Sydney Grodin is a rising senior at Crystal Springs Uplands School. Passionate about medicine from a young age, she hopes to become either a pediatrician or a neurologist.

Sydney loves life science classes and has participated in biomedical research and pre-med clubs throughout her time at Crystal. In addition, she has volunteered at Mills-Peninsula Medical Center for the past year, assisting patients and nurses in the emergency room.

Sydney is an avid reader and writer who loves blending her passion for literature with her passion for science. She believes there is an aspect of STEM that can intrigue anyone, whether it’s the mathematical ratios behind a beautiful piece of art or the complex chemical reactions that synthesize proteins. Through her work and involvement, she hopes to inspire a love of science in her fellow students.

Growing up, what first made you interested in medicine or healthcare?

I was always interested in medicine. Growing up, I went to a lot of doctor’s appointments because I’m really short, and I saw many different specialists trying to figure out why. That first drew me to the question of how we figure out what’s wrong with a person in order to help them.

Even though I was interested in healthcare, I considered myself more of a humanities person than a STEM person throughout most of middle school. That changed in ninth-grade biology. It was easily my favorite class, and I had such a wonderful teacher. Learning science in a way that helped explain how human life and the world work really cemented my interest. I’ve always enjoyed helping people, and healthcare seemed like an amazing place to do that.

Was there a moment when you realized becoming a doctor was something you could actually see yourself doing?

There are a lot of doctors in my extended family, so medicine was always something I was familiar with. I also realized that many of the doctors I met were incredibly personable and kind. Around the same time, I discovered how much I loved science, especially the life sciences. That’s when I started thinking that medicine could genuinely be the right career for me.

What fascinates you most about the human body, medicine, or science in general?

For me, the biggest draw is neuroscience. I’m fascinated by how the brain works. There are the electrical aspects, with neurons firing signals, but there are also chemical processes involving neurotransmitters. It’s amazing that a tiny electrical signal can make you raise your arm or process information.

I find it incredible that I can hear sounds, immediately understand that someone is speaking to me, and know how to respond. Everything related to the brain is fascinating to me.

Have there been any experiences in your life that shaped the way you think about healthcare?

About four months ago, I started volunteering in the emergency room at Mills-Peninsula Medical Center. I had volunteered at the hospital before, but being placed in the ER gave me more opportunities to interact directly with patients.

On my first day, I brought a patient from the waiting room to her room, and she asked if I could stay with her for a little while. We talked, and she was incredibly kind. That experience reminded me that healthcare is about more than just treating someone medically. I want to make a positive impact on people and help them feel comfortable, because hospitals can be very intimidating places.

What has your experience been like navigating STEM as a young woman?

I’ve been fortunate to have a very supportive environment both at Crystal and at home. I’ve participated in Crystal’s biomedical research club and pre-med club, and I’ve interviewed family friends who are doctors and professors.

I don’t feel like I’ve encountered many barriers as a woman in STEM yet, though I also haven’t worked extensively in research labs, where those challenges can sometimes be more visible. Most people don’t begin those experiences until they’re a little older. Overall, I’ve had a strong support system that has encouraged my interests.

What’s been the biggest challenge in pursuing such a demanding field this early on?

Definitely the time commitment. Next year, I’ll be taking two honors science classes, and even making that choice involves sacrifices. For example, taking physics meant giving up history, which was difficult because I love history.

A lot of it comes down to balance. On Mondays, I’ll come home from volunteering at the hospital around 7:45 p.m. and still have all my homework ahead of me. Good time management and understanding your priorities are incredibly important.

How important do you think empathy and communication are in medicine?

Honestly, I think they’re the most important part. You can tell someone they have kidney problems in a compassionate way, or you can simply read it off a chart. The difference matters.

Being empathetic and knowing how to explain things clearly is so important. Telling a patient, “We’re going to give you this treatment because it will help in these ways,” is much more effective than overwhelming them with medical terminology they may not understand. Communication can make a huge difference in a patient’s experience.

