Program & History

AAPT and the American Institute of Physics (AIP)

sponsor a competition each year for high school
students to represent the United States at the
International Physics Olympiad Competition.
• 2009 U.S. Physics Team Website
• 2009 International Physics Competition Blog
You can help support the U.S. Physics Team by
donating.

Mission
The mission of the U.S. Physics Team Program is to
promote and demonstrate academic excellence through
preparation for and participation in the International
Physics Olympiad.
The U.S. Physics Team will fulfill its mission by achieving the following goals:
• encourage excellence in physics education and to reward outstanding physics students
• expand awareness of and participation in the program
• provide a meaningful scientific and cultural experience for team members, including
opportunities to network and meet new people, learn in intellectual and experiential ways, and
gain international exposure
• win medals and compete successfully on an international level

Physics Team Selection

AAPT is responsible for recruiting, selecting and
training teams each year to compete in the
International Physics Olympiad Competition. This
selection process begins in early Januarywhen
high schools register their students to participate
in the F=ma exam. Each year approximately 400
top scorers on this first test advance to the
quarter-final round of competition.
A third test, student transcripts, and letters of
recommendation are used as the basis for
selection of the 24 members of the U.S. Physics
Team. These students, from schools all over the
United States, travel to the University of
Maryland-College Park at the end of May for the
annual U.S. Physics Team Training Camp. There they engage in nine days of intense studying, testing
and problem solving.
At the end of that training camp, five students will be selected for the "Traveling Team." The Traveling
Team will return for three additional days of intense laboratory work before they are ready for the
International Event.

Recognition - Semi & Quarter

Finalists
Quarter finalist & Semi-finalists and will be given
certificates to recognize and celebrate the
accomplishments of these bright, highly motivated
students. We hope these certificates will be
distributed at school-wide award ceremonies.

History
The Olympiad is a nine-day international
competition among pre-university students from
more than 60 nations. At the International Physics
Olympiad, the competitors are asked to solve
challenging theoretical and experimental physics problems.
Begun in 1967 among eastern European countries, the International Physics Olympiad Competition
gradually grew to include many western countries during the 1970s. 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.
The 1986 team was made up of 20 talented high school physics students who had been nominated by
their teachers. Following a rigorous program in the physics department of the University of Maryland,
five students were selected to represent the U.S. in London. This team brought home three bronze
medals—more medals than any team had ever won in their first competition. Since that time, the
United States has consistently ranked near the top ten of all nations.
The International Physics Olympiad Competition now attracts teams from all over the globe.
In 2002, AAPT and eight other scientific societies,
including the Acoustical Society of America, the
American Astronomical Society, the American
Institute of Biological Sciences, the American
Institute of Physics, the American Physical Society,
the Optical Society of America, the National
Association of Geoscience Teachers, the National
Science Teachers Association, and the Triangle
Coalition, sent the following policy statement to
Congress:
"We urge Congress to support K-12 science and
math education, particularly programs that enable
professional development for teachers and
preparation of new teachers, by funding the Math
and Science Partnership programs at the levels
called for in authorizing legislation."
Rep. Rush Holt (physicist and D-NJ) sent a letter "to congratulate and celebrate the achievements of
the students of the United States Physics Team." Rep. Vern Ehlers (physicist and R-MI) introduced
remarks into the Congressional Record on June 6 "to applaud the achievements of the members of the
2002 United States Physics Olympiad Team…I personally want to thank all of the students who made
an effort to become a part of this team for showing others that science is and can be fun. Mr. Speaker,
I ask my colleagues to join me in saluting these future leaders of our country." Again in 2005, Rep.
Ehlers recorded a statement in the Congressional Record, congratulating the team.
Achievements
There are many ways to measure success. One way is to look at the medals we won and how well our
team performs at the International Physics Olympiad. We have been consistently successful in
achieving this goal.
Awards
From 1986 to 2008, the United States Teams have brought home:
• 36 Gold Medals
• 25 Silver Medals
• 27 Bronze Medals
• 11 Honorable Mentions

Educational & Intrinsic Values

Another way is to see what immediate impact the
program has had on the lives that were touched
by it. In an anonymous survey answered by the
team after their summer camp, students stated:
• "I enjoyed being with all these smart
people who think the way I do."
• "It was great solving interesting problems
with interesting people."
• "I enjoyed meeting new people with
similar interests and spending time with them
playing games and talking."
• "During those days in Maryland, I was given a tremendous opportunity to see into the heart of
the physics community. I listened to respected researchers discuss their work. More importantly,
I felt myself reaching the limits of my abilities, of my intelligence."
The training camp experience is immensely valuable for the participants. 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

Additional Information
For additional information about the U.S. Physics Team, contact the AAPT Programs and Conferences
Department at (301) 209-3344 or email aapt-prog@aapt.org.

Past Physics Team Pages

• 2008
• 2007
• 2006
• 2005
• 2004
• 2003
• 2002
• 2001
• 2000

© 2009 American Association of Physics Teachers :: One Physics Ellipse :: College Park, MD 20740-3845 ::