Buchholz pair finalists for International Olympiad

Buchholz students Jimmy Jiang (Chemistry) and William Guan (Physics) are finalists for two U.S. science teams that will compete at the International Olympiad in July.
Courtesy of Alachua County Public Schools

Two Buchholz High School students are finalists for two U.S. science teams that will compete in this summer’s International Olympiad.

According to an Alachua County Public Schools release, junior William Guan and freshman Jimmy Jiang are two of 20 students nationwide who are still in the running for two U.S. science teams that will go head-to-head on the international stage this summer.

Guan is one of the finalists for the U.S. Physics Team. The team is scheduled to compete in the International Olympiad in Tokyo, Japan in July. His high test scores on a series of physics exams earned his spot as a finalist.

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The Buchholz junior is also one of the top 20 performers on the USA Physics Olympiad exam. In June, Guan will attend a U.S. Physics Training Camp at the University of Maryland with other finalists as they take a series of selection tests. The top five students and one alternative will be selected for the U.S. Physics Team.

Jiang qualified as a finalist for the U.S. Chemistry Team by earning one of the top 20 scores on the National Chemistry Olympiad exam. The test score qualified the Buchholz freshman to attend a two-week study camp in June at the University of Maryland that will determine the top four students to represent the U.S. at the International Chemistry Olympiad in Zurich, Switzerland, in July.

Guan, who has always been fascinated with physics and is surprised he’s advanced this far in the competition, is looking forward to the selection camp in June so he can spend time with other people who have an interest in the subject.

“It answers a lot of the basic ‘why’ questions, like ‘Why is the sky blue?’” he said. “Those are explained by physics, which is why I really like it.”

Jiang, who recently became interested in chemistry, is also surprised by his success.

“I took an honors chem class here at Buchholz when I was in eighth grade, and I really enjoyed it,” he said. “So I started looking deeper and deeper into the field of chemistry, and I found it really interesting.”

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