Los Alamos High School Chemistry Students May Qualify For U.S. National Chemistry Olympiad Team

LAHS chemistry students Donald Poston and Steven Zhao may qualify for U.S. National Chemistry Olympiad team. Courtesy/LAHS

LAHS News:

The Central New Mexico chapter of the American Chemical Society has announced the names of two outstanding Los Alamos High School chemistry students: Donald Poston and Steven Zhao.

These students took a national exam April 21 that may qualify them to become members of the U.S. National Chemistry Olympiad team to compete in the 50th International Chemistry Olympiad (IChO) July 19-29, 2019 in Bratislava Slovakia and Prague, Czech Republic.

The IChO involves a series of theoretical exams, laboratory exercises and other activities aimed at identifying the best chemistry students from participating nations from around the world. The U.S. has participated in this event since 1984. In 2017, the U.S. Team won four gold medals. A total of 297 students represented 76 countries at the 49th IChO, in Nakhon Pathom, Thailand.

The two local nominees are among more than 1,200 nationwide who took the national qualifying exam April 17-25 to select finalists. Twenty students will be identified and invited to intensive training June 10-25 at the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colo. The top four will be chosen to represent the U.S. in the 50th IChO competition.

In 2014, LAHS student Kevin Gao was selected to go to Colorado.

Founded in 1876 and chartered by Congress, the American Chemical Society is a nonprofit scientific and educational organization dedicated to the advancement of chemistry in the public interest serving nearly 150,000 members. The Central New Mexico section is one of 185 across the nation.

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