Team USA High School Biology Students Earn Gold and Silver Medals at 2019 International Biology Olympiad
McLean, VA (July 22, 2019) — All members of Team USA won medals – two Gold and two Silver medals – at the 30th Annual International Biology Olympiad (IBO) held this month in Hungary. Four students represented the United States at IBO after winning the USA Biology Olympiad (USABO) National Finals, sponsored by the Center for Excellence in Education (CEE) with UC San Diego. IBO 2019 Medalists from Team USA and their IBO individual rankings are:
Gold medals
Christopher Wang, Acton-Boxborough Regional High School, Acton, MA (rank 3 overall)
Suhas Chundi, Carmel High School, Carmel, IN (rank 25 overall)
Silver Medals
Jason Zhang, Troy High School, Troy, MI (rank 33 overall)
Henry Shen, Oak Ridge High School, Oak Ridge, TN (rank 39 overall)
Christopher Wang came in third overall and all US team members placed in the top 14% in a field of 285 competitors.
“Team USA honored our country at the International Biology Olympiad,” said Joann DiGennaro, President of CEE. “These students are exceptional scholars headed for outstanding careers in science.”
IBO 2019 included 285 students from 74 countries, according to Dr. Kakoli Mitra, CEE manager of USABO. Mitra noted that all Team USA Members have medaled in the IBO since the United States first began competing in 2003, garnering a total of 51 gold, eleven silver and two bronze medals.
“The USABO encourages interest and excellence in the biological sciences among high school students and teachers throughout the United States,” said Mitra. Nearly 10,000 students from 498 schools and 45 states registered in the nationwide high school competition.
USABO alumni have earned MacMillan Grants, Goldwater Scholarships, Hollings Scholarships (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration), American Heart Association Undergraduate Fellowships, National Science Foundation Fellowships, The Paul and Daisy Soros Fellowship for New Americans, the Linen Prize in Chinese, and the Clara Levillain Prize. They have also been selected as Marshall Scholars and Churchill Scholars.
About the Center for Excellence in Education
The Center for Excellence in Education was founded in 1983 by the late Admiral H.G. Rickover and Joann P. DiGennaro, President of the Center. The Center's mission is to nurture high school and university scholars to careers of excellence and leadership in science, technology, engineering and mathematics, and to encourage collaboration between and among leaders in the global community. CEE’s programs include the Research Science Institute (RSI), the USA Biology Olympiad (USABO), and the Teacher Enrichment Program (TEP).
| TEAM USA: These four U.S. high school biology students were awarded medals at the 2019 International Biology Olympiad. Students from left to right: Jason Zhang,Troy High School, Troy, MI; Christopher Wang, Acton-Boxborough Regional High School, Acton, MA; Henry Shen, Oak Ridge High School, Oak Ridge, TN; and Suhas Chundi,Carmel High School, Carmel, IN. |
| Media Contacts: | Tom Flavell, CEE, (703) 448-9062 ext. 237 |
| USABO Contacts: | Kakoli Mitra, CEE, (703) 448-9062 ext. 231 |
| Kathy Frame, CEE, (571) 228-0098 |
Related websites:
Center for Excellence in Education: http://www.cee.org
2019 International Biology Olympiad: http://www.ibo2019.org/
USA Biology Olympiad: http://www.cee.org/usa-biology-olympiad-usabo