WKU News

2 GATTON ACADEMY STUDENTS ADVANCE TO 

AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY NATIONAL OLYMPIAD

Two Gatton Academy students, Brian Nguyen (’23, South Warren HS) and Eric Xing (’23, South Warren HS), have been nominated to compete in the American Chemical Society’s National Chemistry Olympiad after the local March 4 competition. Since 1984, the U.S. National Chemistry Olympiad (USNCO) program has sponsored a chemistry competition for high school students, whose purpose is to stimulate young people to achieve excellence in chemistry. Each year the U.S. National Chemistry Olympiad (USNCO) Exams Task Force designs a USNCO Local Section Exam that coordinators administer in high schools, after which coordinators nominate students for the National Exam based on their performance in the local competitions. In addition each school can only nominate a maximum of two students. This year’s exam took place at Tennessee Tech University in Cookeville, TN. 

In addition, Xing and Nguyen collaborated with two other Gatton students for the Team portion of the competition. Those students were Kareena Pansuria (’23, South Warren HS) and Kellen Patterson (’23, South Warren HS). This Team received first place in the Local Section Exam. 

Xing states, “I feel incredibly honored to have been selected for the USNCO National competition! I would like to thank Mr. Amar Patel, my chemistry teacher from South Warren High School, who provided me with an excellent foundation for higher-level chemistry, and the Gatton Academy, for providing me with the opportunity to continue pursuing advanced chemistry courses. I hope that this competition will help me continue to grow in chemistry, and I very much look forward to the national competition.”

“Advancing to Nationals demonstrates the time and effort we have put in improving our skills in Chemistry, “says Nguyen. “I believe a large part of our success is due to the Gatton Chemistry Club, as it provided invaluable resources that prepared us for the competition.”

Their South Warren HS Coach and Mentor, Mr. Amar Patel states, “Sharing students with The Gatton Academy allows our students to take what they have learned in their first two years of high school and excel with more advanced coursework and opportunities at the collegiate level as juniors and seniors. Teaching Brian, Kellen, Kareena, and Eric chemistry has been an amazing opportunity. We had a great time learning the content and building relationships through three semesters. I am thrilled to hear about their amazing performance at the USNCO as a team, as well as their nomination to the National level.” 

About The Gatton Academy: Established in 2007, The Gatton Academy is Kentucky’s first residential two-year program for gifted and talented junior and seniors. The Gatton Academy’s students enroll as juniors and are full-time WKU students pursuing their interests in advanced science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. The Gatton Academy has been named to Jay Mathews’ list of top-performing schools with elite students for eleven consecutive appearances and received the National Consortium for Secondary STEM School’s Innovation Partnership Award.