U.S. Students Earn Four Gold Medals at 2026 International Biology Olympiad in Vilnius, Lithuania
Grand Slam for America’s High School Biology Students
MCLEAN, Va., July 23, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Center for Excellence in Education (CEE) today announced that all four USA Biolympiad Team members were awarded gold medals at the 37th International Biology Olympiad (IBO) hosted July 12-19, 2026, in Vilnius, Lithuania.
The four USA Biolympiad Team gold medalists are:
- Kian Dhawan, Montgomery Blair High School, Silver Spring, MD
- Emma Li, Lakeside School, Seattle, WA
- Suzuko Ohshima, North Hollywood Senior High School, North Hollywood, CA
- Kevin Wu, BASIS Independent Bellevue, Bellevue, WA
“Winning gold at IBO requires mastery of university-level biology and laboratory skill under intense time pressure. To have all four members of our USA Biolympiad team earn gold medals is a remarkable achievement,” said Joann DiGennaro, president and co-founder of CEE with Admiral H.G. Rickover in 1983. “These students honored our country at the IBO competition. They are exceptional scholars headed for outstanding careers.”
IBO is a worldwide competition involving student teams from 78 countries. It awards individual achievement in theoretical and laboratory biology knowledge. The 2026 USA Biolympiad Team was selected at CEE’s USA Biolympiad National Finals competition held this summer in collaboration with Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
“The depth of talent this year was extraordinary; nearly 13,000 students, from 47 schools in 46 states registered in the nationwide high school competition,” said Kathy Frame, director of the USA Biolympiad program.
About the USA Biolympiad
CEE’s USA Biolympiad (USABO) is the nation’s most prestigious biology education and testing program for U.S. high school students. USABO’s mission concentrates on stimulating intellectual curiosity in young scholars and developing their critical thinking in laboratory skills and biological reasoning to propel them to careers of excellence and leadership in STEM. CEE provides resources for students to prepare for the exam and for exploring biological sciences. With school registration, teachers gain access to a wealth of online biology resources, including recommended readings, study guides, practice questions, guidelines, checklists, and previous exams to help them prepare students for study and testing.
About the Center for Excellence in Education
The Center for Excellence in Education (CEE), a nonprofit 501(c)(3) charitable organization, was founded in 1983. Its mission is to nurture high school and university scholars to careers of excellence and leadership in science, technology, engineering, mathematics (STEM) and business, and to encourage collaboration between and among scientific and technological leaders in the global community. CEE sponsors the Research Science Institute (RSI), USA Biolympiad (USABO), Teacher Enrichment Program (TEP), and STEM Lyceums. CEE is a leading source for top STEM talent. For more information, visit www.cee.org.
Media Contact: John Mooney, (908) 720-6057 john@overthemoonpr.com
A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/4c3261c6-3dce-4965-8d17-56f99aaeda34
U.S. Students Earn Four Gold Medals at 2026 International Biology Olympiad in Vilnius, Lithuania
Photo caption (left to right): Kian Dhawan, Montgomery Blair High School, Silver Spring, MD; Suzuko Ohshima, North Hollywood Senior High School, North Hollywood, CA; Emma Li, Lakeside School, Seattle, WA; and Kevin Wu, BASIS Independent Bellevue, Bellevue, WA.
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