The 13th annual Harker Research Symposium, held Saturday at the upper school campus, drew more than 700 people from the Harker community to learn more about “The Artificial Intelligence Revolution” – this year’s theme – and see the work of Harker student researchers.
Jeff Dean, a Google senior fellow with Google’s Brain Team and this year’s morning keynote speaker, attracted a large crowd to the Athletic Center for his talk on machine learning and how his team’s research has been applied to Google products. He also spoke about the ways machine learning will change how we live in the future, covering urban renewal through self-driving cars and better healthcare through improved informatics.
Attendees later made their way to the Nichols Hall atrium, where they perused the many exhibitors, including Microsoft, Nvidia, Roku and Solvvy, trying out virtual reality and holographic technology, as well as learning about advancements in video streaming and AI-driven customer self-service.
At the auxiliary gym, the middle and upper school poster presentations proved once again to be a popular attraction, as students gave detailed breakdowns of their research and findings to curious visitors. Breakout sessions also were held, during which Harker upper school students gave presentations on research projects they had conducted.
With artificial intelligence experiencing rapid growth, the symposium aimed to prepare future generations to enter (and perhaps have a hand in creating) a future of intelligent machines through a series of workshops for lower, middle and upper school students. In the upper school workshop, Harker parent and LodgIQ CTO Somnath Banerjee (Sumantra, grade 11, and Nila ’14) learned how to train neural networks and create a machine-learned image. Wayne Liu, general manager and vice president of business development at Perfect Corp., gave middle schoolers an introductory lesson on AI and how it is used in the real world, and got them started on an AI project of their own. Lower school students received a primer on AI and played games that taught key concepts in two separate workshops, one conducted by junior Natasha Maniar and sophomore Cynthia Chen, and another led by sophomores Joshua Valluru, Eileen Li and Vani Mohindra.
During lunch, attendees once again flocked to the quad to see chemistry teachers Andrew Irvine and David Casso (very safely) create balls of fire and spectacular plumes at the chemistry magic show, after which the crowd returned to the Athletic Center for the afternoon keynote address, delivered by Andrew Beck, co-founder and CEO of PathAI. In his talk, Beck detailed the work he is doing with PathAI, which aims to develop image recognition technology for use in pathology, including improving accuracy in the diagnosis and prediction of cancer. He also shared the impact he expects this technology will have on the medical field in the coming decades.
Alumna speaker Ramya Rangan ’12 delivered a talk on molecular machines to a packed Nichols Hall auditorium, detailing how discoveries about the inner workings of proteins and other macromolecules will lead to the design of human-made molecular machines, and the questions such advancements will bring.
Afternoon events also included talks by finalists from this year’s Siemens Competition and Regeneron Science Talent Search, with presentations given by senior Swapnil Garg and junior Katherine Tian, whose team project took them to national finals of the Siemens Competition, and seniors Justin Xie and Rajiv Movva, who were finalists in the Regeneron Science Talent Search.
The event closed with a panel discussion on the various research opportunities available to Harker students, delivered by upper school science teachers Anita Chetty and Chris Spenner, Harker parent Prasad Movva (Rajiv, grade 12, and Neil ’15), seniors Nastya Grebin, Amy Jin, Rajiv Movva and Justin Xie, and junior Katherine Tian.
Last weekend, a team of Harker students won the K-12 Championship at the CalChess State Scholastic Championship at the Santa Clara Convention Center. The team – senior Vignesh Panchanatham, junior Michael Wang, sophomore Michael Tang, fifth grader Vyom Vidyarthi, and fourth graders Anika Rajaram and Mihir Kotbagi – scored a total of 16 points to secure victory. In the K-6 Beginner team competition, fifth grader Anderson Chung, fourth graders James Lai and Alejandro Cheline, third grader Ian Cheline and second graders Jacob Chung and Jeffery Xu took first place.
