2021 United States National Chemistry Olympiad - 38th Summary Report
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United States
National Chemistry
Olympiad
38th Summary Report
Congratulations and thank you for the
successful 2021 USNCO program! 2021
U.S. NATIONAL CHEMISTRY OLYMPIAD
38th SUMMARY REPORT
2021
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Program Summary 1
USNCO Participating ACS Local Sections 4
USNCO Study Camp Participants 6
53rd International Chemistry Olympiad Results 7
USNCO Statistical Information 8
IChO Participating Teams Results 1984-2021 11
53rd IChO Team USA Members’ Articles 18
Selected Publicity 29
USNCO Study Camp Personnel 40
USNCO Subcommittee Members 41
2021 CHEMISTRY OLYMPIAD COMPETITION
The 53rd International Chemistry Olympiad (IChO) was held remotely and organized by Japan
from July 25 to August 2, 2021, 312 students from 83 countries participated in the competition.
Team USA earned two gold and two silver medals.
The American Chemical Society (ACS), and other donors supported the participation of the U.S.
Alpha Xi team. Qiyang Zhou from Princeton International School of Mathematics and Science,
NJ (Princeton LS) and Yitian Zhu from Seven Lakes High School, TX (Greater Houston LS)
earned gold medals; while Kien Phuong of Landon School, MD (Chemical Society of
Washington) and Nikhil Seshadri from University City High School, CA (San Diego LS) won
silver medals placing 13th, 27th, 42nd and 73rd respectively.
This year 141 Local Sections registered for the competition and the majority organized exams
using printed exams administered in person, or a digital exam provided by USNCO office and
proctored by local sections virtually using different platforms (Zoom, Teams etc.). 3407 students
took the Local Exam in the ACS Learning Center between March 26 and 28, 2021. A total of 129
Local Sections nominated 858 students to sit for the digital national exam. Part II of the exam,
consisting of eight free response problems, was administered virtually to the approximately 200
top students on April 24, 2021.
Twenty students who excelled on the national examination participated in a virtual USNCO study
camp May 31-June 11, 2021 administered through the ACS Learning Center. Students received
training in various major areas of chemistry by faculty of the University of Maryland College
Park, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, and from mentors Dr. Joseph Houck
(chemistry professor, Penn State University, PA), Mrs. Esther Hines (chemistry teacher, Billerica
Memorial High School, MA) and Dr. Laura Serbulea (chemistry professor, University of
Virginia, VA) . This year two peer mentors: Mr. Anugrah Chemparathy and Mr. Edward Jin,
(both students at MIT, MA) assisted the mentors in training the students. This year all lectures,
problem solving sessions and office hours as well as social activities were held virtually. Students
participated in guest lectures given by: Dr. Joshua Pak (Idaho State University, ID), Dr. Lauren
Zarzar (Penn State University, PA), Drs. Katherine Lee and Steve Wright (Pfizer, MA), Dr.
Rigoberto Hernandez (Johns Hopkins University, MD), Dr. Angela Zhou from CAS, OH), Dr.
Robert Langer (MIT, MA), Dr. Ozvaldo Gutierrez (University of Maryland College Park, MD),
Dr. Isiah Warner (Louisiana State University, LA) and participated in the “virtual tour” and panel
discussion with of Ms. Leah Kauffman, Dr. Melissa Phillips, Dr. Lee Yu, and Dr. Amanda Moors
(NIST, DC).
Dr. H.N. Cheng, 2021 ACS President was a keynote speaker at the virtual banquet for the
students and invited guests. At the conclusion of the camp, the members of the U.S. team and two
alternates were selected. The 2021 alternates were: Ne Dassanayake- Ames High School, IA,
(Ames Local Section) and Nathan Ouyang, University High School, CA (Orange County Local
Section).
The 53rd IChO was organized virtually and hosted from Osaka, Japan, between July 25 and
August 2, 2021. Team USA students and mentors traveled to Washington DC where they
participated in IChO activities. For most of the competition students and mentors followed
separate schedules to ensure the fairness and security of the competition. Students were
1
chaperoned by the following ACS staff : Mr. David Horwitz, Mr. Kelley Love and Ms.
Malgorzata Thatcher. IChO organized prepared a virtual platform where students engaged in
various activities including virtual tours of chemical facilities, video presentations, and had an
opportunity to meet and talk to other participants from other countries. Students took the five hour
IChO exam at the ACS headquarters proctored by ACS staff member Dr. Alvin Collins on July
28th. Exam translation, grading and arbitration was done virtually by the USNCO 2021 mentor
team. After the exam students had an opportunity to visit several Washington D.C. museums and
landmarks, went hiking in the Great Falls National Park in Maryland, and took a scenic night tour
of the capital’s monuments. Each of the Team USA member had also an opportunity to meet
virtually with staff of the senators and representatives from their home states, who congratulated
students on their achievements. Team USA students, mentors and ACS staff watched the virtual
closing ceremony on August 2nd when the results of the 53rd IChO were announced.
The American Chemical Society views the USNCO program as an investment in the future of
young chemists in this country. The goals of the program are to:
• stimulate young people to achieve excellence in chemistry;
• recognize outstanding chemistry students and, by doing so, encourage additional
learning at a formative time in their intellectual development;
• recognize the excellent achievement of the teachers of these students and the
importance of the school environment in which they learn;
• promote contact between ACS local sections and area schools and foster the
interest and influence of professional chemists in the teaching of chemistry;
• challenge the chemical knowledge and skills of young students in an
international arena; and,
• foster cross-cultural experiences and acquaint students with similarities and
differences between themselves and their counterparts in other nations.
Since 1984, the USNCO program has been sponsored by the Donald F. and Mildred Topp Othmer
Chemistry Olympiad Endowment.
The following corporations and donors supported the program through financial support and in-
kind donations
• Macmillan Learning
Analytical and organic chemistry textbooks
• Pearson Education Company
Physical and inorganic chemistry textbooks
• Texas Instruments Inc.
Scientific calculators
2
• Individual private donors
The ACS USNCO staff appreciates the dedication, enthusiasm, and contribution of time given by:
• The 2021 members of the USNCO Subgroup of the Society Committee on Education,
which provided policy direction for this program,
• The members of the USNCO examinations task forces, the grading team, and the mentor
selection task force,
• The faculty of the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry of UMD College Park, and
• The mentors and peer mentors who taught and guided the 2021 Alpha Xi Team.
Thank you!
Study Camp participants, mentors, and ACS staff in a group photo collage by Yitian Zhu.
