National

Finals

Closing Convocation

July 17, 2020

The Center for Excellence in Education developed and implemented the first-ever USA Biolympiad

(USABO) in 2002 to train future leaders in the biological sciences. In 2004, the USA Biolympiad

Team was awarded an unprecedented four gold medals in Brisbane, Australia, a feat accomplished

for the first time in Biology Olympiad history. The USA Biolympiad Team has continued this

remarkable record of success by winning four gold medals in 2007, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2012, 2013,

2015, and 2017. Now in its seventeenth year, the USABO continues to nurture young scholars to

careers of excellence and leadership in science.

The USA Biolympiad concentrates on stimulating young scholars’ intellectual curiosity and

developing their critical thinking skills in biological reasoning. The rigorous USABO competition

demands the best in practical and theoretical knowledge and includes four tiers: Open Exam,

Semifinal Exam, National Finals, and the USA Biolympiad Team’s participation in the International

Biology Olympiad (IBO) Challenge.

Ultimately, four students will be competitively chosen to represent the USA in the IBO Challenge

2020 (A substitute for the 31st IBO Nagasaki, Japan) in August. The regular IBO for 2020 in

Nagasaki / Japan was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

ABOUT THE USA BIOLYMPIAD

2020 USABO STATISTICS

Open Exam: 10,000 students from 500 schools, 43 states and 11 International Schools registered for the Open Exam.

Semifinal Exam: Nearly 600 students representing 37 states and 1 International School were in the

Semifinal Exam.

National Finals: 20 National Finalists representing 18 schools and 9 states.

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USABO 2020 STAFF

Administrators

Center for Excellence in Education

Michelle King, PhD, Manager, USABO

Kathy Frame, USABO Advisor & Consultant

Academic Staff Instructors

Kay Aull, PhD, Thermo Fisher Scientific

Kevin Bao, PhD Candidate, University of

Wisconsin

Charles Gleason, Brown University

Michelle King, PhD, Oklahoma State University

Woojong Lee, PhD Candidate, University of

Wisconsin

Neeraj Prasad, MIT

Diviya Ray, PhD, MIT

Kimie Shen, University of Minnesota

Frank Stearns, PhD, George Washington

University

Catherine Wang, Stanford University

David Wu, Stanford University

Teaching Assistants

Lucy Chen, Harvard

Bhav Jain, MIT

Yilun Du, MIT

Atharv Oak, MIT

Henry Shen, Stanford University

Lakshay Sood, Johns Hopkins University

Chris Wang, University of Washington,

St. Louis

Thomas Xiong, MIT

Jason Yang, MIT

Jason Zhang, University of Michigan Medical

School

Speakers

Omar Abudayyeh, PhD, MIT McGovern

Institute, Abudayyeh-Gootenberg Lab

Jim Allison, PhD, 2014 Nobel Laureate

Jonathan Gootenberg, PhD, MIT McGovern

Institute, Abudayyeh-Gootenberg Lab

Bill Haney, co-founder and CEO of Dragonfly

Therapeutics, co-founder and CEO of Skyhawk

Therapeutics

Andrew Natenshon, President, Modera

Padmanee Sharma, MD, PhD, The University

of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center

Rachna Shroff, MD, University of Arizona

College of Medicine

Ryan Jamiolkowski, MD, PhD

Neurosurgery Resident at Stanford University

Behind the Scene

Bowen Jing, Stanford University

Catherine Wang, Stanford University

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2020 USABO KEYNOTE SPEAKER

Ryan Jamiolkowski, MD, PhD, USABO (2004) &

RSI (2004), is a Neurosurgery Resident at

Stanford University. He earned his MD at the

University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of

Medicine, a PhD from the University of

Pennsylvania School of Engineering and Applied

Sciences, and an AB from Harvard University,

where he graduated magna cum laude in

Chemistry and Physics.

Dr. Jamiolkowski was awarded the Ramon Sifre

Prize for Excellence in Diagnostic Medicine (2018),

the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Society (2018),

Balduin-Lucke Memorial Prize (2015), Ruth L.

