2009 US Physics Team Training Camp: U.S. High School Students Prepare for International Competition

College Park, MD (May 15, 2009). The top U.S. High School Students will convene this week at the University of Maryland for ten days of physics education, friendship building and fun as they prepare and compete to represent the 2009 U.S. Physics Team at the 40^th International Physics Olympia to be held this year July 12-19 in Merida Yucatan, Mexico.

The coaches for the 2009 U.S. Physics team are: Paul Stanley, Academic Director/Senior Coach, Warren Turner, Senior Coach/Lab Coach, Andrew Lin, David Jones, and David Fallest. Training for the students will involve conducting lab experiments, taking exams, and hearing presentations from prominent scientists. At the end of the training camp, five students will be selected to travel to the Mexico for international competition.

The 2008 US Physics Team brought home one silver and four gold medals. Joshua Oreman, a 2008 gold medalist will be returning as a member of the 2009 US Physics Team.

The U.S. Physics Olympiad Program was started in 1986 by AAPT to promote and demonstrate academic excellence. The nine-day international competition brings together pre-university students from more than 60 nations. This year's event is sponsored by the Mexico Ministry of Education, the National Council of Science and Technology, and the Yucatan State Government with the support of the National University of Mexico, the National Polytechnical Institute, the Metropolitan Autonomous University, and the Institute for Scientific and Technological Research of San Luis Potosi. The 2009 International Physics Olympiad is being organized by the Mexican Physical Society, the University of Yucatan, and the Merida Campus of the Center for Research and Advanced Studies of the National Polytechnical Institute.

LIST OF EVENTS:

May 16-26 — Students visit University of Maryland for their intensive training camp.
May 26 — Five students chosen to represent the US at the international competition.
July 11 — Students arrive in Merida for the international competition.
July 19 — The International Competition's final awards given.

MORE ON THE WEB

Main website of the U.S. Physics Team: http://www.aapt.org/olympiad2009/
History of the physics team, including past winners: http://www.aapt.org/Contests/olympiad.cfm
The official website of the International Physics Olympiad: http://ipho2009.smf.mx/home