Multiple Chemistry Club members are currently working in preparation for the Washington University Chemistry Tournament (WUCT), and the United States National Chemistry Olympiad (USNCO). The WUCT competition will take place in St. Louis on April 4. The USNCO competition will take place in late March at Brebeuf Jesuit Preparatory School, and students who qualify for the next level will continue to compete for the to be in the national Top 20. Those in the Top 20 will go to a two-week chemistry study camp. Of the 20, four will make the U.S. Chemistry team.
“Over the last ten years we’ve always had somebody in the top 20 nationally,” said Chemistry Club Sponsor Virginia Kundrat, “which definitely speaks highly for the students here.”
In addition to the upcoming competitions, club members are wrapping up recent outreach events for elementary-aged kids and are open to more. In the last few events, the Chemistry Club demonstrated multiple experiments such as “elephant’s toothpaste” and the making of lava lamps.
“I was doing a lava lamp demonstration, and had around a dozen kids wanting to make a lava lamp all at one time – I remember it because it was super hectic, but it was also really cool to see so much interest,” Iris Yan, Chemistry Club president and senior, said.
Yan said the club has no main direction at the moment, but it is open to outreaches and trying out new demos.