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Catalyst Queens win the 2025 UK You Be The Chemist National Challenge

28, June 2025

CAMBRIDGE, UK - The You Be the Chemist UK National Challenge concluded with outstanding success yesterday, drawing together the brightest young chemistry talent from across the United Kingdom. The competition showcased innovative solutions to pressing environmental challenges, with participants demonstrating exceptional scientific knowledge and creative problem-solving skills.

The event was distinguished by an exceptional judging panel comprising leading figures from both academia and industry. Professor Jonathan Nitschke from Cambridge University's Chemistry Department, Dr Francis Krampa (Biomedical researcher and entrepreneur), Dr Byoung Min (Principal Consultant at PA Consulting), and Dr Saksham Sharma (College Supervisor at Homerton College, Cambridge) provided expert evaluation across all presentations.

The competition crowned Catalyst Queens as the overall winners, with team members Brittany Ooi, Natalie Lai, and Esme Lo taking first place for their innovative tsunami mitigation systems. Second place went to The Noble Guys, comprising Le Gia Bach, Nguyen Thanh Hung, Bui Nam Khanh, and Nguyen Thanh Bach, who presented groundbreaking work on seawater electrolysis for saltwater intrusion. Third place was awarded to CHaT, featuring Louise Chiang, Si Yuet Tung, Hoi Ching Hau, and Sze Ching Hau, for their impressive bentonite clay flood barriers project.

Six outstanding teams advanced to the national round, each tackling pressing environmental issues through chemistry-based solutions. The projects demonstrated remarkable diversity, including Nuclear Boom's zinc oxide air filtration systems, EcoRoot's biodegradable soil restoration capsules, and PLRK's advanced water purification technologies, in addition to the medal-winning entries. Teams approached real-world environmental problems with creativity and scientific rigor.

The event effectively cultivated enthusiasm for chemistry among young participants while showcasing how the UK's emerging generation of scientists can develop practical solutions that protect communities from natural disasters. The wide array of sustainable solutions demonstrated reflects chemistry's essential contribution to hazard mitigation and community safety, pointing to a promising future for scientific innovation that serves both environmental and human protection needs.

The Big Brain Team wins the 2024 UK You Be The Chemist Challenge

23, June 2024

CAMBRIDGE, UK - The highly anticipated 2024 "You Be The Chemist Challenge" concluded with a fantastic display of chemistry knowledge, innovation, and creativity by young minds. This year's event was honoured by the participation of distinguished judges from Cambridge University: Professor George Lomonossoff, Dr. David Hampton, Dr. Francis Krampa, and Miss Maha Wassem. Their expertise and insight added great value to the competition.

The Big Brain team, composed of Jason Lee, Brittany Ooi, and Esme Lo, clinched the top prize with their outstanding project, demonstrating impressive problem-solving skills and a deep understanding of chemistry. The judges were highly impressed with the depth of knowledge displayed by the team.

In second place were the Molecular Mavericks, a talented group of students: Ram Narayanan Pisharody, Aryan Roop Kumar, Dashenka Kariyawasan, and Samuel Siry-Rogerson. The third-place honour went to the Algaemists: Guangze Chen, Lorrin Zhao, Ruiqi Wang, and Xiyao Huang.

The Video Challenge Winner was the team Sunny Sips, consisting of Cecilia Cai, Zoe Jiang, Lucas Jiang, and Peter Xie. Their creative idea focused on revolutionising the beverage industry. The team is dedicated to developing preservative-free, long-lasting, and delicious healthy beverage mix powders for consumers across the United Kingdom. Their innovative approach demonstrates how scientific principles can be used to create healthier alternatives in the food and drink market. The ingenuity of their concept, which combines scientific knowledge with practical consumer needs, earned them the award in this special category.

View the Winner of the Video Challenge's submission here

The Reindeer Chemists win the Inaugural UK You Be The Chemist Challenge®

June 24, 2023

SEVENOAKS, KENT – Following a strong performance both in terms of questions answered and their video submission, The Reindeer Chemists (Edie Higgins, Noah Higgins and Muyang Ai) come out on top with the higest marks, securing first place in the first ever UK You Be The Chemist Challenge.

For their video submission, the team detailed their business idea which involved an AI-powered Reindeer Robot capable of working around-the-clock to rid the world of toxic plastic toys, using thermal degredation and pyrilosis.

The competition was heated with second and third places being awarded to The Quads (Yuhan Zhi, Sri Sattiraju, Ishanvi Kavalipurapu and Ramini Choudhary) and Blossom (Michael Zhu, Emily Wang, Brittany Ooi and Johanna Yang).

A big congratulations to all teams involved in the competition. The standard of Chemistry knowledge demonstrated by every participant exceled expections and we hope to see you all again in our next competition.

