TUSCALOOSA, Ala. -- Some 150 high school students from across the region recently competed in UA’s annual High School Physics Contest held in Tuscaloosa.

The contest, in its 31st year, was originally organized by Dr. Stan Jones, professor of physics at UA, and is typically attended by students from Alabama, Mississippi and Tennessee.

Dr. William C. Keel, a professor in UA’s department of physics and astronomy who chaired this year’s contest committee was pleased with the excitement shown by each team during the competition. “I was struck by the enthusiasm one team displayed, with personalized black team T-shirts complete with intimidating skull and crossbones,” Keel said. “I wouldn't walk up and call that bunch physics geeks.”

The number of UA students declaring physics as their major has increased, even beyond what could be attributed to UA’s overall enrollment increases. Between 2001-2004, 18 UA students, on average, were majoring in physics. In 2005, 33 students did so, and in this latest academic year, UA reports 40 physics majors.

“Maybe we're seeing the turn of the wheel, and something as fundamental yet abstract as physics is seen by a new generation as something both valuable and absorbing,” Keel said.

The top two finishers in the UA contest’s written exam will receive four-year, in-state tuition scholarships if they choose to attend the University.

The award recipients are as follows:

Overall team performance:

• 1st place -Briarwood Christian Academy
• 2nd place - Mississippi School for Math and Science (MSMS) in Columbus, Miss.
• 3rd place - Randolph

Top Ten Individual:
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1st - Allen Lu of MSMS	2nd - Thanakorn Iamsasri of the Darlington School in Rome, Ga.	3rd - Colin Sullender of Homewood High	4th - Ian Barclay of MSMS	5th - Justin MacKay of MSMS
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6th - William Dahl of Homewood High	7th - Kurt Von Laven of Randolph High in Madison	8th - Eduardo Moraes of Homewood High	9th - Dong Song of MSMS	10th - Anika Kuczynski of Randolph High

Divisional Team Awards included:

Small Public Schools

1st place- Ranburne Team A
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2nd place- Ranburne Team B
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3rd place - Ranburne Team C
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Large Public Schools

1st - Homewood, Team P
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2nd - Homewood, Team K
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3rd - Decatur, Ochre Team

Private Schools

1st - Briarwood Team A
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2nd - Briarwood Team B
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3rd - Randolph Team B

(Large) Magnet Schools

1st - MSMS Team A
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The University of Alabama, a student-centered research university, is in the midst of a planned, steady enrollment growth with a goal of reaching 28,000 students by 2010. This growth, which is positively impacting the campus and the state's economy, is in keeping with UA's vision to be the university of choice for the best and brightest students. UA, the state's flagship university, is an academic community united in its commitment to enhancing the quality of life for all Alabamians.