What changes or improvements would you hope to make in healthcare someday?

I definitely want to be involved in research. It feels like there are so many discoveries just around the corner, and I’d love to contribute to that progress.

More than anything, I want to have a meaningful impact on my patients. I don’t want them to see visiting the doctor as a terrible experience. They may never look forward to it, but I hope they won’t dread it either.

What’s something pursuing STEM has taught you about yourself?

I’ve learned that self-advocacy is incredibly important. Once you’re old enough, many research opportunities can come from simply reaching out to professors and asking if you can get involved in their work.

For example, your blog, Mihika, is about women in STEM, and it highlights how important it is to advocate for yourself and your interests. One thing I love about science is that it often feels very logical. English is subjective, and I love that too, but science allows us to explore and understand how the world works in a structured way. We’re constantly uncovering new knowledge about things like the human body, and that’s exciting to me.

What advice would you give to younger girls who are interested in medicine or STEM but feel intimidated by it, perhaps because of the gender gap?

I would definitely encourage them to find supportive adults. Talk to a family member, science teacher, or math teacher you trust (bonus points if they’re female).

STEM can seem intimidating at first, but there are so many exciting opportunities available when you have a supportive community around you. My experiences at the hospital have shown me how valuable mentorship and guidance can be. Make sure you build a network of people who can help you navigate the field and find your path.

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Chiara Luey is a senior at Crystal Springs Uplands School and a STEM advocate focused on clean energy, sustainability, and education. As the 2026 Youth Sustainability Award winner, she has combined data, policy, and community action to create real environmental impact.

She has worked on projects ranging from building geospatial databases for electric vehicle charging infrastructure to leading campaigns that helped pass “Electric-First” policies across multiple high schools, mobilizing thousands of students.

Beyond technical work, Chiara founded Energizing Youth, a global initiative that brings clean-energy education to younger students, making STEM more accessible and inspiring the next generation. Her work spans across local policy, global education, and scientific research, all driven by a belief that young people can lead meaningful change.

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1. What first sparked your interest in STEM, especially in sustainability and clean energy?
   My first spark in STEM was actually kind of random. I joined a club called “STEM Invention Studio” freshman year because my friend was leading it. I didn’t expect to get super into science fairs, but I ended up doing a project on an alternative way to use air conditioning using thermal heat harvesting to make it cleaner energy. However, my interest in sustainability started way earlier, when I was ten. I dressed up as a turtle for Halloween for the “Save the Turtles” campaign, banner and everything. That was honestly when I started seeing a future for myself in sustainability. Being part of the solution made me feel like I could actually do something about the problems in the world.

