2011 U.S. Physics Team Traveling Representatives

2011-Travelers_Coaches_Web

Traveling team Lucy Chen, Andrew Das Sarma, Ante Qu, Eric Spieglan, and Brian Zhang

 and coaches Paul Stanley and Warren Turner.

 

May 31, 2010, College Park, MD — Five students have been selected to represent the U.S. Physics Team as the 2011 Traveling Team at the 42nd International Physics Olympiad, a competition among high-school physics students, to be held in Bangkok, Thailand, from July 10 to 18.

The Traveling Team members are:

Lucy Chen, a senior at Ames High School in Ames IA; bio at http://www.aapt.org/physicsteam/2011/team.cfm?id=835&year=2011
Andrew Das Sarma, a senior at Montgomery Blair High School, Silver Spring, MD; bio at http://www.aapt.org/physicsteam/2011/team.cfm?id=836&year=2011  
Ante Qu, a senior at West Windsor-Plainsboro High School; bio at http://www.aapt.org/physicsteam/2011/team.cfm?id=844&year=2011
Eric Spieglan, a junior at Naperville North High School, Naperville, IL; bio at http://www.aapt.org/physicsteam/2011/team.cfm?id=848&year=2011
Brian Zhang, a senior at Henry M. Gunn High School in Palo Alto, CA; bio at http://www.aapt.org/physicsteam/2011/team.cfm?id=852&year=2011

"All twenty students who earned a position on the 2011 U.S. Physics Team are world class. They have tested themselves with the best of their peers for ten days and have proven to be an exceptional group of young people," said Beth Cunningham, Executive Officer of the American Association of Physics Teachers, which sponsors the team. "We are proud of them all and are confident that the five Traveling Team members will continue the tradition of success for the United States as they represent the U.S. Physics Team in Bangkok."

The students attended a rigorous training camp at the University of Maryland, where, through classes, labs and special lectures, they were coached on difficult physics concepts,  and then took a series of exams. They also made a trip to nearby Washington, DC to visit their congressional representatives and senators, and meet with Carl Weiman at the White House Conference Center. The coaches for the 2011 U.S. Physics team are: Paul Stanley, Academic Director/Senior Coach, Warren Turner, Senior Coach/Lab Coach, Andrew Lin, Jia Jia Dong, Quizi Li, David Fallest, and Marianna Mao, Junior Coach.

Last year, the team brought home one gold medal, two silver medals and two bronze medals. Eric Speiglan, a returning team member, brought home a silver medal for the 2010 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, AIP, and the member societies of the American Institute for Physics: Acoustical Society of America, American Association of Physicists in Medicine, American Astronomical Society, American Crystallographic Society, American Geophysical Union, American Physical Society, AVS - Science and Technology of Materials, Interfaces, and Processing, Optical Society America, and The Society of Rheology.
 

The 42nd IPhO is being hosted by Thailand with the generous support of the Royal Thai Government and the POSN (The Promotion of Academic Olympiad and Development of Science Education Foundation).  The nine-day international competition brings together pre-university students from more than 80 nations.

LIST OF EVENTS:
May 20-30 — Physics Team students visit University of Maryland for their intensive training camp.
May 31 — Five students chosen as the Traveling Team to represent the US Team at the international competition.
July 10 — Traveling Team arrives in Bangkok for the international competition.
July 17 — The International Olympiad's final awards given at Closing Ceremony.

MORE ON THE WEB:
• Main website of the U.S. Physics Team: http://www.aapt.org/physicsteam/2011/index.cfm
• History of the physics team, including past winners: http://www.aapt.org/physicsteam/program.cfm

• The official website of the International Physics Olympiad:  http://www.ipho2011.org/home
• Screening exams the students took 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, Phone: 301-209-3306