Sugar Land sophomore on U.S. Physics Team

Dulles High School student Bobby Shen is the lone Texan on the 2011 U.S. Physics Team, which is currently training for the International Physics Olympiad to be held in Thailand.

Dulles High School sophomore Bobby Shen already has a lot of academic competitions under his belt.

He's participated in several math and physics Olympiad programs since middle school, and met President Barack Obama in the Oval Office as a Mathcounts National Champion. This year he's the lone Texan on the 2011 U.S. Physics Team, which is currently training for the International Physics Olympiad to be held in Thailand.

Dulles High teacher Judy Matney says the team is undergoing some intense training, but says that Shen is up for it. Even though Shen took his first actual physics course this school year, Matney says he taught himself calculus when he was in the sixth grade.

"He is learning differential equations, and for electricity and magnetism," Matney says. "That would be something that maybe an undergrad might learn later."

Students have to undergo a series of exams to get on the team. This year, only 20 were chosen. Most of the team members are juniors or seniors, and Shen is one of just four sophomores.

Matney says Shen stands out even at a school that prides itself on strong math and physics curricula. "We have quite a few students similar to him, but not quite as good as he is," she says.

The Physics Team's members are keeping a blog here.