Kirschstein F30 National Research Service Award

from NIAID (2014), and the USA Biology Olympiad

national finalist (2004).

Ryan grew up in North Carolina and studied

Chemistry and Physics at Harvard, where he

volunteered at a screening clinic for the Hepatitis B

Initiative, wrote for the Harvard Political Review, and ran one season of varsity cross

country. That was followed by a year researching cardiovascular tissue engineering and device

development at Duke University. He then attended the University of Pennsylvania, where he

earned an MD and a PhD in bioengineering while studying the biophysics of the ribosome and

motor proteins, as well as the nanofabrication of devices for single molecule imaging. He also

volunteered with the United Community Clinics in West Philadelphia, and competed in an

Ironman triathlon and several marathons. He enjoys spending time with his wife and son.

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2020 USA BIOLYMPIAD NATIONAL FINALS CONVOCATION

Virtual Closing Ceremony

July 17, 2020

Friday 6:00 p.m.– 7:30 p.m.

Welcome and Introductions

Joann DiGennaro

President, Center for Excellence in Education

Keynote Speaker

Ryan Jamiolkowski, MD, PhD, USABO (2004) & RSI (2004)

Neurosurgery Resident, Stanford University

Presentation of Medals and Announcement of 2020 USA Biolympiad Team

Michelle King, PhD

Manager, USA Biolympiad, Center for Excellence in Education

&

Kathy Frame

Consultant/Advisor, USA Biolympiad & Special Projects, Center for Excellence in Education

Closing Remarks

2020 USA Biolympiad National Finalist

Nithin Parsan

Clements High School, Sugar Land, Texas

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2020 USA BIOLYMPIAD NATIONAL FINALISTS

Harry Chen | Ladue Horton Watkins High School St. Louis, MO Harry Chen is a junior attending Ladue Horton Watkins High School. He is a 3-time American Invitational Mathematics Examination (AIME) qualifier, US National Chemistry Olympiad (USNCO) National Finalist, and a member of his school's National Science Bowl team, which placed in the top 16 in 2020. He would like to give his family, teachers, and friends a big virtual “hug” as they have been the biggest supporters of his education. In his free time, Harry enjoys playing on Pixel’s 4v4v4v4 Minecraft Bedwars servers, often topping the leaderboards. His dual passion for biology and chillaxing stem from a desire to bring a smile to everyone's face. Whenever he isn't reading or eating, you will always find him in his bed, sleeping.

Sean Fei | Lexington High School, Lexington, MA Sean Fei is a sophomore attending Lexington High School in Massachusetts. He is a captain of his Science Bowl team, which placed top 8 in the national competition this year and introduced him to the art of biology. During quarantine, he explored passions other than his beloved Campbell Biology, such as the lucrative art of planting beans, drawing, binge-watching, and Minecraft. He has special interests in organic chemistry, astronomy, physics, and computers. When he is not reading Clayden’s Organic Chemistry to study for USABO, he strays into the sacred acts of gaming and Wikipedia reading through the wee hours of the night.

Evan Hong | Clements High School, TX Evan Hong is a junior attending Clements High School in Texas. He especially finds the field of oncology fascinating and has spent lots of time at a research facility studying the use of biomarkers, such as ctDNA, as a non-invasive diagnosis tool for glioblastomas. He is also a violinist and an officer of Spread the Music Association, an organization that is dedicated to better the lives of others through music. This student-led group hosts annual benefit concerts aiding the United Nations Girl Up Foundation with their commitment to bring education to girls around the globe. He is also passionate about the preservation of nature and is the Chief Writer at Coalition Against Climate Change. Whenever Evan is not studying biology, he enjoys swimming, playing the violin, studying chess, or spending time with friends.

