AAPT Announces the 2022 U.S. Physics Team

2022 U.S. Physics Team Identified

College Park, MD, May 18, 2022—After a rigorous search involving two exams, the American Association of Physics Teachers has identified the top contenders as members of the United States Physics Team. They come from California, Florida, Illinois, Maryland, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Texas and Washington. There are high school sophomores, juniors, and seniors.

These bright emerging physicists will participate in Physics Boot Camp at the University of Maryland in College Park, June 6-17. Most of the students invited to the camp are the top science student in their high school. For many, it is their first chance to meet other students who are truly their peers. The training camp is a crash course in the first two years of university physics. Students learn at a very fast pace. They have an opportunity to hear about cutting edge research from some of the community's leading physicists.

The twenty members of the 2022 U.S. Physics Team will prepare for the mentally grueling exams and lab tests they'll face at the 52nd International Physics Olympiad to be held virtually July 10–18, where student scholars from many nations will test their knowledge in physics, competing with the world's best. At the end of Camp, the coaches will identify the five students who will represent the United States in the 52nd International Physics Olympiad.

The members of the 2022 U.S. Physics Team are:
Justin E. Chen, Montgomery Blair High School, Silver Spring, MD
Samvit Das, William Mason High School, Mason, OH
Caleb Dastrup, Poolesville High School, Poolesville, MD
Evan B. Erickson, Erickson Homeschool Academy, Lake Elmo, MN
Collin Fan, Adlai E. Stevenson High School, Lincolnshire, IL
Alex S. Gu, Valley Christian High School, San Jose, CA
William Huang, Lynbrook High School, San Jose, CA
Daniel H. Jeon, Phillips Exeter Academy, Exeter, NH
Evan E. Kim, Tesla STEM High School, Redmond, WA
David Lee, Lynbrook High School, San Jose, CA
Alexander M. Li, C. Leon King High School, Tampa, FL
Christy K. Li, Montgomery Blair High School, Silver Spring, MD
Rishab X. Parthasarathy, The Harker School, San Jose, CA
James F. Rydell, San Juan Hills High School, San Juan Capistrano, CA
Manxi Shi, BASIS Independent High School, Silicon Valley, San Jose, CA
Matthew Zhao, Scarsdale High School, Scarsdale, NY
Rowechen Zhong, Westwood High School, Austin, TX
Samuel Zhou, Mission San Jose High School, Fremont, CA
Baiyu Zhu, California High School, San Ramon, CA
Adam M. Zweiger, Carlmont High School, Belmont, CA

"The competition for a position on the U.S. Physics Team is intense and each student who participated in the 2022 selection process is deserving of recognition. They are the future of America's success in physics related fields. AAPT is honored to recognize the exceptional scholars who qualified for the team and to support their further participation in the International Physics Olympiad," said Dr. Beth A. Cunningham, Executive Officer of the American Association of Physics Teachers. 

The coaches for the 2022 U.S. Physics Team are Tengiz Bibilashvili, Academic Director; Abijith Krishnan, Kye Shi, Brian Skinner, Mike Winer, and Kevin Zhou, Coaches; Meredith Neyer, Junior Coach.

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:
Acoustical Society of America
American Association of Physicists in Medicine
American Association of Physics Teachers
American Astronomical Society
ACA: The Structural Science Society
American Meteorological Society
American Physical Society
AVS: Science &Technology of Materials, Interfaces, and Processing
Optica
The Society of Rheology

Hosting University:
University of Maryland

Corporate Sponsors:
Cambridge University Press
D.E.Shaw Group & Company
Turtin

List of Events
June 6 —Physics Team members arrive at the University of Maryland for training camp
June 17 —Camp Closing Ceremony: Five students will be chosen to represent the U.S. Physics Team at the International Physics Olympiad
July 10-18 —International Physics Olympiad (IPHO) hosted by Switzerland, held virtually
July 18 —IPHO Closing Ceremony

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.