US team selected for 2022 Chemistry Olympiad

Four high school students will represent the US in the 54th International Chemistry Olympiad, which will be hosted remotely by China July 10–18. The US team was finalized after the Chemistry Olympiad Study Camp held at the University of Maryland, College Park, June 5–18.

The 2022 team consists of: Jack Liu, from Carmel High School in Indiana; Nathan Yihe Ouyang, from University High School in California; Gideon Tzafriri, from Lexington High School in Massachusetts; and Phoenix Wu, from Seven Lakes High School in Texas. The first alternate is Yufei Chen, from University High School in California. The second alternate is Mingwen Duan, from East Lyme High School in Connecticut.

“We have very strong students and they performed very well at the camp,” says head mentor, Joseph Houck, an associate teaching professor at Penn State University.

Tzafriri says of the camp that it has been “the most fun experience I have had during high school. In Lexington, there were not many other people for me to talk about chemistry with and interact with on this level, but here, we just live and breathe chemistry.”

Liu is thrilled to interact with teammates and mentors during the final competition. “All of them are very capable and very intelligent people, I am really excited to spend more time with them and learn more from them,” he says.

Looking forward to the final competition, Wu says, “we are going to have a great time and we’re going to do great this year.”

Ouyang agrees but also admits to feeling disappointment that the competition is online. “I just hope to do well and make Team USA proud,” he adds. The International Chemistry Olympiad will be held online this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.