Middle school students from Hamilton County, Ohio, competed in the third-annual local You Be The Chemist® Challenge on February 27 at Taylor Middle School in the Three Rivers School District. Developed by the Chemical Educational Foundation® (CEF), the Challenge is an exciting question-and-answer competition that encourages fifth- to eighth-grade students to sharpen their knowledge of chemistry concepts and their real-world applications. Students compete for prizes at the local and state levels and the ultimate prize of a trip to Washington, D.C. to vie for college scholarships. The Challenge program relies on partnerships between community members and organizations that seek to foster early engagement with science.
As one of several sponsors of the local Challenge, Pilot Chemical gave all of the competing students backpacks and water bottles.
“Thank you to all of the participants in the local You Be The Chemist® Challenge. Pilot Chemical Company is proud to be a sponsor,” said Michele Smith, EHS&S engineer at Pilot. “We congratulate all of the participants and thank their teachers whose hard work and dedication creates the next generation of talented chemists.”
Lee Garber-Ford, a seventh grader from Taylor Middle School, won and will represent Hamilton Country at the statewide Challenge in Toledo on April 29, 2017. The winner of the state competition will receive an all-expenses paid trip to Washington, D.C to compete in the National Challenge on June 19 for $18,500 in college scholarships.