2018 Physics Olympics Team Banner

Did you know?

In 1986, under the direction of the AAPT Executive Officer, Jack Wilson, the American Association of Physics Teachers (AAPT) organized the United States Physics Team for the first time. — AAPT.ORG

 

 

Director

  • JiaJia Dong

    Co-Academic Director

    Jiajia (JJ) is an associate professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at Bucknell University. She discovered her passion in physics rather late in life, probably an anomaly in the physics team: In graduate school, she was exposed to the fast growing field of biophysics and systems biology. It is invigorating to learn about the wonders of a bacterium cell and how its thousands of genes work in concert generation after generation. And using physics to bring quantitative insights continues to drive her curiosity in living systems. "Working with the US physics team" has become a repeating item on her calendar and she is excited to return again!

  • Paul Stanley

    Academic Director

    Paul is the Dobson Professor of Physics and Astronomy at Beloit College. He has worked for the US Physics team since 2003. His research involves classical and quantum chaos, and varies between highly theoretical, heavily computational, and playfully experimental. In his spare time he plays the trumpet semi-professionally, and he travels, having visited over fifty different countries.

Coaches

  • Mark Eichenlaub

    Senior Coach

    Mark is a graduate student studying physics education research at University of Maryland. His research uses both qualitative and quantitative methods to understand cognitive aspects of problem solving in introductory physics for the life sciences. He has always enjoyed a good physics problem and is looking forward to his third summer working with the physics team!

  • Abijith Krishnan

    Junior Coach

    Abijith is a physics and math major at Harvard. After coaching at camp this year, he will be going to the Max Planck Institute for Complex Systems in Dresden to research Floquet systems. In his free time, Abijith plays on and now captains BRed Line, Harvard Men's B Ultimate Frisbee Team.

  • Nicholas Sparks

    Coach

    Nick was drawn to physics due to his love for science fiction. His research is in Yang-Mills theory and its application to nuclear collective motion. He enjoys reading, teaching, and spending time with his dog Isabella. Nick looks forward to working with the Olympiad team and is excited to meet everyone!

  • Mike Winer

    Junior Coach

    Mike is a physics major at MIT. He loves physics, comedy, and European history. He aspires to be the funniest coach of the US physics team, and is already preparing a dazzling array of jokes.

Contact Information

For more details and information about the US Physics Team, please contact AAPT's Programs department at 301-209-3340 or programs@aapt.org