44°
SCARSDALE, N.Y. Scarsdale High School senior Andrew Guo has qualified for the second straight year to compete for one of four spots on the U.S. International Chemistry Olympiad team.
The team will take part in the 44th annual International Chemistry Olympiad which, for the first time since 1992, will be held in the U.S. The event is scheduled for July 21-30 at the University of Maryland, College Park, outside Washington, D.C. The American Chemical Society is the official organizer and The Dow Chemical Co. is the official sponsor of the overall international event.
Guo is one of 20 students in the nation invited to a two-week intensive study camp at the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs. Despite qualifying, he did not make the international team last year.
"It's set up like the Olympics," Scarsdale High chemistry teacher Elise Levine said of the international event. "They compete as a team in written and lab events" with their peers from more than 70 nations for gold, silver and bronze medals.
Guo, Levine said, "is really self-directed. He has put in a lot of time and effort on this. It's really remarkable."
Levine said Guo is a good competitor as well. "He has a love for science and a passion for problem solving," and credited Guo's teacher Ihor Szkolar with helping develop his talents.
Levine said 12 Scarsdale students were chosen to begin the competition process by taking the regional tests, but two were unable to participate. That round began to winnow the field of 12,000 students nationwide down to 1,000 who took the national test. From that group, Guo was chosen along with 19 others for the June 5-20 study camp.
During the camp, he will receive college-level training, with an emphasis on organic chemistry, through a series of lectures, problem-solving exercises, lab work and testing, according to a press release issued by the American Chemical Society.
Click here to follow Daily Voice Scarsdale and receive free news updates.
