfm?id=495&year=2009 Bowei Liu, of Freemont, CA, a sophomore at Mission San Jose High School in Freemont, CA; bio at http://www.aapt.org/physicsteam/team.cfm?id=612&year=2009 Marianna Mao, of Freemont, CA, a senior at Mission San Jose High School in Freemont, CA; bio at http://www.aapt.org/physicsteam/team.cfm?id=627&year=2009

Anand Natarajan, of San Jose, CA, a senior at The Harker School; bio at http://www.aapt.org/physicsteam/team.cfm?id=654&year=2009 Joshua Oreman, of Los Angeles, CA a senior at Harvard Westlake School, Los Angeles, CA; bio at: http://www.aapt.org/physicsteam/team.cfm?id=663&year=2009

“We are very proud of all nineteen students who participated in the training camp. They have tested themselves with the best of their peers for ten days and have proven to be an outstanding group of young people,” said Warren Hein, Executive Officer of the American Association of Physics Teachers, which sponsors the team. “We are sure that the five Traveling Team members will uphold the tradition of success for the United States as they represent the U.S. Physics Team in Merida.”

The students attended a training camp at the University of Maryland, where, through classes, labs and special lectures, they were coached on difficult physics concepts, then took a series of exams. They also made a trip to nearby Washington, DC, to see the Smithsonian Museums and to NASA’s Goddard Space Center in Greenbelt, MD.

The coaches for the 2009 U.S. Physics team are: Paul Stanley, Academic Director/Senior Coach, Warren Turner, Senior Coach/Lab Coach, Andrew Lin, David Jones, and David Fallest.

Last year, the team brought home one silver and four gold medals. Joshua Oreman, a returning team member, brought home a gold medal for the 2008 Team.

The U.S. Physics Olympiad Program was started in 1986 by AAPT to promote and demonstrate academic excellence. It continues to be supported as a joint initiative between AAPT and AIP. The nine-day international competition brings together pre-university students from more than 60 nations. This year’s event is sponsored by the Mexico Ministry of Education, the National Council of Science and Technology, and the Yucatan State Government with the support of the National University of Mexico, the National Polytechnical Institute, the Metropolitan Autonomous University, and the Institute for Scientific and Technological Research of San Luis Potosi. The 2009 International Physics Olympiad is being organized by the Mexican Physical Society, the University of Yucatan, and the Merida Campus of the Center for Research and Advanced Studies of the National Polytechnical Institute.

LIST OF EVENTS:

May 16-26 -- Physics Team students visit University of Maryland for their intensive training camp.May 26 -- Five students chosen as the Traveling Team to represent the US Team at the international competition.July 3-7 --Traveling Team Mini-Boot Camp, College Park, MDJuly 11 -- Traveling Team arrives in Merida for the international competition.July 19 -- The International Olympiad’s final awards given.

MORE ON THE WEB

Main website of the U.S. Physics Team: http://www.aapt.org/olympiad2009/

History of the physics team, including past winners: http://www.aapt.org/Contests/olympiad.cfm

The official website of the International Physics Olympiad: http://ipho2009.smf.mx/home

Screening exams the students had to pass to place on the U.S. Physics Team: http://www.compadre.org/psrc/evals/olympiad.cfm

CONTACT:

Marilyn Gardner, American Association of Physics Teachers, mgardner@aapt.org, 301-209-3306Five students have been selected to represent the U.S Physics Team as the 2009 Traveling Team at the 40th International Physics Olympiad, a competition among high-school physics students, held this summer in Merida, Yucatan, Mexico. “We are very proud of all nineteen students who participated in the training camp. They have tested themselves with the best of their peers for ten days and have proven to be an outstanding group of young people,” said Warren Hein, Executive Officer of the American Association of Physics Teachers, which sponsors the team. “We are sure that the five Traveling Team members will uphold the tradition of success for the United States as they represent the U.S. Physics Team in Merida.”