Phillips Academy Student Wins Medal at International Physics Olympia

David Field of Andover nabs silver in premier high school competition

July 24, 2009 — All five U.S. students who competed in this year’s 40th International Physics Olympiad were awarded medals in recognition of the high scores they earned during the competition, which was held in Merida, Yucatan, Mexico, in July 2009. Among the medal winners was Phillips Academy 10th-grader David Field of Andover, who took home a silver medal; his teammates, Bowei Liu and Marianna Mao (both of Fremont, Calif.), Joshua Oreman (Los Angeles), and Anand Natarajan (San Jose, Calif.) each took home a gold medal.

 According to Peter Watt, PA instructor in physics, Field is exceptionally gifted in physics. “When he was in ninth-grade, I had him as a student in an accelerated Advanced Placement class comprised of 11th- and 12th-graders. Despite his age, David was one of the strongest students in the class.”

In order to earn a spot on the 2009 U.S. Physics Team, students had to make their way through a highly competitive selection process that began in January when high school physics teachers throughout the country nominated more than 1,400 physics students to be members of the 2009 team. The first round of exams in late January produced approximately 400 semifinalists who were given a second exam in March. The results of that exam were used to select 19 team members who then participated in an intensive one-week training camp in May. Following that camp, five members of the team were selected to participate in the international competition.

 Since 1995, according to Watt, 15 PA students have placed on the U.S. Physics Team, while three, including Field, have qualified to travel to the final competition. In 2005, Nick Fortino ’05 and Dan Whalen ’06 made the traveling team and earned silver and bronze medals, respectively, at the international competition in Salamanca, Spain. 

 First held in 1967, the International Physics Olympiad is an international physics competition for secondary school students. This year, more than 350 students from 70 countries participated in the event.

  During the competition, students take two different exams over the course of three days. The first exam consists of three theoretical problems involving at least four areas of physics taught in secondary schools. The second exam consists of one to two experimental problems. The time allotted for solving the problems is five hours. To earn a medal in the competition, participants must score a specific number of points on the exams.

 “The problems were very challenging and quite good,” says Field, who estimates he spent more than 300 hours preparing for the competition. “The competition itself was fairly nerve-racking, particularly the lab work, but most of all it was exciting. I hope to qualify next year and then take home the gold.”
 
 For more information on the 40th International Physics Olympiad, visit the official competition site at http://ipho2009.smf.mx/home. For more information on the members of the U.S. Physics Team, visit the American Institute of Physics Web site at www.aapt.org