CEE presents the USA Biology Olympiad

Sponsored by the Center for Excellence in Education, the USA Biology Olympiad (USABO) is the premier competition in biology in the United States.

As with CEE's other pioneering education programs, the USA Biology Olympiad focuses on stimulating young scholars' intellectual curiosity and developing their critical thinking skills in biological reasoning. Leveraging the best scientific expertise to challenge students, CEE prepares talented students for the fascinating experience of national and international academic competitions.

Mission

The Mission of the USA Biology Olympiad is to encourage excellence in biology education throughout the United States. It propels American high school students and their teachers toward the gold standard in biology.

What is an Olympiad?

The International Biology Olympiad (IBO) is the annual World Championship Biology Competition for high school students. The first international academic Olympiads were launched under the auspices of the United Nations in the 1960's. The programs have expanded gradually to include over seventy participating countries across five continents. Currently, international academic Olympiads are held annually in mathematics, physics, chemistry, computer science, biology and astronomy. The USA Biology Olympiad and the International Biology Olympiad award individual achievement in theoretical and practical biology knowledge and understanding.

How is the U.S. Team chosen?

The USA Biology Olympiad is a four-tiered competition open to all U.S. high school students. The USA Biology Olympiad National Team, a four-person team that competes in the International Biology Olympiad.

The USABO benefits students by:

• Exposing all students to new theoretical and practical topics
• Serving as an excellent diagnostic tool for your biology students
• Providing an opportunity for recognition of your best students
• Encouraging all students to work on biology topics outside of class
• Encouraging all students to further develop their practical skills
• Providing an opportunity for top biology students to experience competition at a national and international level.

Round One: USABO Open Exam

The competition begins each February with a multiple-choice exam administered nationwide to all interested U.S. high school students nominated by their teacher. Students do not need to be currently enrolled in a biology class, nor have taken AP Biology, in order to participate in the USA Biology Olympiad Open Exam.

Round Two: USABO Semifinals

The top 10% or the top 500 Open Exam participants are eligible to take the Semifinal Exam. The exam is two-hours long, consisting of multiple-choice and short-answer questions. It is also administered in-class.

Awards are given to all Semifinalist participants. The USABO encourages recognition of the Semifinalists, their teachers and their schools through local award ceremonies where their achievements are acknowledged.

Round Three: USABO National Finals

The top 20 Semifinalist participants are invited to attend the USABO National Finals at a leading university.

The National Finals consists of two weeks of intensive theoretical and practical tutorials, where the students work with leading biologists in the United States.

At the conclusion of the tutorials, the students take two exams - a practical and a theoretical - to compete for one of the four places on the U.S. Team.

The USABO National Finals is an all-expense paid competition for all participating students.

International Biology Olympiad

The top four medal winners from the USA Biology Olympiad National Finals, the U.S. Team, were invited to represent the United States at the International Biology Olympiad (IBO). The 2007 IBO was held in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. Team U.S. placed first in the world during the competition!

For information please contact Marcy Reedy, USABO Manager.