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2020 USA BIOLYMPIAD NATIONAL FINALISTS

Kenneth Bryan Hsu | Arcadia High School, Arcadia, CA Bryan Hsu is a senior at Arcadia High School, California. He is the captain of his school's Science Bowl and Quiz Bowl teams, where he has gone on to compete and place nationally. Bryan has previously qualified for the US National Chemistry Olympiad (USNCO), been designated as an International Biology Scholar at the University of Toronto National Biology Competition, and spent two summers conducting research on novel beta-lactam antibiotics and on antifungals at the Summer Science Program (SSP). He plans to continue to conduct biochemistry research to improve access and efficacy of medicines for all. In his free time, Bryan enjoys repairing vintage electronics, balancing his passion for both cooking and running, singing, and irking his sister with his harmonica.

Arthur Hu | Lexington High School in Lexington, MA Arthur Hu is a sophomore from Lexington High School in Lexington, Massachusetts. He has been participating in the USABO for 2 years, and made the top 50 in his freshman year. While he enjoys studying the diversity of life, Arthur has a keen interest in many other fields of science, including earth science, chemistry, physics, and math. In addition to the USABO, he was selected for the USA International Earth Science Olympiad (IESO) team in his freshman year, earned an Honor in the US Chemistry National Olympiad (USNCO), and participated in the USA Physics Olympiad (USAPHO) twice. Arthur is also a four-time American Invitational Mathematics Examination (AIME) qualifier and was one of the Top 30 individuals participating in this year’s November Harvard–MIT Mathematics Tournament (HMMT). In his free time, he enjoys biking, reading, playing video games with his friends, and serving as the Treasurer of his Class.

Willow Huang | Cambridge Educational Institute, Chino Hills Willow Huang is a junior attending Troy High school in southern California. She has performed research in RNA interference at the University of California Riverside and is now remotely analyzing C. elegans RNA-Seq data, while studying miRNAs at the City of Hope Beckman Research Institute. Competing in Science Olympiad throughout high school, she has won the national championship as well as over 50 medals at tournaments across the country. Most are in earth science events. She is also the captain of Science Bowl, hopefully securing a third place (or better) at Jet Propulsion Lab next year. In her free time, she enjoys tutoring children and watching German YouTube channels instead of properly self-studying German. Her biggest USABO study tip is to listen to TVXQ while reading Campbell’s.

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2020 USA BIOLYMPIAD NATIONAL FINALISTS

Victor Li | The Wheatley School, Old Westbury, NY Victor Li is a junior attending The Wheatley School in New York. He is an avid student following his passion for all forms of science. He started his scientific journey exploring earth and space sciences and participated in the US Earth Science Olympiad (USESO) study camp, where he met a Biology Olympiad participant who got him hooked on life sciences. He is excited to study for various competitions like National Science Bowl and Science Olympiad. He enjoys learning about the interconnected nature of science. Most importantly, he also balances academic life with extracurricular activities, whether it is playing a game or dueling his friends in basketball.

Derrick Liang | Thomas Jefferson School for Science and Technology, Alexandria, VA Derrick Liang is a recent graduate from Thomas Jefferson School for Science and Technology (THSST) and will be attending Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in the fall. He has been the captain of the THSST Biology Olympiad Club for the past two years. He is also a four-time American Invitational Mathematics Examination (AIME) qualifier, a member of the science bowl team, and a USA Computer Olympiad (USACO) platinum division participant. He has won several regional cello competitions and has also been invited to perform as a soloist by the Reston Community Orchestra. In his free time, he enjoys competing on Codeforces and throwing shotput and discus on the varsity track and field team. As a comedy fan, he enjoys listening to the Tiny Meat Gang (TMG) podcast and watching Silicon Valley.

Judson Lam | Naperville North High School Naperville, IL Judson Lam is a junior attending Naperville North High School in Naperville, Illinois. He is the co-captain of the Science Olympiad and Science Bowl teams at his school, where he primarily focuses on biology. In addition, Judson is also interested in chemistry and earth science, earning honors distinction in US National Chemistry Olympiad (USNCO) and placing in the top 20 for the US Earth Science Olympiad (USESO). One of Judson’s hobbies is binging a single anime for a single day, and then reading the Wikipedia summary of the rest of the plot to avoid getting addicted. In addition to this, Judson also enjoys dunking on a 7-foot basketball hoop, racing against his brother in completing jigsaw puzzles, and exploring the depths of YouTube.