3
PARTICIPATING ACS LOCAL SECTIONS
Local Section (YP***) Coordinator Local Section (YP***) Coordinator
1. *Akron (27) Carol Kercher 64. Midland (36) Michael Tulchinsky
2. *Alabama (30) Shirley Ginwright 65. Milwaukee (35) Scott Barry
3. *Alaska (9) Toshia Wrenn 66. Mojave Desert (12) Patrick Fedick
4. Ames (28) Terry Kruse 67. Montana (37) Carol Pleninger
5. Auburn (10) Catherine Situma 68. Nashville (34) Amanda Carroll
6. Baton Rouge (37) Christopher Nalepa 69. Nebraska (8) Martha Morton
7. Binghamton (34) Vincent Van Nostrand 70. New Haven (35) Olivier Nicaise
8. Brazosport (10) Yifan Dong 71. New York (38) Sally Mitchell
9. California (38) Eileen Nottoli 72. North Carolina (35) Michael Bruno
10. California Los Padres (23) Ahmed Awad 73. North Jersey (38) Steven Chen
11. Carolina-Piedmont (24) Tim Champion 74. Northeast Georgia (8) Maurice Snook
12. Central Arizona (34) Kimberly Horsley 75. Northeastern (38) S. Lantos/A.Crosby
13. Central Arkansas (38) Noureen Siraj 76. Northeastern Ohio (19) Christopher Kolp
14. Central Massachusetts (15) Mathangi Krishnamurthy 77. Northern Oklahoma (36) Keith Lawson
15. Central New Mexico (36) Jacqueline Veauthier 78. Northern West Virginia (35) Harry Finklea
16. Central New York (36) Neal Abrams 79. Oklahoma (38) Reza Latifi
17. Central North Carolina (24) Rodney Bennett 80. Ole Miss (20) Jason Ritchie
18. Central Pennsylvania (35) Robert White 81. Omaha (14) Edmund Tisko
19. Central Texas (36) Anting Chen 82. Orange County (37) Brent Shenton
20. Central Utah (29) Emily Heider 83. Orlando (29) Mary Roslonowski
21. *Central Wisconsin (30) Dana Haagenson 84. Penn-Ohio Border (36) Michael Serra
22. Chattanooga (35) Rebecca Stimson 85. *Pensacola (37) Tanay Kesharwani
23. Chemical Soc. of Wash. (38) Adam Smolinsky 86. Permian Basin (10) Pat Kesavan
24. Chicago (38) R. Kohnken/D. Crumrine 87. Philadelphia (37) Craig McClure
25. Cincinnati (38) Jill Page 88. Pittsburgh (38) Kevin Noonan
26. Cleveland (35) Anne O’Connor 89. Portland (36) Armando Heberlin
27. Colorado (38) Daniel Danahower 90. Princeton (26) Danielle Jacobs
28. Connecticut Valley (38) Edward Fitzgerald 91. Puerto Rico (30) M.Santiago/ M. Arrojo
29. Dallas-Fort Worth (31) Kathleen Holley 92. Puget Sound (30) J. Mayer/C. Bhat
30. Dayton (35) Weijie Lu 93. Richland (29) Padmaja Gunda
31. Delaware (37) Sharon Archer 94. Rio Grande Valley (18) Erik Yukl
32. Detroit (37) Mark DeCamp 95. Rochester (35) Alexey Ignatchenko
33. East Central Illinois (7) Amanda Smith 96. Rock River (38) Matthew Bork
34. East Tennessee (32) Lilian Frazier 97. Sabine-Neches (21) Lloyd Crosby
35. *East Texas (28) Greg Hogan 98. Sacramento (31) Slava Bekker
36. Eastern New York (35) Eric Davenport 99. San Antonio (36) E. Robert Fanick
37. *Erie (36) Christine Saber 100. San Diego (37) Joan Shellinger
38. Florida (32) Nicholas Simpson 101. San Gorgonio (37) Dennis Pederson
39. Georgia (32) Heather Abbott-Lyon 102. San Joaquin Valley (10) Kristi Closser
40. Greater Houston (37) Jerry Yang 103. *Saudi Arabia Int. Chapter (1) Basheer Chanbasha
41. Hampton Roads (37) S. Black/K. Simmons 104. Savannah River (36) Ken Roberts
42. Hawaii (37) Pamela Fujinaka 105. Shanghai Int. Chapter (7) Xuefeng Jiang
43. Huron Valley (28) Larry Kolopajlo 106. Sierra Nevada (19) Sean Casey
44. Idaho (36) Rene Rodriguez 107. Silicon Valley (35) N.McClure/D. Shingnapurkar
45. Illinois-Heartland (32) Shawn Hitchcock 108. Snake River (13) Marian DeWane
46. Indiana Kentucky Border (32) Jeffrey Seyler 109. South Carolina (34) Amy Rogers
47. Indiana (38) Robert Pribush 110. South Florida (29) Venkatesh Shanbhag
48. Inland Northwest (13) Parker Britton 111. South Korea Int. Chapter (5) Chang Gi Cho
49. *Iowa (32) Shuvendu Das 112. South Plains (21) Anthony Cozzolino
50. Jacksonville (36) Michael Lufaso 113. South Texas (28) Ludivina Avila
51. Joliet (36) Chris Condeiu 114. Southeastern Pennsylvania (37) Todd Trout
52. Kanawha Valley (26) Michael Fultz 115. Southern Arizona (19) Iman Daryaei
53. Kansas City (37) Jeffrey Woodford 116. Southern California (38) Gerald Delker
54. Lehigh Valley (34) Gail Marsella 117. Southern Illinois (28) Gary Kinsel
55. Lexington (14) Meghan Knapp 118. Southern Indiana (6) James Clark
56. Louisiana (21) Abha Verma 119. Southern Nevada (36) Mark Garner
57. Louisville (24) Kaya Muller 120. Southwest Georgia (35) Yakov Woldman
58. *Malaysia Int. Chapter (1) Mohd Bakri Bakar 121. St. Joseph Valley (36) Susan DelValle
59. *Mark Twain (33) Scott Luaders 122. St. Louis (38) Bruce Hamper
60. Maryland (33) Beatrice Salazar 123. Taiwan Int. Chapter (4) I-Jy Chang
61. Memphis (36) Dennis Merat 124. Tampa Bay (16) Eric Ballard
62. Michigan State University (36) Virginia Cangelosi 125. Texas A & M (13) Stephanie McCartney
63. Middle Georgia (4) Alan Davis 126. Toledo (26) Somnath Dutta
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PARTICIPATING ACS LOCAL SECTIONS
Local Section (YP***) Coordinator Local Section (YP***) Coordinator
127. Trenton (37) Danielle Jacobs 135. Washington-Idaho Border (10) Kristopher Waynant
128. Tulsa (33) Patrick Idwasi 136. Western Carolinas (32) George Heard
129. University of Missouri (25) Angel Colon 137. Western Connecticut (37) Amy Broderick
130. Upper Peninsula (22) Momoko Tajiri 138. *Western Maryland (31) James Stickler
131. Virginia Blue Ridge (19) Kimberly Lane 139. Western New York (36) Mariusz Kozik
132. Virginia (37) Sarah Porter 140. Wichita Falls-Duncan (32) Jianguo Shao
133. *Wabash Valley (34) Teresa Tarbuck 141. Wisconsin (17) Matt Bowman
134. Wakarusa Valley (11) Lisa Sharpe Elles
*Participated in the local section competition but not the National Exam
*** YP-Number of years participating in the USNCO
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USNCO STUDY CAMP PARTICIPANTS
STUDENT/GRAD. YEAR SCHOOL/TEACHER LS/COORDINATOR
Arnav Brahmasandra Pioneer High School, MI Huron Valley
2021 Sarah Collada Larry Kolopajlo
Derek Chien Davidson Academy, NV Sierra Nevada
2021 Elizabeth Walenta Sean Casey
Neil Chowdhury Phillips Exeter Academy, NH Northeastern
2022 Jeffrey Ward Steve Lantos
Alex Dang Arcadia High School, CA Southern California
2022 Cherryl Mynster Gerald Delker
Nethaka Dassanayake Ames High School, IA Ames
2022 Alan Junck Terry Kruse
Mingwen Duan East Lyme High School, CT Connecticut Valley
2024 Lori Singer Edward Fitzgerald
Alexander Gu Gunn High School, CA Silicon Valley
2022 Heather Mellows Natalie McClure
Canaan He Carmel High School, IN Indiana
2023 Cynthia Henry Robert Pribush
Sunwoo Lee Thomas Jefferson HS for Science and Technology, VA Chemical Society of Washington
2022 Adam Smolinsky Adam Smolinsky
Frank Lee Northview High School, OH Toledo
2022 Andy Roth Somnath Dutta
Jack Liu Carmel High School, IN Indiana
