U.S. team chosen for the 50th International Chemistry Olympiad

WASHINGTON, June 27, 2018 — The American Chemical Society (ACS) is proud to announce the team that will represent the U.S. at the 50th International Chemistry Olympiad in Bratislava, Slovakia, and Prague, Czech Republic, on July 19-29.

The members of the U.S. team are:

Yutong Dai of Princeton International School of Mathematics and Science, Princeton, New Jersey

Michelle Lu of Pomperaug High School, Southbury, Connecticut

Jeffrey Shi of Marcellus High School, Marcellus, New York

Andrew Wu of Park Tudor School, Indianapolis, Indiana

Alternates:

1^st alternate: Aniket Dehadrai of Oklahoma School of Science and Mathematics, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

2^nd alternate: Edward Jin of Arnold O. Beckman High School, Irvine, California

The U.S. team will travel to the International Chemistry Olympiad accompanied by these mentors:

Christine Saber, Ph.D., Gannon University, Pennsylvania, head mentor

Michael Danahy, Ph.D., Bowdoin College, Maine, college mentor

Silvia Atim, Ph.D., University of South Carolina, South Carolina, college mentor

The competition for the U.S. team was fierce, beginning with a multiple-choice exam taken by nearly 17,000 high school students across the country. The top 1,000 then advanced to take the National Chemistry Olympiad test. From there, the top 20 went on to a study camp at the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colorado, where four were selected for the team along with two as alternates.

The International Chemistry Olympiad 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, the world’s largest scientific society, is a not-for-profit organization chartered by the U.S. Congress. ACS is a global leader in providing access to chemistry-related information and research through its multiple databases, peer-reviewed journals and scientific conferences. ACS does not conduct research, but publishes and publicizes peer-reviewed scientific studies. Its main offices are in Washington, D.C., and Columbus, Ohio.