![“[Building nerf blasters] became this outlet of creativity for me that hasn't been matched by anything else. The process [of] making a build complete to your desire is such a painstakingly difficult process, but I've had to learn from [the skills needed from] soldering to proper painting. There's so many different options for everything, if you think about it, it exists. The best part is [that] if it doesn't exist, you can build it yourself," Ishaan Parate said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/DSC_8149-900x604.jpg)
![“When I came into high school, I was ready to be a follower. But DECA was a game changer for me. It helped me overcome my fear of public speaking, and it's played such a major role in who I've become today. To be able to successfully lead a chapter of 150 students, an officer team and be one of the upperclassmen I once really admired is something I'm [really] proud of,” Anvitha Tummala ('21) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Screen-Shot-2021-07-25-at-9.50.05-AM-900x594.png)
![“I think getting up in the morning and having a sense of purpose [is exciting]. I think without a certain amount of drive, life is kind of obsolete and mundane, and I think having that every single day is what makes each day unique and kind of makes life exciting,” Neymika Jain (12) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Screen-Shot-2017-06-03-at-4.54.16-PM.png)
![“My slogan is ‘slow feet, don’t eat, and I’m hungry.’ You need to run fast to get where you are–you aren't going to get those championships if you aren't fast,” Angel Cervantes (12) said. “I want to do well in school on my tests and in track and win championships for my team. I live by that, [and] I can do that anywhere: in the classroom or on the field.”](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/DSC5146-900x601.jpg)
![“[Volleyball has] taught me how to fall correctly, and another thing it taught is that you don’t have to be the best at something to be good at it. If you just hit the ball in a smart way, then it still scores points and you’re good at it. You could be a background player and still make a much bigger impact on the team than you would think,” Anya Gert (’20) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/AnnaGert_JinTuan_HoHPhotoEdited-600x900.jpeg)
![“I'm not nearly there yet, but [my confidence has] definitely been getting better since I was pretty shy and timid coming into Harker my freshman year. I know that there's a lot of people that are really confident in what they do, and I really admire them. Everyone's so driven and that has really pushed me to kind of try to find my own place in high school and be more confident,” Alyssa Huang (’20) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/AlyssaHuang_EmilyChen_HoHPhoto-900x749.jpeg)
Synopsys guideline change announced
Students attend a workshop held by Research Club on Sept. 27 in physics and science research teacher Chris Spenner’s room. Proposals for projects done in research institutions are due tomorrow.
October 1, 2017
The upper school science department will judge student research projects and select up to 30 to sponsor for the 2018 Synopsys Science Fair, due to a new set of regulations.
Synopsys is a regional competition for middle and high school students from Santa Clara County and challenges individuals and teams to answer questions in various fields of STEM by conducting project-based research. Outstanding projects are entered to compete in national and international competitions, such as the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair.
This year, changes in Synopsys regulations have prompted a new application process. Students enrolled in research courses, such as Research Methods or Advanced Research, are exempt from the new application process, while a panel of Harker science faculty will select 30 projects to sponsor among all of the other Synopsys applicants.
Because of a limit on the number of projects a teacher can sponsor, science faculty will work with accepted applicants in order to decide who will become each project’s sponsor.
“I think because of the added competition, people will be more motivated to submit cleaner projects,” Cindy Wang (11) said. “It definitely makes it harder for [new students], as it’s their first year competing with students who’ve done this in previous years, and if they don’t make the cut they might be deterred in later years.”
Detailed research plans are due to biology teacher Dr. Gary Blickenstaff at 3:30 p.m. tomorrow for projects conducted at registered research institutions and on Oct. 23 for projects conducted at Harker or without mentorship.
Synopsys Fair Week will begin on March 18 next year, when accepted applicants will showcase their research projects to judges.