2022 Cynthia Henry Robert Pribush
Nathan Ouyang University High School, CA Orange County
2021 Nicholas Brighton Brent Shenton
Kien Phong Landon School, MD Chemical Society of Washington
2022 Sacha Place Adam Smolinsky
Nikhil Seshadri University City High School, CA San Diego
2021 Maureen Quessenberry Joan Schellinger
Alex Wang Syosset High School, NY New York
2023 Ann Cassin Sally Mitchell
Phoenix Wu Seven Lakes High School, TX Greater Houston
2023 Sadaf Snyder Jerry Yang
June Yin Watchung Hills Regional High School, NJ North Jersey
2022 Michael Gangluff Jiwen Chen
Bill Zhao Eastside High School, FL Florida
2021 Nicholas Simpson Nicholas Simpson
Qiyang Zhou PRISMS, NJ Princeton
2021 Steven Chen Danielle Jacobs
Yitian Zhu Seven Lakes High School, TX Greater Houston
2021 Jennifer Notz Jerry Yang
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53rd INTERNATIONAL CHEMISTRY OLYMPIAD RESULTS
In the 53rd International Chemistry Olympiad 309 students from 79 countries participated and were awarded
149 medals and 24 Honorable Mentions (HM)
33 students received gold, 67 students received silver, and 94 students received bronze medals
COUNTRY MEDALS COUNTRY MEDALS
(number of years of participation) (number of years of participation)
41. Moldova (14) 4 bronze
1. Armenia (6) 3 bronze 42. Mongolia (15) 2 silver, 1 bronze, 1 HM
2. Australia (34) 1 silver, 3 bronze 43. Montenegro (7)
3. Austria (46) 1 silver, 3 bronze 44. Netherlands (41) 2 bronze
4. Azerbaijan (22) 4 bronze 45. New Zealand (29) 1 bronze, 3 HM
5. Bangladesh (1) 3 HM 46. Nigeria (9)
6. Belarus (25) 1 silver, 3 bronze 47. North Macedonia (9) 1 bronze
7. Belgium (41) 1 bronze 48. Norway (40) 1 bronze
8. Brazil (22) 1 silver, 3 bronze 49. Oman (1)
9. Bulgaria (52) 1 silver, 3 bronze 50. Pakistan (16)
10. Canada (35) 1 silver, 3 bronze 51. Philippines (5) 2 silver, 1 bronze
11. China (34) 4 gold 52. Poland (53) 3 silver, 1 bronze
12. Chinese Taipei (22) 3 gold, 1 silver 53. Portugal (18) 1 HM
13. Costa Rica (11) 54. Qatar (2)
14. Croatia (21) 1 bronze, 1 HM 55. Romania (50) 3 gold, 1 silver
15. Cyprus (32) 56. Russia (28) 4 gold
16. Czech Republic (53) 1 gold, 1 silver, 2 bronze 57. Saudi Arabia (11) 3 silver, 1 bronze
17. Denmark (41) 2 bronze 58. Serbia (10) 1 silver, 3 bronze
18. El Salvador (9) 1 bronze 59. Singapore (32) 2 gold, 2 silver
19. Estonia (28) 3 bronze 60. Slovakia (27) 1 silver, 3 bronze
20. Finland (44) 3 HM 61. Slovenia (30) 1 silver, 2 bronze, 1 HM
21. France (40) 3 bronze, 1 HM 62. South Africa (5)
22. Georgia (8) 3 bronze 63. Sri Lanka (2) 3 bronze, 1 HM
23. Germany (31) 2 silver, 2 bronze 64. Sweden (46) 1 bronze
24. Greece (26) 1 silver, 1 HM 65. Switzerland (35) 1 bronze, 1 HM
25. Hungary (53) 2 silver, 2 bronze 66. Syria (12) 3 bronze, 1 HM
26. Iceland (20) 67. Tajikistan (17) 2 silver
27. India (22) 2 gold, 2 silver 68. Thailand (32) 3 silver, 1 bronze
28. Indonesia (25) 1 silver, 3 bronze 69. Trinidad & Tobago (1)
29. Iran (29) 2 gold, 2 silver 70. Turkey (29) 2 gold, 2 silver
30. Ireland (24) 2 silver, 1 bronze, 1 HM 71. Turkmenistan (18) 4 silver
31. Israel (16) 1 gold, 1 silver, 2 bronze 72. Ukraine (27) 2 silver, 1 bronze, 1 HM
32. Japan (19) 3 silver, 1 bronze 73. UAE (2) 1 HM
33. Kazakhstan (24) 3 silver, 1 bronze 74. United Kingdom (39) 2 gold, 1 silver
34. Korea (30) 1 gold, 3 silver 75. USA (38) 2 gold, 2 silver
35. Kyrgyzstan (22) 1 bronze 76. Uruguay (23)
36. Latvia (31) 2 silver, 2 bronze 77. Uzbekistan (9) 1 gold, 3 bronze
37. Lithuania (20) 1 silver, 3 bronze 78. Venezuela (21)
38. Luxembourg (2) 2 HM 79. Vietnam (26) 3 gold, 1 silver
39. Malaysia (14)
40. Mexico (30) 2 bronze, 1 HM
Observing countries:
Afghanistan, Ecuador, Egypt, Kuwait, Nepal, Paraguay,
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USNCO NATIONAL EXAM STATISTICAL INFORMATION
(TOTAL STUDENTS − 858)
Gender
Male 405 70%
Female 165 28%
Other 4 1%
Prefer not to disclose 7 1%
Responses 581 100% 68%
Ethnic Background
African American 5 1%
Asian 375 65%
Hispanic 22 4%
White 138 24%
Native American 2 0%
Pacific Islander 2 0%
Prefer not to disclose 24 4%
Other 9 2%
Responses 577 100% 67%
Grade in School
12th Grade 139 24%
11th Grade 298 52%
10th Grade 113 20%
9th Grade 24 4%
Responses 574 100% 67%
Years of H.S. Chemistry
0 18 3%
1 195 34%
2 330 57%
3 31 5%
4 2 0%
5 or more 2 0%
Responses 578 100% 67%
Average time per week spent doing experiments in HS Chemistry Lab
Less than ½ hour 269 49%
Between ½ and 1 hour 174 32%
Between 1 and 2 hours 84 15%
More than 2 hours 21 5%
Responses 548 100% 65%
Intended College Major
Biological Sciences/Pre-Medicine 245 24%
Chemistry or other Chemical Science 314 30%
Engineering/Mathematics/Physics 244 24%
Other Science discipline 89 9%
Other or undecided 137 13%
I am not planning to attend college 1 0%
Responses 1030 100% n/a
As a result of participating in USNCO students: Strongly Agree Disagree Strongly
(64% responded) agree disagree
Plan to study more chemistry 42% 50% 7% 2%
Plan to major in chemistry 14% 43% 38% 5%
Have more positive view about chemistry 43% 49% 6% 1%
8USNCO STATISTICAL INFORMATION
1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994
Local Exam
Local 45 90 115 133 138 137 142 142 136 140 138
Sections
Natl. Exam
Local 45 90 115 133 138 137 142 142 136 138 138
Sections
Natl. Exam
209 500 600 650 706 689 719 684 638 940 900
Nominees
Countries
participating 21 22 22 26 26 26 28 31 33 38 41
in IChO
Students
participating 76 83 86 103 104 104 111 118 131 149 156
in IChO
1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005
Local Exam
Local 131 136 142 147 145 143 142 146 135 131 134
Sections
Natl. Exam
Local 121 130 127 134 130 126 121 133 130 125 128
Sections
Natl. Exam
875 840 838 880 851 809 796 850 829 800 909
Nominees
Countries
participating
42 45 47 55 51 54 54 57 59 61 59
in
IChO
Students
participating 163 170 184 185 199 216 210 225 232 234 225
in IChO
2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016
Local Exam
Local 133 139 127 129 133 135 141 141 143 144 142
Sections
Natl. Exam
Local 125 128 117 125 128 126 134 135 137 134 128
Sections
Natl. Exam
890 917 868 916 930 941 1034 1062 1011 1010 983
Nominees
Countries
participating
66 66 66 65 68 70 72 73 75 75 67
in
IChO
Students
participating 254 256 257 250 267 273 283 291 291 290 264
in IChO
9USNCO STATISTICAL INFORMATION
2017 2018 2019 2020 2021
Local Exam
160 intended
Local 144 150 152 141
110 organized
Sections
Natl. Exam
Local 138 139 143 105 129
Sections
Natl. Exam
982 1025 1017 778 858
Nominees
Countries
participating
76 76 80 60 79
in
IChO
Students
participating 297 300 309 253 309
in IChO
10IChO PARTICIPATING TEAMS RESULTS 1984—2021
1984—Frankfurt, West Germany—16th IChO
Name School Local Section Medals Ranking
Seth Brown Taylor Allderdice H.S., Pittsburgh, PA Pittsburgh Silver 13 (of 76)
