![“I wasn't discouraged by some of the obstacles we faced. I learned a lot from the leadership. I found that different people need different ways of receiving feedback — you can't [just] tell them to do something and expect the best. [Some] people needed more incentive. A large part of my role was to figure out what worked for everyone and to figure out how to lead all these separate individuals as a team,” Suhana Bhandare (’26) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/SuhanaBhandare_JasmineHansra-1-1200x798.jpg)
![“This is actually from Randy Pausch Randy P. Brick: ‘Walls are there for a reason. You have to show how much you want to overcome them.’ You have to show how much you want something. That's what I've always been able to do with tennis, Link Crew and getting that internship [with Kushy Baby]. It’s important pushing through that — getting around that brick wall, climbing over it or clawing through it,” Yash Sachdeva (’26) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/YashSachdeva_RamBatchu-copy-1200x1002.jpg)
![“[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)
Siemens Foundation announces competition end, channels funds into new opportunities
Manan Shah (’17), a national finalist in the 2016 Siemens Competition, gives a talk at the 2017 Research Symposium. Shah was Harker’s only national finalist that year.
March 12, 2018
The Siemens Competition in Math, Science and Technology has concluded after 19 years with its 2017 Competition, the Siemens Foundation stated in a news release on Feb 1.
As of the time of writing, there are currently no plans for the competition to be picked up by another sponsor, as occurred when Regeneron announced it would be sponsoring the Regeneron Science Talent Search (formerly known as the Intel Science Talent Search) after Intel ended its support of the competition in 2016.
Harker has had a long history with the Siemens Competition. The school has placed at least four semi finalists every year since 2009, and at least 10 semi finalists every year since 2013.
“I was really surprised, because Siemens has just been a thing you hear about every year,” 2017 Siemens Competition finalist Katherine “Kat” Tian (11) said. “The experience at Nationals was pretty amazing, and to hear that no other student would experience that this year was pretty sad. Instead of being one person among the ones that will come before you and after you, there’s no one after—we’re the last group—which is a little poignant, in a way.”
The decision to end the Siemens Competition program was unanimously made by the board of the Siemens Foundation, the organization that funds the competition. The Siemens Foundation has yet to finalize plans on what the new funding will be allocated towards but is currently discussing support for “middle skill” STEM programs.
“We are looking at opportunities in the STEM middle skill (jobs that require a high school diploma, strong technical skills, and some post-secondary education but not a four year degree),” Siemens Foundation CEO David Etzwiler wrote in an email correspondence. “We think that area is the place where our investments and expertise can best benefit society.”
As the Siemens Competition is one of the major science research competitions for high school students, this decision has disrupted some students’ summer plans.
“If not being able to do Siemens causes you to question whether you really want to do a project, then follow that instinct and don’t do a project,” research class and physics teacher Chris Spenner said. “If you’re excited about doing the science, then do the science and, if you need something to replace Siemens, look at actual science conferences that are willing to share your work. If you have an internship with a supportive mentor, they will help you find a conference where you can share your work and get a more real science experience.”
Etzwiler recognized that many students who were planning to compete in the Siemens Competition will be unable to.
“We wish you the best. We know we are not the only science competition out there. And we know that we are not the only revenue source for young scientific innovators today,” Etzwiler wrote. “We encourage you to continue your engagement in challenge-based research competitions. There are a lot of great programs out there that reward and recognize talented high school students pursuing STEM research.”
According to its website, the Siemens Competition was “established [in 1999] to increase access to higher education for students who are gifted in STEM [. . . and] to recognize and build a strong pipeline for the nation’s most promising scientists, engineers and mathematicians.”
Reflecting upon the competition, Etzwiler believes that it has met this goal.
“We believe the Siemens Competition (and others like it) provided a great venue to rally students around science research every year,” Etzwiler wrote. “With the exception of one or two years, we saw participation levels increase each year, and every year we saw new schools and areas of the country that had never been represented before. (Of course, excellent programs such as those at the Harker School, were always well-represented as well!) We’re also really proud of our efforts to attract young women to the Competition. Nearly half, 48%, of applicants to the Competition [in 2017] were young women.”
Etzwiler thanked all the student researchers who participated in the Siemens Competition over the years.
“Thank you for helping us make scientific research cool again. Whether or not your project won a monetary award, the great research and thought that each of you brought to your projects served as real inspiration and motivation for new students every year. Importantly, you helped us build a path for high school students to be part of our nation’s innovation pipeline, and we believe that pipeline continues today.”
This piece was originally published in the pages of The Winged Post on March 6, 2018.
