Upper St. Clair High School freshman Sam Ding scored among the top 10 percent in the nation in the USA Biology Olympiad – qualifying him to complete the two-hour test for the semifinals.

According to its website, the USA Biology Olympiad is the premier high school biology competition. Each year nearly 10,000 students from throughout the nation compete to earn the opportunity to represent the United States in the International Biology Olympiad.

Following two rounds of exams, 20 finalists compete in the national finals for one of only four spots on Team USA. The International Biology Olympiad, set for July 16 – 24 in Hanoi, Vietnam, features teams from more than 60 countries.

In addition to Sam, five other Upper St. Clair High School students completed the 50-minute exam covering a wide range of biology topics including plant and animal anatomy and physiology, cell biology, genetics and evolution, and ecology. Participants included juniors Aditi Chattopadhyaya and Yash Lohoti; as well as sophomores Kevin Chen, Steve Cheung and Jag Gummadi.

“Students found the exam process very challenging yet were very excited to participate in this opportunity,” Lynn Kistler, high school science teacher, said.