The Center for Excellence in Education (CEE) announced on July 7 that Malachi Dawson, a high school biology scholar who attends Seven Lakes High School in Katy, has earned a bronze medal at the USA Biolympiad (USABO) National Finals held at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts, from June 21 to July 2. More than12,800 students from 47 U.S. schools in 46 states and 35 international schools registered in the nationwide high school competition. He is one of four bronze medalists.

“CEE is proud of the USABO finalists who are future leaders in bio-based careers,” said Joann DiGennaro, president of CEE.

During the 10 days of the USABO National Finals, students participated in intensive theoretical and practical tutorials. The high school students studied with leading U.S. biologists in the fields of cellular and molecular biology, plant anatomy and physiology, animal anatomy and physiology, genetics and evolution, ecology, ethology, and biosystematics. The young scholars were mentored by Kathy Frame, USABO Director, and Logan McCarty, Associate Dean for Science Undergraduate Education, Harvard University. The four gold medalists from USABO’s National Finals will represent the United States at the 37th International Biology Olympiad (IBO), a worldwide competition involving student teams from 78 countries. It will be hosted July 12-19 in Vilnius, Lithuania.

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 by the late Admiral H.G. Rickover and Joann P. DiGennaro, President of the Center. The Center’s 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 https://www.cee.org.

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. For more, visit https://www.cee.org/programs/usa-biolympiad.