2015 U.S. Physics Team Scores Five Medals

U.S. Traveling Physics Team Scores Five Medals

L-R: Kevin Li, Saranesh Prembabu, Zachary Bogorad, Jason Lu, Adam Busis

Contact: Marilyn Gardner
E-mail: mgardner@aapt.org
Phone: (301) 209-3306

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

College Park, MD, July 13, 2015—The United States Physics Team tied for second place at the 46th International Physics Olympiad that was held in Mumbai India, July 5 -12, 2015. The ten day competition among the world's top high school physics students consisted of a five hour theory exam and a five hour experimental exam, as well as several cultural outgoings and visits to local Indian manufacturing industries where the best high school physics students from around the world competed.

Only China won five gold medals. Several countries won four gold medals and one silver medal: the United States, Russia, Taiwan, and Korea.

The participants representing the 2015 U.S. Physics Team were:

Adam Busis, Montgomery Blair High School, Silver Spring, MD, Gold, tied for tenth place overall

Zachary Bogorad, Solon High School, Solon, OH, Gold, tied for fifth on experimental exam

Saranesh Prembabu, Dougherty Valley High School, San Ramon, CA, Gold, tied for 13th on theoretical exam

Kevin Li , West Windsor–Plainsboro High School South, Princeton Junction, NJ, Gold

Jason Lu, Adlai Stevenson High School, Lincolnshire IL, Silver, won the highest Silver medal. 

The U.S. Team was led by Paul Stanley of Beloit College and David Fallest of NC State. 

The United States team trains for ten days at the University of Maryland in late May. This year the five U.S. Competitors traveled to Thailand in late June to train with the team from Thailand, under the generous sponsorship of IPST.

The overall winner of the competition was Taehyoung Kim of Korea, who also scored highest in theory. The top experimental score was for Sol Kim of Korea. A special prize for top female participant was gold medal winner Thao Thi Huong Dinh of Vietnam.

This is the fifth time the U.S. has won four gold medals and a silver medal. Previous times were 1995 in Australia, 2006 in Singapore, 2008 in Vietnam, and 2009 in Mexico.

"AAPT is proud to lead the selection process that identifies such exceptional student scholars. Their outstanding performance in this international competition is a reflection of the work of their coaches, the entire 2015 Physics Team, the support of their families, and the best of physics education," said Dr. Beth A. Cunningham, Executive Officer of the American Association of Physics Teachers.

U.S. Physics Team Selection AAPT is responsible for recruiting, selecting and training the U.S. Physics Team each year to compete in the IPHO Competition. This selection process begins in early January when high schools register their students to participate in the Fnet=ma exam. Approximately 300 top scorers on this first test will advance to the Semifinal round of competition.A second exam is used as the basis for selection of the 20 members of the U.S. Physics Team. In May these students traveled from schools all over the United States, to the University of Maryland-College Park for the U.S. Physics Team Training Camp, held at the University of Maryland and George Washington University. There, they engaged in nine days of intense studying, mystery lab, daily exams, and problem solving.At the end of that training camp, five students and an alternate were selected as the "Traveling Team" to represent the United States at the IPhO.

Funding and Sponsorship
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, AIP, and the member societies of the American Institute of Physics:

Acoustical Society of America
American Association of Physicists in Medicine
American Association of Physics Teachers
American Astronomical Society American Crystallographic Association
American Meteorological Society
American Institute for Physics
American Physical Society
AVS: Science &Technology of Materials, Interfaces, and Processing
Optical Society of America
The Society of Rheology

Hosting Universities
University of Maryland

Corporate Sponsors
Anonymous

Beloit College
Cambridge University Press
D.E. Shaw Group & Company
Ellington Management Group
Wiley
Macmillan Higher Education
Pearson Education

Funding for the U.S. Physics Team also depends on donations from concerned individuals and organizations. Contributions are entirely used to support the selection, training, and travel of the team. Donations to the U.S. Physics Team are accepted at www.aapt.org/physicsteam/2015/donations.cfm.

More on the Web
Main website of the U.S. Physics Team: http://www.aapt.org/physicsteam/2015/
History of the physics team, including past winners: http://www.aapt.org/physicsteam/2015/program.cfm
46th International Physics Olympiad: http://www.ipho2015.in/

About the International Physics Olympiad
AAPT began the program in 1986 to promote and demonstrate academic excellence. The International Physics Olympiad (IPHO) is a nine-day competition among pre-university students from more than 80 nations. The 2015 Olympiad was held in Mumbai, India, from July 5-12.

About AAPT
AAPT (www.aapt.org) is the premier national organization and authority on physics and physical science education —with members around the word. Our mission is to advance the greater good through physics education. To this end, AAPT provides our members with numerous opportunities for professional development, communication, and student enrichment.