US team brings home gold and silver medals from International Chemistry Olympiad

WASHINGTON, July 31, 2015 — The four high school students who represented the U.S. at the 47^th International Chemistry Olympiad (IChO) earned one gold and three silver medals.

The U.S. students competed with teams from 74 countries for gold, silver and bronze medals, July 20-29. During these 10 days of exams, laboratory work, athletics and sightseeing, the students had a chance to compete at the highest levels and establish networks that go beyond cultures and borders. They are:

Soorajnath Boominathan (Edmond, Oklahoma), Oklahoma School of Science and Math:  SILVER

Bryce Cai (South Barrington, Illinois), Barrington High School: SILVER

Janice Ong (Springfield, Virginia), Thomas Jefferson High School for Science & Technology: SILVER

David Wang (Cupertino, California), Monte Vista High School: GOLD

The IChO originated with Czechoslovakia, Poland and Hungary in 1968. Soon, other Eastern European countries joined the event; Western Europe began participating in 1974. The first U.S. team competed in 1984, winning one silver and two bronze medals.

The American Chemical Society (ACS) has sponsored the American team annually since the U.S. joined the Olympiad. Principal funding is through the ACS Donald F. and Mildred Topp Othmer Olympiad Endowment, with additional support from the Air Force Academy; Advanced Chemistry Development; Carolina Biological Supply Company; Cengage Learning; Flinn Scientific, Inc.; Fisher Science Education; Pearson Education Company; Sigma Aldrich Co.; Texas Instruments, Inc.; University Science Books; and Wiley & Sons Publishers.