Research Symposium

The annual Harker Research Symposium showcases the discoveries of Harker's young scientists and alumni, honors the work of career scientists and entrepreneurs, and celebrates Silicon Valley's innovative spirit.

Research Symposium

Sat., April 15, 2023 | "STEM for All. All for STEM."

Diversity, Equity and Inclusivity in STEM

The research symposium, held each year in the spring on the upper school campus for the entire Harker community, includes displays of Harker students' often award-winning projects, talks by alumni involved in research, and corporate exhibitors.

Attendance is free; registration portal will open April 1, 8 a.m.

Watch videos of 2022 keynote talks.

Symposium Schedule

Sat., April 15

ONSITE Registration (7:45 a.m.-1 p.m)

Registration in the Main hall

Coffee, tea, water available throughout the day

Snacks for purchase throughout the day

Poster Sessions (8a.m.-3p.m.)

Location: Auxiliary Gym

Presenters will be available to present their posters in the gym during the following times:

8-8:45 a.m.
11 a.m.-12 p.m.
2-3 p.m.

Corporate Exhibitors (8a.m.-2p.m.)

Location: Nichols Atrium

Corporate exhibits throughout the day

17th Annual Harker Research Symposium Opening (8:55a.m.)

Locations: Patil Theater RPAC

Anita Chetty: Opening Announcements

Watch Livestream

OPENING KEYNOTE ADDRESS: Janice Chen, PhD - Co-founder and CTO at Mammoth Biosciences (9-10a.m.)

Location: Patil Theater RPAC

Watch Livestream

Reading and Writing the Code of Life

STEM Buddies (10a.m.-12p.m.)

Location: Nichols Hall

Harker WiSTEM - Fun STEM activities for K-12 students

Introduction to Medical Illustration (Grades 8+ | 10-10:45 a.m.)

Location: Nichols 308

Anika Mantripragada ‘24

Overview

Working with graphite pencils on Bristol paper, students will depict realistic renderings of the body as well as label significant parts in order to further their knowledge and memory of human anatomy.

AI For Beginners (Grades 5-8 | 10 - 10:45 a.m.)

Location: Nichols 301

Harker US AI Club

Overview

This workshop will cover the basics of AI, from the history to the types of models and how to apply them. We will also examine some incredible applications and discuss their ethical ramifications, both exciting and worrying.

BREAKOUT SESSION 1: Leisha Devisetti ‘23 (10:10 - 10:30 a.m.)

Location: Nichols 309

Analyzing Arsenic Detoxification and Resistance Mechanisms in Pathogenic Gut Bacteria

BREAKOUT SESSION 1: Nathan Liu ‘24 (10:10 - 10:30 a.m.)

Location: Nichols 307

Sustainable Lipstick: Using Augmented Reality and Artificial Intelligence to Reduce Carbon Footprint in the Cosmetics Industry

BREAKOUT SESSION 1: Ashley Ruan ‘23 - STS Semifinalist (10:10 - 10:30 a.m.)

Location: Nichols Auditorium

Development of a Label-free Serology Test for Monkeypox

MORNING KEYNOTE ADDRESS: Rohit Vashisht PhD (10:30 - 11:30 a.m.)

Location: Patil Theater RPAC

Watch Livestream

Data Science of Equitable Decision-Making in Healthcare

Be A Doctor (Grades 5-8 | 11 a.m. - 11:45 a.m..)

Location: Nichols 329

Harker Medical Club

Overview

Learn the process of making a medical diagnosis through role play and case studies.

Be A Surgeon (Grades 5-8 | 11 a.m. - 11:45 a.m..)

Location: Nichols 330

Harker Medical Club

Overview

Practice your surgical skills in this interactive heart dissection!

ALUMNI PANEL DISCUSSION: Alumni (11a.m.-12p.m.)

Location: Nichols Auditorium

Watch Livestream

“Eagles Fly Back Home” to share their journeys in this Q & A session.

