Sherry Gong- A super girl

Sherry Gong
Phillips Exeter Academy, Exeter, NH
Junior
Hobbies
My hobbies include reading (anything I can, whenever I have time), memorizing poems, Chung Do Kwan (which I started this year and will not be able to continue)

Clubs
At school I participate in Physics Club, and will be captain of the Math Club next year.

Experience
International Math Olympiad (seventh grade; bronze medal in eighth grade (2003); silver medal in ninth and tenth grade (2004, 2005)); USA IMO team 2005, USA Math Olympiad (honorable mention in 2003, participated in 2004, winners in 2005 and 2006,), Olimpiada Iberoamericana de Matemáticas (For Spain, Portugal and Latin America) (2003, gold medal), Math Olympiads of Central America (silver medals in both sixth grade (2001) and seventh grade (2002)), National Geography Bee in seventh grade (2002) island championship and twelfth place nationally

Biography
I was born in Long Island, NY in July, 1989 and moved to Canada when I was two. When I was six, I moved to Chicago, and then to Puerto Rico, where I currently reside (although I go to a boarding school in New Hampshire). In the area of competitions, I took the IMO on the Puerto Rican team three times and on the US team once. I also attended the US Math Olympiad Program (MOP) in 2003, 2004, and 2005. In middle school, I participated in National Geography Bee. I would like to thank Mr. Henner, Mr. Zhang, Mr. Saltman, Ms. Waterman, Mr. DiCarlo, Dong Fang Hu, as well as my parents and classmates for their support and for helping me get this far in physics. My favorite color is blue, I preferred pink in elementary school and purple in middle school. I like walking on mountainous areas, especially in tropical rain forests. Some of my favorite books are Lord of the Rings, Othello (which I find to be the best Shakespeare play by far), The Unvanquished (Faulkner), and Ender's Game. In middle school I actually believed in Tolkien’s tales of Middle Earth (which isn't to say that I don't anymore). Some of my favorite poems are Fire and Ice, The Raven and Annabel Lee and everything else written by Poe, Namarie (Galadriel's Lament), and the 15th poem of “Veinte Poemas de Amor y una Cancion Desesperada”. I took Go Ju Ryu for about half a year before I started attending Exeter. At MOP 2004 the girls were on the eleventh floor and I used the elevator a total of twice (once on the first day, once on the last). I learned how to knit three times. Unfortunately, I also forgot how to do it three times.

Sherry won a silver medal at the 2005 IMO in Merida, Mexico for the US Team. She competed at the IMO in 2004 for Puerto Rico and received a silver medal. She placed 12th nationally in the Geography Bee in 2002 and was a member of the 2005 and 2006 USA Physics Olympiad Team receiving a silver medal in last year's competition. She was designated the Clay Mathematics Institute Olympiad Scholar in 2005. She likes computer programming, geography and enjoys reading. She credits her Dad, Professor Li and Dr. Zuming Feng for influencing her interest in mathematics and in pursuing her live of competition. She will be attending Harvard University in the fall.

U.S. Physics Team Wins Golds/Silver

2006 U.S. Physics Team Medalists. (From left to right): Otis Chodosh (Gold), Sherry Gong (Silver), William Throwe (Gold), Menyoung Lee (Gold), Henry Tung (Gold)
College Park, MD (July 16, 2006) - Every U.S. student sent to the 2006 International Physics Olympiad held this year in Nanyang University in Singapore, will bring home a medal, and four of those are gold.

Menyoung Lee, a senior at Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology, Alexandria, VA, won a gold medal for the second year in a row. The other gold medalists are: William Throwe, a senior at Shoreham-Wading River High School, Shoreham, NY. Last year Throwe served as an alternate to the team. Henry Tung, a junior at Torrey Pines High School in San Diego. Otis A Chodosh, a senior at the Oklahoma School of Science and Mathematics in Oklahoma City. Bringing home a silver medal: Sherry Gong, a junior at Phillips Exeter Academy in Exeter, NH.

The U.S. team met with great success, head coach Robert Shurtz said. In an unofficial ranking of countries based on total score of the five team members, the United States ranked second. Chinas students had the highest overall total scores. This was largest International Physics Olympiad to date with 86 nations participating with a total of 383 competitors. Last year, the team brought home two golds, two silvers and a bronze medal.

