LI students named national finalists in USA Biolympiad
Max Yin, a senior at Syosset High School, was one of 20 national finalists to compete virtually this summer for an opportunity to represent the country in the International Biology Olympiad 2020. Credit: The Center for Excellence in Education
Two Long Island students were among 20 finalists nationwide who recently competed for an opportunity to participate in the International Biology Olympiad Challenge 2020.
Victor Li, a senior at The Wheatley School in Old Westbury, and Max Yin, a senior at Syosset High School, competed in the 18th Annual USA Biolympiad (USABO) National Finals, which was conducted virtually due to the coronavirus outbreak by the Center for Excellence in Education.
The finals, which resulted in four students being chosen to represent the United States, consisted of 10 days of biology instruction followed by two days of testing in July.
"For me, the USABO camp was a unique opportunity to experience biology at a level not available to most high school students," Yin said. "It was very exciting participating in challenging activities in topics ranging from animal physiology to bioinformatics with a group of similarly minded peers."
Victor Li, a senior at The Wheatley School in Old Westbury, was one of 20 national finalists to compete virtually this summer for an opportunity to represent the country in the International Biology Olympiad 2020. Credit: The Center for Excellence in Education
"The finalist experience ... was stellar beyond belief," Li said. "Although it was very difficult for all of us as we learned years of content in weeks, this free opportunity, recognizing our success and hard work, is possibly one of the best programs for high school students."
This year, about 10,000 students registered to compete, with Li and Yin being the sole finalists from New York.
— MICHAEL R. EBERT
Michael R. Ebert is an education researcher and has worked for Newsday in various capacities since 2003. He was part of an 11-person team named as 2008 Pulitzer Prize finalists for investigative coverage of the LIRR's platform safety issues.
