India won four medals in the International Olympiad
The US Physics team bagged three gold and two silver medals and ranked eighth place out of 88 countries at the 2017 International Olympiad held in Yogyakarta, Indonesia, from July 16 to 24.
Two Indian American students, Shreyas Balaji and Sanjay Raman, were among the five member team from the US.
The theme of the nine-day competition was Joyful Camaraderie Beyond the Speed of Light and the competition was among the world’s top high-school students in physics. It consisted of an Experimental Exam and a Theoretical Exam, according to a press release by American Association of Physics Teachers (AAPT).
Shreyas Balaji is a senior at John Foster Dulles High School in Sugar Land, Texas. He describes himself as a normal high school senior with an above-average interest in physics. He won gold in the competition.
Sanjay Raman, who earned silver in the contest, is a sophomore from Lakeside School, Seattle, Washington. Raman, who was a typical math-focused student, credits the book Deep Down Things by Bruce Schumm as the reason for his interest in physics.
Other members of their team were Jimmy Qin of Sanford, Kye Shi of Watsonville, and Michelle Song of Fremont. Both Qin and Shi won gold whereas Song won silver.
The team also experienced several cultural outgoings and visits that included tours of the Indonesian Air Force Museum, Borobudur Temple and Malioboro Street, Tembi Village and Kotagede Silver Craft, and Monumen Uogya Kembali and Merapi Museum.
“AAPT congratulates these exceptional student scholars. Their exceptional achievements in this international competition are a reflection of the work of their coaches, the entire 2017 Physics Team, the support of their families, and best of physics education,” Dr Beth A. Cunningham, Executive Officer of the AAPT, said in a statement.
Countries such as China, Korea, Russia and Singapore made it big in this difficult competition by winning five gold medals while India, Vietnam, and Romania won four medals.