Volume LVIII, Issue 4
15325 East Los Robles Avenue, Hacienda Heights, CA 91745
March 2019
Samsung STEM Competition Names AP Physics Students 2019 National Finalists By Brandon Soung Competing with over 250 state finalists, the AP Physics team landed a spot on the top 10 national finalist position. The students have won $50,000 worth of Samsung technology, an invitation to a Pitch event in New York City, and the chance to earn more money as national champions. At the annual contest, students are tasked with finding a solution to a problem in their community. With the rise of tiger mosquito activity in local communities, the AP Physics team designed an innovative mosquito trap, After meeting with a local vector control, the students decided to improve upon one of their traps which originally lured mosquitos with standing water and prevented them from reproducing with larvicide. However, the original model was prone to becoming a breeding ground as people forgot to maintain the larvicide and replace the water. The students improved the original model by making an environmentally friendly funnel and plug that would drop the water once the larvicide wore off as a means to better maintain the trap.
Senior Derek Urbina said, “I was tasked with designing the idea of the funnel and we spent our time in class trying to make drips of water last as long as possible and that took a lot of time and effort.” After making it to the national finalist section, the school was invited to attend an event in New York City where the students would present their prototype to a panel of judges, with the the top 3 finalists increasing their prize money to $100,000. Urbina said, “Well, I'm hoping the judges at New York take interest in our idea, because it will spread awareness of our product to help many people from getting incurable diseases from mosquitoes.” The students worked on the project for about three months where the students would spend their class time brainstorming and experimenting with their ideas. AP Physics teacher Paul Fang said, “I helped guide the students but the students did most of the work. For example, Ryan Lau was in charge of the 3D printing, Amy Tam was involved in the making the app, and the AP physics students conducted the experiments.”
Students can watch and vote for the LAHS video at www.samsung.com/us/solvefortomorrow/ by March 27. In the app the AP Physics team designed, users would earn points for maintaining their trap, checking for standing water, and reporting levels of mosquito activity as a way to improve their
community. Fellow classmates can also help the AP Physics team by voting for them on the Samsung Solve for Tomorrow website, where the school with the most votes earns an additional
$10,000. Fang said, “Overall, it’s a really good project as it gives students an opportunity to solve problems in the community while utilizing STEM.”
Taste of LA Offers Diverse Foods & Musical Performances By Giovanna Fernandez As soon as people walked in, an array of gift baskets,
raffle opportunities, and food stands greeted them in the gym on March 8 where Los Altos High School introduced
Los Altos band members perform at the 2019 Taste of LA fundraiser.
attendees to the “Taste of LA.” Different foods and desserts, derived from four dif-
Photo by Giovana Fernandez
ferent countries, allowed people in attendance to try Italian, Mexican, Chinese, and American dishes with decorated plates. The food was accompanied by performances from the LAHS band unit alongside performances from the LAHS and Newton Color Guard teams. These performances helped attendees enjoy the various sounds alongside the diverse flavors of the world. “All of the bands did really great tonight,” freshman and symphonic band member Ivonne Vargas said. “Everyone put their part into it. They all put either their money, food, and time. Events like these are really important to fund the band unit and most importantly bring people to-
gether.” To make the experience more immersive, attendees were given a makeshift passport to be stamped at each “country” visited. After traveling and enjoying the Taste of LA, “Tomorrow’s Effect” played upbeat songs until the event came to a close. “It was well-coordinated because we get to interact with people, eat, and perform,” freshman and band member Emily Orozco said. “It was a really good night for everyone. Even if you’re not in band or color guard, you can get together with people you know. I feel like band events are very welcoming, and that’s what separates them from other school events.”