09 Dec 2020
Australia’s first gold medal at International Chemistry Olympiads since 2005 and a Bronze medal too!
Richard Huang, a Year 12 student from James Ruse Agricultural High School has won a gold medal at the recent International Chemistry Olympiad. And a bronze medal was won by his team-mate Sariena Ye.
The event, that would normally bring together hundreds of talented students from across the globe to sit a five-hour theory and five-hour practical exam, was adapted so students could compete virtually. This year, students sat the five-hour theory exam in their own countries, within a time window. Richard competed against 235 students from 60 countries to win gold, finishing in the top 10 per cent of Chemistry students in the world. This year’s remote access International Chemistry Olympiad was coordinated from Istanbul, Turkey. This was Richard’s third International Chemistry Olympiad, having represented Australia in 2018 and 2019.
When asked about his experience, Richard said, “It has been a very exciting and valuable journey with the Chemistry Olympiad program and I feel so happy and honoured to be given the opportunity to represent Australia three times at the International Chemistry Olympiad and at last win the gold medal this year.”
Richard was part of a four-member team representing Australia at the international competition. One of Richard’s team-mates was Sariena Ye, another Year 12 student,also from James Ruse Agricultural High School who won a bronze medal.