Solid performance at chemistry contest

Audrey, a home-schooled student who just completed sixth grade, bested state champions from 29 other participating states, including Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware.

For all the hand-wringing about a supposed erosion of American prowess in the sciences, she and the other youngsters in blue polo shirts were evidence to the contrary, unfazed by such topics as polymerization and purifying plutonium.

Audrey's father, Greg, professed to be a tad mystified how she does it.

"She disappears into her room and she comes out later, we assume, having studied," said Gallier, who works in quality assurance in the printing industry.

It was the 10th year of the competition, organized by the nonprofit Chemical Educational Foundation, based in Arlington, Va.

The organization, funded by chemical companies, has the twin missions of promoting the importance of chemistry and ensuring a science-literate workforce, executive director John Rice said. The "diamond sponsor" of the competition was Dow Chemical Co.

Nearly 25,000 students participated in local and state competitions this year for the right to advance to the finals here.

Some of the topics covered were the sorts of things students learn in elementary school or junior high science class, such as converting metric units - though they had just 10 seconds to answer most questions.

Other topics were in the high-school-or-beyond realm, such as nuclear physics and the thermodynamic properties of air conditioners. Students received thick study packets before local, state, and national contests.

The finals, held in the Kimmel's Perelman Theater, lasted from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m., with nine rounds of multiple-choice questions. A few students were eliminated each round, until just Audrey and eventual runner-up Amar Moturu, an eighth grader from Cypress, Texas, were left on the stage.

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Solid performance at chemistry contest