By: From Local Reports | SCNow Published: September 24, 2012 Updated: September 24, 2012 - 11:43 AM

Middle and high school students who participated in the Clemson University Biology Merit Exam last spring were recognized by the Florence County School District Three Board of Trustees at its regular monthly meeting Thursday, September 20.

Students from Lake City High School, J. Paul Truluck Middle School and Ronald E. McNair Middle School joined nearly 200 other students from high schools and middle schools across the state to participate in the 33rd annual Biology Merit Exam at Clemson University on April 20.

Middle school students receiving first honorable mention for scoring in the top three percent were Haileigh Altman and Rustie Welch of J. Paul Truluck Middle School and Nicholas Boyington of Ronald E. McNair Middle School.

Middle school students receiving second honorable mention for scoring in the top 10 percent included Jacob Malasky of J. Paul Truluck Middle School and William Durnan and Shartari Dunmore Ronald E. McNair Middle School.

Rustie Welch of J. Paul Truluck Middle School also won third place for Division I Middle Schools in the Biology Bowl.

Alex Luna of Lake City High School was awarded Division III Honorable Mention and third place for Division III in the Biology Bowl.

This exam is designed for middle school and high school students to recognize and reward outstanding student achievement and promoting further interest in the life sciences.

The Merit Exam consists of 40 multiple-choice questions of varying degrees of difficulty that are distributed among the major content areas of biology. Also offered is the Biology Bowl, patterned after the TV show "Jeopardy", where students compete against others in their own division to answer questions on the following topics: general biological principles, genetics, molecular biology, ecology, cell biology, taxonomy, plant structure and function, and animal structure and function. The top three individuals in each division receive awards.

While attending the Exam at Clemson, students also have an opportunity to acquaint themselves with the education and research facilities available on campus and are able to interact with scientists in the various biological and agricultural disciplines.

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District Three students excel in Clemson merit exam