It is no secret that Bobcats love science. Our amazing students regularly participate in science competitions at the local, regional and national level. Obviously, things are a bit different now and institutions of learning are taking many activities online to adhere to California's Shelter-in-Place order.
We have received amazing news about how our Bobcats have fared at these virtual competitions. Recently, The Synopsys Science Fair and the BioEHS Bioengineering Competition were both held remotely.
Synopsys Science Fair
A Bay Area tradition, the Synopsys Science Fair is a favorite event of many of our students. This year, the event held on March 11-12, went virtual. Our Bobcats held their own in the new format, and we are so proud of the results!
- Siddharth S., class of 2021, 1st Award, Physical Science and Engineering Category and Qualified for California Science & Engineering Fair (CSEF), California Science & Engineering Fair -QEML (Quantum Enhanced Machine Learning): Using Quantum Computing to Enhance ML Classifiers and Feature Spaces (Physical Science and Engineering)
- Diptanshu S., class of 2022, Honorable Mention, Physical Science and Engineering Category-Novel Hybrid Multi-source Energy Harvesting Solution for IoT Devices (Physical Science and Engineering)
- Isita T., class of 2022, Honorable Mention, Biological Science and Engineering Category-Applications of Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning for Early Detection of Parkinson's Disease(Biological Science and Engineering)
- Ria S., class of 2022, Honorable Mention, Physical Science and Engineering Category and ASEI Silicon Valley Emerging Technology Membership to American Society of Engineers of Indian Origin, American Society of Engineers of Indian Origin Award-Machine Learning Based Digital Assistant for the Deaf(Physical Science and Engineering)
- Vibha R., class of 2021, 3rd Place Award - $50 and Certificate of Achievement, ASM International, A Society for Materials, Santa Clara Valley Chapter-Development of a low cost novel EMF RF radiation shield and comparison to existing materials(Physical Science and Engineering)
- Anya R., class of 2021, Honorable Mention, Biological Science and Engineering Category-Using Genome-Wide Association Studies to Identify Common Genetic Loci Between Neurobiological Disorders(Biological Science and Engineering)
- Henry Y., class of 2024, 2nd Award, Physical Science and Engineering Category-Designing an Eco-Friendly and Cost Effective Way to Remove Chromium from Waste Water(Physical Science and Engineering)
BioEHS Bioengineering Competition
This annual competition was held remotely at UC Berkeley On April 4. These students not only had to adapt to all the different demands that e-learning brought but also focus on this very intense competition. As part of this immersive experience in field of bioengineering, students have to research and come up with an innovative, unique, and feasible bioengineering solution to a biological or biomedical problem that impacts humans. This year the student teams developed solutions for amelioration of rheumatoid arthritis, an autoimmune disorder (Team B), and a way to reduce malaria by tinkering with the mosquito genome (Team A).
Over the past six weeks they worked tirelessly during lunch meetings to hone their solution, develop a video, a poster, and a slide presentation. Collaboration for the last couple of weeks was made harder due to school closure. The students not only compete with best schools from the Bay Area, but also out of state teams, and international schools. Students were judged in three remote sessions by people doing active research in the field, UC Berkeley faculty, and industry professionals!
Team B: First Place Biomedical Engineering-Using CRISPR to Bioengineer the Herpes Simplex Virus to Selectively Target Proliferating Fibroblasts and Alleviate the Symptoms of Rheumatoid Arthritis
Aanya R., Srikar K., Anika R., Shreyas B., and Tanya L.
Team B Final Video
Team B Final Poster
Team A: Honorable Mention Biological Engineering-Formulation of Gene Drive Mosquitoes to Inhibit Malaria Transmission by Preventing Glucose Uptake by Plasmodium falciparum Cells
Netra S., Anika R., Allen N., and Meying I.
Team A Final Poster
Both podium wins are remarkable! Often it is a few points that separate the winning teams.
BASIS Independent Silicon Valley is a grades 5-12 private middle and high school based in San Jose, California, providing students an internationally benchmarked liberal arts and sciences curriculum.