Students Chosen for International Physics Competition

June 1, 2007

(College Park, MD) -- Five students have been selected to represent the U.S. at the 2007 International Physics Olympiad, a competition among high-school physics students, held this year.

The students are:

Kenan Diab, of Westlake, OH, a senior at the Hawken School in Gates Mills, OH; bio at http://www.aapt.org/olympiad2007/bio.cfm?StudentID=704

Rui Hu, of Newark, DE, a junior at Charter School of Wilmington in Delaware; bio at http://www.aapt.org/olympiad2007/bio.cfm?StudentID=707

Jenny Kwan, of San Marcos, CA, a senior at San Marcos High School; bio at http://www.aapt.org/olympiad2007/bio.cfm?StudentID=710

Jason Larue, of Miami, FL, a senior at Miami Palmetto High School; bio at http://www.aapt.org/olympiad2007/bio.cfm?StudentID=711

Haofei Wei, of Broken Arrow, OK, a senior at Oklahoma School of Science and Math, Oklahoma City; bio at: http://www.aapt.org/olympiad2007/bio.cfm?StudentID=722

"The students were selected not only for their physics knowledge: they took 9 theoretical exams and five lab exams, but because they represent what we aspire to see in all students: their leadership, attitude, disposition, and creativity," said Toufic Hakim, executive director of the American Association of Physics Teachers, which sponsors the team. "These well-rounded students will represent the US ably at the international competition."

The students attended a training camp at the University of Maryland, where, through classes, labs and special lectures, they were coached on difficult physics concepts, then took an exam. They also made a trip to nearby Washington, DC, to meet personally with their Senators and Representatives in the US Congress. The American Association of Physics Teachers and the American Institute of Physics, non-profit organizations based in College Park, MD, co-sponsored these activities. The International Olympiad will be held this year at the Isfahan University of Technology in Iran.

Last year, the team brought home four golds and one silver medal.

The U.S. Physics Olympiad Program was started in 1986 by AAPT to promote and demonstrate academic excellence. The Olympiad is a nine-day international competition among pre-university students from more than 80 nations.

ON THE WEB

• Main website of the U.S. Physics Team: http://www.aapt.org/olympiad2007/

• Bios of each student are available online at: http://www.aapt.org/olympiad2007/team.cfm

• History of the physics team, including past winners, is available at: http://www.aapt.org/Contests/olympiad.cfm

• The official website of the International Physics Olympiad, hosted by the Iranian team: http://www.ipho2007.ir

• Screening exams the students had to pass to place on the U.S. Physics Team: http://www.compadre.org/psrc/evals/olympiad.cfm

CONTACT: Martha J. Heil, American Institute of Physics mheil@aip.org 626-354-5613 (cell)