Shurtz, a physics teacher at the Hawkens School in Gates Mills, OH, and assistant coach Paul Stanley, a physics and astronomy associate professor at Beloit College in Wisconsin, accompanied the team to the nine-day competition.

The U.S. Physics Olympiad Program was started in 1986 to promote and demonstrate academic excellence and prepare students to compete in the International Physics Olympiad. The U.S. Physics Team is co-sponsored by the American Association of Physics Teachers and the American Institute of Physics.

Sherry Gong named Clay Olympiad Scholar, June 27, 2005

Jim Carlson, Guhua Gong,Sherry Gong,Liangqing Li


Miss Sherry Gong, a 10th grade student at Phillips Exeter Academy, was named the 2005 Clay Olympiad Scholar at a ceremony in Washington DC on June 27, 2005.

The Clay Olympiad Scholar Award recognizes the most original solution to a problem on the US American Mathematics Olympiad (USAMO). It consists of a commemorative plaque and cash award to the recipient, and a cash award to the recipients' school. The award is presented each year at the official awards dinnner for the USAMO held in June in Washington, DC at the State Department Ballroom.

Sherry Gong, daughter of Guhua Gong and Liangqing Li of San Juan, Puerto Rico, attended schools in Puerto Rico until this last year when she enrolled at Phillps Exeter Academy in Exeter, New Hampshire. Sherry attended a mathematics olympiad for the first time when she was in the sixth grade — the 3rd Olympiada Matematica de Centroamerica y el Caribe. There Sherry received a silver medal and also a special award for the most original solution. It was the first such award in the history of this olympiad. Sherry received a silver medal the next year at the same olympiad, and in 2003 she received a gold medal at the XVIII Olympiada Iberoamericana de Matematicas. She also received a bronze medal in the 44th IMO (2003) and and a silver medal in the 45th IMO (2004).

In addition to mathematics, Sherry is interested in physics and computer programming. She won a position in the 24-member USA Physics Olympiad Team (2005). She enjoys seeing the connection between physics and mathematics, and she likes to find her own solutions when given a math or physics problem.

Sherry won the State Championship for the Geo Bee and represented Puerto Rico in the National Geo Bee in Washington DC (2002). She also likes karate, poetry and reading.


U.S.A. International Mathematical Olympiad 2005 Team


Standing, from left to right: Joseph A. Gallian, Eric Larson, Krishanu Sankar, Sergei Bernstein, Adam Hesterberg, Delong Meng, Jacob Steinhardt, Sherry Gong.
Kneeling: Tedrick Leung, Alex Zhai, Arnav Tripathy, Brian Lawrence, Haitao Mao.

Sherry Gong is a 12th grader at the Phillips Exeter Academy in Exeter, N.H. Sherry tied for second in this year's competition and won a $15,000 scholarship from the Akamai Foundation.

