2007 Photo Contest

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

College Park, Maryland, United States, August 7, 2007

High School Photo Contest Focuses on Physics
AAPT Announces Winners of Its 2007 Competition

The American Association of Physics Teachers (AAPT) challenged high school students around the world to show their brilliant photography skills and knowledge of physics in its 2007 High School Physics Photo Contest. More than 700 students in grades 9-12 submitted entries and the top 100 finalists were on display at AAPT’s Annual Summer Meeting held last week in Greensboro, NC. Hundreds of AAPT meeting attendees voted for their top five photos in two categories—Natural and Contrived.

Students were required to take the photos and complete the descriptions themselves. The winning photos will be available as postcards and will be featured in the 2008 AAPT Physics Photo Contest Calendar and in the 2007 Physics Photo Contest Poster. The winners are listed below.

Photo Contest Coordinator Mary Winn stated, “The most important aspect of the Photo Contest is that it teaches physics students to learn and think about physics in all areas of their environment. Every year, I am overwhelmed by the talent and creativity these students show as they look at ordinary events and understand the physics concepts involved. The quality of the photographs and the understanding of the concepts shown by the written essay are truly amazing.”

AAPT Executive Officer Dr. Toufic Hakim added, “AAPT is pleased to continue giving students the opportunity to interact and interpret the physical world around us, since understanding physics starts with observing. We are proud to showcase the talents of students across the world and their ability to visualize physics. Each year the Photo Contest highlights the excitement and splendor of physics and reflects the pride and dedication of educators and students alike. We hold this contest each year to help fulfill part of the vision of AAPT—to facilitate meaningful interactions between teachers and students.”

For a list of prizes, click here.
To view the photos, click here.


Winners
Contrived Category

First Place
“Image Inversion”
Phuong Ha
NUS High School of Mathematics and Science, Singapore
Teacher: Yen Ling Lam

Second Place
“Bending Attraction”
Megan Kalany
The Walker School, Marietta, GA
Teacher: Sandra Rhodes

Third Place
“Balanced Torques Demonstrated”
Alexander Kithas
Tamalpais High School, Mill Valley, CA
Teacher: David Lapp

Honorable Mentions
“The Eternal Rose”
Jonathan Walker
Berkmar High School, Lawrenceville, GA
Teacher: IV Bray

“Brilliant Balloon”
John Wanberg
Cherry Creek High School, Centennial, CO
Teacher: Jessica Olsen

“Dancing Liquid”
Levin Nelson
Roosevelt High School, Seattle, WA
Teacher, Eric Muhs

“Billiards & Momentum”
Stefan Stercula
East High School, Glenn Mills, PA
Teacher: Ron Pedelty

“Pennies Don’t Float”
Bobby Kanaly
Cherry Creek High School, Englewood, CO
Teacher: Jessica Olsen

Natural Category

First Place
“A Cornea Acting As a Convex Mirror”
Annacy Wilson
Tamalpais High School, Mill Valley, CA
Teacher: David Lapp

Second Place
“Virtually Floating”
Justin Held
West Boca Ratan High School, Boca Raton, FL
Teacher: Maria Aparicio

Third Place
“Small Scale Wave Diffraction”
Colleen FitzGerald
Amherst Steele High School, Amherst, OH
Teacher: Chaz Deremer

Honorable Mentions
“El Reflejo”
Kate Roosa
Lancaster County Day School, Lancaster, PA
Teacher: Jim Ringlein

“Huricane Katrina Picture”
Kate Brechtel
Academy of the Sacred Heart, Metairie, LA
Teacher: Stephen Collins

“Pitcher Picture”
Elizabeth Owens
Golden West High School, Visalea, CA
Teacher: Christopher Phillips

“Thermographic Photo”
Rachel Yates
Academy of the Sacred Heart, Metairie, LA
Teacher: Stephen Collins

“Longitudinal Wave Pattern on a Beach”
Zacharie Peterson
Ipswich, MA
Teacher: Don Poranski

Special Recognition
“Light Up the Night”
Brandon Gloss
Pickerington, OH
Teacher: Doug Forrest

About AAPT
AAPT is the leading organization for physics educators—with 11,000 members worldwide. Our mission is to advance the greater good through physics teaching. We provide our members with many opportunities for professional development, communication, and student enrichment. We serve the larger community through a variety of programs and publications. AAPT was founded in 1930 and is headquartered in the American Center for Physics in College Park, Maryland.


For More Information
Contact Robert Merz, Marketing Manager
media@aapt.org
1-301-209-3307
1-301-209-0845 (Fax)



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