U.S. team chosen for the 51st International Chemistry Olympiad

WASHINGTON, June 20, 2019 — The American Chemical Society (ACS) is proud to announce the team that will represent the U.S. at the 51st International Chemistry Olympiad in Paris from July 21 to 30.

The members of the 2019 U.S. team are:

Edward Jin, Arnold O. Beckman High School, Irvine, California

Albert Liu, North Hollywood High School, Porter Ranch, California

Anton Ni, University High School, Irvine, California

Yajvan Ravan, Churchill High School, Westland, Michigan

Alternates:

Allen Ding, Stevenson High School, Licolnshire, Illinois

Yannik Singh, Carmel High School, Carmel, Indiana

These mentors will accompany the team to Paris:

Patrick Chan, Ph.D., Benjamin Cardozo High School, New York City

Melissa Barranger Mathys, Ph.D., Ursuline College, Pepper Pike, Ohio

Joseph Houck, Ph.D., Penn State University, State College, Pennsylvania

The competition for the U.S. team was fierce, beginning with a multiple-choice exam taken by nearly 16,000 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 University of Maryland, College Park, where four were selected for the team along with two alternates.  

ACS has sponsored the American team annually since the U.S. joined the Olympiad in 1984. Principal funding is through the ACS Donald F. and Mildred Topp Othmer Olympiad Endowment, with additional support from The Chemours Company; the University of Maryland at College Park, department of chemistry and biochemistry; Carolina Biological Supply Company; Macmillan Learning; Texas Instruments; Pearson; and Fisher Science Education. 

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.

To automatically receive press releases from the American Chemical Society, contact newsroom@acs.org. Journalists and public information officers are encouraged to apply for complimentary press registration for the ACS fall 2019 national meeting in San Diego.