Carolyn Wang ‘07, Prag Batra ‘12, Alison Rugar ‘13, Renee Tam ‘13

Science Wizard Magic Show (12:05 - 12:55 p.m.)

Location: Quad

Jordan Reading will use his scientific sorcery to share the magic of physics, chemistry, light and air pressure!

Class of ‘23 Private Lunch (12-1p.m.)

Location: Manzanita Hall

Luncheon Keynote: Krish Maniar ‘23

Private invitation lunch celebrating the research efforts of our graduating seniors

LUNCH FOR ALL ATTENDEES: General Lunch (12-1p.m.)

Location: Quad

Pick up your lunch and enjoy the magic show

STEM Buddies (1-3p.m.)

Location: Nichols Rotunda and Atrium

STEM Buddies Activities - TK-8 students enter the STEM Buddies Labs for interactive fun-filled STEM activities

ALUMNI KEYNOTE ADDRESS: Simar Bajaj ‘20 (1-2 p.m.)

Location: Patil Theater RPAC

Watch Livestream

Storytelling as Civic Engagement: 7 Lessons for DEI in STEM

Simar Bajaj ‘20

BREAKOUT SESSION 2: Melody Yin ‘25 (2:10 - 2:30 p.m.)

Location: Nichols 309

Investigating Sequence Determinants and Their Role in Drosophila Gene Expression using Deep Learning

BREAKOUT SESSION 2: Ritu Belani ‘24 (2:10 - 2:30 p.m.)

Location: Nichols 307

Siri But Smarter: Using AI to Enhance Math Learning

BREAKOUT SESSION 2: Krish Maniar ‘23 - STS Semifinalist (2:10 - 2:30 p.m.)

Location: Nichols Auditorium

DANO (Digital Phenotypic Assessment in Neuro-Oncology): Guiding Treatment Interventions and Forecasting Recurrence for Glioblastoma Patients Using Smartphone-Extracted Mobility Metrics

AI For Beginners (Grades 5-8 | 2:10 - 2:55 p.m.)

Location: Nichols 301

Harker US AI Club

Overview

Introduction to Medical Illustration (Grades 8+ ) 2:10-2:55 p.m.

Location: Nichols 308

Anika Mantripragada ‘24

Overview

2023 REGENERON FINALIST: Sally Zhu ‘23 (2:30 - 2:50 p.m.)

Location: Nichols Auditorium

On The Smoothness and Regularity of The Chess Billiard Flow and The Poincaré Problem

BREAKOUT SESSION 3: Shayla He ‘24 (2:50 - 3:10 p.m. )

Location: Nichols 309

Homeless Population Modeling and Trend Prediction through Identifying Key Factors and Employing Machine Learning Methods

BREAKOUT SESSION 3: Ramit Goyal ‘24 (2:50 - 3:10 p.m. )

Location: Nichols 307

Developing a model to predict whether single nucleotide variants are likely benign or pathogenic

BREAKOUT SESSION 3: Alex Lan ‘23 - STS Semifinalist (2:50 - 3:10 p.m. )

Location: Nichols Auditorium

Designing and Implementing Novel Convolutional and Twin Neural Network Architectures to Decipher the Functional Impact of Noncoding Genetic Variants in Alzheimer’s Disease

Research Panel: Research Students (3:20 - 4 p.m.)

Location: RPAC

Student researchers: Tiffany Chang ‘23, Arissa Huda ‘23, Johnathan Mo ‘23, Alex Lan ‘23, Nidhya Shivakumar ‘23, Sabrina Zhu ‘23, Rohan Bhowmik ‘23, Chris Spenner, Research Instructor Harker parent

The Harker Research Program: A Path, A Plan, and the Real Prize

Keynote Addresses

OPENING KEYNOTE ADDRESS: Janice Chen, PhD - Co-founder and CTO at Mammoth Biosciences (9-10a.m.)

Location: Patil Theater RPAC

Watch Livestream

Reading and Writing the Code of Life

MORNING KEYNOTE ADDRESS: Rohit Vashisht PhD (10:30 - 11:30 a.m.)

