The Mid-Hudson Section of the American Chemical Society (ACS) will again be participating in the U.S. National Chemistry Olympiad (USNCO) in 2025.
Students who anticipate taking the local section exam in March must register in advance with ACS by January 17, 2025: Link for parents/guardians to register students: https://fs10.formsite.com/ACS_Outreach/2025USNCO/index o Form opens November 15, 2024 o Form closes Jan 17, 2025. This is a final deadline that will not be extended.
The following information is needed by the deadline:
Teacher Name
School
school address
e-mail address
phone number
Approximate number of students participating.
If you have questions in the meantime, I can be reached by email at: [email protected] or by phone at 845-437-5731.
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.
I am writing to announce our participation and encourage you and your 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. In order to identify these students, we will conduct a preliminary screening of students using Local ACS Section qualifying exams. If you would like your students to participate, I will send you a .pdf of the exam, which you will administer to your students at your school March 1-23, 2025. These exams are then returned to me to arrange for grading as soon as possible after administration.
Up to 12 participants from the Mid-Hudson Section will then be invited to take the National Chemistry Olympiad qualifying exam in April at Vassar College in Poughkeepsie, NY. The national exam involves three parts, administered to more than 1,000 students at locations across the country. Students who complete the national exam will be given an extra incentive to compete with a $50 award from the Mid-Hudson section. National recognition will also be based on the results of this exam.
Students competing in the USNCO are eligible to be selected as members of the United States team for the International Chemistry Olympiad (IChO). For several decades, the United States has sent a team of four students to compete with nations around the world at the IChO. The students participate in both theoretical and laboratory examinations 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 international event will be held July 5-14 in the United Arab Emirates.
There is no limit to the number of students from each school who can take the local section 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. The site contains information on rules and eligibility, and details on how to participate and prepare.
U.S. National Chemistry Olympiad 2024
On Sunday, April 14, 2024, five local high school students took the U.S. National Chemistry Olympiad at Vassar College. The exam consisted of a multiple choice test, a written problem solving examination and a hands-on lab practical. Congratulations to the students and to the local teachers that facilitated participation.
Students from left to right: Max Darling (Red Hook High School); Liam Sakamoto-Hata (Red Hook High School); Charley Li (Millbrook School); Charlotte Wang (John Jay High School, Hopewell Jct); Nash Pillai (John Jay High School, Hopewell Jct).
2023 Local Section Results U.S. National Chemsitry Olympiad
On Saturday, April 15, 2023, seven local high school students took the US National Chemistry Olympiad Exam at Vassar College. The exam consisted of a multiple choice test, a written problem solving examination and a hands-on lab practical. Congratulations to the students and to the local teachers that facilitated participation; the teachers include John Kay at Kingston High School, Leah Miller at John Jay High School, Hopewell Jct, Lu Lu at Northern Academy of the Arts, Middletown, and Jason Pavlich at Red Hook Central High School. Many thanks to the Mid-Hudson Local Section volunteers Prof. Joe Tanski, USNCO Coordinator, for organizing, Prof. Anita Kusmierska-Gomez, Vassar College, for preparing the lab practical, and Joan Skinner and Linda Ferraro for administrative support.
Students from left to right: Lisa Vargas-Hubner (Kingston High School); Arnav Mishra (John Jay High School, Hopewell Jct); Nash Pillai (John Jay High School, Hopewell Jct); Zachary Seery (Kingston High School); Brian Li (Northern Academy of the Arts, Middletown); Brandon Juran (Red Hook Central High School); Ryan Very (Red Hook Central High School)