2. Was there a specific moment where you realized this is what you wanted to pursue?
   The summer after freshman year. It was really hot, I overheated easily, and I didn’t have air conditioning. That was kind of my moment. I realized I wanted to create a clean energy way to cool spaces, especially because there are people around the world dealing with way worse. I remember seeing a photo of a kid in India in 115-degree weather who literally couldn’t move, and that stuck with me.
3. When did you start getting involved in real-world STEM projects?
   During spring of freshman year, in that same club (STEM Invention Studio), we did a 3–6 month project with UC Berkeley where we were paired with mentors and worked on real-world problems. My group worked on an osteoporosis shot, and it was really cool to see something develop over months and then present it at Berkeley. That’s when I really saw how STEM and research connect to real applications.
4. What has been the most challenging part of your STEM journey?
   Honestly, time management. Balancing school while doing a fully independent, self-motivated project is hard. It’s easy to procrastinate when you’re your own boss. I definitely struggled with not leaving things to the last minute, and looking back, the quality of my work could’ve been better. But, it was a learning experience. 
5. Can you tell us about your work with clean energy or EV infrastructure?
   One big thing I’ve learned is that energy follows money. Clean energy is much more accessible to people who can afford it; it’s easier to install chargers or invest in EVs when you have resources. That’s why I’ve focused on making sure access to clean energy expands to everyone, not just those with the means. 
6. What inspired you to start Energizing Youth?
   In middle school, I knew what climate change was, but I had no idea about things like underground heat pumps or turbines in rivers. I only learned because I went out of my way to research it. When I asked my friends, they had no idea either, and I thought, “Okay, this is something people should actually be talking about.” So I started Energizing Youth out of curiosity and love of learning. 
7. How do you make complex STEM topics more accessible for younger students?
   I try to make it fun and relatable through videos, cartoons, acting, activities, and even candy prizes. It’s definitely not always serious. When it’s engaging, it sticks. 
8. What advice would you give to girls who want to get into STEM but don’t know where to start?
   Start at your school. That’s the easiest entry point. Join a club: bio, pre-med, anything. School is a safe space to explore. And honestly, with AI now, it’s so much easier to find opportunities or ask advisors to connect you to more specialized people. 
9. What’s something you wish you knew earlier?
   How to fail. I know it sounds cliché, but I was really scared of failing or not being perfect. I wish I had learned earlier to fail openly and not take myself so seriously. 
10. What problems are you most excited to solve in the future?
    I’m really interested in carbon capture. I think it has huge potential, especially with how much energy that AI is starting to use. It could be a big step in removing carbon and even generating new forms of energy. With Energizing Youth, I see it growing with me, bringing it to wherever I go to college and continuing to reach students in that community.

11. If you could collaborate with any female scientist or leader, who would it be?
    Honestly, I don’t know that many, which kind of proves the point. There are so many incredible women in STEM who just don’t get the same recognition. 
12. If you could leave young girls in STEM with one message, what would it be?
    Don’t be afraid to say no. Whether it’s in group projects or class, set boundaries. A lot of girls end up taking on too much because they feel guilty or want to help everyone, but you can’t do everything, and you shouldn’t have to.

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Mihika Bansal

March 14 was a few days ago, but do you know why it is significant?

If you said “Pi Day,” you are correct! Every year on March 14, math lovers around the world celebrate Pi Day. The date 3/14 matches the first three digits of π, one of the most well-known numbers in mathematics. π begins with 3.14, and it represents the ratio between a circle’s circumference and its diameter, remaining constant regardless of the size of the circle. π is a special number because its digits never end or repeat, and it appears in every circular object around us like clocks, plates, and basketballs.

The idea for Pi Day started in 1988 at the Exploratorium, where a physicist named Larry Shaw wanted to create a fun way to celebrate mathematics worldwide. During the first celebration, many people walked in circles around the museum and ate pie as a reference to the pronunciation of π. 38 years later, schools and math communities around the world have created their own versions to celebrate. 

In many classrooms, Pi Day is one of the most exciting days of the year for students. Some  math teachers decorate their classrooms with the digits of π, while others bring in various kinds of pie and organize competitions to see who can memorize the most digits or who dresses up the most. In sixth grade, I even participated in a “Digits of Pi” contest and managed to recite 100 digits of π!

Another interesting coincidence is that March 14 is also the birthday of Albert Einstein. Einstein’s discoveries were groundbreaking in the world of STEM, and he changed the way scientists understand space, time, and the universe today. To me, it feels fitting that a day celebrating the joys of mathematics shares a birthday with one of the most influential scientists in history.

Pi Day is a reminder that math can be creative, surprising, and fun. A number that describes every circle has inspired a worldwide celebration of curiosity and learning!

Until next time! 3.14159…

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Mihika Bansal

I have been dancing for the past eight years, and if someone were to ask me last week to describe dance in two words, I would have said grace and effortlessness. Recently, I learned that dance has just been a math lesson all along, especially involving my favorite technique of turns and jumps. A triple pirouette is 1080 degrees of rotation in the span of a few seconds. A leap across the stage follows a parabola shaped entirely by gravity. 