olympiad2005remarks from claymath.org
It is a great honor to be here this evening
with so many talented young people from
across the United States. You are here
tonight because of your ability, interest, and
achievement in mathematics. On behalf of
the Clay Mathematics Institute, of its
founder, Landon Clay, and of his wife and
fellow director, Lavinia Clay, I congratulate
each of you.
My role tonight is to present the Clay
Olympiad Scholar Award, which recognizes
the most original solution to an Olympiad
contest problem. In a few minutes I will
announce the winner. But first, some brief
comments.
Most contests, whether they be in athletics
or mathematics, place a premium on
strength and speed. These are important
qualities, qualities to be admired. But there
is another quality that is perhaps of still
greater value: originality. My dictionary
defines originality as
the ability to think creatively or
independently: a writer of great
originality
the quality of being novel or unusual: he
congratulated her on the originality of her
costume
Originality is not likely the quality that the
layman immediately associates with
mathematics, or with science more
generally. But originality is *the* quality
which drives knowledge forward, which
opens up new frontiers. And it is therefore
the highest accolade that we can give.
Consider for a moment the case of Albert
Einstein, whose centenary we celebrate this
year. At no time in his career -- as a high
school student, as an employee of the Swiss
patent office, as a renowned physicist -- did
Einstein dazzle by the speed of his problem
solving abilities. Rather it was the depth and
originality of his ideas that made the
difference. And what a difference it made!
He gave us the special and general theories
of relativity, and with them keys to
understanding light, subatomic particles,
black holes, and the big bang. He played a
key role in the development of quantum
theory, even though he never really
"believed" in it.
To repeat, it was originality that made the
difference for Einstein. And it was
originality that has always made the
difference in the work the greatest
mathematicians, such as Archimedes, or
Riemann.
Now has come the time to speak aobut this
year's awardee, Miss Sherry Gong. Until
last year, Sherry attended school in San
Juan, Puerto Rico, where her parents are
professors of mathematics at the University
of Puerto Rico. Sherry attended a
mathematics olympiad for the first time
when she was in the sixth grade. This was
the 3rd Olympiada Matematica de
Centroamerica y el Caribe. There Sherry
received a silver medal and also a special
award for the most original solution. It was
the first such award in the history of this
olympiad. Sherry received a silver medal the
next year at the same olympiad, and in 2003
she received a gold medal at the XVIII
Olympiada Iberoamericana de Matematicas.
She also received a bronze medal in the 44th
IMO (2003) and and a silver medal in the
45th IMO (2004).
This past year, Sherry has been a student at
Phillips Exeter Academy, in Exeter, New
Hampshire.
Besides mathematics, Sherry likes physics.
She won a position in the 24-member USA
Physics Olympiad Team (2005). She enjoys
seeing the connection between physics and
mathematics, and she likes to find her own
solutions when given a math or physics
problem.
Sherry also likes Geography. She was the
State Championship for the Geo Bee and
represented Puerto Rico in the National Geo
Bee in Washington DC (2002). Besides
math and science, Sherry likes computer
programing, karate, poetry and reading.
It is a great pleasure to present the Clay
Olympiad Scholar Award to Sherry Gong.
She will receive a commemorative plaque
and a check to help with her education. Her
school, Phillips Exeter Academy, will also
receive a check to recognize its role in
Sherry's success.
On behalf of the Clay Mathematics Institute,
its Scientific Advisory Board, and its Board
of Directors, I congratulate Sherry; her
parents, Professors Guhua Gong and
Liangqing Li; her school in Puerto Rico,
Phillips Exeter Academy, and Sherry's
teachers.

Sherry Gong, Phillips Exeter Academy
IMO Silver Medalist (2004, 2005)
IMO Bronze Medalist (2003)
IMO Honorable Mention (2002)
US IMO Team member (2005)
Puerto Rican IMO Team member (2002 - 2004)
USAMO Winner (2005)
MOSP member (2003 - 2005)


Checking out a statue: Sherry Gong & Ameya Velingker

Sherry Gong '07 Joins US Physics Olympiad Team
College Park, MD (May 28, 2006)— Sherry Gong '07 was one of five students selected today to represent the US at the 2006 International Physics Olympiad, a competition among high-school physics students, to be held this year in July at the National Institute of Education, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. Teams from 85 countries will compete, the most that have ever participated.

In May, 24 top US physics students attended a nine-day training camp at The University of Maryland, where, through classes, labs and special lectures, they were coached on difficult physics concepts before taking a final, qualifying exam. They also made a trip to nearby Washington, DC, to meet personally with their state senators and representatives in the US Congress and House of Representatives. The American Association of Physics Teachers (AAPT,) a non-profit organization based in College Park, MD, co-sponsored these activities.

Last year at the international competition held in Salamanca, Spain, the U.S. team brought home two golds, two silvers and a bronze medal.

The US Physics Olympiad Program was started in 1986 by AAPT to promote and demonstrate academic excellence. The Olympiad is a nine-day international competition among pre-university students from more than 80 nations.

2006 US Physics Team
Sunday, July 16, 2006

College Park, MD (July 16, 2006) - Every U.S. student sent to the 2006 International Physics Olympiad held this year in Nanyang University in Singapore, will bring home a medal, and four of those are gold.

Menyoung Lee, a senior at Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology, Alexandria, VA won a gold medal for the second year in a row.

The other gold medalists are: William Throwe, a senior at Shoreham-Wading River High School, Shoreham, NY. Last year Throwe served as an alternate to the team. Henry Tung, a junior at Torrey Pines High School in San Diego. Otis A Chodosh, a senior at the Oklahoma School of Science and Mathematics in Oklahoma City.

Bringing home a silver medal: Sherry Gong, a junior at Phillips Exeter Academy in Exeter, NH.

