Humans of Harker: Sneha Bhetanabhotla learns to connect robotics and dance

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Melissa Kwan

“A lot of being a choreographer is about digging deep, understanding, and finding out which event leads to the next, which is basically what science is. You would take a circuit and break it apart to understand each of the components, and you would do that to a song,” Sneha Bhetanabhotla (‘17) said.

by Anika Rajamani, Reporter

As soon as Sneha Bhetanabhotla (‘17) turned five, she received a Circuits 101 kit and ever since then, she has been interested in the sciences. Living in a house full of scientists, Sneha has been motivated to experiment and explore.

“It involved a lot of tinkering with machine parts through trial and error. That was a lot of what I did with the circuits kit when I was five, so I was taking what I grew up with and applying it to a real world problem,” Sneha said.

Recently, Sneha has been working on a two-year long project to design a pacemaker substitute powered by human blood flow that can detect anomalies in the heart and the brain.

“It’s fascinating to see the applications it can have, and how many people I can help by making something like this. It’s really cool, and I’m having a lot of fun with it,” Sneha said.

Other than science, Sneha loves to spend her time dancing and choreographing. Although she struggled to dedicate time to both activities, Harker helped her develop an identity as a dancer and a scientist.

Even though she is a lover of STEM and the arts, Sneha was always told that she had to chose one to focus on. She explains that although it might not be obvious, there is a connection between science and art.

“It’s really easy to do both things at once. They do relate to each other, even if it doesn’t seem like it. Being at Harker helped me understand what I want to do with the tools and opportunities that I’m given,” Sneha said.

While science has taught her to explore and experiment, dance has given her a way to express her emotions and narrate a story.

“A lot of being a choreographer is about digging deep, understanding and finding out which event leads to the next, which is basically what science is. You would take a circuit and break it apart to understand each of the components, and you would do that to a song,” Sneha said.

Her family has supported her through her academic career and allowed her to participate in the activities she chose. Sneha would like to help provide more opportunities to girls interested in STEM.

“Having the vision of someday being successful and inspiring more people like me is really something I work towards,” Sneha said.