In individual events, Panchanatham won first in the K-12 Championship, where Wang and Tang both placed in the top 10 and Vidyarthi among the top 15 in a 66-person event. Other standout performances were seen from Nathan Yan, grade 1, who finished in the top five in the K-6 Junior Varsity category, K-3 Championship competitors Rohan Rajaram, grade 1, and Omya Vidyarthi, grade 2, who both placed in the top 15, and third grader Lucas Lum, who reached the top 10 in K-3 Junior Varsity.
An estimated 650 people arrived at the middle school campus on March 23 for the 2018 Cancer Walk. The annual event raises awareness of cancer and money for Camp Okizu, which organizes outings for children living with cancer. The event was started in 2007 by former Harker computer science teacher Michael Schmidt, whose mother died of cancer in 2006. Money was raised by selling baked goods, hot chocolate, T-shirts and other items at stations set up at various points around the walking area, which was adorned with flags that had written tributes to loved ones who died from cancer as well as survivors and those currently fighting it. In the days leading up to the event, several classroom doors were decorated to promote the event and encourage participants. Donations for the fundraiser totaled more than $6,300. To date, the Cancer Walk has raised more than $100,000 since its first year in 2007.
Harker celebrated its major donors at the Head of School’s Circle Celebration on March 17. The group, over 400 strong, met in the early evening for hors d’oeuvres and champagne in the Zhang Gymnasium in the athletic center, which opened this past August.
Guests then migrated to the Rothschild Performing Arts Center, which opened Feb. 2, where they enjoyed performances in the Patil Theater by Harker musicians, along with several dance groups and choirs, and received a quartet of heartfelt thank you speeches from senior athletes and performers. The evening ended in the Zhang Gymnasium with dinner, socializing and music by a jazz ensemble of Harker teachers and students.
Today, schools across the country organized walkouts to remember the 14 students and three staff members killed in the Feb. 14 shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla.
At the upper school, students, faculty and staff wore black in remembrance of the victims. A morning vigil was held at the athletic center’s Zhang Gymnasium to honor each of the 17 victims. One by one, students and faculty stood before the assembly to read prepared statements about each of the students and staff who lost their lives in the incident, fondly recalling the qualities that made them such treasured people in their communities. Once all the statements were read, candles were lit to commemorate the enduring memories of those killed, as The Harker String Quartet performed a solemn, heartfelt tribute. As students exited the athletic center, they used special stations set up to contact their local representatives to urge them to address gun violence.
Middle school faculty organized several activities for students to remember the Parkland victims and show their support for the Marjory Stoneman Douglas community, such as creating cards and a large poster with supportive messages that will later be sent to the school. In the library, students watched interviews with MSD students and wrote down their reactions. The middle school community also began the creation of an “empathy chain” to show their support for the families and communities affected by the tragedy.
100 Mile Meals – a company that helps those who grow, prepare and deliver food reach a wider audience – has created a video about Harker’s great kitchens! The 100 Mile Meals show airs on YouTube, Roku, the company’s website and some Comcast channels. The company also has a PBS version of its show, which airs on 138 stations in 31 states, reaching 17.5 million homes. The production was spurred by one of Harker’s food suppliers to help showcase its products, but the video is all about why Harker food is legendary! Check it out!
Silicon Valley Business Journal, Feb. 23, 2018: A very nice article on the opening of the Rothschild Performing Arts Center and its Patil Theater (see photo).
Golfweek, Feb. 4, 2018: Story on Harker senior Daulet Tuleubayev, who has had a great season and is prepped for college play.
Social Space, Feb. 10, 2018: Harker is mentioned in this article about a water conservationist warrior who “partnered with the Clean Tech Club of the Harker School in the United States to give a talk at their seminar on clean technology and importance of water conservation.”
This story originally appeared in the fall/winter 2017 issue of Harker Magazine.
