The Center for Excellence in Education (CEE) recently announced that Ajay Sawant, a biology scholar from The Frazer School in Gainesville, earned a silver medal at the USA Biolympiad (USABO) National Finals.
According to a press release, the nationwide high school competition took place June 21 to July 2 at Harvard University, drawing 12,808 students from 47 U.S. schools in 46 states, as well as 35 international schools. Sawant was one of four silver medalists.
“CEE is proud of the USABO finalists who are future leaders in bio-based careers,” Joann DiGennaro, president of CEE, said in the release.
During the 10-day competition, students took part in intensive theoretical and practical tutorials. According to the release, the high school students studied with leading U.S. biologists in the fields of cellular & molecular biology, plant anatomy & physiology, animal anatomy & physiology, genetics & evolution, ecology, ethology and biosystematics.
The young scholars, meanwhile, were mentored by Kathy Frame, USABO director, and Logan McCarty, associate dean for Science Undergraduate Education at Harvard University, the release said.
The four gold medalists from USABO’s National Finals will represent the U.S. at the 37th International Biology Olympiad (IBO), a worldwide competition consisting of student teams from 78 countries. The International IBO will be held July 12-19 in Vilnius, Lithuania.