The U.S. Alpha Iota Team chosen for the 48th International Chemistry Olympiad

WASHINGTON, July 13, 2016 — The American Chemical Society (ACS) is proud to announce the team that will represent the U.S. at the 48th International Chemistry Olympiad in Tbilisi, Georgia, July 23 – Aug. 1, 2016.

The members of the U.S. Team Alpha Iota are:

• Alex Liu of The Village School in Houston, Texas;
• Zilu Pan of Canyon Crest Academy in San Diego, California;
• Kevin Tang of Solon High School in Solon, Ohio and   
• Joyce Tian of Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology in Alexandria, Virginia.

The alternates are:

• Steven Liu of  Monta Vista High School in Cupertino, California, first  alternate  and
• Harrison Wang of Hinsdale Central High School in Hinsdale, Illinois, second alternate.

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 Mary Washington in Fredericksburg, Virginia where four were selected for the team along with two as alternates.

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.

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 Advanced Chemistry Development; Carolina Biological Supply Company; Cengage Learning, Flinn Scientific, Inc.; Prentice Hall Publishers; Texas Instruments, Inc.; University Science Books, University of Mary Washington, and Wiley & Sons Publishers.

The American Chemical Society is a nonprofit organization chartered by the U.S. Congress. With nearly 157,000 members, ACS is the world’s largest scientific society and a global leader in providing access to chemistry-related research through its multiple databases, peer-reviewed journals and scientific conferences. Its main offices are in Washington, D.C., and Columbus, Ohio.

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