CEF and Brenntag Work Together to Build the Future STEM Workforce

September 20, 2022

ARLINGTON, VA – The Chemical Educational Foundation™ (CEF) and Brenntag announced a new project to increase awareness of CEF’s You Be the Chemist® Activity Guides with the aim of encouraging K-8 students to pursue science-related education throughout high school, skilled trades, and college.

Research shows that if more students are to enter the STEM academic and workforce pipeline, access to STEM resources must begin early for all students when enthusiasm is high.

You Be the Chemist Activity Guides, presented by Brenntag, are hands-on, parent and educator-friendly STEM lessons that use common, inexpensive household items so all students can explore foundational science concepts in the classroom and at home.

CEF Brenntag Press Release

Massachusetts Team Wins 2022 National You Be The Chemist Challenge®

June 6, 2022

ARLINGTON, VA – The Chemical Educational Foundation® (CEF) announces a team of four students from Massachusetts, the Chemistry Enthusiasts, who rose to the top of 9,000 students to win the 2022 National You Be The Chemist Challenge and a $12,000 scholarship. When asked what advice they have for future participants, student Srinidhi Iyer said, “It is most important to just have fun, be confident, manage time well and efficiently, and never see the Challenge as a test but rather a major opportunity to grow as a young chemist in the making.”

Chemistry Enthusiasts is one of the teams of fifth- through eighth-graders who participated in the Challenge this year, including in Regional events where they answered 40 questions and produced a 3–5-minute video on states of matter in space.

Read the full press release here.

Student teams compete for scholarships in STEM-focused Challenge in Houston, TX

May 4, 2022

ARLINGTON, VA – The Chemical Educational Foundation™ (CEF) announced that five teams of students from Illinois, Michigan, Massachusetts, New Jersey, and Washington will compete for scholarships at the National You Be The Chemist Challenge® on June 6 at The Westin Houston, Memorial City in Houston, Texas.

CEF, a nonprofit organization dedicated to inspiring students to pursue chemistry and STEM-related learning and careers, is proud to bring the competition to Houston, the home of NASA’s Johnson Space Center. This year’s theme is states of matter in space, and the Awards Dinner keynote speaker is Ryan Prouty, the Managing Director of the International Space Station Research Coordination Office. Attendees will also be treated to a space-themed performance by the Bay Area Houston Ballet & Theatre.

Read the full press release here.

Odle Middle School Wins 2021 National You Be The Chemist Challenge®

June 14, 2021

ARLINGTON, VA – The Chemical Educational Foundation (CEF) announced a team of four students from Odle Middle School in Bellevue, WA won the 2021 National You Be The Chemist Challenge, earning the top spot amongst 266 schools.

Teams explored chemistry concepts and sustainability in their communities as part of the Challenge this year, which took place virtually due to Covid-19. Participants took part in a virtual competition earlier this year where they answered timed questions relating to chemistry concepts, as well as submitted a video expanding on those concepts, with the goal of advancing to the national level. Ten thousand students from 42 states, including Washington, DC, and Puerto Rico, as well as Canada, participated in the Challenge. The Challenge also took place in China for the second year in a row.

The five finalist teams from across North America participated in an interview with a panel of representatives from the chemical industry this weekend. During the interview teams were asked questions regarding scientific phenomena, the role of sustainability in each team’s community, and the potential for further research on identified topics. Read the full press release here.

China You Be The Chemist Challenge Winners Announced

May 20, 2020

ARLINGTON, VA – The Chemical Educational Foundation® (CEF) today announced the winning teams of the China You Be The Chemist Challenge®.

The Challenge is a team-based competition where students explore science concepts related to real-world issues. This is the first year the Challenge program was offered in China.

The winning team at the 7th-8th grade level was a combined team from Shanghai Starriver Bilingual School and Kang Chiao International School East China Campus. The winning team at the 5th-6th grade level was Lanzhou Country Garden School.

Dow and Univar Solutions sponsored the 2019-2020 China You Be The Chemist Challenge®. Read the full press release here.

You Be The Chemist Challenge State and Regional Winners Announced

May 7, 2020

ARLINGTON, VA – CEF today announced the state and regional winning teams of the You Be The Chemist Challenge®.

Teams of fifth- through eighth-grade students from 451 schools participated in the Challenge this year, with 70 Regional Challenge events taking place across the country in 40 states, including Washington, DC, and Puerto Rico.

This was the inaugural year of a new team-based Challenge format, which allowed students to collaborate to explore science concepts, mirroring the nature of today’s workplaces. Qualifying teams participated at Regional Challenge events where they answered timed questions across four rounds of competition. Read the full press release here.

