OSSM teen excels nationally in chemistry
Aniket Dehadrai, 17, looks for more academic frontiers to conquer after a junior prep year, which saw him experience scholastic excellence in chemistry.
The Norman resident is now a senior at Oklahoma City’s Oklahoma School of Science and Mathematics, established by the state for academically gifted students. Dehadrai proved his mettle earlier in his high school career as he took his American College Testing exam, or ACT, at the start of his sophomore year at Norman North High School. It was the only time he took the ACT as he scored a perfect 36, a rare feat.
In 2014, 1.8 million students took the exam, and .07 percent received a perfect score.
There may be teenagers in Oklahoma who know more about chemistry than Dehadrai, but certainly not many — if any.
He was part of the National Chemistry Olympiad Exam, sponsored by the American Chemistry Society. The first step was a local chemistry Olympiad in the spring. From there, test results lead to coordinators nominating students to the next round — the national competition.
Dehadrai said he joined about a dozen other students in Stillwater at Oklahoma State University for the national testing.
He estimated hundreds of students across the nation also were taking that exam. It led to 20 finalists, and Dehadrai was among them. That qualified him for a special Chemistry Olympiad Study Camp at the U.S. Air Force Academy near Colorado Springs, Colorado.
He got the news he was a finalist while traveling with a science bowl team at Washington’s Reagan International Airport.
“I got notification on the phone then, and I was so excited,” he said.
There the students learned more about the subject and took various theoretical and practical exams, with each lasting five hours. That camp would lead to the selection of a national chemistry team.
“It was such an honor to meet and be with others who study and appreciate chemistry so much,” he said.
He also is grateful to the mentors, including his own OSSM instructor Fazlur Rahman. The professor is equally proud of Aniket’s accomplishments.
“Aniket’s placement as one of the top five students in U.S. International Chemistry Olympiad team in 2017 reflects his focus, diligence and serious engagement in advanced chemistry problem solving,” he said.
The U.S. team, sent to the International Chemistry Olympiad in Thailand, consisted of four members. Dehadrai was an alternate and didn’t make the trip. Still, it was a huge honor for him to make it as far as he did.
The U.S. team had its best outing ever at the 49th Olympiad, with each member earning a gold medal for the first time. The event saw 293 students from 75 different nations.
For now, Dehadrai’s looking forward to the rest of his senior year at OSSM and his college career, although he hasn’t finalized which school he wants to attend. His long-term goals are also a little fuzzy, although he knows the field he enjoys.
“I’ll want to stay in chemistry or biochemistry.”