Daniel Berdichevsky
| Daniel Berdichevsky | |
|---|---|
Daniel Berdichevsky at the 2015 World Scholar's Cup Global Round in Kuala Lumpur
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| Born | Los Angeles, California |
| Alma mater |
Harvard University Stanford University |
| Occupation | Alpaca-in-Chief |
| Employer | DemiDec |
| Known for |
United States Academic Decathlon accomplishments Persuasive Technology |
Daniel Berdichevsky, also known as DemiDec Dan and "the Alpaca-in-Chief", is a noted figure in international education, the application of online social networks, and in the design of persuasive technologies. Berdichevsky is also the founder of DemiDec, a corporation that provides curriculum for the United States Academic Decathlon, and of the World Scholar's Cup.
In the 1980s and 1990s, the United States Academic Decathlon had few third-party companies that wrote study materials for students, and individual teams had to do most of the research by themselves. Berdichevsky had been part of the Taft High School Academic Decathlon in the 1992–1993 season, but dropped out because he was "too scared of giving a speech". Despite this, Berdichevsky became team leader for the 1993–94 season. Berdichevsky and his teammates would go on to win the United States Academic Decathlon National Championship that year with the help of their coach, Dr. Berchin, who had also led teams to victory in 1989 and 2006. Berdichevsky maintained the highest individual score (9,297 points) in Decathlon history until a slew of high scores in 2008 and 2009 bumped him from the top.
Six weeks after the competition, Berdichevsky and teammate Andrew Salter started creating guides and examinations for the next season. Their first year's product was very small and criticized for its errors, though it earned the two almost $20,000 in 5 months. However, when their old coach Dr. Berchin joined the operation the following year, DemiDec gained more stability and Berdichevsky decided to continue with the venture.
Berdichevsky was a member of the Board of Directors of the California, Massachusetts, and Maine Academic Decathlon state organizations and was the highest scorer in the Academic Decathlon competition from 1994 to 2008. Berdichevsky's development of private preparation materials for the Academic Decathlon is credited by some as having helped move the Academic Decathlon toward publishing its own curriculum booklets.
Berdichevsky is the founder and curriculum director of the World Scholar's Cup, an international educational foundation that holds academic enrichment tournaments for students around the world. Participating countries include Thailand, Singapore, Taiwan, Malaysia, Indonesia, Kenya, Slovenia, Chile, Kazakhstan, Korea, the United States, Australia, Japan, China, Israel, the United Arab Emirates, India and others.
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