The team that will represent the US at the 58th International Chemistry Olympiad (IChO), to be held in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, July 10–19, was announced at an award banquet held at the University of Maryland, College Park, on June 12.
The 2026 team consists of Enzhi Chen, Ethan Cho, Alex Dong, and Liran Zhu. The two alternates are Phil Yao and Bowen Shan.
The US team will be accompanied by mentors Komal Jain, Borislava Bekker, Monica Arroyo, and Steve Lantos.
The banquet closed out a 2-week-long 20-person study camp hosted at the University of Maryland from May 31 to June 13. Lantos noted how eager the students were to learn chemistry at a high level.
“I really enjoyed the lectures,” Chen says, noting specifically that they were well connected to the preparatory questions. And Zhu felt challenged in a positive way by engaging with content that isn’t normally seen in high school.
“Being able to see the stuff you learn from a textbook happening in the real world is what makes chemistry captivating for me,” Zhu says.
And it’s not all about the chemistry. Cho mentions that while chemistry was the commonality among study-camp attendees, they also had fun playing frisbee and table tennis: “It’s like the perfect bonding experience—no pun intended.” Dong says the field trip into Washington, DC, was also a good chance to share a lot of laughs and have a good time.
The US National Chemistry Olympiad has been sponsored by the American Chemical Society since 1984. Students in the US compete to advance through different tiers of the olympiad program for a chance to represent the country at IChO, the final of the program’s four tiers. The students selected to represent the US on Team USA at IChO were among thousands of students who took two examinations since March to attempt to qualify at the local and national levels to ultimately be selected for the study camp.
At this year’s IChO, the US team will compete with teams of students from over 90 other participating countries. The students will spend 5 h a day across 2 days taking part in a practical examination and a theoretical examination. In addition to the competition, students will get to visit a laboratory setting in the host country, visit local parks, play board games, take part in activities like pottery and painting, and visit shops.
Chen says he’s excited to experience the culture: “It has a really old and long history.”
“The international competition is a challenge,” Bekker says. But she also believes Team USA is prepared, having both new and returning students. Arroyo agrees and is looking forward to seeing the team shine.
Giving the students some advice for their upcoming trip, Jain says, “Make connections. Make connections with each other, learn from each other, be kind to each other.” She says everyone there already knows the chemistry—that’s why they’re there—so the connections between students become the more important part.
Team USA seems to have already taken Jain’s advice to heart, with each team member mentioning that part of what they’re most looking forward to is making more friends from other countries who also love chemistry.
You can learn more about the 58th IChO by visiting www.icho2026.uz/. Details about the US National Chemistry Olympiad and how to get involved are available at www.acs.org/education/students/highschool/olympiad.html.
