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Marquette Alumna Earns Gold Medal at International Chemistry Olympiad

Marquette Alumna Earns Gold Medal at International Chemistry Olympiad

Recent Marquette High graduate Alice Liu earned a gold medal competing for Team USA at the 56th International Chemistry Olympiad (IChO), which was held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, from July 21-30.

She was one of only 36 students from around the world to earn a gold medal at the event, placing 20th overall -- in the top 7 percent -- out of 327 competitors from 84 countries. Liu and her fellow Team USA members earned three gold medals and one silver at the event.

At the IChO, students compete in two comprehensive examinations -- a five-hour laboratory practical examination and a five-hour written theoretical examination -- while also engaging in laboratory visits and cultural experiences. The American Chemical Society (ACS) has sponsored the U.S. team annually since the country joined the Olympiad in 1984.

Liu qualified for Team USA by participating in a 20-person study camp from June 2-15 at the University of Maryland. She also qualified for the national team at the 55th IChO last summer in Zurich, Switzerland, earning a silver medal.

“I think going from the regional level, you’re just surrounded with so many talented people, and getting the chance to represent that all is such an honor–indescribable,” Liu said of her experience this year in an ACS press release.

Liu is the only Rockwood School District student to ever represent Team USA in the IChO, only the fifth student from Missouri and one of only 55 American students to earn a gold medal at the event in 41 years of competition.


This story originally posted June 21, 2024

A Rockwood student smiles with other members of Team USA who will compete at the International Chemistry Olympiad.

Alice Liu, a 2024 Marquette High graduate, is one of four students from around the country who was chosen to compete as part of Team USA at the 56th International Chemistry Olympiad (IChO), which will be held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, from July 21-30.

Liu also competed with Team USA at the 55th IChO last summer in Zurich, Switzerland, earning a silver medal and placing 61st out of 348 total competitors -- in the top 18 percent -- from 89 countries around the world.

“I think one of my most memorable parts was talking to those people (from other countries around the globe) and learning more about their languages, their games and their culture . . . that was really special, as well as making new friends,” she said in a press release.

To qualify for Team USA, students participated in a 20-person study camp from June 2-15 at the University of Maryland. The IChO is the final tier in the four-tier US National Chemistry Olympiad program, which has been sponsored by the American Chemical Society since 1984. The six students who have made it onto the team representing the US at IChO - four team members and two alternates - were among more than 9,000 students who took two examinations since March to qualify at the local and national levels before being selected for the study camp.

A Rockwood student smiles with her diploma on graduation day.

At the IChO, Team USA will compete with teams of students from more than 80 other nations. The contest consists of a five-hour laboratory practical examination and a five-hour written examination.

Liu, who will attend the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the fall, is the only Rockwood School District student chosen to represent Team USA in its 40-year history with the IChO and only the fifth student from the state of Missouri.

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