May 9, 2006 > Local student qualifies for Biology Olympiad finals

by Gary Leatherman

Mission San Jose High School senior Angelo Mao placed seventh among more than 5,000 students across the nation who tested for the USA Biology Olympiad. Placing in the top 20 in the contest qualifies Mao to enter the final round of the USABO at George Mason University in Virginia this June to contend for a spot on the team.

The final round is a two-week theoretical and practical seminar conducted by some of the leading biologists in the country. At the end of the seminar, the top four medal winners will make the USABO Team and will represent the United States in the International Biology Olympiad in Rio Cuarto, Argentina, in July.

The International Olympiads are recognized as the world championship academic competitions for high school students. They were started in the 1960s under the auspices of the United Nations and are sponsored now by the Center for Excellence in Education, a national organization founded by Admiral Hyman Rickover to promote the study of science. Mao's prowess in biology was recognized in January when he was named as a semifinalist in the national 2006 Intel Science Talent Search, often called the "Junior Nobel Prize," for his research on biomass energy generation.