College Park, Maryland, United States, February 25, 2010 — Great physics educators inspire the best high school minds in the United States and some of the best educators are listed, together with their students, at http://www.aapt.org/physicsteam/2010/info.cfm . The American Association of Physics Teachers (AAPT) today announced the top students chosen to advance to the Semifinal round of U.S. Physics Team selection. Approximately 3,200 students participated in this first phase of the selection process, the Fnet=ma Exam, in January. ECAE students Lucy Zhang, and Kris Stankiewicz, both 10th graders, were among the 300 students who advanced. 9th grader Heather Blundell, also turned in a stellar performance, narrowly missing the cut-off. Congratulations to these talented individuals! The students are members of the ECAE-sponsored West Metro Physics Team, coached by Research Physicist and former Olympiad champion, Andrzej Stankiewicz.
A second exam is used as the basis for selection of the 24 members of the U.S. Physics Team. In May these students will travel from schools all over the United States, to the University of Maryland-College Park to the U.S. Physics Team Training Camp. There, they engage 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 will be selected as the “Traveling Team” to represent the United States at the IPhO. In July, the Traveling Team and their coaches will attend a three day Mini Camp of intense laboratory work before moving on to the IPhO.
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 2010 Olympiad will be held in Zagreb, Croatia, from July 17-25.
About the ECAE West Metro Physics Team: The mixed 8th – 12th grade team meets weekly to review and discuss problem solving strategies involving physics related concepts. Under the direction of coach Andrzej Stankiewicz, it is now in it’s fourth year, (second year of ECAE sponsorship), the team has produced 1 USPT finalist, 2 USPT semi-finalists, 3 Physics Bowl Regional Winners and two Second Place Team finishes in its short history.
