![“[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)
STEM Scene
March 12, 2018
Harker team wins National Science Bowl
The Harker upper school Science Bowl team won the regional competition for the 2018 National Science Bowl (NSB), qualifying for the NSB National Finals taking place at Washington D.C. from April 26 to April 30. The NSB tests students’ knowledge in the subjects of biology, chemistry, Earth and space science, physics and math through a quiz bowl format. The NSB is run by the U.S. Department of Energy and have more than 14,000 students compete in it each year in America.
Students participate in annual science fair
The annual Synopsys Championship is quickly approaching, with the competition taking place on Mar. 15 at the San Jose Convention center. The Synopsys Championship will select student projects presented at the fair through a judging process. The top projects will have the opportunity to compete in higher-level science fairs, with the most prestigious being the Intel International Science & Engineering Fair, which takes place in Pittsburgh from May 13 to 18.
Students take American Mathematics Competition
Upper school students participated in the Mathematical Association of America’s American Mathematics Competition (AMC) 10 and 12 math contests on Feb. 7. The AMC annual mathematics competitions test students on their problem-solving skills and general math knowledge. The AMC 10 is available to students in tenth grade or below, while the AMC 12 is available to all high schoolers. Students who score well will be invited to take the American Invitational Math Exam (AIME) on Mar. 6. Those who score well on the AIME can qualify for the USA Math Olympiad (USAMO).
International Space Station implements AI
The International Space Station (ISS) is implementing a robot with an artificially intelligent system designed to roam around the ISS offering technical help to crew members. The robot is named Cimon, and will be floating and ball-shaped, contain an eight inch display, and use propeller-driven thrusters. Airbus and the European Space Agency are currently developing Cimon and will launch the robot later this year.
This piece was originally published in the pages of The Winged Post on March 6, 2018.
