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U.S. Physics Team Members Participate in the Virtual 2021 International Physics Olympiad Hosted in Vilinus, Lithuania

ipho2021_logoContact: Dave Wolfe, Director of Communications
E-mail: dwolfe@aapt.org
Phone: (301) 209-3327
www.aapt.org

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

July 21, 2021, College Park, MD — Five students have been selected to represent the U.S. Physics Team as the 2021 Virtual Team at the 51st International Physics Olympiad, a competition among high-school physics students, to be hosted July 17 - 24 by Vilinus, the capital of Lithuania. More than 400 students from 76 countries are participating in the event for which preparations lasted four years. During the Olympiad, young physicists from all over the world will solve theoretical and experimental tasks created by Lithuanian scientists.

The Virtual Team members are:

  • Eddie Chen, West Windsor-Plainsboro High School North, Plainsboro, New Jersey
  • Evan Erickson, Erickson Homeschool Academy, Lake Elmo, Minnesota
  • William Huang, Lynbrook High School, San Jose, California
  • Zhening Li, Sir John A. Macdonald Secondary School, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada
  • Leo Yao, West Windsor-Plainsboro High School North, Plainsboro, New Jersey

AAPT invited 30 students chosen from the F=ma Exam winners to participate in an additional round of exam, the 2021 USAPhO Plus, to select the 2021 U.S. Physics Team Virtual Traveling Team Members. These 30 students were chosen to have a balanced age and gender representation. Specifically, we invited the top five female scorers, the top ten 10th graders or below, the top eleven 11th graders (tied in 10th place) and the top four 12th graders.

We recognize the 2021 U.S. Physics Team coaching staff for their tremendous efforts to select and train a virtual Physics Team this year. Due to the COVID-19 restrictions, the entire process had to be conducted virtually. The coaches have gone above and beyond expectation to ensure that the United States is represented at the 2021 International Physics Olympiad.  The coaches for the 2021 U.S. Physics team are:

  • JiaJia Dong, U.S. Physics Team Academic Director, Bucknell University, Lewisburg, PA
  • Mark Eichenlaub, U.S. Physics Team Senior Coach, Art of Problem Solving
  • Abijith Krishnan, U.S. Physics Team Junior Coach, MIT, Cambridge, MA
  • Kye Shi, U.S. Physics Team Junior Coach, Harvey Mudd College, Claremont, CA
  • Brian Skinner, U.S. Physics Team Coach, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH
  • Mike Winer, U.S. Physics Team Coach, University of Maryland, College Park, MD
  • Kevin Zhou, U.S. Physics Team Coach, Stanford University, Stanford, CA

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 Physics Olympiad brings together pre-university students from more than 70 nations.

The U.S. Physics Team is sponsored by the generous support of private donors, the American Institute for Physics and the member societies of the American Institute of Physics:

Corporate Sponsors:

MORE ON THE WEB
Main website of the U.S. Physics Team: https://www.aapt.org/physicsteam/PT-landing.cfm
History of the physics team, including past winners: https://www.aapt.org/Common/program_history.cfm
The official website of the 2021 International Physics Olympiad:  https://www.ipho2021.lt/en/

About AAPT
AAPT is an international organization for physics educators, physicists, and industrial scientists—with members worldwide. Dedicated to enhancing the understanding and appreciation of physics through teaching, AAPT provides awards, publications, and programs that encourage teaching practical application of physics principles, support continuing professional development, and reward excellence in physics education. Founded in 1930, the Association is headquartered in the American Center for Physics at College Park, Maryland.