Keith Rickert The Latin School of Chicago, IL Chicago Bronze 37
Aaron DiAntonio Clayton H.S., MO St. Louis Bronze 50
Peter Capofreddi Newton High H.S., MA Northeastern D. R.*
1985—Bratislava, Czechoslovakia—17th IChO
Name School Local Section Medals Ranking
Keith Rickert The Latin School of Chicago, IL Chicago Silver 12 (of 83)
David Maymudes University H.S., Los Angeles, CA Southern California Silver 25
Glen Whitney Medfield H.S., MA Northeastern Bronze 44
Eric Kelson Bountiful H.S., UT Salt Lake City Bronze 54
1986—Leiden, Holland—18th IChO
Name School Local Section Medals Ranking
Keith Rickert The Latin School of Chicago, IL Chicago Gold 3 (of 86)
David Maymudes University H.S., Los Angeles, CA Southern California Silver 20
Howard Lee Lowell H.S., San Francisco, CA California Bronze 49
Hedy Edmonds Greenwich H.S., CT Western Connecticut D. R.*
1987—Veszprem, Hungary—19th IChO
Name School Local Section Medals Ranking
Anthony West Kempsville H.S., Virginia Beach, VA Hampton Roads Silver 23 (of 103)
Cecil Huang Pequannock Townsh. H.S., Pompton Pl., NJ North Jersey Silver 34
Jeffrey Snyder Amherst Central H.S., NY Western New York Bronze 48
Kevin Crellin Highland H.S., Salt Lake City, UT Salt Lake City D. R.*
1988—Helsinki, Finland—20th IChO
Name School Local Section Medals Ranking
David Cliffel Plainfield H.S., IL Joliet Silver (tie) 15 (of 104)
Laurance Lee Lowell H.S., San Francisco, CA California Silver (tie) 15
Brian Kantsiper Spring Valley H.S., Columbia, SC South Carolina Silver 26
Kurt Huang New Terier H.S., Winnetka, IL Chicago Bronze 43
1989—Halle, German Democratic Republic—21st IChO
Name School Local Section Medals Ranking
Raphael Lehrer Highland Park H.S., NJ North Jersey Bronze 40 (of 104)
Jon Kleinberg Iroquois Central School, Elma, NY Western New York Bronze 42
Michael Furlanetto Cherry Hill East H.S., PA Philadelphia Bronze 64
Roger Moore Thompson Valley H.S., Loveland, CO Colorado D. R.* 69
* D.R. Diploma of Recognition
11IChO PARTICIPATING TEAMS RESULTS 1984—2021
1990—Paris, France—22nd IChO
Name School Local Section Medals Ranking
Wayne Whitney Medfield H.S., MA Northeastern Gold 6 (of 111)
Marc Dionne La Jolla H.S., CA San Diego Silver 30
Roger Moore Thompson Valley H.S., Loveland, CO Colorado Silver 31
Steve Gubser Cherry Creek H.S., Greenwood Village, CO Colorado Silver 32
1991—Lodz, Poland—23rd IChO
Name School Local Section Medals Ranking
Forrest Michael Naperville Central H.S., IL Chicago Gold 12 (of 118)
Dean Chung Mountain Lakes H.S., NJ North Jersey Silver 26
Ashley Reiter NC School of Sci.& Math, Durham, NC North Carolina Bronze 39
Susan Kuhn Girls Preparatory School, Chattanooga, TN Chattanooga Bronze 41
1992—Washington, DC/Pittsburgh, PA, USA—24th IChO
Name School Local Section Medals Ranking
Swaine Chen O’Fallon Township H.S., IL St. Louis Gold 15 (of 131)
Logan McCarty Amherst Central H.S., NY Western New York Silver 21
Jeffrey Chuang Bellaire H.S., TX Southeastern Texas Silver 35
Christopher Herzog Highland Park H.S., NJ North Jersey Bronze 44
1993—Perugia, Italy—25th IChO
Name School Local Section Medals Ranking
Chris Herzog Highland Park H.S., NJ North Jersey Gold 5 (of 149)
Daniel Katz Torrey Pines H.S., San Diego, CA San Diego Gold 14
David Hutz Fox Chapel H.S., Pittsburgh, PA Pittsburgh Silver 27
Robert West Oak Park H.S., Kansas City, MO Kansas City Silver 49
1994—Oslo, Norway—26th IChO
Name School Local Section Medals Ranking
Jessen Yu T. Jefferson H.S. for S&T, Alexandria, VA Washington, DC Gold 12 (of 156)
Justin McCarty Amherst Central H.S., NY Western New York Gold 19
Nicholas Loehr Midlothian H.S., VA Virginia Silver 47
James Grimmelman Horace Mann H.S., Riverdale, NY New York Bronze 59
1995—Beijing, China—27th IChO
Name School Local Section Medals Ranking
Jason Wong T. Jefferson H.S. for S&T, Alexandria, VA Washington, DC Silver 43 (of 163)
Prashant Mishra Detroit Country Day S., Beverly Hills, MI Detroit Silver 56
Elliot Waingold Central York H.S., PA Southeastern PA Bronze 79
Michael Sawka, Jr. Gunn H.S., Palo Alto, CA Santa Clara Valley Bronze 106
12IChO PARTICIPATING TEAMS RESULTS 1984—2021
1996—Moscow, Russia—28th IChO
Name School Local Section Medals Ranking
Henry Fu Brecksville-Broadview Hts. H.S., OH Cleveland Gold 8 (of 170)
Alex MeVay Groton School, MA Northeastern Silver 39
Michael Sawka, Jr. Gunn H.S., Palo Alto, CA Santa Clara Valley Silver 45
Jason Chen Claremont H.S., CA San Gorgonio Bronze 63
1997—Montreal, Canada—29th IChO
Name School Local Section Medals Ranking
Jason Chen Claremont H.S., CA San Gorgonio Gold 2 (of 184)
Jordan Krall Harvard-Westlake S., N. Hollywood, CA Southern California Silver 38
Andrew Heckerling Niles West H.S., Skokie, IL Chicago Silver 51
Ian Baker The McCallie School, Chattanooga, TN Chattanooga Bronze 112
1998—Melbourne, Australia—30th IChO
Name School Local Section Medals Ranking
Thomas Snyder Amherst Central H.S., NY Western New York Gold 2 (of 185)
Ian Baker The McCallie School, Chattanooga, TN Chattanooga Gold 6
Alexander Ioannidis Bel Air H.S., MD Maryland Silver 30
Wei Ho New Berlin West H.S., WI Milwaukee Bronze 86
1999—Bangkok, Thailand—31st IChO
Name School Local Section Medals Ranking
Timothy Jones NC School of Sci.& Math, Durham, NC North Carolina Top Gold 1 (of 196)
Alexander Ho Niles West H.S., Skokie, IL Chicago Gold 9
Wei Ho New Berlin West H.S., WI Milwaukee Gold 20
Lisa Carlivati T.Jefferson H.S. for S&T, Alexandria, VA Washington, DC Silver 36
2000—Copenhagen, Denmark—32nd IChO
Name School Local Section Medals Ranking
David Kurtz Skyline H.S., Idaho Falls, ID Idaho Top Gold 1 (of 216)
Charles Duan Beverly Hills H.S., CA Southern California Gold 13
Luke McSpadden OK School for Science & Math, Tulsa, OK Oklahoma Bronze 69
Albert Wang Bellaire H.S., TX Greater Houston Bronze 74
2001—Mumbai, India—33rd IChO
Name School Local Section Medals Ranking
Sean Kedrowski Baylor H.S., Chattanooga, TN Chattanooga Gold 7 (of 210)
Binghai Ling Brighton H.S., Rochester, NY Rochester Gold 15
Albert Wang Bellaire H.S., TX Greater Houston Silver 25
Collin Martin OK School for Science & Math, Tulsa, OK Oklahoma Silver 27
13IChO PARTICIPATING TEAMS RESULTS 1984—2021
2002—Groningen, The Netherlands—34th IChO
Name School Local Section Medals Ranking
Helen Shi OK School for Science & Math, Tulsa, OK Oklahoma Gold 21 (of 225)
Daniel Cissell Walnut Hill H.S., Cincinnati, OH Cincinnati Gold 25
Colin Whittaker Wayland H.S., MA Northeastern Silver 36
Timothy Davenport OK School for Science & Math, Tulsa, OK Oklahoma Bronze 90
2003—Athens, Greece—35th IChO
Name School Local Section Medals Ranking
Wei-Han Bobby Liu Cookeville H.S., TN Nashville Silver 80 (of 233)
Eric Brown The McCallie School, Chattanooga, TN Chattanooga Bronze 98
