Rochambeau Students in Championship Round at 'You Be The Chemist' CT Competition

From Pomperaug Regional School District 15:

Southbury, CT— Two students from Rochambeau Middle School were in the final round of the Connecticut You Be The Chemist Challenge ® on April 30th at Naugatuck Valley Community College. Michelle Lu placed 1st and Triloshan Thillakumarian placed 2nd at the state-level competition. Michelle will now represent Connecticut on June 20th for the 2016 National Challenge, “Around the World of Chemistry!” in Philadelphia, PA.

The Challenge is an individual competition that starts at the school level and continues with Local, State, and National Challenge competitions. Diane Sirica, Science teacher at Rochambeau Middle School, organizes the program at the local level. Students first complete a Challenge Qualifier, a short multiple-choice test provided by the Chemical Educational Foundation, before moving on to the State Challenge. CEF is a national organization committed to enhancing science education, organizes the event nationwide.

A total of 24 students participated in the state-level competition. In addition to Rochambeau in Southbury, St. James School in Stratford, CT Great Oak Middle School in Oxford, CT and Fairfield Enrichment Club were represented. “You be the Chemist was an amazing experience! I was able to meet so many other students and teachers with similar interests in science. The competition was exciting, stimulating, and inspiring,” said Michelle.

Other Rochambeau state-level competitors were: Taylor Blanco, Winson Chen, Jeffrey Gao, and Stephanie Vegliante. Michelle received a laptop for her first place finish and Triloshan received a chromebook for his finish. Last year, Triloshan placed first and Michelle placed second at the state competition. “You Be the Chemist was very exhilarating this year. I was very excited to be part of the RMS team. I thoroughly enjoy learning the ins and outs of chemistry, as it helps me understand our world, as well as the interesting particles that make it up,” said Triloshan. Both Michelle and Triloshan thank the school and Mrs. Sirica for the opportunity to participate.

The You Be The Chemist Challenge is an interactive academic contest that encourages students in grades 5-8 to explore chemistry concepts and their real-world applications. The Challenge provides a unique opportunity for a variety of individuals and organizations – including schools, members of the chemical industry, educators, and other community partners – to come together and show their support for STEM (Science Technology Engineering and Math) education.

Photo From left to right in all photos: 8th grader Stephanie Vegliante, 8th grader Taylor Blanco, 8th grader Michelle Lu, 6th grader Jeffrey Gao, 8th grader Winson Chen, 7th grader Triloshan Thillakumarian