2 Westlake students earn spots in state chemistry challenge
Lee Burneson Middle School eighth-grade student Alicia Ge won the Greater Cleveland You Be The Chemist Challenge and will participate in the Ohio State Challenge for a chance to move on to the National Challenge.
Alicia and fellow eighth-grader Yikun Zhou placed first and second, respectively, in the local You Be The Chemist Challenge before moving on to the regional contest. Both qualified to compete at the state level and are students in Daniel Berkheimer's Honors Physical Science class.
Alicia answered dozens of chemistry and general science questions over multiple rounds of competition, besting a field of 29 fifth- to eighth-grade students to earn the Champion title and a spot at the state-level competition. The winner of the Ohio State Challenge – to be held April 27 at the Great Lakes Science Center – will receive an expenses-paid trip to Washington, D.C., to compete in the National Challenge in June.
Run by the Chemical Educational Foundation, the You Be The Chemist Challenge encourages students in grades 5-8 to engage with chemistry concepts and their real-world applications. The Challenge fosters connections between industry, educators and community members to celebrate outstanding young learners and inspire them to pursue STEM careers.
Students compete individually by answering multiple-choice questions to advance through a series of competition levels, beginning at their school and culminating on the national stage. At the National Challenge in June, state champions from across the country will receive national recognition and compete for college scholarships.