Junior John Kim was awarded a spot on the U.S. Physics Team, after being nominated by his teacher James Schafer and passing the preliminary and semifinal rounds of testing.
Kim recently completed his training at the University of Maryland, where he and his fellow teammates studied physics almost continuously, breaking for meals, said Kim. "It was pretty intense," he said.
The team is open to all high school students able to pass the entry examinations. According to Kim, the test requires "a little more thinking" than the Physics Advanced Placement exam. Kim did not qualify for the team last year but said that he took a course over the summer that helped him prepare.
Kim said that although he did not initially intend to be on the team this year, that he had "a good learning experience."
Kim said that his teammates were "really nice people" and extremely helpful. "They were definitely an interesting group of kids," he says. At the end of training, five students were selected to attend the 36th annual International Physics Olympiad in Salamanca this July, coinciding with the World Year of Physics.
Wootton student David Chen also earned a place on the team. Neither student qualified for the Olympiad.
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