The American Chemical Society (ACS) is excited to announce that Team USA earned two gold and two silver medals at the 55th International Chemistry Olympiad (IChO), held in Zurich on July 16 to 25.
This year's competition had 340 participants representing 87 countries, as well as eight independent students who competed. Out of the 348 participants, 217 earned a gold, silver or bronze medal. Overall, Team USA had a strong performance.
Gold medalists
- Anurag Sodhi: Centennial High School, Maryland
- Phoenix Wu: Seven Lakes High School, Texas
Silver medalists
- Mingwen Duan: East Lyme High School, Connecticut
- Alice Liu: Marquette High School, Missouri
"This was my fourth and final opportunity, as a senior. It was such a uniquely difficult experience," Wu says. "I would say the in-person experience is unparalleled." The three prior events he participated in were online only, as a result of pandemic restrictions.
The team was supported by head mentor Esther Hines of Billerica Memorial High School in Massachusetts, as well as college mentors Joseph Houck of Pennsylvania State University, Laura Serbulea of the University of Virginia and Songwen Xie of Massachusetts College of Pharmacy.
ACS has sponsored the U.S. team annually since the country 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 ACS Olympiad website.
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.
