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North Jersey Student Wins Bronze Medal in the International Chemistry Olympiad
Contest
Xuxin Xie a graduate of East Brunswick High School was one of the four United States high school student selected to compete in the 40th International Chemistry Olympiad competition which was held in Budapest, Hungary on July 12-21. She won a bronze medal along with two other members of the team; the fourth member earned a silver medal in the competition. She is also the first female student from the North Jersey
Section of the American Chemical Society (ACS) to enter the competition in the last 6 years.
Xuxin Xie became interested in chemistry, mainly because of her high school chemistry teacher, Dr. Paul Kimmel. Both her parents are PhD biologists. Her high school chemistry teacher, Dr. Kimmel has inspired many students to enter and win the local and national Chemistry Olympiad competitions. She will attend the Massachusetts Institute of
Technology in the fall with a double major in chemistry and bioengineering.
Almost 850 students entered the local Chemistry Olympiad competition nation-wide
(15 from the North Jersey ACS Section). The national competition involved taking the two written and one laboratory tests administered by the North Jersey Section of the
American Chemical Society. The 7 hour local competition was conducted at the Florham
Park campus of Fairleigh Dickinson University.
From the 850 students, 20 students were selected to participate in a study camp held at the U.S. Air Force Academy, Colorado Springs, Colorado. The 20 finalists at the study camp received college-level training, with an emphasis on organic chemistry, through a series of lectures, problem-solving exercises, lab work and testing. The final team members and alternates were chosen from those attending the camp.
The International Chemistry Olympiad originated with Czechoslovakia, Poland and
Hungary in 1968. Soon, other Eastern European countries joined the event, and Western
Europe began participating in 1974. The first U.S. team competed in 1984, winning one

silver and two bronze medals. The American Chemical Society has sponsored the
American team annually since the United States joined the Olympiad.
Additional information about the team members and photos may be obtained from the contact person on this release.
The North Jersey Section of the American Chemical Society (NJACS) is the largest local section of the ACS with 5,700 members. The North Jersey Section is celebrating 83 years of service to the membership and the public. ( http://www.njacs.org)
The American Chemical Society — the world’s largest scientific society — is a nonprofit organization chartered by the U.S. Congress and a global leader in providing access to chemistry-related research through its multiple databases, peer-reviewed journals and scientific conferences. Its main offices are in Washington, D.C., and Columbus, Ohio.