The Mid-Hudson Section of the American Chemical Society (ACS) is pleased to announce that we will be participating in the 2022 U.S. National Chemistry Olympiad (USNCO). The primary goals of this program are to stimulate interest and achievement in chemistry among high school students throughout the United States and to provide recognition of outstanding young chemistry students, teachers, and schools.
We encourage local educators and their students to participate in this program. It is the responsibility of the Mid-Hudson section to nominate students from this area to take the USNCO national examination. To identify these students, we will conduct a preliminary screening of students using local ACS Section qualifying exams. If you or your students are interested in participating in the screening and have not received relevant materials thus far, please contact Lori Wojciechowicz, the section's USNCO Coordinator, at the email address below. Alternatively, please fill out the form with your name and your students’ names using the link below. Lori will then send the local exams to the respective high schools where they will be administered during the period from March 1-March 24. These exams are then returned to Lori for grading as soon as possible after administration, but no later than March 25, 2022.
The top ten (10) participants from the Mid-Hudson Section will be invited to take the National Chemistry Olympiad qualifying exam at Vassar College in Poughkeepsie, NY (during April 23-May 1, date yet to be determined). The students who qualify for the National ACS exam from the Mid-Hudson Section will be contacted in early April. National recognition will also be based on the results of this exam. The national exam involves three parts (multiple choice, problem solving and lab practical) administered to more than 1,000 students. Students can view past exams available at www.acs.org/olympiad to prepare.
The Section encourages our local schools to participate in this academic competition. All students who participate in the local competition will be recognized and presented with a certificate that they can include in their college portfolio. Students who sit for the national level of the competition will receive an additional certificate for national nominees and a commemorative lapel pin. Approximately 150 top scoring students receive recognition for outstanding performance at the national level. We hope this recognition will serve to stimulate interest in chemistry and to promote a positive attitude toward chemistry.
Students competing in the USNCO are eligible to be selected as members of the United States team for the International Chemistry Olympiad (IChO). For the past 38 years, the United States has sent a team of four students to compete with nations around the world at the IChO. The students participate in examinations, get to know students from other countries and learn about the host country’s culture over several days. Gold, silver, and bronze medals are awarded to the best performers, and the IChO provides students the opportunity to interact with their peers from other countries. The 54th international event will be organized by China, July 10-20, 2022.
There is no limit to the number of students from each school who can take the local exam but there is a limit to the number of students per school who may take the National qualifying exam. Only two students per school will be allowed to participate in the national exam. Only citizens and legal, permanent residents of the United States (green card holders) will be eligible to take the U.S. national examination. More information about the Olympiad program can be found through the ACS website at: www.acs.org/olympiad.
Thank you for helping promote chemical education in this country! If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Lori Wojciechowicz, Ph.D. (present USNCO coordinator) at Lori.Wojciechowicz@sunydutchess.edu
