WASHINGTON — They are the smartest chemistry high school students in the world. And for a week-and-a-half 264 of them from around the world competed in a head-to-head competition going for the gold in the 48th International Chemistry Olympiad held in the country of Georgia.
Joyce Tian, a 16-year old rising senior at Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology in Alexandria, Virginia, brought home a silver medal. She was one of four Americans who competed and who all brought home medals. “The competition was intense but it was pretty fun,” she said.
Sixty-six countries competed this year with four students from each country.
Tian said the best part of the competition wasn’t earning a medal but learning about the world through talking to students from the other countries. “I learned a lot about the world,” she said. “And they were curious about America as well. So it was kind of like, I guess, a cultural exchange — a mini one at least.”
Out of 264 students, Tian came in 66th place, she said. Although she was part of the American team, the Chemistry Olympiad is really an individual competition.
The team from China performed the best in this year’s competition with each of its team members grabbing a gold medal.
Next year’s competition will take place in Thailand. “It’ll definitely be beautiful,” Tian said. But she said she’s not sure about competing next year.
