Washington, DC -- Twenty of the nation's top high school chemistry students have been selected to vie for a spot on the U.S. team that will compete in the 31st International Chemistry Olympiad to be held in Bangkok, Thailand, July 4-11. The announcement came from the American Chemical Society, the world's largest scientific society and primary sponsor of the team.
The 16 boys and 4 girls will spend June 6-20 preparing at a study camp at the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colorado. They were chosen from an original pool of about 10,000 high school students nationwide.
During the two-week camp, the students will go through a series of lectures, problem-solving exercises, lab work and testing. At the conclusion, a four-member U.S. team will be named to participate in the international contest with teams from about 50 other countries. The Olympiad is designed to identify the best high school chemistry students from around the world. It also provides students a chance to meet and learn about other high school students from other nations.
The 20 U.S. finalists who will participate in this year's study camp are:
| CITIES | STUDENT NAME | SCHOOL |
|---|---|---|
| CA, Beverly Hills | Charles Duan | Beverly Hills High School |
| CA, Camarillo | Dennis Hsieh* | Camarillo High School |
| CT, Stamford | Melinda Owens | Stamford High School |
| GA, Lawrenceville | Chad Leedekerken | Brookwood High School |
| HI, Honolulu | Francis Lam | Iolani High School |
| IL, Lincolnwood | Alexander Ho* | Niles West High School |
| IL, Naperville | Brian Tang* | Naperville North High School |
| MA, Acton | Ray Perlner | Acton-Boxborough Regional High School |
| MD, Bethesda | David Gutowski | Walt Whitman High School |
| MD, Silver Spring | Andrew Mills | Montgomery Blair High School |
| MI, Midland | David Kurtz | Herbert Henry Don High School |
| MI, Troy | Garry Ng* | Troy High School |
| MO, Chesterfield | Brian Blaha | Parkway Central High School |
| NY, Webster | Paul Choi | Webster High School |
| OH, Columbus | David McIIroy | Upper Arlington High School |
| OH, Concord | Timothy Jones* | North Carolina School for Science and Math |
| OK, Hennessey | Rachel Mesis | Oklahoma School of Science and Math |
| OR, Eugene | Noah Phillips | South Eugene High School |
| VA, Reston | Lisa Carlivati | Thomas Jefferson High School of Science and Technology |
| WI, New Berlin | Wei Ho* (1998 IChO Bronze Winner) | New Berlin West High School |
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*student participated in last year's study camp
The International Chemistry Olympiad originated with Czechoslovakia, Poland and Hungary in 1968 and was quickly joined by other eastern European countries. Western Europe began participating in 1974. The first U.S. team competed in 1984, winning a silver and two bronze medals. Each country sends four contestants and two coaches to the host country for seven to ten days of exams, lectures, recreation and tours. Last year, at the 30th International Chemistry Olympiad in Melbourne, Australia, the U.S. won several medals including two gold, one silver, and one bronze.
Participation of the U.S. team is sponsored by the American Chemical Society (ACS). It is principally funded by the ACS Othmer Olympiad Endowment, with additional support from the U.S. Air Force Academy, IBM Research, Merck Publishing Group, Texas Instruments Inc., and W.H. Freeman & Company.
A nonprofit organization with a membership of nearly 159,000 chemists and chemical engineers, the American Chemical Society publishes scientific journals and databases, convenes major research conferences, and provides educational, science policy and career programs in chemistry. Its main offices are in Washington, D.C., and Columbus, Ohio. (http://www.acs.org)