On Monday, December 5, students who would be taking part in the Harker Influenza Project were finally made public. Students who were interested in taking part in this project were required to go through a days-long application process.

“We were asked about 10 questions about ourselves, like our previous science experience, our ability to work with others, and our scientific interests,” Anokhi Saklecha (9) said.

Between four and eight students were selected for each of the four groups, depending on the amount of work and time commitment needed for each.

The main goal of the project is to investigate the spread of influenza throughout the community of our school.

Researchers are conducting experiments to “find out how disease spreads and to root out past errors,” Anokhi said.

This project offers a great learning experience for those involved. Student researchers all have their different reasons for joining this project.

“I love programming, and it’s a good experience for me to combine computer science and science,” Divyahans Gupta (10) said.

Each group has a different goal, and they are headed by lead investigators.

“As a lead investigator, I am expected to be able to direct my team and work with them as we work through achieving our project goals,” lead investigator Indu Seeni (11) said. “Furthermore, all contact with the Harker staff and the researchers at Penn State is done through me.”

Research at the school is currently an ongoing process.