As a dancer, I have spent years practicing and perfecting my turns without thinking about the science behind them. When my arms are extended in the turn, I rotate slowly. When I pull them close to my body, I spin faster. This happens because bringing my mass closer to my center increases my rotational speed. However, if I lean slightly forward or backward, my center of gravity shifts, which often causes me to lose balance. It had never occurred to me that every time I fell out of my turn, it was simply a small change in angles and alignment. 

Jumps also involve just as much mathematics. Every leap follows a parabola, the same curve that is formed when a ball is tossed in the air. Dancers also control the height of their jump through the force they apply when pushing off of the ground. Gravity constantly pulls downward, and at the top of the jump, the upward velocity reaches zero before the body begins to descend. This is known as the illusion of suspension, and it causes jumps to look graceful and airy.

It is most fascinating to me that dancers have never learned the math behind their sport. Through repetition and training, our bodies have learned to respond to the fundamental mathematical principles naturally.

Even though dance and math are often seen as opposites, they couldn’t be more correlated. Behind every soft landing and clean turn is geometry and physics working together to light up the dance floor.

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Mihika Bansal

Math appears everywhere! Try to spot where the math was used in this photo.

One of the most common sayings I hear in and out of math class is, “We’re never going to use this in the real world. What is the point of even learning this?” I used to think the same way too. Most of us will not be using every theorem and equation in real life. However, in my opinion, math class is less about the math content and more about learning how to think critically.

I like to think of math problems like puzzles because some information is given, there is a goal to reach, and the steps depend on the person solving it. Repeating that cycle over and over again builds a stronger brain, especially when the initial idea does not work. 

My teachers have always referred to math class like the gym for the brain. When you first go to the gym, it is difficult, tiring, and requires struggling to achieve success. When you lift weights, you do it to get stronger, not because you will carry dumbbells everywhere you go for the rest of your life. Math has the same mentality behind it because every hard problem that you solve builds the focus, patience, and strength in your brain to help in every life problem that comes your way, math related or not. 

To me, the struggle is the most important step because your brain is challenged the most, like moving up weights in any exercise at the gym. Staying calm, trying again and again, and pushing through confusion is how growth happens. My piece of advice for the struggling step would be to never skip it by searching up the problem or looking at the answer key, just like if you went to the gym and came out one minute later without working out. 

Therefore, even if you don’t use every equation in the future, you are still gaining critical thinking skills that will help you in every problem that comes your way for the rest of your life.

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Mihika Bansal

Math midterms always sneak up on me when I least expect it. One moment I am flipping through notes from the most recent class, and the next moment I realize that a midterm is around the corner, covering the application problems that I never learned how to do. However, with a few right tips and tricks, the midterm will feel like a walk in the park on test day.

Preparing in Advance: 

One of the most important ways to prepare for the midterm is to begin studying early. Two or three weeks before the exam, start by compiling all of your notes, homework assignments, groupwork problems, and review sheets to create a list of all the topics, theorems, formulas, and application problems that you have covered in the semester. Then, identify the topics that feel comfortable to you and the ones that need more practice. Procrastinating and cramming for six hours straight the night before the test will be much less beneficial to the learning process. Instead, start earlier because it will help ease the stress and allow you to have more time to practice.

As you begin to work through problems, try to avoid rote memorization. Sketching graphs, color-coding steps, and making flow charts help with truly understanding the concepts and allow your brain to visualize why and how the math works. Math as a way of clicking when every step is spelled out on the paper, not by memorizing the problems and answers. 

Lastly, prioritize the quality of your preparation. Studying fifteen hours with text messages dinging, worksheets everywhere, and answer keys right next to the problems is worthless compared to a concentrated five hours of preparation with neat step-by-step solutions and a noise-free environment. 

Test Day:

On midterm day, stay positive because your attitude matters as much as the preparation. Every time I begin a test, I always mess up the first problem from nerves, so taking the minute to scan all of the questions and solving the ones you feel most confident about is worth it.

