![“[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)
Neuroscience Club members learned about neuroanatomy as part of a lecture series on Sept. 26.
President Danielle Steinbach (11) explained topics from the first chapter of the “Brain Facts” book, which participants read before the meeting. She discussed different regions of the brain, neural circuits, neurotransmission and other important mechanisms of brain function. Students asked questions they had about any of the topics covered.
“I learned a lot today about neuroscience that I didn’t know before, especially about the different parts of the brain,” attendee Yimo Xie (9) said. “The relationship between the structures and the roles that the different components of the brain play was really interesting. I hope in future sessions that I’ll be able to dive deeper into specific parts of neuroscience.”
The Neuroscience Club’s meetings alternate weekly between lectures and journal club sessions in which members analyze academic journal articles about neuroscientific research. In the lectures, students learn topics covered in the annual Bay Area Brain Bee exam, a competition open to high school students which aims to promote the study of the brain and qualifies the first-place winner to the national competition.
“The lecture was almost a review of the entire unit 2 of AP Psych,” adviser Julie Turchin said. “We’re hoping to get people ready to take the Brain Bee but also help people improve their neuroscience knowledge. These presentations are good reviews of what’s covered and also give a chance for people to ask questions if they have any.”
Neuroscience Club seeks to help students become directly involved in neuroscientific research through speaker events and research opportunities. Experts speak about their cutting-edge research and respond to questions from students in its guest lecture series. The club also offers opportunities for members to publish their work in journals like the National High School Journal of Science and International Youth Neuroscience Association Journal.
“Anyone interested in any aspect of brain science would find something to be interested in with Neuroscience Club because we cover a wide array of fields,” Danielle said. “Even if you are interested in computer science, there is a lot that can be done with neuroscience. The intersection between medicine, neuroscience and computer applications is a particularly important field.”