Frances Hocutt Redondo Union H.S., Redondo Beach, CA Southern California Bronze 104
Benjamin Kaduk Naperville North H.S., IL Chicago Bronze 100
2004—Kiel, Germany—36th IChO
Name School Local Section Medals Ranking
Eric Brown The McCallie School, Chattanooga, TN Chattanooga Silver 56 (of 234)
John L. Kiappes Jr. Memorial H.S., Houston, TX Greater Houston Silver 78
Emily Tsui Montgomery Blair H.S., Silver Spring, MD Washington, DC Silver 66
Fan Zhang Bergen County Academies, NJ North Jersey Silver 75
2005—Taipei, Taiwan—37th IChO
Name School Local Section Medals Ranking
Jacob Sanders Acad. for the Adv. of S&T, Hackensack, NJ North Jersey Silver 48 (of 225)
Nicholas Sofroniew Harvard-Westlake S., N. Hollywood, CA Southern California Silver 64
Allen Cheng Arcadia H.S., CA Southern California Silver 72
Scott Rabin Miami Palmetto H.S., FL South Florida Bronze 109
2006—Gyeongsan, Republic of Korea—38th IChO
Name School Local Section Medals Ranking
Michael Blaisse Bishop McDevitt H.S., PA Southeastern PA Silver 55 (of 254)
Gregory Brockman Red River H.S., ND Red River Valley Silver 65
Andrew Freddo Manalapan H.S., NJ Monmouth County Silver 77
Alexander Zozula East Brunswick H.S. , NJ North Jersey Bronze 94
2007—Moscow, Russia—39th IChO
Name School Local Section Medals Ranking
Brian Lee Aca. for the Adv. of S&T, Hackensack, NJ North Jersey Silver 40 (of 256)
Justin Koh Stockdale H.S., CA Southern California Silver 43
Kenneth Brewer Timpview H.S., UT Central Utah Silver 65
Sofia Izmailov W. Windsor-Plainsboro H.S. South, NJ Trenton Bronze 152
14IChO PARTICIPATING TEAMS RESULTS 1984—2021
2008—Budapest, Hungary—40th IChO
Name School Local Section Medals Ranking
Jonathan Lee Harvard-Westlake H.S., N. Hollywood, CA Southern California Silver 70 (of 257)
Yuxin Xie East Brunswick H.S., NJ North Jersey Bronze 89
Jenny Lu Pomperaug H.S., Southbury, CT New Haven Bronze 132
Andrew Liu Parkway Central H.S., Chesterfield, MO St. Louis Bronze 137
2009—Cambridge, England—41st IChO
Name School Local Section Medals Ranking
Yixiao Wang Westfield H.S., NJ North Jersey Gold 25 (of 250)
Nathan Benjamin W. H. Harrison H.S., West Lafayette, IN Purdue Silver 34
Brian Seifried Chamblee H.S., GA Georgia Silver 37
Colin Lu Vestal H.S., NY Binghamton Silver 59
2010—Tokyo, Japan—42nd IChO
Name School Local Section Medals Ranking
Colin Lu Vestal H.S., NY Binghamton Gold 21 (of 267)
Alex Siegenfeld Hopkins School, CT New Haven Gold 22
Richard Li River Hill H.S., MD Maryland Silver 52
Utsarga Sikder S. Brunswick H.S., NJ North Jersey Bronze 94
2011—Ankara, Turkey—43rd IChO
Name School Local Section Medals Ranking
Konstantin Borisov North Allegheny H.S., PA Pittsburgh Gold 9 (of 273)
Joe Tung Gretchen Whitney H.S., CA Southern California Gold 24
Elmer Tan John P. Stevens H.S., NJ North Jersey Silver 48
Tayyab Shah Vestal H.S., NY Binghamton Silver 80
2012—Washington, D.C.—44th IChO
Name School Local Section Medals Ranking
Chris Hillenbrand Regis H.S., NY New York Gold 16 (of 283)
Sidhart Chand Detroit Country Day School, MI Detroit Silver 64
James Deng Choate Rosemary Hall, CT New Haven Silver 70
Jason Ge Westview H.S., CA San Diego Silver 80
2013—Moscow, Russia—45th IChO
Name School Local Section Medals Ranking
David Liang Carmel H.S., IN Indiana Gold 21 (of 291)
Runpeng Liu Ladue Horton Watkins H.S., MO St. Louis Gold 26
Stephen Ting Monta Vista H.S., CA Santa Clara Valley Silver 36
Saaket Agrawal Mira Loma H.S., CA Sacramento Silver 47
15IChO PARTICIPATING TEAMS RESULTS 1984—2021
2014—Hanoi, Vietnam—46th IChO
Name School Local Section Medals Ranking
Robert Kao Edwin O. Smith High School, CT Connecticut Valley Gold 28 (of 291)
Derek Wang North Allegheny Senior High School, PA Pittsburgh Silver 41
Stephen Li Troy High School, MI Detroit Silver 44
Andrew Chen W. Windsor-Plainsboro H.S. South, NJ Trenton Silver 50
2015—Baku, Azerbaijan—47th IChO
Name School Local Section Medals Ranking
David Wang Monta Vista High School, Cupertino, CA Santa Clara Valley Gold 7 (of 290)
Janice Ong T. Jefferson H.S. for S&T, Alexandria, VA Washington, DC Silver 76
Bryce Cai Barrington High School, IL Chicago Silver 82
Soorajnath
Boominathan OK School of Sci. and Math., OK Oklahoma Silver 83
2016—Tbilisi, Georgia—48th IChO
Name School Local Section Medals Ranking
Alex Liu The Village School, Houston, TX Greater Houston Gold 8 (of 264)
Kevin Tang Solon High School, OH Cleveland Silver 44
Joyce Tian T. Jefferson H.S. for S&T, Alexandria, VA Washington, DC Silver 66
Zilu Pan Canyon Crest Academy, San Diego, CA San Diego Bronze 102
2017—Nakhon Pathom, Thailand—49th IChO
Name School Local Section Medals Ranking
Harrison Wang Hinsdale Central High School, IL Chicago Gold 5 (of 297)
Joshua Park Lexington High School, MA Northeastern Gold 16
Steven Liu Monta Vista High School, CA Santa Clara Valley Gold 28
Brendan Yap Carmel High School, IN Indiana Gold 32
2018—Bratislava, Slovakia, Prague, Czech Republic—50th IChO
Name School Local Section Medals Ranking
Jeffrey Shi Marcellus High School, NY New York Gold 4 (of 300)
Michelle Lu Pomperaug High School, CT New Haven Gold 10
Andrew Wu Park Tudor School, IN Indiana Gold 12
Yutong Dai Princeton International School for M&S, NY Princeton Gold 13
2019—Paris, France—51st IChO
Name School Local Section Medals Ranking
Yajvan Ravan Churchill High School, MI Detroit Gold 19 (of 309)
Anton Ni University High School, CA Orange County Gold 28
Edward Jin Arnold O. Beckman High School, CA Orange County Gold 30
Albert Liu North Hollywood High School, CA Southern California Silver 59
16IChO PARTICIPATING TEAMS RESULTS 1984—2021
2020—Virtual, Istanbul, Turkey—52nd IChO
Name School Local Section Medals Ranking
Alex Li Lexington High School, MA Northeastern Top Gold 1 (of 235)
Alec Zhu Lexington High School, MA Northeastern Gold 8
Ananthan
Sadagopan Westborough High School, MA Central Massachusetts Gold 12
Anugrah
Chemparathy Dougherty Valley High School, CA California Gold 24
2021—Virtual, Osaka, Japan—53rd IChO
Name School Local Section Medals Ranking
Qiyang Zhou Princeton International School for M&S, NY Princeton Gold 13 (of 309)
Yitian Zhou Seven Lakes High School, TX Greater Houston Gold 27
Nikhil Seshadri University City High School, CA San Diego Silver 42
Kien Phuong Landon School, MD Washington, DC Silver 73
1753rd International Chemistry Olympiad, Japan
Team USA Members Essays
Team USA students in front of the ACS headquarters building in Washington D.C. Photo by D. Horwitz
Kien Phuong
The moment I left my house with my suitcase and got in Ms. Thatcher’s car to leave for
Washington D.C, I was filled with mixed feelings. I was proud that I would represent the US in
the biggest high school chemistry competition in the world, but the pressure that ensued and my