“The US team met with great success,” head coach Robert Shurtz said. “In an unofficial ranking of countries based on total score of the five team members, the US ranked second.” China’s students had the highest overall total scores.” This was largest International Physics Olympiad to date with 86 nations participating with a total of 383 competitors. Last year, the team brought home two golds, two silvers and a bronze medal. He also noted that the traveling team met on June 30th at Cal Poly - Pomona for four days of laboratory work as the final step in preparing for the international competition. We were all grateful to be hosted once again by Mary Mogge, former academic director of the US Physics Team and chair of the physics department at Cal Poly. We had a very successful and enjoyable mini-camp as a result of the hospitality and helpfulness of Mary and the staff of the physics department. We flew on July 4th for Singapore. We had two days to adjust to the twelve hour time difference and explore Singapore before the competition officially began on July 8th. This was a very hard working and a very fun group of five students to work with. I'm extremely excited and proud of their accomplishments. Four golds and one silver and second place overall makes this one of the best showings of the US Physics Team at any IPhO. I'll greatly miss working with this talented, cohesive, dedicated, and humorous group of students.


Sherry Gong receives a silver medal at this year's 37th annual physics competition in Singapore
Sherry Gong '07 Awarded Silver Medal at International Physics Competition


Sherry Gong receives a silver medal at this year's 37th annual physics competition in Singapore


Sherry Gong ’07 earned a silver medal at this year’s 2006 International Physics Olympiad, the first international physics award to be awarded by an Exeter student since 1999. The Olympiad is a worldwide competition among high-school physics students, held last month at the National Institute of Education, Nanyang Technological University in Singapore. She was among five 2006 U.S. physics team members, four of whom earned gold medals.

Physics instructor Scott Saltman said Sherry’s passion and commitment to working hard have resulted in her accomplishments. “Sherry is passionate about physics. Her achievement in this competition is a tribute to her hard work and her tremendous insight. It's a great honor for the Academy to have a student reach this prestigious level,” he said.

The other team players were awarded gold medals. Menyoung Lee, a senior at Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology, Alexandria, VA, who won a gold medal for the second year in a row; William Throwe, a senior at Shoreham-Wading River High School, Shoreham, NY; Henry Tung, a junior at Torrey Pines High School in San Diego; and Otis A Chodosh, a senior at the Oklahoma School of Science and Mathematics in Oklahoma City.

Team head coach Robert Shurtz said the U.S. team met with great success, earning an unofficial ranking of second. Countries were judged based on a total score of the five-team members. Chinas’ students came in first with the highest overall total scores. This was largest International Physics Olympiad to date with 86 nations participating with 383 competitors. Last year at the international competition held in Salamanca, Spain, the U.S. team brought home two gold, two silver and a bronze medal.

In May, 24 top US physics students attended a nine-day training camp at The University of Maryland, where, through classes, labs and special lectures, they were coached on difficult physics concepts before taking a final, qualifying exam. They also made a trip to nearby Washington, DC, to meet personally with their state senators and representatives in the US Congress and House of Representatives.


The 2006 U.S. physics traveling team
The American Association of Physics Teachers (AAPT,) a non-profit organization based in College Park, MD, co-sponsored these activities. The U.S. Physics Olympiad Program was started in 1986 to promote and demonstrate academic excellence and prepare students to compete in the International Physics Olympiad. The U.S. Physics Team is co-sponsored by the American Association of Physics Teachers and the American Institute of Physics.

http://www.agnesscott.edu/lriddle/women/women.htm
Association for Women in Mathematics
Essay Contests Association for Women in Mathematics


USAMO Winners Sherry Gong and David Lawrence, with Prof. Gregory Galperin


Brian Lawrence and Sherry Gong.


Waiting for the Lecture (given at the State Department) to begin: from right: Krishanu Sankar, Eric Larson, Tedrick Leung, Sergei Bernstein, Arnav Tripathy, Adam Hesterberg, Brian Lawrence and Sherry Gong.


Standing, from left to right: Joseph A. Gallian, Eric Larson, Krishanu Sankar, Sergei Bernstein, Adam Hesterberg, Delong Meng, Jacob Steinhardt, Sherry Gong.
Kneeling: Tedrick Leung, Alex Zhai, Arnav Tripathy, Brian Lawrence, Haitao Mao.



After visiting the Cryptologic Museum the group of winners and their families had a Picnic on the Lawn in front of the building.