Location: Patil Theater RPAC

Watch Livestream

Data Science of Equitable Decision-Making in Healthcare

ALUMNI KEYNOTE ADDRESS: Simar Bajaj ‘20 (1-2 p.m.)

Location: Patil Theater RPAC

Watch Livestream

Storytelling as Civic Engagement: 7 Lessons for DEI in STEM

Simar Bajaj ‘20

Abstracts

Poster Sessions

Pavitra Kasthuri ‘26, Shloka Chawla ‘26

Auribus: An AI Device to Abade ICU/Patient Room Alarm Fatigue

Research Conducted at: Harker Labs

Research Mentor: Kristen Morgensen

Poster Sessions

Audrey Yang ‘26

A Thermal Imaging-Based Methodology to Predict Plant Stress

Research Conducted at: Harker Labs

Research Mentor: Kristen Morgensen

Ceye: The app to assist the visually impaired with currency differentiation

Research Conducted at: Harker Labs

Research Mentor: Kathy Peng

Poster Sessions

Lily Shi ‘26

Developing an Early Diagnostic System of Breast Cancer Using a Hybrid Deep Learning Architecture

Research Conducted at: Harker Labs

Research Mentor: Kristen Morgensen

Using Technosignatures to Discover Evidence for Extraterrestrial Civilization

Research Conducted at: Science Talent Training Center

Research Mentor: Jian Ge PhD

A Novel Combination of Natural Language Processing (NLP) and Pathway Analysis for Predicting Oncogenic Mutation Progression and Recommending Targeted Therapies

Research Conducted at: Stanford University School of Medicine, Lab of Dr. Achin Bhowmik

Research Mentor: Dr. Achin Bhowmik, Dr. Eric Nelson, and Mr. Chris Spenner

Teacher experimenting with fire

Symposium Program Includes

Dozens of talks by Synopsys and Regeneron participants
Talks and panel discussions by Harker alumni
More than 50 poster sessions by middle and upper school students
Pre-registered workshops
STEM Buddies science activities for young scientists
Student panels discussing technical writing, research internships and research competitions
Interactive displays by corporate exhibitors

Welcome sign

How You Can Participate

The Harker Research Symposium is for the entire TK-grade 12 Harker community, but we welcome outside organizations as exhibitors - come showcase your products!

For exhibitor information, contact our parent coordinator.

Keynote Speakers

This year's keynote speakers are Dr. Janice Chen, co-founder and CTO of Mammoth Bioscieces; Dr. Rohit Vashist, clinical data scientist in the Butte Lab of University of California, San Francisco's School of Medicine; and Simar Bajaj '20, award-winning journalist and Harvard University junior.

The Harker Research Symposium has drawn top names in technology, including Sun Microsystems co-founder Scott McNealy; Salman Khan of Khan Academy; Nobel Laureate Dr. David Baltimore; Dr. Fei-Fei Li, chief scientist of AI/ML at Google Cloud, and Jeff Dean, Google's senior fellow on the Google Brain Team.

exhibitor booth

Corporate Exhibitors

Previous exhibitors have included Autodesk, HP, Microsoft, eBay, IBM, Ericcson, Google/YouTube, Marvell Semiconductor, Nvidia, Tesla and Lockheed Martin's Advanced Technology Center.

For exhibitor information, contact our parent coordinator.

Thank You to Our 2023 Corporate Exhibitors

Student Abstracts

The research symposium celebrates the curiosity, scientific thinking and communications skills of Harker students in grades 8-12. Poster sessions and formal talks demonstrate high caliber student research and world-class science and academic programs at Harker.

Student using interactive screen

About the Research Symposium

Sponsored by Harker's science departments and organized by the upper school's Women in STEM Club (WiSTEM), this annual community event showcases the discoveries of Harker's young scientists and alumni, honors the work of career scientists and entrepreneurs, and celebrates Silicon Valley's innovative spirit.