Team Facts & News

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

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Meet the Team

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

  • Shreyas Balaji

    Sugar Land, TX

    John Foster Dulles High School

    Teacher: Judy Matney

    Junior

    Bio:

    Honestly, I’m excited and honored to be here. But it’s not where I would have envisioned myself just three years ago. Not that physics didn’t interest m… read more

  • Mike Bao

    Fullerton, CA

    Troy High School

    Teacher: Thomas Mosig

    Junior

    Bio:

    Physics first entered my life during my first airplane ride. Face pressed against the cool glass of the window, I watched in awe as the plane rumbled do… read more

  • Jonathan Huang

    Irvine, CA

    University HS - Irvine

    Teacher: Tim Smay

    Junior

    Bio:

    I’ve always been driven by an innate curiosity to find patterns and to learn how things work. Math and science have provided the outlet for me to pursue… read more

  • Tiffany Huang

    Saratoga, CA

    Saratoga High School

    Teacher: Kirk Davis

    Sophomore

    Bio:

    I don’t really know how this all happened.

    No, not my interest in physics, or STEM for that matter. That spark has always existed within me, thou… read more

  • Parker Huntington

    Centerville, OH

    Centerville HS

    Teacher: Raquel Von Handorf

    Junior

    Bio:

    I come from the side yard space ship, a sturdy construction of six logs. Imagination has characterized the majority of my life. I twisted and mangled sm… read more

  • Abijith Krishnan

    Traveling Team

    Scottsdale, AZ

    BASIS Scottsdale

    Teacher: David Martin

    Senior

    Bio:

    Whenever I went to physics class in 8th and 9th grade, I was fascinated – first by the simplicity of mechanics, then by the pervasiveness of E+M, then b… read more

  • Cynthia Liu

    Silver Spring, MD

    Montgomery Blair High School

    Teacher: James Schafer

    Senior

    Bio:

    I remember taking my first F=ma exam in 2013. I earned 5 points.

    Discouraged, I resolved to move onto some other academic activity. Computer team… read more

  • Vincent Liu

    Traveling Team

    State College, PA

    State College Area High School

    Teacher: Robert White

    Senior

    Bio:

    I wish I had discovered physics earlier.

    In middle school and early high school, fits of fiery focus would explode and consume me–online RPGs, de… read more

  • Daniel Longenecker

    Rising Sun, MD

    Homeschool/Kuwait

    Teacher: Derek Owens

    Senior

    Bio:

    “Mommy, why do you have glasses?” As a small child, I constantly asked questions—even ones whose answers I already knew, just to hear another viewpoint… read more

  • Jason Lu

    Traveling Team

    Lincolnshire, IL

    Adlai Stevenson High School

    Teacher: Ryan Fedewa

    Junior

    Bio:

    From an early age, I’ve been interested in how things work. Once I got bored of playing with toys, I would often take them apart with a screwdriver to s… read more

  • Jawahar Madan

    Bellevue, WA

    Interlake High School

    Teacher: Michael O'Byrne

    Junior

    Bio:

    I think I’ve always had the mentality of someone interested in physics, though for most of my life I didn’t realize it.

    At first, like any kid, I… read more

  • Srijon Mukherjee

    Traveling Team

    Noida, UP

    Amity International School, Noida

    Teacher: Vijayashree Naidu

    Junior

    Bio:

    I have had an interest in Mathematics ever since I was in elementary school. This interest in Mathematics probably sparked my later interest in Physics.… read more

  • Jimmy Qin

    Traveling Team

    Sanford, FL

    Seminole High School

    Teacher: Amber Morgan

    Junior

    Bio:

    Why do I like physics? Answer: biology labs are messy and chemistry labs don’t agree with me. Physics seems to be the only suitable science, therefore, … read more

  • Milan Roberson

    West Chester, PA

    Bayard Rustin High School

    Teacher: J. Greg Byrd

    Senior

    Bio:

    From early on, music, math, and science have been my passion. It was in the first grade when I discovered the beauty of math through The Penguin Dictio… read more

  • Alec Sun

    Exeter, NH

    Phillips Exeter Academy

    Teacher: Scott Saltman

    Junior

    Bio:

    “And now… I’m going to blow your mind,” announces professor Walter Lewin as he sketches two voltmeters on the chalkboard, whose probes are connected be… read more

  • Brian Tseng

    Fremont, CA

    Mission San Jose High School

    Teacher: Peter Geschke

    Junior

    Bio:

    As with many of the finalists, my interest in physics stems from my participation in math competitions. And how did I get involved in math competitions?… read more

  • Yogeshwar Velingker

    Allentown, PA

    Parkland School District

    Teacher: Sean Flueso

    Junior

    Bio:

    I am a junior at Parkland High School in the Allentown, PA area. Brought up in a suburb of Allentown, I have enjoyed nature and hiking in the nearby woo… read more

  • Charles Wang

    Alexandria, VA

    Thomas Jefferson HS for Sci-Tech

    Teacher: John Dell

    Sophomore

    Bio:

    I always sought to know how the world works, driving me to ask countless questions since I was very young. Astronomy interested me first, which impresse… read more

  • Sarah Wu

    Durham, NC

    North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics

    Teacher: Jonathan Bennett

    Senior

    Bio:

    I didn’t get physics exposure until junior year, when I dove into AP Physics C and (surprisingly) found myself looking forward to class every day. But I… read more

  • Jason Ye

    Irvine, CA

    University HS - Irvine

    Teacher: Tim Smay

    Junior

    Bio:

    My interest in physics started in elementary school, with the Science Channel. My favorite shows on TV back then were those documentaries on black hole… read more

  • Jennifer Yu

    Fremont, CA

    Mission San Jose High School

    Teacher: Peter Geschke

    Junior

    Bio:

    If I had to compare myself to a literary figure, I, surprisingly, would pick Jay Gatsby from The Great Gatsby. Deep down, I identify with his relentless… read more

  • Leo Zhao

    Princeton, NJ

    Princeton High School

    Teacher: Mark Higgins

    Junior

    Bio:

    I enjoyed a multitude of things starting at an early age, including swimming, ice hockey, squash, piano, violin, go, saxophone, and tennis. I traveled … read more

  • Daniel Zhu

    Silver Spring, MD

    Montgomery Blair High School

    Teacher: James Schafer

    Freshman

    Bio:

    There has been an issue that has bothered me since elementary school, which is the existence of free will. Sure, it seems to exist, but does it? I would… read more