desire to do well on the test brought some nervousness as well. However, all the anxiety
18disappeared as I met my amazing team members: Qiyang, Yitian, and Nikhil. We had had many
prior online study meetings and we were so excited to be able to meet in person and enjoy each
other’s company for a week. During the first day’s evening and the second day, we revised
rigorously at our hotel’s conference room, lobby, and ACS Headquarters. We tried our best to
prepare, using preparatory problems and some challenging organic problems as a last polish for
problem solving skills. The atmosphere was incredibly collaborative, as we did everything as a
group and helped each other when one struggled. Although it was an individual competition, we
were united with only one goal in mind - making team USA’s overall performance the best
possible.
Team USA students taking the IChO exam at the ACS Headquarters. Photo by A. Collins
On the day of the exam, every team member felt the imminent pressure, but we reassured each
other with encouraging words and walked into the testing room, maintaining our composure.
Personally, I was mentally prepared for a difficult test and that no pressure could affect me after
the first page of the exam was opened. This year, the test was to a great extent more difficult than
last year and the problems were equally challenging. In past IChOs, there usually were problems
that were easier than others, but for this year most if not all had the same level of difficulty.
Solving them required a lot of calculations, analytical thinking to break down the given
complicated processes, and an understanding of advanced topics, including contour energy maps,
non-benzenoid aromaticity, and planar chirality. Also, the problems implied applications of that
theoretical knowledge to the real world. I learned about the mechanism of adsorption, desorption,
and absorption of gases on MOFs (Metal Organic Frameworks) in problem 1, then the use of
isotopologues ratio to measure ancient sea temperature in problem 2.
19After the test, the team all lamented
that we did not do too well on the
test, but we all consoled each other
that at least we all fought valiantly,
and that the result did not matter as
much as the process that brought us
here. Although I understood what we
said aloud, deep inside I still thought
I did not do well, because I made a
deadly time-management mistake on
problems 1 and 2, and two big
mistakes on the organic sections.
Due to this, I was already dead set
on receiving a silver, but I am
nonetheless happy about my work,
as studying well does not always
translate into a good result. If the
next generation were to read this
essay, I would encourage them to
focus a lot on calculation heavy
problems and be as strict on timing
as possible each time they practice a
test to not make the same mistake I
did.
If I were to only talk about the test, it
would be only 25 percent of this
Team USA students at the roof garden of the ACS headquarters. Photo by
D. Horwitz
whole IChO experience. The
Japanese organizers have gone above
and beyond with their incredible effort to create sessions where we could interact with people
from other countries, prepared videos of SPRING 8 and SACLA systems, and also photos of the
ancient city of Nara and the Himeji Castle in Kyoto as well. In addition, I got to experience D.C.
in a brief, yet so captivating manner thanks to the efforts of Ms. Thatcher and my chaperones:
Mr. Horwitz and Mr. Love, who took the whole team to various destinations in D.C, such as the
Capitol, the Lincoln Memorial, and the Vietnam Memorial, to take beautiful pictures and even
created an iCloud photo album to store every photo and video for us. I was also able to visit the
Natural History Museum and the Smithsonian art museums, which were fascinating in their
scale, and I was amazed by the beauty of the natural world and the art world as well. Then, the
whole team experienced a hiking trip to the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Park, which
were extremely beautiful with all the forest and waterfall scenery and we engaged in a small rock
20climbing event as well, something I hadn’t done in a very long time. The whole trip was amazing
on its own, but it was even more amazing with my three teammates. Somehow in this turn of
events, four people with complementing personalities and a shared love for chemistry were
grouped together and we naturally bonded through many things. My only female teammate, the
lovely Yitian, is an extremely talented and cheerful person who is also the energy source of the
team. She is always ready for new activities and engaged in social sessions with zeal. Qiyang is a
person with a great sense of humor and in-depth knowledge of Japanese pop-culture, and he
made all of us laugh non-stop a lot of times along the trip. My last team member, Nikhil, turns
out to be a down-to-earth and friendly person with a burning love for mathematics and physical
chemistry. He even explained to the team the meaning of Einstein’s Field Equations, which I
jokingly told him I understood 2.8 percent of what he said.
On the day of the closing ceremony, the whole team was very worried, and we all tried to set our
expectations very low so that we can be happy with any prize we get. Fortunately, Yitian and
Qiyang both got gold, but Nikhil and I got silver. Personally, I ranked 73rd, which is not very
good, but I expected it when I left the testing room, so the result did not make me feel
disappointed too much. Everyone on the team congratulated one another, and I am especially
happy for our team’s 2 gold medalists. Every now and then after the closing ceremony, I get
surges of regret that takes me back to the testing room what I could have done better to get a
gold, which makes me sad. However, I am assured by the fact that I did my best and I have made
good friends who value me and established great connections.
I think in my high school years, IChO is definitely a spotlight that I will never forget, and I
understand that it is not possible without a lot of people. First of all, I want to thank the Japanese
organizers and the ACS staff who made this competition and our D.C trip possible in the first
place, including Ms. Garrison, Dr. Raines, Ms. Thatcher, Mr. Horwitz, Mr. Love, and many
others who worked behind the scenes. I also want to send a huge thank you to my mentors: Dr.
Houck, Dr. Serbulea, and Mrs. Hines for believing in me and making the test extremely easy to
understand. I want to thank my parents for always supporting me through this journey and my
chemistry teacher for always supporting me as well. And finally, I want to thank my teammates
for an amazing experience, and I will always remember to keep in touch with everyone.
