Top 20 high school students compete for spot on U.S. Chemistry Olympiad Team

WASHINGTON, May 15, 2018 — Twenty of the nation’s top high school chemistry students have been chosen to compete for one of four spots on the team representing the U.S. at the 50^th International Chemistry Olympiad in Bratislava, Slovakia, and Prague, Czech Republic, on July 19-29.

These students emerged from a series of exams that involved nearly 17,000 students across the U.S. Their next stop in qualifying for the U.S. team will be the Chemistry Olympiad Study Camp at the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colorado, June 10-25.

During the camp, the students will receive college-level training, with an emphasis on organic chemistry, through a series of lectures, problem-solving exercises, lab work and testing. At the conclusion of the camp, the top four students will be named as members of the team.

The American Chemical Society (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 U.S. Air Force Academy, Department of Chemistry; Carolina Biological Supply Company; National Geographic Learning|Cengage Learning; Fisher Science Education; Flinn Scientific Inc.; Pearson; Texas Instruments Inc.; University Science Books; Sigma-Aldrich Inc. and Wiley & Sons Publishers.

The 20 finalists – 16 boys and four girls, representing 13 ACS local sections and 10 states – are:

*participated in the 2017 study camp

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.