FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
WASHINGTON, June 20, 2023 — The American Chemical Society (ACS) is proud to announce the team that will represent the U.S. at the 55th International Chemistry Olympiad on July 16 to 25 in Zurich, Switzerland.
The members of 2023 Team USA are:
- Mingwen Duan, East Lyme High School, CT.
- Alice Liu, Marquette High School, MO.
- Anurag Sodhi, Centennial High School, MD.
- Phoenix Wu, Seven Lakes High School, TX.
The first and second alternate are:
1st Sebastian Kumar, Tesla STEM High School, WA.
2nd Brian Li, Acton-Boxborough Regional High School, MA.
The mentors supporting the team are:
- Head Mentor Esther Hines, Billerica Memorial High School, MA.
- College Mentor Joseph Houck, Pennsylvania State University.
- College Mentor Laura Serbulea, University of Virginia.
- College Mentor Songwen Xie, Massachusetts College of Pharmacy.
After outscoring hundreds of other students on a national exam, the top 20 were invited to an intensive study camp. There, they received college-level chemistry training with an emphasis on organic chemistry via a series of lectures, problem-solving exercises, lab experiments and tests at the University of Maryland, College Park. The four highest-scoring students during the study camp make up Team USA. The next two highest-scoring students are the 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 Chemistry Olympiad Endowment, with additional support from other donors. For a complete list of sponsors, visit the U.S. National Chemistry Olympiad website.
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 (ACS) is a nonprofit organization chartered by the U.S. Congress. ACS’ mission is to advance the broader chemistry enterprise and its practitioners for the benefit of Earth and all its people. The Society is a global leader in promoting excellence in science education and providing access to chemistry-related information and research through its multiple research solutions, peer-reviewed journals, scientific conferences, eBooks and weekly news periodical Chemical & Engineering News. ACS journals are among the most cited, most trusted and most read within the scientific literature; however, ACS itself does not conduct chemical research. As a leader in scientific information solutions, its CAS division partners with global innovators to accelerate breakthroughs by curating, connecting and analyzing the world’s scientific knowledge. ACS’ main offices are in Washington, D.C., and Columbus, Ohio.
To automatically receive press releases from the American Chemical Society, contact newsroom@acs.org.
Note: ACS does not conduct research, but publishes and publicizes peer-reviewed scientific studies.
;void(0);){kind=link}