Nikhil Seshadri
Coming from Southern California, traveling to our Nation's Capital and participating in the
Virtual IChO examination was a thrilling experience for me. Although we were expected to be in
Washington D.C. from July 26 to August 2, I arrived at our Nation's Capital on July 23 to adjust
to the new time zone. I had just completed taking an AP class on US Government in my senior
year and was very happy to have this chance to see the monuments and landmarks that we had
studied in this class.
21On Saturday July 24, I happened to take a walk outside and was pleasantly surprised to find that
our hotel was close to the White House. There was a lot of activity in the form of protests outside
the fence of the White House. A large group of Cuban Americans were asking our President to
support freedom in Cuba, and a group of Korean Americans were asking the government to end
what they considered as the longest war in their homeland. This was the first time I had
personally witnessed any political activity. On Sunday July 25, I did more hiking and visited a
few landmarks close to my hotel.
On Monday July 26, I moved to the
Darcy Hotel, and for the first time I
met the rest of the team. We had a
pleasant time getting acquainted with
each other. On Tuesday July 26, for
the first time, we went to ACS
Headquarters, where I studied with
them in preparation for the
examination. On Wednesday July
28, we all took the five hour
examination at ACS Headquarters,
followed by dinner at a Japanese
restaurant.
Thursday, July 29, was a day of
relaxation. We had lunch with Dr.
Connelly, the CEO of ACS, at The
University Club, and after lunch, we
visited various monuments, in
particular the Lincoln Memorial,
Washington Monument, Arlington
Cemetery, Iwo Jima Memorial,
Vietnam Memorial, and Martin
Luther King Jr. Memorial. At my
Team USA students at The Capitol. Photo by D. Horwitz high school, I was in the Marine
JROTC program for four years,
therefore I was extremely excited to see the Iwo Jima Memorial and the Vietnam Memorial in
person, after having previously learned a lot about them. The former is a memorial to all brave
Marines who have given their lives in defense of the United States during WWII. In my JROTC
class, we learned a lot about this memorial, and I described the history of the Marine Corps and
their core values of honor, courage and commitment to the other team members. The Vietnam
Memorial displaying the names of thousands of members of the Armed Forces who had given up
22their lives made a strong impression on me. At the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial I was
reminded of his powerful teachings that all humans must be treated fairly and given what they
rightfully deserve and nothing should be wrongly taken away.
On Friday July 30, I had the honor and privilege to meet with Mr. Cesar Solis, a member of staff
of Congressman Scott Peters who serves California's 52nd Congressional District which includes
the area in which I live. He impressed me with his dedication to protect the interests of our
community and asked me to inspire middle school and high school to consider careers in
chemistry. On Saturday July 31, and Sunday August 1, we visited more museums. On Monday
August 2, I attended the closing ceremony. I wish to thank all of our mentors for their support.
Qiyang Zhou
Want to go on a summer adventure?
Hiking amid a serene river-side forest,
strolling across an unfamiliar city, or
perhaps making new foreign
acquaintances along the way… I have
always longed for such an adventure.
In the summer of 2021, I participated
in the International Chemistry
Olympiad (IChO), and it imbued my
summer with memorable moments far
beyond sitting through a 5-hour
theoretical exam.
The messenger icon that lights up
when I was composing this essay
reminds me of the wonders in the
virtual 2021 study camp. I cannot
forget the intriguing chemistry lectures
by mentors and guest speakers, the
gartic phone and dominion games with
my friends that often lasted beyond
midnight, and the study sessions with
peer mentors who enlightened me with
Team USA students at the White House. Photo by D. Horwitz ways to comprehend unorthodox
problems. Partition functions, Nazarov
cyclization, isosbestic point, and so on, made up my precious learning experience; delightful text
messages and audio calls over chemistry problems (or just chatting about our lives) became an
irreplaceable core memory.
23After study camp, my teammates and I regularly reunited to discuss life together. Though it may
seem obvious, preparing for IChO as a team is more efficient than if each of us were to prepare
alone. It felt encouraging to know that other humans are willing to assist me in tackling
unaccustomed problems, and that I can do the same for them. We motivated each other,
traversing the depths of the unknown from past IChOs to Mendeleev and Baltic Olympiads. My
small-time confusions about energy contour maps and analyzing ionic liquid mcbs are readily
resolved, all gratitude to the presence of my instructive teammates. Though the team had not met
in person yet at that point, our zoom calls were the most enjoyable part for me when I prepared
for the exam.
Late July was when I first met my teammates in reality. Sheltered from the scorching sun of
Washington D.C., we hung out every day in rooms with air conditioning (most often the ACS
conference room) and sometimes engaged in attempts to solve organic problems. Ms. Thatcher
and our chaperones would accompany us and often joined our casual chatting. Such leisure fled
rather expeditiously, and the exam day soon befell. I remember myself being fairly anxious right
before the exam, but the actual commencement of the exam diverts my attention to reading the
problems and effectively reduces my anxiety.
Amid a large, ventilated room, serene silence echoed the space; upon four aligned desks, hurried
pens scratching on paper formed an occasional rhythm. The exam has 9 fairly long problems,
and most of the problems showcase chemistry relevant to Japan. While solving the problems, one
gets to appreciate innovative organic compounds like cyclopropenyl cations synthesized by Dr.
Nozoe (problem 7) and chiral aromatic hydrocarbons created by Dr. Yoshio Okamoto (problem
8). The transition metals in magma and their crystal field splitting (problem 6) also reflect the
high number of volcanoes in Japan and investigating the potential of zinc-air batteries is related
to the climate of Mt. Fuji, where the temperature and pressure drastically vary (problem 4). The
exam problems are also especially inspiring that they tie theoretical chemistry to its real-life
application: for example, one learns how to use isotopologue ratios to estimate local
temperatures (problem 2) and how aromaticity can help stabilize reactive salts that readily
activate alcohols (problem 7). After the exam was over, we met camp mentors in person (for the
first time in my life). Dinner-time conversations with the mentors were enlightening, especially
regarding the classification of different branches of chemistry and my future career plans. In the
following days, Ms. Thatcher and our chaperones, Mr. Horwitz and Mr. Love, took us on a
journey throughout and around D.C. My most memorable experience from the trips was hiking
in Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Park. Raging rivers and precipitous rock terrains imbued
my hike with an adventurous sentiment. Climbing onto large rock structures with the rest of the
team and lifting oneself on a dead tree, I observed my teammates' physically playful side, which
was a rare and intriguing occurrence.
24Both the IChO opening and closing ceremonies were held through virtual reality. Though one
did not get to travel to Japan, the D.C. trips and virtual reality made up for an experience just as
amazing. Using a custom avatar, I was able to communicate with and befriend other IChO
participants from Switzerland, UAE, Japan, and many more countries. To my melancholy, the
2021 IChO activities would soon come to an end once the closing ceremony was over. In the
final moments of IChO, we enjoyed our leisure time together playing card games while chatting
about life before we temporarily parted ways amid space-time; yet, this experience will forever
be imprinted in my memory’s crannies.
Here, I express my sincerest gratitude to everyone who made 2021 IChO possible! Thanks to
Ms. Thatcher and Dr. Raines for organizing the activities! Thanks to Mr. Horwitz and Mr. Love
for taking care of us for over a week! Thanks to camp mentors Dr. Houck, Mrs. Hines, and Dr.
Serbulea, as well as peer mentors Anugrah and Edward who patiently explained to us the essence
of chemistry! Thanks to my fellow teammates Kien, Nikhil, and Yitian for encouraging me to
face difficult challenges! Arigato gozaimasu to the Japanese IChO hosts for a fascinating virtual
IChO! And thanks to my parents and my chemistry teacher Dr. Chen for their support!