USAMO Medals, before presentation.


Standing, from left to right: Adam Hesterberg, Krishanu Sankar, Brian Lawrence, Sergei Bernstein, Eric Larson, Delong Meng, Jacob Steinhardt.
Front: Sherry Gong, Haitao Mao, Alex Zhai, Arnav Tripathy, Tedrick Leung.


The group receiving the Robert P. Balles USAMO Winners Awards.


Balles Awards


Balles Awards


Getting Ready to take the Team Tests.



Sherry Gong, Alex Zhai and DeLong Meng

2007 USAMO Ceremonies
family of Tedrick Leung took photos

USAMO 2006







AMC Director Steven Dunbar took these photos

Washington, D.C. Ceremonies for the Winners of the United States of 2005 America Mathematical Olympiad






Opening gathering at The Mathematical Association of America Headquarters




Traditional formal Portrait taken at the Einstein statue, on the Mall




Formal Dinner at the State Department


U.S. Physics Team Honored by Members of Congress

Yesterday, the 24 members of this year's U.S. Physics Team were on Capitol Hill, meeting their Senators and Representatives. The Physics Team is organized annually by the American Association of Physics Teachers and sponsored by all ten of the Member Societies of the American Institute of Physics. These 24 high-school age students from across the U.S. were selected for the 2006 Team through two competitive examinations. They arrived at the University of Maryland in College Park, Maryland on May 19 for a week-long training camp, where they are undergoing intensive training and testing in problem-solving and laboratory skills.

Five team members will be selected to compete in the 2006 International Physics Olympiad, a physics competition for pre-university age students. This year's Olympiad will be held July 8 - 17 at the National Institute of Education, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. U.S. Physics Team members earned one bronze, two silver, and two gold medals at last year's competition in Salamanca, Spain.

In addition to meeting with their own Members of Congress, the Team Members gathered to hear talks from Representatives Vernon Ehlers (R-MI) and Rush Holt (D-NJ), both physicists, and to present them with gifts and certificates for their many years of support for the Physics Team. At the same time, the American Association of Physics Teachers also awarded Holt and Ehlers lifetime memberships. In honor of the Team, Rep. Ehlers inserted a statement into the May 25 Congressional Record congratulating the students and wishing them well. His statement follows:

"Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the achievements of the members of the 2006 United States Physics Olympiad Team. These 24 individuals have shown tremendous aptitude in physics and leadership among their peers.

"It is very challenging to earn a spot on this prestigious team. After being nominated by their high school teachers and taking a preliminary exam, 200 students qualified to take the second and final screening exam for the U.S. Physics Team. The 24 survivors of that group represent the top physics students in the U.S., and they are now at a nine-day training camp of intense study, examination and problem solving. Five of these exceptional students will advance and represent the United States in a tremendous international competition in July at the International Physics Olympiad in Singapore.

"Members of the 2006 team include: Sophie Cai, ZeNan Chang, David Chen, Otis Chodosh, Kenan Diab, Jiashuo Feng, Yingyu Gao, Sherry Gong, Timothy Hsieh, Rui Hu, Ariella Kirsch, Jason LaRue, Men Young Lee, David Lo, Benjamin Michel, Hetul Patel, Veronica Pillar, Nimish Ramanlal, Ingmar Saberi, William Throwe, Arnav Tripathy, Henry Tung, Philip Tynan and Haofei Wei.

"Mr. Speaker, as a nuclear physicist and former physics professor, I have worked to promote math and science education and to recognize the pivotal role these fields play in our nation's economic competitiveness and national security. Educating our K-12 students in math and science is very important. It is encouraging to see so many young, outstanding physics students enthusiastic about science, and I note that many of them chose to pursue science as a result of a teacher or family member who encouraged them along the way. Making sure our teachers are well-equipped to teach science and math is very important in fostering the interest of future generations in these subjects.

"I hope the composite enthusiasm of these students and the other semifinalists will allow them to consider future careers in science, technology, engineering and math. Furthermore, I hope some of them consider running for public office and add their expertise to the policy world! I am very thankful for these future leaders and ask that you please join me in congratulating them on their wonderful achievements and wishing the top five the best of luck as they represent the United States in Singapore."

Audrey T. Leath
Media and Government Relations Division
American Institute of Physics
fyi@aip.org