Council Rock Eighth Grader Wins State Chemistry Competition

Council Rock eighth grader Rishi Mago emerged as state champion of the “You Be the Chemist Challenge” and advances to represent Pennsylvania in the national competition, which will be held on June 22nd at the Kimmel Center in Philadelphia.

Margaret Zheng of Newtown Middle School finished fourth in the state competition, and Andrew Tillery of Holland Middle School came in fifth. Shivam Singh, from Newtown Elementary also participated.

The You Be the Chemist Challenge is a fun and innovative academic competition that engages children in grade 5-8 in learning about important chemistry concepts, scientific discoveries, and laboratory safety, according to event officials.

Challenge competitions are exciting events that take place across the country, encouraging the collaboration of industry members, schools, and community organizations; they educate students about the value of science education and the role of chemistry in their everyday lives, according to event officials.

More than 90 district students participated in the regional challenge at Council Rock North with 15 advancing to the county competition. The top four then were invited to the state competition.

Think you could compete with these students? Here are some of the sample questions asked at the state level:

Which of the following is correct?
A. Endothermic reactions give off energy, often as heat
B. Exothermic reactions give off energy, often as heat
C. A catalyst can change the rate of reaction but is not consumed or changed
D. The rate of a chemical reaction is not commonly affected by the concentration of the reactants

You have 0.25 L of milk first only had 10 ml of chocolate syrup. What will happen if 3 ml of milk are added?
A. The concentration of syrup increases
B. The concentration of syrup decreases
C. The concentration of milk increases
D. The concentration of milk decreases

Which of the following is NOT true about Sir Isaac Newton:
A. He proposed that white light is made of a mixture of different colored rays
B. He invented the reflecting telescope
C. He is known for his law of conservation of mass
D. He is known for his theory of fluids

In additional to national sponsors, The Chemical Educational Foundation and Dow Chemical, Council Rock’s participation in the YOBTC Challenge has been supported by grants from the Council Rock Education Foundation. If you will have a Council Rock 5th-8th grader next year and would like to learn more about how to get involved in this science program for youth, visit Council Rock You Be The Chemist website here: http://www.crsd.org.

(Photo/Submitted by Council Rock)