Author: usaaao

IOAA 2025 has just concluded in Mumbai! The US team, led by Sahil Pontula (MIT) and Lucas Pinheiro (OSU), achieved a historic result at the competition:

1. Feodor Yevtushenko – gold medal, best theory, and absolute winner
2. Brian Sun – gold medal
3. Yuxian Liu – bronze medal
4. Aldric Benalan – honorable mention

Congratulations to the team and a huge thank you to all of the volunteers who helped select and train the team. We also acknowledge the generous financial support of the Masson Family Fund.

Stay tuned for an announcement of next year’s USAAAO competition in a few months!

Over the next week, the US team will compete in theory, data analysis, and observation exams at IOAA 2025 in Mumbai, India. We wish them all the best!

Students:

• Brian Sun, Montgomery High School (NJ)
• Aldric Benalan, West Windsor-Plainsboro High School North (NJ)
• Feodor Yevtushenko, University High School (CA)
• Rohan Raghu, Stanford University Online High School (NJ)
• Yuxian Liu, Phillips Academy Andover (MA)

Team Leaders:

• Sahil Pontula, MIT
• Lucas Pinheiro, OSU

Please join USAAAO volunteers on July 15 at 8:30pm EST for a test solve session where we will work through past First Round and NAC exam questions. The Zoom link for the webinar can be accessed here. You can fill out this form if you would like to request a specific question for our volunteers to work through.

We will not be recording the session. Please don’t hesitate to spread the word about this upcoming session to anyone you know who may be interested. Hope to see you next Tuesday!

The US team has now been selected for the 2025 International Olympiad on Astronomy and Astrophysics (IOAA) in India. This year’s team includes:

• Brian Sun, Montgomery High School (NJ)
• Aldric Benalan, West Windsor-Plainsboro High School North (NJ)
• Feodor Yevtushenko, University High School (CA)
• Rohan Raghu, Stanford University Online High School (NJ)
• Yuxian Liu, Phillips Academy Andover (MA)

More information about the team can be found here. The team members have begun weekly training in preparation for the IOAA in August.

Congratulations to all participants in the 2025 NAC! Below is the list of gold, silver, and bronze medalists. US and international students are both awarded, but the medal thresholds are defined by the top 10, 20, and 30 US participants. Scores have been posted on Gradescope and the exam and solutions have been released under Resources. US IOAA team qualifiers and training camp qualifiers have been notified. Please check back soon for a post on the 2025 US IOAA team!

We would like to thank all of the students who took part in the first round exam last Saturday. We are also especially grateful to teachers and all of the USAAAO volunteers for their hard work in putting together and proctoring the exam.

Exams and solutions can be found here. The cutoff to qualify for the National Astronomy Competition (NAC) was 17. NAC qualifiers will be emailed logistical details about the NAC exam in the coming weeks. Scores for the first round exam are posted on Gradescope, with a representative histogram of scores shown below.

Thank you for supporting us in our efforts to expand access to astronomy and astrophysics!

The registration for the 2025 USAAAO first round exam is open and can be completed here. Registration will close on January 31st at 11:45 PM EST.

The first round exam will take place on February 8th, and there will be two time slots available to accommodate students in different time zones. The competition will be online, and students will be proctored by USAAAO volunteers through Zoom.

You can read more about the tests on our selection process page, and you can find study materials on our resource page. If you have any questions, email us at info@usaaao.org! For more frequent updates about USAAAO, visit our Instagram page.

The registration for the 2025 USAAAO first round exam is now open and can be completed here. Registration will close on January 31st at 11:45 PM EST.

The first round exam will take place on February 8th, and there will be two time slots available to accommodate students in different time zones. The competition will be online, and students will be proctored by USAAAO volunteers through video calls.

You can read more about the tests on our selection process page, and you can find study materials on our resource page. If you have any questions, email us at info@usaaao.org! For more frequent updates about USAAAO, visit our Instagram page.

We are excited to announce the dates for USAAAO 2025:

1. Registration: Jan 1 – Jan 31
2. First Round Exam: Feb 8 (12 PM EST and 9 PM EST)
3. NAC: Apr 12 (12 PM EST and 9 PM EST)
4. IOAA Training Camp: June 2 – Aug 4 (tentative)
5. Introductory Astronomy Camp (open to all students, no registration required): June 2 – Aug 4 (tentative, 3-4 sessions)
6. IOAA (Mumbai): Aug 11 – Aug 21

Please join us in spreading the word, and we look forward to your participation!