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Contact: Jenni Norlin Weaver |
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Media Release |
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Edina Public Schools Student Semi Finalist in National Edina, Minn., March 13, 2009 – An Edina Public Schools student soared to new heights when she advanced as a Semi Finalist in a prestigious national competition seeking to select the top physics talent. South View Middle School student Lucy Zhang, grade nine, could go on to represent the United States in an international competition. Edina is one of the few school districts in Minnesota that has joined a national movement to teach physics to all students in grade nine. The American Association of Physics Teachers (AAPT) and the American Institute of Physics (AIP) sponsor a national competition each year for students in grades 9-12 to represent the United States at the International Physics Olympiad Competition. Students who advance in the next round of testing will comprise the 2009 U.S. Physics Team. “I was surprised,” Zhang said. “I didn’t think I’d be as good as some of the other people in the country who are older than me and trained more.” A third physics test, student transcripts and letters of recommendation determine which 24 students will be selected as members of the U.S. Physics Team. These students will travel to the University of Maryland-College Park at the end of May for the annual U.S. Physics Team Training Camp. The students engage in nine days of intense studying, testing, and problem solving. At the end of the training camp, five students are selected for the “traveling team,” which will go on to compete in the International Physics Olympiad. “I’m excited to see how it will turn out,” Zhang said. For more information about the U.S. Physics Team, visit http://www.aapt.org/physicsteam/index.cfm. ###  |
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