Yitian Zhu
Filled with gorgeous architecture, city
bustle, and exquisite cuisine,
Washington D.C. is a breathtaking
combination of elegance and
multiculturalism. From Japanese sushi
restaurants and Italian pizzerias to
Spanish tapas bars and American Pop
Tart diners, it seems like pieces of
every country exist in the mosaic of
one city. Furthermore, physical
distance and geographic barriers did
not stop our IChO team from meeting
people from across the world. We made
many international friends during this
week: an acai-loving Brazilian girl, a
Swedish rabbit fangirl, a sporty Greek
boy, a tech-savvy German boy, and
more. Though we all stayed in our
home countries for an international
competition, we might as well have
toured the world in a week.
Team USA students in Great Falls National Park, MD. Photo by M.
Thatcher
25Meanwhile, we also visited the wonders of our own country. One of the most impressive scenes
was the syzygy of three historical monuments: the Lincoln Memorial, the Washington
Monument, and the Capitol. There, we watched the rosy evening sky turn dark over the city.
Another equally awe-inspiring site was the Washington National Cathedral, with its distinct neo-
gothic style and its towers that reached far into the heavens. We also observed the beauty of the
natural world at Maryland’s Great Falls National Park, where we gazed at the whitewater rapids
crashing down a cliff and spied a deer with her fawn in the quiet woods. These trips enhanced
my love for the US, and I am proud to have represented such a great country.
I had an extraordinary time with the three other members of the American IChO team.
Throughout the week, we developed our unique set of hobbies and quirks. These included
listening to a 3-hour loop of a single song while struggling through inorganic schemes, and later,
having karaoke sessions of that same song. We played volleyball with a baking soda balloon,
climbed mountain rocks, and did pullups in a tree. At the Smithsonian’s Natural History
Museum, we giggled when we saw the spinel in the minerals exhibit, for it was something we
learned about during our studies. Additionally, one team member started teaching us some
common Japanese phrases. By the end of the week, the four of us students were singing a
Japanese song together at the top of our lungs.
The IChO exam itself was challenging, but what I appreciated most was its creativity. We had to
combine concepts that we never imagined together. For instance, we had to combine the
statistical thermodynamics of isotope distributions with paleontology from the Antarctic seabed.
We also explored the storage of greenhouse gases inside metal organic frameworks. Though
these combined concepts initially seemed unrelated, the connection between them proved to be
quite intuitive. This made me even more curious about the different applications of chemistry.
After all, the beauty of science comes from making these connections, discovering something
new from them, and uncovering the potential of these discoveries.
We saw this beautiful process in action during the virtual tours of the SPring-8/SACLA facilities.
In these facilities, they use x-rays to visualize structures and movements at the molecular level. I
was fascinated when the Japanese researcher explained how he used the synchrotron particle
accelerator to reveal the interaction between the actin and myosin proteins in muscles. While we
learned many interesting ideas during the virtual activities, the most inspiring lesson was the
power of combining different fields of science and creating something greater than the sum of its
parts.
The IChO was an unforgettable experience for me, and I will always cherish my memories of it.
I would also like to encourage more high schoolers to try out for this opportunity through the
USNCO. Every American student has the potential to represent our country through chemistry,
no matter his/her background or level of experience.
26When I started high school, I was no more than an average student. At the time, I didn’t even
know that the IChO existed, and I could not have dreamt about participating in it. Instead, my
introduction to competitive chemistry came from a kind teacher at my school. I was a freshman
who simply walked into her classroom and asked for opportunities. Though she did not know me
at the time, she offered me her class resources so I could study for the USNCO local exam. I did
my best that year, but unfortunately, I didn't even make it past the first round.
The next few years, I was blessed to
receive the support from my family
and my teachers from inside and
outside of school. They offered me
their books from college, let me stay
after class to work in the school labs,
and spent their evenings teaching me
extra information. I also experienced
many setbacks during this time: I
had many sub-par performances and
felt intimidated by other students
who did better. However, these
people believed in me
unconditionally and inspired me to
stay persistent.
Many other students who are also
passionate about chemistry and
incredibly talented have helped me
immensely. During my junior year, I
worked with a brilliant friend from
my school. The two of us improved
together, competed together, and
eventually made study camp
together. At the Team Alpha Xi
Team USA students at the MLK Memorial . Photo by M. Thatcher study camp, we met incredible
lecturers and 18 other passionate
students who shared our collaborative mentality. The lecturers helped raise our technical
knowledge to a new level and helped us see concepts in a new light. To supplement, I worked
with the other camp students to apply that knowledge. Thanks to them, I mastered problem-
solving skills that I could never have learned alone. My fellow students’ passion and
27collaborative mentality are the hallmarks of the American chemistry program and were crucial
factors in helping me improve.
Finally, I would like to recognize all the hard work from Dr. Houck, Dr. Serbulea, Mrs. Hines,
Dr. Raines, Ms. Thatcher, Mr. Horwitz, Mr. Love, Dr. Collins, the ACS staff, and the University
of Maryland. They made our experience truly unique and helped us perform our best. These
people spent countless hours as they helped us improve and as they advocated for us. I would
also like to express my gratitude toward Dr. Connelly, who was very gracious to invite us to
lunch and inspire us with the story of his career, and Mrs. Garrison, who works tirelessly to
support chemistry education.
Team USA L-R: top row: A. Collins, M. Thatcher, D. Horwitz; middle row: L. Serbulea,
L. Raines, J. Houck, E. Hines; bottom row: N. Shesadri, Y. Zhu, K. Phuong, Q. Zhou.
Photo by D. Horwitz
28Press Release
American Chemical Society
External Affairs & Communications
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE | May 14, 2021
2021 Chemistry Olympiad virtual study camp students named
WASHINGTON, May 14, 2021 — The U.S. National Chemistry Olympiad (USNCO) Program is
proud to announce the 20 finalists who will participate in the 2021 Chemistry Olympiad Virtual
Study Camp, May 31-June 11. The students outscored more than 16,000 others on a national
exam to qualify for the intensive virtual camp, where they will receive college-level training with an
emphasis on organic chemistry through a series of lectures, problem-solving exercises and tests.
The USNCO Virtual Study Camp is being organized by the American Chemical Society (ACS) in
collaboration with the department of chemistry and biochemistry at the University of Maryland,
College Park. At the conclusion of the study camp, the top four students will represent the U.S. at
the 53rd International Chemistry Olympiad on July 25 - Aug. 2. Two additional students will be
designated as alternates.
The 20 finalists are:
City/State Name High School
Arcadia, Calif. *Alex Dang Arcadia High School
Irvine, Calif. Nathan Yihe Ouyang University High School
Palo Alto, Calif. Alexander Gu Gunn High School
San Diego Nikhil Seshadri University City High School
East Lyme, Conn. Mingwen Duan East Lyme High School
Gainesville, Fla. Bill Zhao Eastside High School
Carmel, Ind. Canaan He Carmel High School
Carmel, Ind. Jack Liu Carmel High School
Ames, Iowa Nethaka Dassanayake Ames High School
Bethesda, Md. Kien Phuong Landon School
Ann Arbor, Mich. Arnav Brahmasandra Pioneer High School
Reno, Nev. *Derek Chien Davidson Academy
Exeter, N.H. Neil Chowdhury Phillips Exeter Academy
Princeton, N.J. *Qiyang Zhou PRISMS
Warren, N.J. June Yin Watchung Hills Regional High School
Syosset, N.Y. Alex Wang Syosset High School
Sylvania, Ohio Frank Lee Northview High School
Katy, Texas *Phoenix Wu Seven Lakes High School
Katy, Texas *Yitian Zhu Seven Lakes High School
Alexandria, Va. Sunwoo Lee Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and
Technology
*Students who participated in 2020 USNCO Study Camp
American Chemical Society
1155 Sixteenth Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20036 T (800) 333-9511 www.acs.org
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