Senior Bryan Chiang places third at ISEF Competition BY WILLIAM GUO
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ut of more than 1,700 students, senior Bryan Chiang won the third place award of $1000, as well as the award of $750 for best in his category, Computational Biology, at the International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) this month. From May 13 to 19, Chiang headed to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania for Intel’s worldwide science competition. Each year, students from more than 75 countries compete in this competition after receiving an invite from a quali�ier science fair. His project involved computational algorithms that use arti�icial intelligence and statistics to identify disrupted transcription sites in cells that control cell growth and death. Using the frameworks he developed, Chiang analyzed more than 50 million genomic regions to better identify misaligned switches in transcription sites and improve current clinical treatment for cancer. “I was always very interested in computer science and arti�icial intelligence, and after taking biology last year, I wanted to try using my knowledge in those two �ields and apply it to the medical �ield,” said Chiang. “I reached out to a few Stanford labs, and actually one of the professors I talked to help set me up on a similar project to this one.” The experience and resources that Chiang accessed proved invaluable, as they set the groundwork for his ISEF project. Being at the university gave Chiang access to many papers that he would usually have to have licenses for. This helped him a lot when he was getting started that way he could get up to date with the current work established by previous work. While Chiang researching during the summer, he worked under a professor and with an undergraduate student to create the technical tools needed to analyze the data. He usually spent an hour or two sifting through previous research, before spending three to four hours working on the actual algorithm. During the later
stages of his project, he ran lots of analyses and veri�ication of his results instead. Chiang spent 60 hours in the lab a week during the summer and did further research at home. Afterwards, Chiang continued to improve his algorithms and implement better methodologies to make his project more ef�icient. “I worked more on the technical aspect side of things while I was at the lab, but afterward I worked more on the statistical part of what the data I analyzed meant,” said Chiang. “That meant looking at whether the switches I identi�ied had any statistical signi�icance, and also biological characterisation.” In order to qualify for ISEF, Chiang had to win at the Synopsys Science Fair, an ISEF af�iliated regional science fair. ISEF is different from most competition in that invites are given to winners of the regional level. Chiang won the grand prize at
WILLIAM GUO—EPIC
Synopsys, as well as best in his category. The science fair at Synopsys was similar to ISEF, but attendees at ISEF were given additional opportunities including visiting the Steelers football stadium, watching a documentary at a science center near the fair and listening to panels led by Nobel laureates and ISEF alumni. “One of the things that I really enjoyed about my time there was just meeting with other students who have similar passions and interests as you,” said Chiang. “We also got to see how some of the science projects that were presented here in the past became ideas for companies and how they developed further afterward.” On the day of judging, Chiang was on the �loor speaking with judges and answering their questions about his project. “It was really nice to talk to these judges that had a lot of expertise in the �ield and being able to exchange ideas and talk about the work you’ve done,” said Chiang. “However, they also ask really challenging questions about your project, and limitations of your work and how you can overcome or improve that. It was a very rigorous but rewarding experience.” Chiang’s project was a culmination of countless hours of hard work and research. While his project was time consuming, he learned a lot during his journey to placing in ISEF. “It’s been very rewarding to be making discoveries that can help us better understand the mechanisms of cancer progression, and to be able to make contributions to a much larger cause,” said Chiang. “I think the biggest thing I’ve learned is that you have to be able to work around problems. Don’t be afraid to talk to others or contact others to get help. I talked to Mrs. Della Santina to get started, as well as a lot of other professionals and graduates to get more information.” Though Chiang achieved success at ISEF, ultimately, it is his impact on the world that matters more to him. Looking to the future, Chiang plans on continuing his research and starting his own projects at labs to make greater contributions toward science that can help more people.
GRAPHIC ILLUSTRATION BY DIVYA NELAKONDA
Changes to be fulfilled for the next school year BY SRINIDHI SESHADRI
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ew Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), a new homeroom time and homecoming in the tennis courts are just a few of the changes to be implemented in the 2018-2019 school year. NGSS is an adjustment in the science curriculum that has been in the works for the past few years and will be in place for the following school year. Earth science and space science will also be integrated as requirements into the three core science classes: biology, chemistry and physics. Some teachers such as chemistry teacher Jon Penner, however, are not in favor of these new standards. “[NGSS] may be bene�icial for a majority of schools in California, but I don’t think it is necessarily bene�icial to Lynbrook because it’s hard to �it something into the curriculum that students may not need,” said Penner. As a part of NGSS, students will also have to take a standardized test in the spring that requires an earth and space science background to score well. The NGSS curriculum places a heavier emphasis on applying concepts learned in class to real-
world problems by integrating various scienti�ic practices, like engineering, into the courses as grounding practice in research. “I love the opportunity to teach space science in physics but it comes at the expense of losing some of the topics that I currently teach, like optics,” said physics teacher Thanh Nguyen. “It would be nice if we could all teach what we wanted, but part of being a teacher is realizing that that’s not necessarily the best for our students.” Earlier this year, the district and staff decided to change the schedule for next year in response to a California law that required school to start after 8 a.m. The new bell schedule includes three tutorials weekly. The staff decided to instead have “homeroom” on speci�ic Fridays throughout the year where students will have a space to build a community and discuss various topics. “The reason we’re having a homeroom is because we want students to feel connected, we want them to feel valued and we want to make sure that they have an opportunity to discuss issues that are important to them,” said Principal Maria Jackson. Students will be randomly placed into a homeroom class with other students in
their grade level, and they will meet on most Fridays during the year. Some Fridays, like rally days or those near the end of a grading period, will instead have tutorials. Changes will also be made to homecoming, the biggest spirit event on campus. Due to the construction taking place in the quad and the cove during next school year’s homecoming, all homecoming skits will occur on the asphalt area near the tennis courts. Another difference in next year’s homecoming are the dates, since homecoming will occur during a week with no school on Monday when freshmen homecoming skits are usually held. This causes scheduling con�licts, as the usual four class homecoming days and the �inal rally day will not be able to �it into a single week. The solution for this is to have the rally during lunch on the senior homecoming day, the Friday of that week. With changes in the science curriculum, a new homeroom and the homecoming location and schedule, Lynbrook is readily adapting to growing trends and needs of its students and community. Although some of the changes may not be ideal and opinions are divided, staff are working together to provide students with the best opportunities.
KELVIN CHONG// pg. 13
