Scarsdale High Student To Compete In International Chemistry Competition

, a senior at Scarsdale High School, is one of the final six students chosen to represent the U.S. at the International Chemistry Olympiad (IChO) as either an alternate or team member. His selection was made during a two-week study camp for the top 20 chemistry students vying for a place on the team. Final determination of the four-person team and two alternates will be announced Wednesday, June 20. 

“The students who compete in the IChO are the brightest minds in chemistry,” said ACS president Bassam Shakhashiri. “These young people are the ones who will make the discoveries that shape our future by curing disease, addressing climate change, feeding our rapidly expanding population and much more.”

Competition for the U.S. team started last spring when more than 12,000 chemistry students took a rigorous exam in schools across the country, and then about 1,200 of them moved on to take the national exam for the chemistry Olympiad. The 20 students with the highest scores went to the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colo., to attend an intensive study camp where they competed with one another for a spot on the U.S. IChO Team. Next step: Four students will be named to the team, and two will be named alternates on Tuesday, June 19.  

The four-member U.S. team will go up against teams from more than 70 other countries in a global competition of university-level chemistry knowledge and experiments. They will compete for gold, silver and bronze medals.

For the first time since 1992, the U.S. will host the IChO, July 21-30, at the University of Maryland, College Park. The American Chemical Society (ACS) is the official organizer and The Dow Chemical Company is the official sponsor of the event.