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Students selected as 2018 US Traveling Team for Olympiad

Five students have been selected to represent the U.S. Physics Team as the 2018 Traveling Team at the 49th International Physics Olympiad

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

June 6, 2018, College Park, MD — Five students have been selected to represent the U.S. Physics Team as the 2018 Traveling Team at the 49th International Physics Olympiad, a competition among high-school physics students, to be held July 21 –29, 2018 in Lisbon, Portugal. They will be accompanied by coaches JaiJai Dong, Mark Eichenlaub, and Paul Stanley.

The Traveling Team members are:
Gopal K. Goel, Krishna Home School, Portland OR
Anthony C. Ou, Carmel High School, Carmel IN
Michelle C. Song, Mission San Jose High School, Fremont CA
YuQing Xie, The Charter School of Wilmington, Wilmington DE
Daniel G. Zhu, Montgomery Blair High School, Silver Spring MD

"The selection of the travelers was extremely difficult. These five team members will represent the U.S. Physics Team and the United States very well, keeping with the tradition of bringing home medals and honoring the teams of the past 30 years." said Academic Director, Paul Stanley. "I would have been happy to travel with them all but the rules of the International Physics Olympiad required that we choose five."

The students attended a rigorous training camp at the University of Maryland, where, they had the opportunity to improve their laboratory and problem solving skills, hear special lectures by prominent physicists, and interact with other exceptional physics students from all over the United States. The training camp experience is immensely valuable for the students. The instruction provides an introduction to university style teaching and equipment. Students become familiar with aspects of first year university curricula in physics which in turn accelerates their studies during their remaining time in high school.  

The coaches for the 2018 U.S. Physics team are: Paul Stanley, Academic Director; Jia Jia Dong, Co-Academic Director; Mark Eichenlaub, Senior Coach; Michael Winer and Abijith Krishnan, Junior Coaches; and Nicholas D. Sparks, Coach.  

Funding and Sponsorship 

The U.S. Physics Olympiad Program was started in 1986 by AAPT to promote and demonstrate academic excellence. It continues to be supported as a joint initiative between AAPT, AIP, and the member societies of the American Institute of Physics:

The U.S. Physics Team is sponsored by the generous support of private donors, the American Institute of 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 
American Meteorological Society 
American Institute for Physics 
American Physical Society 
AVS: Science & Technology of Materials, Interfaces, and Processing 
Optical Society of America 
The Society of Rheology

Hosting University: 
University of Maryland

Corporate Sponsors: 
Anonymous 
Beloit College 
Cambridge University Press  
Geppetto Catering  
John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 

Funding for the U.S. Physics Team also depends on donations from concerned individuals and organizations. Contributions are entirely used to support the selection, training, and travel of the team. Donations to the U.S. Physics Team are accepted online.

More on the Web
Main website of the U.S. Physics Team: http://www.aapt.org/physicsteam/2018/index.cfm
History of the physics team, including past winners: http://aapt.org/physicsteam/2018/program.cfm
49th International Physics Olympiad: http://ipho-unofficial.org/timeline/2018/

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.