Loading...Knoxville fifth grader Sean Grace, a student at The Episcopal School of Knoxville, bested a field of 30 fifth to eighth grade students Monday afternoon to become the 2015 Tennessee State You Be The Chemist Challenge Champion.
Grace will represent Tennessee at the National You Be The Chemist Challenge in Philadelphia this June.
“We couldn’t be more excited for Sean to represent ESK at the national competition,” ESK Lower School Director Nancy Laurence said. “He is an excellent student who comes from a great family. Our entire school community will be rooting for Sean to succeed this summer.”
Developed by the Chemical Educational Foundation, the You Be The Chemist Challenge is an exciting question-and-answer competition that motivates fifth to eighth grade students to sharpen their knowledge of chemistry concepts and their real-world applications. Students compete for prizes at the local and state levels, and the ultimate prize of a trip to Philadelphia to vie for college scholarships. The Challenge program relies on partnerships between community members who seek to foster student engagement with science, including industry, schools, universities and community organizations.
The 2015 Tennessee State Challenge was held at The Episcopal School of Knoxville and was sponsored locally by Dow Chemical. After correctly answering dozens of chemistry and general science questions over multiple rounds of competition, Grace was declared the Tennessee Challenge Champion. Eighth Grader Thomas Simunovic and Seventh Grader Luke Fowler earned the titles of first and second runners-up, respectively.
Grace has earned a participant spot at the National You Be The Chemist Challenge on June 22, in Philadelphia, at The Kimmel Center for Performing Arts. Each participant at the national competition will receive an advanced-level chemistry kit, as well a other prizes including t-shirts and gift certificates. The first-through fourth-place winners will also receive scholarships totaling $18,500 for future educational use. Additionally, participants, chaperones and a nominated educator from each state will be treated to activities that take advantage of Philadelphia’s historical and scientific heritage, inkling a celebratory dinner at the National Constitution Center.
“Competing in the Challenge can spark a lifelong interest in chemistry and other scientific fields, even before a student reaches high school,” state CEF’s Executive Director, John Rice. “The competition shows students the immediate relevance of the science concepts they are studying. Challenge participants learn about the role of chemistry in the human body, in energy production, in creating new types of recyclable materials, and a variety of other applications — which is a wonderful introduction to the vast array of scientific careers available to them in the future.”
Please visit the CEF website, www.chemed.org, for more information.
