20 students head to 2026 Chemistry Olympiad Study Camp

Twenty student finalists have been selected to participate in the 2026 Chemistry Olympiad Study Camp, which is part of the American Chemical Society’s US National Chemistry Olympiad (USNCO) program. The camp will be held from May 31 to June 13 at the University of Maryland, College Park. Camp attendees will compete for a place on Team USA, whose members will represent the US at the 58th International Chemistry Olympiad, taking place in Uzbekistan July 10–19. The traveling team will be revealed at a banquet on June 12, marking the end of the study camp.

Students selected by USNCO to attend the camp are Anish Agarwal, San Jose High School in California; Jacky Cai, Carmel High School in Indiana; Yan-Ru Cao, Wayzata High School in Minnesota; Enzhi Chen, Princeton International School of Mathematics and Science in New Jersey; Joy Chen, Carmel High School in Indiana; Daniel Chen, Carmel High School in Indiana; Ethan Cho, BASIS Scottsdale in Arizona; Daniel Ding, Newton South High School in Massachusetts; Alex Dong, Shanghai High School International Division in Shanghai; Shannon Imaoka, Orange County School of the Arts in California; Evan Liu, Lynbrook High School in California; Ryan Miao, The Harker School in California; Ameya Paliwal, Emerald High School in California; Bowen Shan, BASIS Chandler in Arizona; Ethan Yusong Shi, Shanghai High School International Division in Shanghai; Anna Xing, Ward Melville High School in New York; Phil Yao, Newport Senior High School in Washington; Jason Yin, Ward Melville High School in New York; Aaron Zhu, North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics in North Carolina; and Liran Zhu, Troy High School in California.

Faculty of the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry of the University of Maryland, College Park, will guide the students participating in the study camp, as well as the following mentors: Head Mentor Komal Jain of Lake Braddock Secondary School in Virginia; College Mentor Borislava Bekker of American River College in California; College Mentor Monica Arroyo of Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico in Puerto Rico; and High School Mentor Steve Lantos of Brookline High School in Massachusetts.