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This version of NSU News has been archived as of February 28, 2019. To search through archived articles, visit nova.edu/search. To access the new version of NSU News, visit news.nova.edu.
This version of SharkBytes has been archived as of February 28, 2019. To search through archived articles, visit nova.edu/search. To access the new version of SharkBytes, visit sharkbytes.nova.edu.
NSU Hosts National Chemistry Olympiad for Top High School Students
Nine high school students from across South Florida tested their scientific knowledge during the National Chemistry Olympiad exam held at Nova Southeastern University on April 25, 2009. The exam, produced by the American Chemical Society (ACS), is administered in order to select finalists for the annual International Chemistry Olympiad, held this year in Oxford, England.
Venkatesh (Vic) Shanbhag, Ph.D., associate professor in the Farquhar College of Arts and Sciences Division of Math, Science, and Technology, serves on the executive body of the ACS local chapter and as the National Chemistry Olympiad exam coordinator. Each year, high school teachers select students to complete the Local Chemistry Olympiad exam. The local chapter then chooses students from the first-round test to participate in the national qualifying exam.
Previously, the national exams were administered at Florida International University, but in 1999, Shanbhag and Skip Pomeroy, Ph.D., a former faculty member at NSU, assumed the coordinating responsibilities and have been conducting the exam at NSU each year since.
Following the test, Don Rosenblum, Ph.D., dean of the Farquhar College of Arts and Sciences, distributed scholarship letters to each of the nine participating students. The letters offer NSU scholarships to the students, if they apply and are accepted into the university.
Based on the results of all National Chemistry Olympiad tests, 20 semifinalists will be selected to participate in a three-week boot camp held at the Air Force Academy in Boulder, Colo. From there, a team of four students will be selected to travel and participate in the international competition in Oxford, July 18–27, 2009.