Fox Lane Student Qualifies for National Chemistry Olympiad

Fox Lane High School junior Jacob Feldman has been asked to sit for the National Chemistry Olympiad exam. This is the first time a Fox Lane student has made it past the first round of this prestigious annual academic competition in its 40 year history.

Run by the American Chemical Society, the Chemistry Olympiad hosts a local exam in March. Nearly 16,000 students take the exam nationwide. Of those students, about 1,000 are nominated for the national exam based on both their performance and eligibility. The focus of the competition is to recognize and challenge students with an interest in chemistry.

Jacob is competing to earn a spot as one of the top 20 students in the country. If selected, he will be trained for two weeks over the summer for an international competition.

“I figured it would be a good way to build my knowledge of chemistry, demonstrate what I've learned to colleges, and also just have fun with the material,” he said.

Jacob studied for the local exam by reviewing his notes from the AP Chemistry course he took last year, but also had to dig a little deeper.

“There are many questions on the exam that are ‘trivia’ questions, as Mr. Neumann calls them, which were the most challenging for me,” he said. “These questions tend to test miscellaneous knowledge that isn't commonly taught in chemistry courses and has to be learned through experience as opposed to a textbook or worksheets, making them a little frustrating but also very fun.”

Studying for the national exam will be more intensive, as the test includes three parts: a 90-minute multiple-choice section, a 105-minute problem solving section that consists of eight written questions, and a 90-minute lab practical.

“The questions on the national exam tend to be a little bit more difficult, and the competition between students is much more intense,” Jacob said. “A good portion of the relevant content goes beyond AP Chemistry, so I'll have to study some college-level material.”

Jacob noted that the lab portion of the exam often includes household materials, which means he can attempt to practice for them at home.

“It can be difficult to prepare for practicals like these, but it's usually helpful to review past exams and outline procedures of what you would do if given the specific equipment and reagents,” he said.

Jacob said science teacher Fred Neumann has been a huge help in preparing for the tests.

“Mr. Neumann’s support was crucial in my preparation for the local exam, and it will be crucial again as I get ready for the national exam,” he said.

Neumann, who also works with Jacob as Fox Lane’s Science Olympiad advisor, is incredibly proud of him.

“Jacob is one of the hardest working students I have ever taught,” Neumann said. “He does everything that is asked of him and more. He is fully dedicated to learning and is constantly looking for ways to be challenged.”

Paul Frisch, Bedford Central School District’s secondary science coordinator, has known Jacob since he was in middle school.

“His teacher reached out to me on his behalf, as he was looking to perform a heart dissection as an independent enrichment project,” Frisch said. “After securing the preserved cow’s heart, he studied heart physiology and ultimately performed the dissection and demonstration of cardiac function at the annual science showcase for hundreds of spectators. What impressed me most was his high level of sophisticated understanding and confidence to tackle the learning independently.”

Frisch noted that those same qualities that impressed him when Jacob was in middle school still impress him today. Frisch said that Jacob excelled in both AP Physics 1 and AP Environmental Science (both courses which he took independently) and he is the de facto leader of Fox Lane’s Science Olympiad and Envirothon teams, leading both to consecutive regional qualifiers and awards at state competitions.

“Jacob loves to learn and relentlessly pursues a higher understanding of science,” Frisch said. “He charts his own course, exploring new ideas and topics and ultimately building that sophisticated and high-level understanding that first impressed me all those years ago. He is a humble and pleasant young man with a fiery passion for knowledge that burns bright. He is one of the most impressive students I have known in my twenty years at Fox Lane High School.”

Jacob is not sure yet whether he’ll pursue a career in chemistry, but he knows it will be a big part of his life either way.

“I'm heading towards a career in research, although I'm open to anything and everything,” he said. “I'm doing a research project in chemistry this summer that I'm incredibly excited about, so that should serve as a Litmus test (pun intended) for whether or not a career in research would suit me. Because chemistry is connected to pretty much every other area of STEM, even if I go into a different field, I'll most likely continue to explore chemistry, both as a part of my career and for fun.”

Jacob’s love of chemistry started in elementary school.

“The idea that the universe (well, some of the universe) can be compartmentalized into distinct elements that interact with one another has always been fascinating to me,” he said. “My interest in the Periodic Table started when I was in elementary school (I used to collect elements in a shoebox) and continues to this day. I also love lab equipment. I can't exactly explain why, but there's something about beakers, hot plates, powders, tubing, and watch glasses that really excites me. Chemistry — and science as a whole — makes me very happy.”