Singapore Team Triumphs At International Chemistry Olympiad

Aug. 27, 2009 - PRLog -- Singapore - Four winners of the Singapore Chemistry Olympiad (SChO) were selected to represent Singapore at the 41st International Chemistry Olympiad (IChO) which took place in Cambridge, United Kingdom, from 18 to 27 July 2009. During the competition, in which 250 students from across the world participated, two members of the Singapore team fell ill. However, the team persevered on and succeeded in clinching two gold and two silver medals.

Back in Singapore, the students were rewarded with the LANXESS Young Talent Chemistry Prize from German specialty chemicals company LANXESS, which has been the exclusive sponsor of  SChO since 2008. The gold medallists each received $500 in cash, while the silver medallists each received $250 in cash. The students received their prizes from Ian Wood, Managing Director of LANXESS Pte Ltd, at a prize presentation ceremony that was held on 26 August 2009 at the NUS Department of Chemistry.

The attendees were Professor Xu Guo Qin, Head of NUS Department of Chemistry; Professor Fan Wai Yip, Head Mentor for the Chemistry Olypmpiad; and Dr Ship Chee Ping, Mentor for Chemistry Olypmpiad. Other guests included the students' parents and representatives from Singapore National Institute of Chemistry, Ministry of Education and LANXESS.

Wang Daobo from Raffles Institution was elated by his victory and felt that winning the gold medal at such a prestigious platform was something to be proud of for Singapore, his school and his parents. The other gold medalist, Terry Gani Zhi Hao from NUS High School of Maths and Science, at 15 years old, was the youngest-ever participant to represent Singapore at the IChO. He said, "Through the accelerated curriculum, I was able to get ahead of most of my peers by three years and I am now in the second year of junior college. I was surprised to attain the gold medal, and would like to thank my school and the the Chemistry Olympiad team members and mentors for their support and encouragement."

The 41st IChO winners from Singapore were:
Gold Medal - Gani Zhi Hao Terry from NUS High School of Maths and Science
Gold Medal - Wang Daobo from Raffles Institution
Silver Medal - Lin Yuqun from Hwa Chong Institution
Silver Medal - Xiao Xiao from Raffles Institution

LANXESS is a leading specialty chemicals company with sales of EUR 6.58 billion in 2008 and currently around 14,600 employees in 23 countries. The company is represented at 44 production sites worldwide. The core business of LANXESS is the development, manu­facturing and marketing of plastics, rubber, intermediates and specialty chemicals. More information at http://www.lanxessgoesasia.com.

Forward-Looking Statements
This news release may contain forward-looking statements based on current assumptions and forecasts made by LANXESS AG management. Various known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors could lead to material differences between the actual future results, financial situation, development or performance of the company and the estimates given here. The company assumes no liability whatsoever to update these forward-looking statements or to conform them to future events or developments.

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LANXESS is a leading specialty chemicals company with sales of EUR 6.58 billion in 2008 and currently around 14,600 employees in 23 countries. The company is represented at 44 production sites worldwide. The core business of LANXESS is the development, manu­facturing and marketing of plastics, rubber, intermediates and specialty chemicals. More information at http://www.lanxessgoesasia.com.