Cindy Ellis has devoted 40 years to Harker, first as a math teacher, then department chair and middle school head. Ellis, who will be retiring at the end of this school year, will leave a lasting legacy of students, colleagues and parents who deeply appreciate her contributions. A native of Watsonville, she and her husband love road trips and the outdoors; they also enjoy their 105-pound mastiff, Roscoe (who’s “mostly drool”). She moves through her job with equal parts sangfroid and gratitude, and she shares some of her philosophy with Harker Magazine.
What is the one thing in the world you would fix if you could wave a magic wand? I would wish for people to be more empathetic and respectful to each other.
What one piece of advice would you offer anyone who asks? Always see yourself as part of the bigger picture. Your words and actions have an impact.
What is something you would happily fail at? I don’t believe in fail – I believe in resilience and moving on to the next idea. Experiences are not “good” or “bad,” they fine-tune our moral compass and deepen our understanding of the world and the people in it.
What is your most treasured memory? I spent a great deal of time with my great-grandmother as a child. She recounted so many stories about growing up in San Francisco in the late 19th century. The richness of that time with her is something I could never replace.
If you could wake up tomorrow having gained any one quality or ability, what would it be? I have always wanted to be a great singer. Unfortunately, I am one of those people who can’t carry a tune in a bucket!
This story originally appeared in the fall/winter 2017 issue of Harker Magazine
Wisconsin native Chris Spenner never spent more than three years in one place as a kid, growing up in Nebraska, Missouri, Kansas and North Carolina. But he’s put down roots at Harker, teaching upper school science and advising the Harker Research Club, Harker Horizon and the Open Lab program. Spenner is enthusiastic about lots of things: family (he’s married to former Harker teacher Erin Redfern), the outdoors and some interesting hobbies, which he shared with Harker Magazine.
What do you like to do when you have a block of free time? I enjoy hiking and exploring new places with my wife. When I have free time on my own, I go on road trips to play disc golf courses by day and do astrophotography at night.
Brag about something. [Harker colleague] Kate Schafer and I developed a Human Ecology class, which we taught for the first time last summer. It incorporates our ideal pedagogical visions, including interdisciplinary approaches to big, messy problems like climate change; the involvement of many non-teacher experts; storytelling; direct student experience through travel; and teachers learning alongside students. It went better than I had dared to hope, proving to be the most important and effective class I have ever taught.
For what in your life do you feel most grateful? I am most grateful for my immediate family: my parents, my brother and my wife. They are as much a part of me as any organ or belief. Everything that I consider to be good about myself, I can trace to them.
For what are you most proud of yourself? I have been commuting to school by bicycle for the past seven years, every day, rain or shine.
What is something interesting about you that almost no one knows? I am distantly related to Evel Knievel.
This story originally appeared in the fall/winter 2017 issue of Harker Magazine.
Jocelyn Poplack is no stranger to adventure. She uprooted five years ago when she moved from Texas to California to become a Harker Preschool lead teacher, she takes full advantage of the nature and culture of the Bay Area, and she loves escaping to wild places like Jackson, Wyo. Family is paramount, and she’s a proud aunt to a niece who lives in the Bay Area, and a nephew and niece in Texas. Spending quality time with them and enjoying her mom’s amazing home cooking in Houston are just two things that make her tick. Read on to learn a few more!
What makes you feel like a kid again? Reading children’s books! I love being able to share some of my favorite childhood books with my students and also being exposed to the newer children’s literature.
Brag about something. When I was 7 years old, I won the Massachusetts Saltwater Fishing Derby for the biggest fluke caught that year.
What are you doing when you feel most alive? There is nothing that makes me feel more alive than being surrounded by the ocean. I love to snorkel, fish, sail and take boat rides!
What is your most treasured object and why? My family cookbook. When I was a child, I started writing down recipes that my mom, grandmothers and other family members used, as I wanted to be able to recreate the recipes myself and keep the family traditions alive. To this day, I am still adding recipes to the book!
What is the greatest accomplishment of your life? Honestly, I believe this hasn’t happened yet! I look at each day as another chance to accomplish more and more.