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

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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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“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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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“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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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