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2020 USA BIOLYMPIAD NATIONAL FINALISTS

Rachit Mukkamala | Seven Lakes High School, Katy, TX Rachit (Rac) Mukkamala is a junior at Seven Lakes High School in Katy, Texas. Since 7th Grade, Rac has competed in biology-related events of Science Olympiad, and his passion for these events has led him to win multiple medals at the National Level. Rac also serves as president of the Biology Olympiad and Neuroscience Clubs at his school. Rac believes in the value of a multidisciplinary approach, and he continuously explores ways to apply statistics and computational methods to biology. In his free time, Rac enjoys learning about bioinformatics, reading The Atlantic, composing music, playing the viola, and listening to classical music. His favorite composer is Sergei Rachmaninoff.

Nithin Parsan | William P. Clements High School, Sugar Land, TX Nithin Parsan is a senior who graduated from William P. Clements High School. He also is a returning USABO Finalist. Pursuant to his love of cellular biology, he conducted research on chromatin remodelers involved in C. elegans cellular invasion. He was selected as a 2020 Regeneron Scholar and awarded a scholarship. Nithin was a Silver Medalist in the 2019 USABO. He's currently an intern with the Air Force Research Laboratory's Bioeffects Division. In addition, he is a cofounder of Van Heron Labs, a startup focused on optimizing living systems in clinical and industrial use. He founded his school's Biology Olympiad club and was an officer in Science Bowl and Science Olympiad. In his free time, Nithin enjoys watching movies, tinkering with his backyard foundry, and contemplating humanity's return to a hunter-gatherer society. He would like to thank his family, friends, and teachers for all their support as he continues his studies at MIT this fall.

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Keshav Ratra | West Windsor Plainsboro High School North, Plainsboro, NJ Keshav Ratra is a junior at West Windsor Plainsboro High School North in New Jersey. He is a committed member of his school’s Science Olympiad team where he enjoys competing in his favorite event, Anatomy & Physiology. He is also president of his school’s Science Bowl and Biology clubs where he attempts to pass on his biology knowledge to other earthlings. Recently, he competed in the virtual National Ocean Science Bowl (NOSB), where he helped his team earn 5th place. When he is not busy drilling genetics problems, Keshav enjoys watching old Kobe Bryant basketball games, biking with his friends, binge-watching Netflix, and solving Rubik’s cubes.

2020 USA BIOLYMPIAD NATIONAL FINALISTS

Yajat Yadav | Del Norte High School Yajat Yadav is a sophomore at Del Norte High School in San Diego, California. His favorite topic in biology is Anatomy. He is fascinated by how many complex systems work together in harmony. He is currently researching the genetic basis of preeclampsia. Yajat serves as the president of his school’s Biology Club and the Vice president of the Science Olympiad club, while also being the biology specialist in his school’s Science Bowl team. He volunteers at the Fleet Science Center where he conducts demos and explains the science behind them to elementary and middle-school students. In his free time, Yajat likes playing the violin, biking outside, and reading science fiction novels.

Max Muyang Yin | Syosset High School, Syosset, NY Max Yin is a junior attending Syosset High School in New York. He is a long time member and currently a captain of his school’s Science Olympiad team and has medaled in various events in Biology and Earth Science at States and at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Invitational. Additionally, he has founded a nonprofit organization, Gaia Science, aiming to cultivate an interest in STEM subjects among underprivileged children. His favorite subject to study in the field of biology is biochemistry. When he is not engrossed in a biology textbook, Max enjoys attempting to improve his cursive while maintaining his fountain pen collection, as well as tinkering with the operating system on his computer.

