Alice Liu of Marquette High School has earned a place on Team USA at the 55th International Chemistry Olympiad (IChO), to be held at Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule (ETH), Zürich, Switzerland, July 16 to 25, 2023.
The path to a spot on the team is arduous and ultra-selective. First, students compete in the local High School Chemistry Contest. Top finishers, no more than two from each school, are eligible to take the Olympiad qualifying exam. The top 20 qualifiers nationwide are invited to an intensive study camp at the University of Maryland–College Park, where they receive college-level chemistry training via a series of lectures, problem-solving exercises, lab experiments and tests.
The four highest-scoring students during the study camp make up the A-Team USA. The next two highest-scoring students are the alternates.
The members of 2023 Team USA are:
- Mingwen Duan, East Lyme High School, CT
- Alice Liu, Marquette High School, MO
- Anurag Sodhi, Centennial High School, MD
- Phoenix Wu, Seven Lakes High School, TX
- Sebastian Kumar (1st alternate), Tesla STEM High School, WA
- Brian Li (2nd alternate), Acton-Boxboro, MA
Team USA 2023: (l to r) Sebastian Kumar, Mingwen Duan, Alice Liu, Anurag Sodhi and Phoenix Wu
Our heartfelt congratulations and wishes for success to all, and a special “Go, Alice!” to Alice!
Interestiingly, the Saint Louis Section has placed IChO Team USA members twice before: Andrew Liu in 2008 and Runpeng Liu in 2012. Notice a pattern?
Update with results:
Our local representative on the IChO Team USA, Alice Liu, earned a Silver Medal at the competition in Zurich, Switzerland, July 16–25. Alice and the remaining Team USA contingent were responsible for an exceptionally strong overall team finish:
- Anurag Sodhi, Gold Medal, 18th overall
- Phoenix Wu, Gold Medal, 19th overall
- Alice Liu, Silver Medal, 61st overall
- Mingwen Duan, Silver Medal, 69th overall
By the numbers: 88 countries sent 348 contestants to the 55th International Chemistry Olympiad.
“Computers and the physics of complex biological systems”
