| ANDOVER, Mass.—All five U.S. students who competed in this year’s 36th International Physics Olympiad, which was held in Salamanca, Spain, from July 3-12, were awarded medals in recognition of the high scores they earned during the competition. Among the medal winners were two Phillips Academy students, Nickolas Fortino and Daniel Whalen.
Fortino, a resident of North Andover, Mass., won a silver medal in the competition. He graduated from Phillips Academy in May and is planning to attend CalTech, where he expects to pursue a degree in physics. Whalen, who won a bronze medal, is a resident of San Juan Capistrano, Calif., and will enter his senior year at Phillips Academy in the fall.
The other three medal winners on the U.S. team were Eric Mecklenburg (gold), Menyoung Lee (gold), and Timothy Credo (bronze). Mecklenburg is a senior at the Hawken School in Gates Mills, Ohio. Lee is a junior at Thomas Jefferson High in Alexandria, Va. Credo is a senior at Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy in Aurora, Ill. This marks the second year in a row every student on the U.S. team brought home a medal from the competition.
First held in 1967, the International Physics Olympiad is an international physics competition for secondary school students. This year, more than 350 students from 75 different 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.
In order to earn a spot on the 2005 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 from throughout the country nominated more than 1,400 physics students to be members of the 2005 team. The first round of exams in late January produced approximately 200 semifinalists who were given a second exam in March. The results of that exam were used to select 24 students who became the members of the 2005 U.S. Physics Team. The team members 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.
For more information on the 36 International Physics Olympiad, visit the official competition site at www.ipho2005.com. For more information on the members of the U.S. Physics Team, visit the American Institute of Physics Web site at www.aapt.org.
Phillips Academy, better known as Andover, is a coeducational independent high school of 1,083 students, known for its extensive and rigorous academic program. A diverse community of teachers and students, the academy was founded in 1778. For more information, visit the school Web site at www.andover.edu. |