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Albert Zhang | North Hollywood High School, North Hollywood, CA Albert Zhang is a junior at North Hollywood High School in California, and a returning finalist. He was co-captain of his school’s 4th place National Science Bowl team. In addition to exploring nature, admiring the trees and the birds and feeding his school’s two donkeys, Albert likes to read papers on gene regulatory networks and motifs. Albert also likes to play Nocturne Op. 27 no. 2 by Chopin on his piano, play jazz on his trumpet, and read Chinese and French literature. Albert was a Silver Medalist in the 2019 USABO.

2019 USA BIOLOGY OLYMPIAD NATIONAL FINALISTS

Michael Zhao | Lynbrook High School, San Jose CA Michael Zhao is a junior attending Lynbrook High School in San Jose, California. His curiosity to discover the science of life inspired his research on topics ranging from ecology to glycomics to biomedical computation. Michael has actively pursued all fields of STEM as a USA Computer Olympiad (USACO) Gold tier competitor, AI American Invitational Mathematics Examination (AIME) qualifier, Science Olympiad club founder & president. He has medaled in seven life science events. In addition, he was a member of the winning team at the 2017 National Middle School Science Bowl, and founder of Silicon Valley STEM 4 Youth, a nonprofit bringing STEM enrichment to students. Michael is also his school's Associated Student Body (ASB) President and previously served as a Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) National Officer. In his free time, Michael composes poetry inspired by nature, plays the French horn, and chases down the ever-elusive local ice cream truck.

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Clarence Zheng | Interlake High School Bellevue, WA Clarence Zheng is a sophomore at Interlake High School in Washington state. Clarence loves science and math, especially biology as it is the study of life. He plans to study human biology in the future. Clarence has been a passionate participant in Science Bowl since 8th grade, when his team placed first nationally. He competes in the Future Problem Solving program and won first place at Internationals last year. Clarence, an All-State Symphony Orchestra cellist, loves to play and listen to music of many different genres. Outside school, he enjoys playing chess and other games, reading, and playing racquet sports.

Wesley Zhang | Canyon Crest Academy, San Diego, CA Wesley Zhang is a senior at Canyon Crest Academy in San Diego, California. He has a broad base in science, having qualified for a bevy of national STEM exams (including USAMO, USAPhO, USACO Gold Division, and USABO semifinals) and having led his school’s Science Bowl team, among other academic competitions. Genetics is his favorite field. Outside of the sciences, his passion is linguistics: he represented the US at the International Linguistics Olympiad in South Korea last year. In his free time, he does puzzles, plays strategy games, listens to classical music, and adds to the number of languages he’s learning. He will be attending the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the fall.

2020 USA BIOLYMPIAD NATIONAL FINALISTS

Lucy Zou | East Brunswick High School, East Brunswick Lucy Zou is valedictorian of her class at East Brunswick High School and a rising freshman at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). She is a 2020 Regeneron Science Talent Search Scholar for her research on developing a novel class of anticancer drugs while a Simons Fellow at Stony Brook University. She was an international 4th place recipient in the University of Toronto Biology Competition. In addition, Lucy has won two national gold medals in the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards and is a US Presidential Scholars semifinalist. In her free time, she enjoys playing piano, reading, and listening to old Heintje songs.

Richard Zhu | Peddie School, Hightstown, NJ Richard Zhu is a sophomore attending the Peddie School in Hightstown, NJ. He loves studying biology because of its potential to eliminate diseases and augment our relationship with nature. He is a member of his school's National Science Bowl team as well as a leader of the sustainability team on campus. Richard will also be conducting bioinformatics research this summer. When not studying Campbell, Richard enjoys writing poetry and editing for literary magazines. His writing has won National Gold & Silver Medals in the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards and been published in Polyphony Lit and Two Degrees Anthology. Richard also swims and holds a black belt in karate.

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2020 USABO MEMORIES

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2020 USABO National Finalists in pictured in lab coats donated by Psychemedics Corporation.

2020 USABO offered students many exciting learning opportunities.

Mr. Mel Chaskin, Chairman

President & CEO, Vanguard Research, Inc.

