COMPETITIVE BIOLOGY

COURSES:

• Anatomy 1: A course for students interested in studying human body systems involved in integration, cellular communication, growth, and motor response. 

• Anatomy 2: A course for students interested in studying the body systems involved in regulation of blood composition and homeostasis. It may be taken simultaneously, before, or after Anatomy and Physiology I.

• Biochemistry: A course for students interested in studying the integration between chemistry and biology through developing a solid understanding of structural biology, enzymology and metabolism.

• Cell Biology: This course helps students develop a fundamental understanding of signal transduction, cellular communication, organelle structure and function, the cell cycle, and cancer development.

• Ecology: Ecology explores the abiotic and biotic factors that make up our world from a systemic and introduces students to methods to model and predict the rise and fall of populations and ecosystems.

• Genetics and Evolution: Genetics is essential for understanding all fields of biology, and this course will help students develop a strong framework for their futures as scientists.

JONAH XU:

Jonah Xu is a high school junior from Louisville, Kentucky and teaches Anatomy and Physiology I. He firmly believes that helping others learn new topics is rewarding for all and that everyone should be able to learn more about their interests. He hopes that though Anatomy and Physiology I, others can understand and appreciate anatomy and physiology more. Jonah is a USABO semifinalist and a 3-time AIME qualifier. He has medaled in anatomy at numerous Science Olympiad tournaments, including MIT. He has also written exams for national-level Science Olympiad Invitationals. You can catch him outside biking or tinkering with Legos.

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VISHAL SURYA:

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Vishal Surya is a high school freshman at Seven Lakes High School in Katy, Texas. He teaches Anatomy and Physiology II. Vishal loves biology, more specifically, developmental neuroscience, and believes that the lessons taught in Anatomy should be intuitive to help process information needed in the real world and in competitions. Vishal is heavily involved in Science Olympiad, winning numerous medals, and acting as a captain for his middle school team. He is also passionate for public forum debate. Outside of academics, you can catch him playing basketball, listening to music, or devouring Goldfish and fruit snacks.

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GRACE LIU:

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​Grace Liu is a high school senior from Berkeley Heights, New Jersey. She is an instructor for the Epidemiology course. She is highly passionate about biology and math, but believes that writing and communication skills are important for people in STEM fields too. She recently helped lead a free STEM summer camp at a local library and is excited to continue to inspire passion in science through Illumina Learning. She is also president of Science Club in school, and is a USABO semifinalist and AIME qualifier. For fun, Grace loves to read, bake, and watch anime.

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