Newswise — College Park, Md., May 22, 2014 -- This spring you can find America’s brightest emerging physicists at Physics Boot Camp. They come from California, Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, New York, New Jersey, New Mexico, and Texas. There are high school sophomores, juniors, and seniors. Seven of them are returning as second-time members of the United States Physics Team. They will arrive in College Park, Md., later this month to prepare for the next stage of the competition to identify the world’s best high school physics students.

Nineteen students from across the U.S. have emerged through a rigorous exam process that began last January with approximately 4,277 students who participated in the Fnet=ma exam to become the 2014 U.S. Physics Team (http://www.aapt.org/physicsteam/2014/index.cfm). These students will continue to train for the mentally grueling exams and lab tests they'll face at the 45th International Physics Olympiad to be held from July 13–21, 2014 in Astana, Kazakhstan, where more than 400 student scholars from 92 nations will test their knowledge in physics, competing with the best in the world. Over the past 10 years, every U.S. Physics Team member traveling to the international competition has returned with a medal.

The members of the 2014 U.S. Physics Team are:- Alexander Bourzutschky, Montgomery Blair High School, Silver Spring, Md.- Eric Chen, Canyon Crest Academy, San Diego, Calif.- Kevin Fei, Carmel High School, Carmel, Ind.- Calvin Huang, Henry M. Gunn High School, Palo Alto, Calif.- Youbin Kim, Stuyvesant High School, New York, N.Y.- Rohan Kodialam, High Technology High School, Lincroft, N.J.- Celine Liang, Saratoga High School, Saratoga, Calif.- Grace Lin, Palo Alto High School, Palo Alto, Calif.- Kelvin Lu, Mission San Jose High School, Fremont, Calif.- Christina Pan, Monta Vista High School, Cupertino, Calif.,- Jaren Schaumann, John Foster Dulles High School, Sugar Land, Texas- Rahul Sridhar, The Harker School, San Jose, Calif.- Vikram Sundar, The Harker School, San Jose, Calif.- Alexandr Wang, Los Alamos High School, Los Alamos, N.M.- Michael Winer, Montgomery Blair High School, Silver Spring, Md.- Andrew Zhang, The Harker School, San Jose, Calif.- Liang Zhou, John W. North High School, Riverside, Calif.- Kevin Zhu, The Harker School, San Jose, Calif.- Licheng Zhu, Adlai Stevenson High School, Lincolnshire, Ill.

"The competition for a position on the U.S. Physics Team is intense and each student who participated in the 2014 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.

An integral part of the U.S. Physics Team experience is the training camp. Most of the students invited to the camp are the top science students 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. At the end of the training camp, five students will be selected to travel to Kazakhstan for the international competition.

The coaches for the 2014 U.S. Physics team are Paul Stanley, Academic Director; Andrew Lin, Senior Coach; JiaJia Dong and David Fallest, Coaches; and Lucy Chen, Assistant Coach.

The U.S. Physics Team is sponsored by the generous support of private donors and the member societies of the American Institute for Physics:

Acoustical Society of AmericaAmerican Association of Physicists in MedicineAmerican Association of Physics TeachersAmerican Astronomical SocietyAmerican Crystallographic AssociationAmerican Meteorological SocietyAmerican Physical SocietyAVS: Science & Technology of Materials, Interfaces, and ProcessingOptical Society of AmericaThe Society of Rheology

Cambridge University PressJohn Wiley & Sons, IncPearson Higher Education

LIST OF EVENTS: May 27 -- 2014 Physics Team members arrive at the University of Maryland for their intensive training campMay 28 -- Welcome Reception at the University of MarylandJune 4 -- Congressional VisitsJune 6 -- Five students will be chosen to represent the U.S. Physics Team at the international competitionJuly 13-21 -- International Physics Olympiad in Astana, KazakhstanJuly 20 -- Closing Ceremony

MORE ON THE WEB Main website of the U.S. Physics Team: http://www.aapt.org/physicsteam/2014/History of the physics team, including past winners: http://www.aapt.org/physicsteam/2014/program.cfm45th International Physics Olympiad: http://ipho2014.kz/

About AAPTAAPT 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. AAPT was founded in 1930 and is headquartered in the American Center for Physics in College Park, Md.

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