![“[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)
ETCon presents students with a deep dive into the world of bioethics
Postdoctoral researcher Dr. Vasiliki Rahimzadeh talks to students at ETCon. Rahimzadeh explored the use of genetic data in both aiding medical advances and presenting several legal issues regarding privacy and safety.
March 10, 2020
The upper school Ethics in Technology Forum hosted ETCon, a large conference held to discuss important ethical issues in biological research and medicine after school in the Nichols auditorium on March 6.
The club invited three speakers from Stanford University to speak to attendees. Department of Dermatology Chair Dr. Paul Khavari discussed his experiences in bioethics from a religious stance, delving into the relationships between science and theology.
Dr. Hank Greely, a professor of law and genetics at Stanford, delivered a general overview of bioethics and its applications in the legal world. Postdoctoral researcher Dr. Vasiliki Rahimzadeh explored the use of genetic data in both aiding medical advances and also presenting several legal issues regarding privacy and safety.
Upper school science teachers Anita Chetty, Dr. Matthew Harley, Mike Pistacchi and Dr. Kate Schafer as well as upper school English teacher Nicholas Manjoine offered extra credit to their students if they attended the conference for the full duration.
“Whether it is gene editing or data sharing, as Dr. Greely put it well, ethics is all about connections, learning how to bridge the technicalities of science with the humanity of it,” said club officer Sidra Xu (11.) “If there is one thing I wish all the attendees take away, it is that the search for truth and the satisfaction of our curiosity must be followed by the question of “should”, that is, “should we be doing blank?”’
The Ethics in Tech Forum holds club meetings every two weeks and may be holding an ETCon: Artificial Intelligence in the late fall and renaming the spring conference to EtCon: Bioethics, though these are in early planning stages.
