New Trier High School seniors Elaine Shen and Christina Tsai and junior Hayley Bounds led the team achievements with their first place medal in Protein Modeling.

New Trier’s Science Olympiad team placed 5th in the nation this month, the highest national team placement in school history. Team members also won a number of individual medals, including the top prize in Protein Modeling.

The team made it to Nationals after winning a record-setting 11th consecutive state title this spring. The National Science Olympiad Tournament, held at the University of Central Florida on May 18-19, marked the culmination of a season that included seven invitational meets along with the regional and state meets.

New Trier sent 22 students to compete in a field of 60 of the nation’s best Science Olympiad teams. Seniors Elaine Shen and Christina Tsai and junior Hayley Bounds led the team achievements with their first place medal in Protein Modeling. If they choose to, they each could attend the University of Central Florida with a $30,000 scholarship.

The medal winners were:

First Place- Protein Modeling ( Elaine Shen, Christina Tsai, and Hayley Bounds)

Third Place- Chemistry Lab ( Christina Tsai & Jung Oh)

Third Place- Thermodynamics (Christina Tsai & Jung Oh)

Third Place- MagLev ( Byron Hopps & Sriram Boppana)

Fourth Place- Astronomy ( Arthur Tsang & Alex Tamkin)

Fourth Place- Helicopters ( Amanda Newmark & Adam Cohen)

Fifth Place- Gravity Vehicle ( Meng Feng & Sean Ye)

Sixth Place- Sounds of Music ( Eleanor Hyun & Chloe Director)

Sixth Place- Robotic Arm (Adam Cohen & Sean Ye)

Other results:

Fifth - Trial event Elastic Glider ( Michael Knippen & Jonathan Wang)

Seventh- Disease Detectives ( Adam Cohen & Amanda Newmark)

Seventh- Forestry ( Eleanor Hyun & Hayley Bounds)

Seventh - Write It Do It ( Andy Feis & Alex Tamkin)

Eighth- Fermi Questions ( Ben Feis & Jung Oh)

8th- Forensics ( Michael Salceda & Chloe Director)

Ninth Place - Rocks & Minerals ( Arthur Tsang & Sean Ye)

Ninth- Dynamic Planet ( Chloe Director & Sean Ye)

Tenth Anatomy & Physiology ( Elaine Shen & Hayley Bounds)

Tenth- Towers ( Ben Feis & Andy Feis)

Thirteenth Place- Water Quality ( Hayley Bounds & Chloe Director)

Nineteenth – Microbe Mission ( Eleanor Hyun & Elaine Shen)

Twenty-second Place- Optics ( Jung Oh & Arthur Tsang)

Twenty-fourth Place- Experimental Design ( Andy Feis, Ben Feis, Alex Tamkin)

The team members who competed were: Hayley Bounds, Adam Cohen, Chloe Director, Andy Feis, Ben Feis, Meng Feng, Eleanor Hyun, Amanda Newmark, Jung Oh, Michael Salceda, Elaine Shen, Alex Tamkin, Christina Tsai, Arthur Tsang and Sean Ye.

The alternates who competed in two trial events were: Sriram Boppana, Byron Hopps, Michael Knippen, and Jonathan Wang.

The freshman team member who accompanied the upperclassmen to nationals was Samantha Yang.

The dedicated coaches of the 2011-2012 New Trier Science Olympiad team were: Jan Leonhardt, Alex Howe, Tony Harper, Bruce Credo and David Jabon.