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The student news site of The Harker School.

Harker Aquila

The student news site of The Harker School.

Harker Aquila

The student news site of The Harker School.

Harker Aquila

The One Big Beautiful Bill Act eliminates federal funding for new solar and wind projects, marking a major setback for renewable energy in the U.S. The move leaves nuclear, geothermal and hydropower as the primary federally backed alternatives. (Illustration by Sarah Wang)

Reshaping Renewables

by Kairui Sun, Aquila Managing Editor September 14, 2025

For the environmentally conscious, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) appears anything but beautiful. Passing on July 4, it terminated federal funding for nascent wind and solar projects. The environmental...

Figma technical lead Matthew Huang (’15) smiles on the steps of San Francisco’s Alamo Square near Figma’s headquarters. He embraces the team-focused, dedicated nature of his work.

Turning clutter into clarity

by Claire Tian and Caden Ruan August 29, 2025

Every time you scroll through Instagram or order food from DoorDash, you’re using a digital interface shaped by Figma Design. Over the past five and a half years, Matthew Huang (‘15) has helped push...

OpenAI’s latest flagship model was expected to offer a major break-
through, though the model’s rollout was messy and performance improvements   are largely incremental. (Photoillustration by Ashley Mo and Charlie Wang)

ChatGPT-5 delivers practical progress but falls short of expectations

by Claire Tian and Caden Ruan August 29, 2025

AI frontrunner OpenAI released its new flagship large language model GPT-5 on Aug. 7 and generated a mixed reception from users. ChatGPT-5 improves upon previous OpenAI models in benchmarks, including...

Sophie Yeh (11) instructs students on how to use the Tormach CNC mill. Over the course of the week, the mechanical/machining group learned how to use all the machines, tools and standard components.

Building bots and bonds

by Hannah Jeon and Alvira Agarwal August 18, 2025

Harker Robotics hosted its annual week-long introductory summer camp from Aug. 11 to 15, welcoming incoming frosh in Eric Nelson’s room and the lab. Club leadership taught the basics of designing and...

Attendees listen as Research Club officers ask the alumni panel about their research experiences in high school and college. For high school students interested in advanced research, the panelists recommended cold emailing professors and networking with teachers and older students in college,

STEM Spotlight: Research Club hosts alumni panel on student research, college life

by Claire Tian, STEM Editor May 9, 2025

Five alumni shared advice on research and college life during a virtual panel hosted by Research Club on April 30 during lunch. Panelists Ella Lan (‘24), Adrian Liu (‘24), Fiona Yan (‘24), Arnav...

Chemistry teacher Andrew Irvine and Harrison Chen (12) eat a rhino beetle. This year, Irvine invited other students such as 2025-26 ASB President Luke Wu (11) and Green Team officers Summer Adler (12) and Eric Zhang (12) to taste from his selection of bugs.

Earthchella blends music, environmental activism to launch Earth Week

by Jonathan Szeto and Lily Peng April 28, 2025

Earthchella kicked off Earth Week with environment-themed lunchtime performances in front of a large crowd in the Quad on April 18. The event featured acts like junior Ryan Pham’s piano rendition...

Kombucha is a fizzy and tangy fermented tea drink made from just a few simple ingredients: tea, water, sugar and a symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast.

Brewing the truth behind kombucha

by Risa Chokhawala and Lily Peng April 7, 2025

While kombucha has been around for thousands of years — originating in China and spreading across the world — its rise in popularity in the past decade aligns with a broader health movement toward...

Unraveling the universe with astrophotography

Unraveling the universe with astrophotography

by Victor Gong, Winged Post Editor-in-Chief April 3, 2025

When you look up at the night sky, what do you see? On good days, stars dot the dark canvas, and on bad days, there’s nothing at all. Behind the typical constellations lie realms of galaxies, nebulas...

Research Revelations Episode 10: Diagnosing cardiovascular disease using gut microbiomes with Terry Xie

Research Revelations Episode 10: Diagnosing cardiovascular disease using gut microbiomes with Terry Xie

by Suhani Gupta and Lily Peng March 31, 2025

This is the tenth installment of Research Revelations: Conversations with Our Student Researchers, a podcast where Aquila staff members talk to student researchers about their projects and research goals....

The Superfood Company's diverse selection of probiotic drinks includes both familiar and exotic options. The company's product lineup includes kombucha and kefir soda in flavors like Peaches and Cream, Signature Seven and Agave Lime.

Probiotic and prebiotic sodas: healthy alternative or unproven trend?

by Nathan Yee and Jonathan Szeto March 27, 2025

In the past few years, drinks claiming to improve gut health like Olipop and Poppi have appeared all over social media, offering an alternative to unhealthy sodas and carbonated beverages. But while these...

Female biology was generally over-looked before recent women's movements in medicine. Modern medical researchers have made significant strides in studying women’s health within the last fifty years.

Biased research persists in women’s healthcare

by Claire Tian and Elizabeth Zhang March 26, 2025

Modern medical researchers have made significant strides in studying women’s health within the last fifty years, like the recognition of post-partum depression and the investigation of cardiac disease...

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