CEF Community Partnership Engages More Than 200 Students in Hands-on Science

September 27, 2019

ARLINGTON, VA – More than 200 students in Houston, TX will experience hands-on science activities this school year thanks to a CEF community partnership with Univar Solutions.

Third- through fifth-grade educators from Shadowbriar Elementary will receive all the necessary materials, resources, and training to implement hands-on science activities in their classrooms as part of a workshop series included in the partnership. Read the full release here.

CEF Partners with AFPM and ACI to Bring Hands-On Science to DC Students and Educators

September 9, 2019

ARLINGTON, VA – CEF today announced a new partnership with the American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers (AFPM) and the American Cleaning Institute (ACI) that will bring a professional development (PD) workshop series, materials, and mentorship to teachers in Washington, DC.

The workshop series will focus on implementing hands-on science lessons in the classroom using the 5E Instructional Model and CEF’s You Be The Chemist™ Activity Guides. Workshops will be led by CEF-Certified Instructors and will take place throughout the school year, aligning with the District of Columbia Public Schools’ (DCPS) PD schedule. Read the full press release here.

2019 National You Be The Chemist Challenge Winner Announced

June 20, 2019

ARLINGTON, VA – The Chemical Educational Foundation (CEF) on Monday hosted its 15^th annual National You Be The Chemist Challenge® in Washington, DC.

CEF, a nonprofit organization dedicated to inspiring students to pursue chemistry and STEM-related learning and careers, welcomed 42 students to compete onstage at the Omni Shoreham Hotel in a quiz-bowl style chemistry competition hosted by Dr. Calvin Emanuel of Shell Chemical LP. Each of the participants won at the state level before advancing to the national level.

Anurag Sodhi, a seventh-grader from Ellicott City, MD, answered 66 questions over the course of nine intense rounds. He entered a single-elimination tiebreaker round when he and Yuvan Chali, an eighth-grader from Franterac, MO, remained tied at the end of the championship round. Both participants answered seven tiebreaker questions correctly before Anurag secured his spot as the National You Be The Chemist champion on the eighth question. Read the full press release here.

Chemical Educational Foundation Hosts 15^th Annual You Be The Chemist Challenge

June 14, 2019

ARLINGTON, VA – The Chemical Educational Foundation (CEF) will host its 15^th annual National You Be The Chemist™ Challenge in Washington, DC on Monday, June 17.

CEF will welcome 42 students to compete onstage at the Omni Shoreham Hotel in a quiz-bowl style chemistry competition. The top 4 winners will receive scholarship checks to be used for higher education later in their academic careers. Read the full press release here.

And the Winner is … Shreyas Arcot of Virginia Wins 2018 National You Be The Chemist Challenge

June 18, 2018

ARLINGTON, VA – Seventh-grader Shreyas Arcot from Glen Allen, Va., today won the title of National You Be The Chemist ChallengeChampion by correctly answering science and chemistry-related questions throughout an exhilarating day-long 11 rounds of academic bee-style competition. It was his third time competing at the National Challenge. This year the top four placing students won academic scholarships totaling $22,500 and other science-related prizes.Read full Media Release here.

Chemical Educational Foundation Names Dow Retiree Larry Sernyk First-EverYou Be The Chemist Community Champion of the Year

Dr. Larry Sernyk Recognized as Community Champion for Devotion to Chemistry Education

June 18, 2018

ARLINGTON, Va. – The Chemical Educational Foundation (CEF) today announced its first-ever Community Champion of the Year, former Dow AgroSciences Canola Breeder and Project Manager, Dr. Larry Sernyk. Dr. Sernyk is one of 14 Community Champions recognized this year for their contributions to volunteerism and STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) education in communities across the nation. Since connecting with You Be The Chemistin 2010, Sernyk has led almost 40 hands-on workshops as an instructor certified through CEF, in addition to organizing and expanding the You Be The Chemist Challenge in Indiana. Read full Media Release here.

You Be The Chemist Challenge Announces 42 Student Finalists Competing for National Champion Title

Middle School STEM Student Finalists Named in National Chemistry Competition

May 30, 2018

ARLINGTON, Va. – The Chemical Educational Foundation (CEF) has announced the 42 middle school students who will be competing on June 18 in the 2018 National You Be The Chemist Challenge in Washington, D.C. For its 14^th year, CEF, a non-profit organization dedicated to inspiring students to pursue chemistry and STEM-related learning and careers, facilitated local and state You Be the Chemist Challenges for approximately 46,000 students ranging from grades 5-8. Local, state, and national You Be The Chemist Challenges are designed to engage middle school students in chemistry in an effort to demonstrate the importance of science in their everyday lives. In a bee-style competition, students in grades 5-8 are challenged to answer questions relating to chemistry and STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) subjects. Read the Media Alert here.