McLean, VA (May 21, 2021) – The Center for Excellence in Education (CEE) announces 20 high school biology scholars who will compete virtually in the 19th Annual USA Biolympiad (USABO) National Finals May 22-June 5.
“These students are some of the highest achieving biology students in the USA,” said Joann DiGennaro, President of CEE. “CEE’s USA Biolympiad program encourages excellence in biology education and challenges students and their teachers to reach the gold standard in biology.”
The 20 finalists will compete for 10 days of biology instruction inclusive of laboratory training and conceptual understanding followed by two days of testing. Ultimately, four students earn the honor to represent the USA as the USA Biolympiad Team in the 2021 International Biology Olympiad IBO Challenge II (a virtual substitute for the 32nd IBO in Lisbon, Portugal) July 18-23.
In February, 4,000 talented students from across the nation logged in to the first ever online USABO Open Exam. Scores were released in March, and 408 students made the semifinalists’ cut off. The semifinal exam was held virtually on April 16.
“This is an incredible journey these students get to take, and the passion these students have for the biological science and USABO is incredible,” said Michelle King, PhD, program Manager of the USA Biolympiad. “For high school USABO finalists to experience this level of excellence is really an exceptional opportunity.”
The 20 students participating in the 2021 USA Biolympiad National Finals are:
California
Akshay Attaluri, Cupertino High School, Cupertino
Albert Tam, Lynbrook High School, San Jose
Albert Zhang, North Hollywood Senior High School, North Hollywood
Julianne Wu, University High School, Irvine
Jonathan Huang, Lynbrook High School, San Jose
Lawrence Long, BASIS Independent Silicon Valley, San Jose
Michael Yu Zhao, Lynbrook High School, San Jose
Nicholas Wei, The Harker School, San Jose
Sophia Chen, Sage Hill High School, Newport Coast
Illinois
Greycen Ren, Adlai E. Stevenson High School, Lincolnshire
Judson Lam, Naperville North High School, Naperville
Peter Pu, University of Chicago Laboratory School, Chicago
Massachusetts
Alexander Tang, Lexington High School, Lexington
Arthur Hu, Lexington High School, Lexington
Derek Chen, Belmont High School, Belmont
Maryland
Caleb Zhao, Montgomery Blair High School, Silver Spring
Missouri
Andrew Wu, Marquette High School, Chesterfield
Virginia
Lynn Tao, Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology, Alexandria
Washington
Rohan Iyer, Tesla STEM High School, Redmond
Wisconsin
Jason Wang, UW Madison, Madison
The USABO National Finals Closing Ceremony is on Wednesday, June 2, 2021 from 6-7:30 p.m. ET. The Keynote Speaker is Nobel Laureate Dr. Robert Lefkowitz, Professor of Medicine, James B. Duke Distinguished Professor of Medicine, Professor of Biochemistry, Professor of Pathology, Professor of Chemistry, Member of the Duke Cancer Institute. Register for the closing ceremony here.
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About the Center for Excellence in Education
The Center for Excellence in Education (CEE) 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 scientific and technological leaders in the global community. CEE sponsors the Research Science Institute (RSI), the USA Biolympiad (USABO), and the Teacher Enrichment Program (TEP). For more information, visit CEE’s website, www.cee.org.
About the USA Biolympiad
As the premiere biology competition for high school students in the United States, the USA Biolympiad (USABO) enriches the life science education of nearly 10,000 talented students annually. It provides the motivation, curricular resources, and skills training to take them beyond their classroom experience to the level of international competitiveness. For more information, visit https://www.cee.org/programs/usa-biolympiad-usabo.
Media Contact: Tom Flavell, (703) 448-9062 ext. 237
Follow CEE on Twitter @CEE1983.