Volume LII, No. 3

Page 1

MISSION SAN JOSE HIGH SCHOOL

VOL. 52, NO. 3

November 18, 2016

41717 PALM AVENUE, FREMONT, CA 94539

Siemens Competition names finalists Three seniors were named semifinalists and finalists in the Siemens Competition in Math, Science, and Technology By Julia Park & Vicki Xu Staff Writers The Siemens Foundation recognized Senior Catherine Zeng as a regional finalist and Seniors Mark Choi and Meredith Mao as regional semifinalists in the Siemens Competition in Math, Science, and Technology on October 18. Established by the Siemens Foundation in 1999, the Siemens Competition is a prestigious annual science research competition open to all US high school students. Students submit a research report, with up to eighteen pages, along with an executive summary that describes their projects’ basics in non-specialist terms. Projects are first judged at the regional tier; winners of their respective regional sections then progress onto the national tier. Scholarships for winning projects range from $1,000 to $100,000. Zeng’s project, titled “Investigation of H/D Exchange in Aromatic Compounds with a Heterogeneous-Based Electro-Activated Palladium Catalyst,” developed methods for exchanging hydrogens in an organic molecule with a heavier hydrogen isotope, deuterium. Such a process is commercially useful in pharmaceuticals, since the hydrogen-deuterium exchange can improve the metabolic properties of drugs. Zeng said of being named a finalist, “It was actually a very unexpected title … I think I’m just proud of how much I learned and having that research experience.”

Zeng will give a 15-minute online presentation on her project to judges from the California Institute of Technology on November 12. Depending on the quality of her presentation, she may advance to the national level of the competition. Choi’s research concerned stem cells, a key interest in regenerative medicine that is currently facing ethical issues for using fetuses as a stem cell source. In his project “Effects of Polymer Substrate Composition and Morphology on Dental Pulp Stem Cell Differentiation and Properties,” he investigated developmental pathways for stem cells extracted from dental pulp. These cells, if

“I’m incredibly proud of and amazed by [the finalists]. What I find so unique is that, while they’re able to describe processes and procedures in such complex terms, they’re also very human, down-toearth kids.”

Seniors Meredith Mao, Catherine Zeng, and Mark Choi pose for a picture. These three seniors were named semifinalists and finalists in the Siemens Competition in Math, Science, and Technology on October 18.

used for medicine in the future, would bypass the ethical problem, since they come from discarded teeth instead of fetuses. According to Choi, researching the stem cell field was challenging but rewarding. “The hardest part was striking that balance between forging a new path in the field and also relying on past research to guide our project,” Choi said.

Mao explored cancer detection methods in her project “A Fast And Highly Sensitive Method For Detecting Glycoproteins In SDS-PAGE Gels Using an Aminooxy Bodipy FL Dye.” In her project, Mao improved on a dye that detects proteins on cell membranes to increase the efficiency of scanning for and monitoring cancer. Although the research process was strenuous, Mao said that “Working those 8,000-plus hours … was all worth

— Principal Zack Larsen

staff writer vicki xu

it.” She hopes to continue conducting research and possibly approach biomedical issues from an electrical engineering standpoint in the future. Reflecting on the three students’ accomplishments, Principal Zack Larsen said, “I’m incredibly proud of and amazed by [the finalists]. What I find so unique is that, while they’re able to describe processes and procedures in such complex terms, they’re also very human, down-to-earth kids.” ▪

Speech and Debate teams excel Students competed at the Jon Schamber Invitational at the University of the Pacific By Katherine Guo & Maggie Zhao Staff Writers Members of Speech and Debate attended the Jon Schamber Invitational at the University of the Pacific in Stockton, CA, from October 28 to October 30. Students competed in multiple speech events, including dramatic interpretation, oratorical interpretation, and extemporaneous speaking.

Also included were both Public Forum and Lincoln-Douglas debaters. As a whole, both teams performed exceptionally, advancing to elimination rounds and defending past titles. At last year’s tournament, both Speech and Debate had an impressive showing, for they advanced the majority of competitors, won both Public Forum divisions in debate, placed in multiple speech events, and won third in school

sweepstakes. Speech sent 26 competitors in nine events to the tournament, and 14 advanced to either semifinals or finals. Many competitors did remarkably well, with Freshmen Ayush Agarwal and Swetha Naidu placing second in open duo interpretation and Sophomore Samir Banerjee winning first in open humorous interpretation. As a whole, Speech won four third place awards, two second place awards, and three first place awards. This year, Debate sent nine Varsity Public Forum teams to the University of the Pacific, advancing three into eliminations. Sophomores Arunav Gupta and Ishan Maunder made it to Octofinals and Sophomores Emily Lee and Maggie Zhao advanced to quarterfinals. Juniors Robert Chen and Devesh Kodnani won the Varsity Public Forum

“I think Speech and Debate did really well ... They did an incredible job and I am so proud of them.” — Head Speech Coach Brandon Stewart

staff writer maggie zhao

Members of Speech and Debate pose for a photo with their trophies after competing at the Jon Schamber Invitational at the University of the Pacific.

BOLDLY ME PRESENTS DURING ADVISORY Boldly Me, an organization dedicated to raising mental health awareness, delivered a presentation during advisory on November 3 in C-120. Check out this article to find out more about the event.

division, defending MSJ’s title from last year and gaining a gold bid to the Tournament of Champions in the process. One Novice Public Forum team, consisting of Freshmen Anton Lin and Kartik Narang, also attended the tournament and broke to quarterfinals. In Lincoln Douglas, MSJ

OPINION: BLACK FRIDAY How has consumerism transformed American holidays, and what are the benefits and drawbacks of this?

sent four Novice teams to the tournament and Sophomore Neharika Makam advanced to quarterfinals. Head Debate Coach Victor Rivas Umana said, “I think we had good results … [and] that we did really well as the majority of competitors in both

“[We are] hoping at future tournaments to see more participants as it is exciting to see new debaters try it out and do well.” — Head Debate Coach Victor Rivas Umana Lincoln Douglas and Public Forum had winning records.” He also said that he was “ … hoping at future tournaments to see more participants as it is exciting to see new debaters try it out and do well. We are also hoping to have more teams qualified to the TOCs.” Head Speech Coach Brandon Stewart said, “I think Speech and Debate did really well … They did an incredible job and I am so proud of them.” Regarding the rest of the year, he said, “I have no doubt that we have people going to state. We have five TOC bids from this tournament too.” Both teams aim to continue this success into the future. Debate President Senior Max Wu said, “I think we can capitalize [on] this success with the next coming tournaments … It shows a lot of promise.” ▪

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