Henry Shen, Oak Ridge High School - silver medal winner; image submitted

McLEAN, VA — Henry Shen, Oak Ridge High School, earned a Silver Medal at the 30th Annual International Biology Olympiad (IBO) held this month in Hungary. Four students represented the United States at IBO after winning the USA Biology Olympiad (USABO) National Finals, sponsored by the Center for Excellence in Education (CEE) with UC San Diego.

IBO 2019 Medalists from Team USA and their IBO individual rankings are:

Gold medalists
Christopher Wang, Acton-Boxborough Regional High School, Acton, MA (rank 3 overall)
Suhas Chundi, Carmel High School, Carmel, IN (rank 25 overall)

Silver Medalists
Jason Zhang, Troy High School, Troy, MI (rank 33 overall)
Henry Shen, Oak Ridge High School, Oak Ridge, TN (rank 39 overall)

“Team USA honored our country at the International Biology Olympiad,” said Joann DiGennaro, President of CEE. “These students are exceptional scholars headed for outstanding careers in science.”

IBO 2019 included 285 students from 74 countries, according to Dr. Kakoli Mitra, CEE manager of USABO. Mitra noted that all Team USA Members have medaled in the IBO since the United States first began competing in 2003, garnering a total of 51 gold, eleven silver and two bronze medals.

“The USABO encourages interest and excellence in the biological sciences among high school students and teachers throughout the United States,” said Mitra. Nearly 10,000 students from 498 schools and 45 states registered in the nationwide high school competition.

USABO alumni 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 been selected as Marshall Scholars and Churchill Scholars.

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’s programs include the Research Science Institute (RSI), the USA Biology Olympiad (USABO), and the Teacher Enrichment Program (TEP). For more information, you may visit www.cee.org.