Team USA Named from among USABO National Finalists at Purdue University

Mc Lean, VA, June 15, 2015 (Newswire.com) - Four top scoring high school students will represent the United States as Team USA 2015 at the International Biology Olympiad (IBO) in Aarhus, Denmark, from July 12-19.  Members of Team USA earned gold medals at the Center for Excellence in Education’s (CEE) USA Biology Olympiad (USABO) national finals jointly sponsored with Purdue University on its main campus in West Lafayette, Indiana. Nearly 10,500 students competed in the nationwide high school competition.

Team USA 2015 Gold Medalists are:

·       Grace Chen, Bridgewater-Raritan Regional High School, Bridgewater, New Jersey

·       Yilun Du, Pullman High School, Pullman, Washington

·       Boyang “Peter” Dun, Canterbury School, Fort Wayne, Indiana

·       Varun Mangalick, Mounds View High School, Arden Hills, Minnesota

The mission of the USABO is to encourage excellence in biology education throughout the United States and to challenge students and their teachers to reach the gold standard in biology.  Alumni of the USABO have earned MacMillan Grants, Goldwater Scholarships, Hollings Scholarships (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration), American Heart Association Undergraduate Fellowships, National Science Foundation Fellowships, The Paul and Daisy Soros Fellowship for New Americans, the Linen Prize in Chinese, and the Clara Levillain Prize.  They have also received accolades as Marshall Scholars and Churchill Scholars.

The top 20 student finalists from the states of California, Delaware, Indiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, Texas, Virginia, and Washington were selected based on their scores on the USA Biology Olympiad open and semifinal exams.

During the two weeks at Purdue, the finalists 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, ethology, genetics & evolution, ecology, ethology, and biosystematics. 

USABO 2015 silver medalists are:

·       Kevin Bao, Troy High School, Fullerton, California

·       Michael Gao, Freehold High School, Freehold, New Jersey

·       Siddarth Guha, Dulles High School, Sugar Land, Texas

·       Kentaro Tanaka, Live Oak Academy, Santa Clara, California

USABO 2015 bronze medalists are:

·       Jueun Lee, Lexington High School, Lexington, Massachusetts

·       Zilu Pan, Canyon Crest Academy, San Diego, California

·       David Wu, Troy High School, Troy, Michigan

·       Maxwell, Zhu, Cambridge Educational Institute, Chino Hills, California

All Team USA Members have medaled since the United States first began competing at the IBO in 2003, garnering a total of 38 gold, 8 silver and 2 bronze medals.  Team USA members earned gold medals at the last six International Biology Olympiad competitions.  Team USA has achieved the coveted “Number 1 Position in the World” in 2011 and 2013.   

Coach Kathy Frame of CEE and Dr. Clark Gedney of Purdue University will accompany Team USA at the IBO, which is a worldwide competition involving students from 65 countries.  Ms. Frame received the honor of being elected by her fellow jurors to be a member of Denmark’s Host Subcommittee for the 2015 IBO in Aarhus, Denmark.  The Subgroup will work in cooperation with Denmark to review the practical and the theoretical examinations that have been developed, focusing on the quality of the questions in terms of scientific correctness and conceptual formulation.

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 sponsors the Research Science Institute (RSI), the USA Biology Olympiad (USABO), and the Teacher Enrichment Program (TEP). For more information about the Center and its programs, visit CEE’s Web site, www.cee.org