Team USA Named at USA Biology Olympiad Finals at UC San Diego

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Team USA Named at USA Biology Olympiad Finals at UC San Diego 

McLean, VA (July 5, 2019) – The Center for Excellence in Education (CEE) announces the names of the 2019 Team USA high school biology scholars who earned gold medals at the 17th Annual USA Biology Olympiad (USABO) National Finals hosted for the second time by UC San Diego. Nearly 10,000 students from 498 schools and 45 states registered in the nationwide high school competition.

“Congratulations to all of the USA Biology Olympiad students for participating in a memorable event hosted for the second year at UC San Diego’s biology laboratories and teaching facilities,” said Kit Pogliano, Dean of UC San Diego’s Division of Biological Sciences. “We are indebted to Associate Professor Scott Rifkin for his development of the curriculum and to all of the faculty and staff who made this event a success. We are confident in Team USA’s preparation here and wish them all the best as they head to the international competition.”

2019 USABO Gold Medalists are: Christopher Wang, Acton-Boxborough Regional High School, Acton, MA; Jason Zhang, Troy High School, Troy, MI; Suhas Chundi, Carmel High School, Carmel, IN; and Henry Shen, Oak Ridge High School, Oak Ridge, TN. They will participate as Team USA in the 30thAnnual International Biology Olympiad in Szeged, Hungary from July 14th to July 21st, 2019.

During the ten days of the National Finals, students participated in intensive theoretical and practical tutorials. The high school students studied with leading U.S. biologists who are experts in the fields of cellular & molecular biology, plant anatomy & physiology, animal anatomy & physiology, genetics & evolution, ecology, ethology, and biosystematics. The young scholars were mentored by Kakoli Mitra, Ph.D., Manager, USABO and Kathy Frame, Consultant/Advisor USABO and Special Projects.

At the closing USABO medal ceremony, Dr. Pam R. Taub, Associate Professor of Medicine in the Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Department of Medicine, at the University of California San Diego (UC San Diego), participated as the Keynote Speaker. Joann DiGennaro, President of CEE, provided closing remarks.

2019 USABO Silver Medalists are: Joseph Dong, Troy High School, Fullerton, CA; Atharv Oak, West Windsor-Plainsboro HS South, NJ; Nithin Parsan, Clements High School, Sugar Land, TX; and Albert Zhang, North Hollywood High School, Hollywood, CA.

2019 USABO Bronze Medalists are: Richard Chai, West Windsor-Plainsboro High School South, West Windsor, NJ; Charles Huang, Lynbrook High School, San Jose, CA; Kimberly Shen, Mounds View High School, Arden Hills, MN; and John Yang, Princeton High School, Princeton, NJ.

“CEE is so proud of Team USA that worked so hard to compete at the USABO Finals,” said Joann DiGennaro, President of CEE. “They are recognized as the highest achieving biology students in this nation. This was a remarkable experience for Team USA to use the amazing research laboratories and campus resources at UC San Diego,” she added.


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).

About the USA Biology Olympiad

The Center for Excellence in Education developed and implemented the first-ever USA Biology Olympiad (USABO) in 2002 to train future leaders in the biological sciences. In 2004, the U.S. Team was awarded an unprecedented four gold medals in Brisbane, Australia, a feat accomplished for the first time in Biology Olympiad history. The U.S. Team has continued this remarkable record of success by winning four gold medals in 2007, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2015, and 2017. Now in its seventeenth year, the USABO continues to nurture young scholars to careers of excellence and leadership in science.  

Media Contacts: Tom Flavell, (703) 448-9062 ext. 237
  Mario Aguilera, (858) 822-5148
USABO Contacts: Kakoli Mitra, (703) 448-9062 ext. 231
  Kathy Frame, (571) 228-0098


Related websites:
USA Biology Olympiad: http://www.cee.org/usa-biology-olympiad-usabo
Center for Excellence in Education: http://www.cee.org

University of California San Diego, Division of Biological Sciences:  https://biology.ucsd.edu/
International Biology Olympiad: http://www.ibo2019.org/

2019 USABO Gold Medalists: Christopher Wang, Acton-Boxborough Regional High School, Acton, MA; Jason Zhang, Troy High School, Troy, MI; Suhas Chundi, Carmel High School, Carmel, IN; and Henry Shen, Oak Ridge High School, Oak Ridge, TN