Frederick Y. Chen, M.D., Ph.D.

Chief, Division of Cardiac Surgery,

Cardio Vascular Center, Tufts Medical Center

Ms. Joann P. DiGennaro

President, Center for Excellence in Education

Mrs. Betty Dranow

President, The Dranow Family Foundation

Mr. Vito John Germinario

President, GPR, Inc.

Mr. Nicholas S. Gouletas

Chairman, America Invst

Dr. Ross Grossman

Retired SVP, HR, Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

Her Excellency Bahia El Hariri

Member of Parliament, Lebanon

Dr. Douglas E. Himberger

President, DE Himberger Consulting, LLC

Mr. Ronald E. Hohauser

CFO, Legendary

Dr. Noreen Hynes

Director, Geographic Medicine Center,

Division of Infectious Diseases,

Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine

Mr. Mark Kantrowitz

Publisher and VP of Research

Savingforcollege.com

Dr. Wolfgang Ketterle

Nobel Laureate

John D. MacArthur Professor of Physics,

Research Laboratory for Electronics,

MIT-Harvard Center for Ultracold Atoms,

Department of Physics, MIT

Ms. Susan Lee Ko

Consultant

Center for Excellence in Education Advisory Board

Mr. Raymond C. Kubacki

Chairman & CEO, Psychemedics Corp

Dr. Tom Leighton

Co-Founder & CEO, Akamai Technologies, Inc.

J. Michael McQuade, Ph.D.

Vice President for Research

Carnegie Mellon University

Admiral W.A. Owens, USN (Ret.)

Chairman and Co-Founder

Red Bison Advisory Group

Mr. Arvind Parthasarathi

Founder/CEO Cyence

Mr. Roger Pellegrini

Managing Director, Securitization Finance

RBC Capital Markets

The Hon. Thomas R. Pickering

Vice Chairman, Hills & Company

International Consultants

Ms. Cynthia Pickett

Pickett Law Group, PLLC

The Hon. Clarine Nardi Riddle

Counsel, Kasowitz Benson Torres LLP

Mr. Rasheed Sabar

Co-Founder & Co-CEO, Correlation One

Mr. Siddharth Shenai

Venture Partner, Madrona Venture Group

Ms. Kathy Sherman

Executive Director, State Government Affairs Amgen, Inc.

Mr. Ronald W. Simms

Chairman, Board of Directors, Petroleum Service Company Inc.

Dr. Michael Sipser

Dean, School of Science

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Steven P. Strong, Ph.D.

Business Consultant

Feng Zhang, Ph.D.

Core Member, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard The Broad Institute

Mr. Robert Zou

Founder, Chairman and CEO, Arrail Group Ltd.

Honorary Trustees

President Jimmy Carter, U.S. Senator Jacky Rosen (NV), Rep. Neal Dunn (FL), Rep. Scott Peters (CA)

Board of Trustees

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SUPPORTERS OF THE USA BIOLYMPIAD

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Center for Excellence in Education

8201 Greensboro Drive, Suite 215

McLean, VA 22102

O: 703.448.9062

F: 703.448.9068

W: www.cee.org

The Center for Excellence in Education (CEE) has contributed to the scientific

leadership of this country since its founding in 1983 by the late Admiral H.G. Rickover,

the father of the nuclear navy and civilian uses of nuclear power, and Joann DiGennaro,

CEE’s President. CEE is a private, 501 (c) (3) not-for-profit corporation that sponsors

the Research Science Institute (RSI) in collaboration with Massachusetts Institute of

Technology (MIT), the USA Biolympiad (USABO), and the Teacher Enrichment

Program (TEP) through collaborations with educational institutions, private foundations,

corporations, government agencies, and individuals who share a commitment to

educational excellence and leadership.

The Center's mission is to nurture high school and university scholars to careers of

excellence and leadership in science, technology, engineering and mathematics, and to

encourage collaboration between and among leaders in the global community.

For additional information about CEE and its programs, visit www.cee.org.