I regret to report that up until a few days ago, the only figures from the world of chemistry I had been aware of were from the science’s more nefarious side, including Gale Boetticher, the chemist hired by ruthless Gustavo Fring to build an underground meth lab and work as ailing ex-chemistry teacher Walter White’s assistant, alongside the latter’s former student Jesse Pinkman.

Alas, these were all reprobate fictional characters from the TV series Breaking Bad — played by, respectively, David Costabile, Giancarlo Esposito, Bryan Cranston and Aaron Paul.

Rama Jamal Alhashemi has yet to catch an episode of Breaking Bad. She’d like to when time permits. But she has been far too busy studying chemistry, among other pursuits, and her efforts have clearly been paying dividends. One day, she could be as well known as the legit TV personality Bill Nye the Science Guy.

A graduating high school senior at The Study, Alhashemi may well be the sharpest chemistry student on the planet. She placed first in the 37th University of Waterloo Avogadro Chemistry Contest, an internationally recognized competition with nearly 5,000 high school entrants from around the world — and with a large........

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