Additionally, it would not be a math test without a few challenging questions thrown in that you have never seen before. At the beginning of the exam, try not to spend too long on the problem if the method choice isn’t clear right away. Coming back to the problem later on often makes the ideas more obvious and at the very least, work through the problem as much as you can to show some understanding instead of leaving it completely blank. 

If you finish early, check your work! For me, the majority of my mistakes are small errors like forgetting to flip inequalities or missing parentheses. Simply using the last five minutes to go over the problems and evaluating if they make sense can boost your performance overall. 

Finally, remember to breathe throughout the exam. A small inhale and exhale help reduce stress and enhance concentration.

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Mihika Bansal

Magic squares are a mathematical concept that I learned in sixth grade during finals week, when my brain was crammed with long formulas, complicated theorems, and random problem-solving techniques. My math teacher sat down with me, and instead of going over the same concepts again, he taught me magic squares. 

A magic square is a square of numbers where every row, column, and diagonal sum to the same total. Most people have seen the famous 3×3 magic square using the numbers from 1 through 9. This is what it looks like:

8       1       6

3       5       7

4       9       2

If you add the numbers from top to bottom, left to right, corner to corner, everything adds to 15. I first thought that it was just a random number – that the entire concept of magic squares was pointless. However, I quickly realized the term “magic constant,” which showed up when I added all of the numbers to get 45 and divided it by 3 (number of rows) to get 15. Even though magic squares might feel like a simple division problem – like all math, the different processes of solving the problem (or in this case, constructing the grid) makes everything a whole lot more interesting. 

For example, the Siamese method is a traditional method for odd-number magic squares, which was brought to France in 1688 by Simon de la Loubére, a French mathematician. First, start with the number 1 in the top middle, then keep moving up and to the right. If you get to the position where the number is off the grid, wrap it around to the last row or first column. If one of the spots is taken by a number, simply drop down vertically and continue. In the end, all of the boxes are filled and the square becomes perfectly symmetrical, like the example below.

Now, going back to the part where I used to think that “the entire concept of magic squares was pointless.” It turns out that the magic square represented harmony in some cultures, as it was carved onto temples and statues. Even artists like Albrecht Dürer incorporated magic squares into their paintings, hiding the year the painting was made in the bottom row of the square. Can you spot it in the blog picture? Or try creating a magic square in a 4×4 matrix?

Magic squares are one of hundreds of mathematical topics that just teach you to enjoy math for what it is, not just for cramming the night before a math test.

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Mihika Bansal

Art and math feel like opposites at first; one uses imagination and creativity, and the other relies on logic and rules. However, math exists behind so much of the beauty we see, especially in art.

One of the most straightforward examples is origami. Folding paper into cranes or stars from sticky notes might seem purely a way to pass time in class through art, but it is based on angles, symmetry, and geometry through algorithms that turn shapes into foldable designs. Through a career lense, many engineers use origami to design solar panels and medical devices, simply from the folding that we learn for fun. 

Symmetry is another place math shows up in art through tile patterns, traditional mandala-style designs, and portraits. Artists often use the transformation skills from graphing, like reflection, rotation, and translation to bring balance to their work. The shifting up and down units is key to the work of many artists. For example, Maurits Cornelis Escher (M.C. Escher), a pioneer in art and mathematics, created mind-bending patterns that were inspired entirely by geometry and tessellations.

We also can’t forget about the Fibonacci Sequence and Golden Ratio; two patterns that appear in shells, flowers, and pinecones. Artists often use the same ratios to design layouts and compositions for the visual satisfaction of their audience. 

In the digital world, math is the backbone of creativity through animations, visual effects, and graphic design. The curves, vectors, and equations bring characters and images from fan-favorite cartoons to life. Behind every beautiful motion graphic and 3D model is the world of mathematics. 

From the doodles and sketches in notebooks to folded stars and hearts, math makes it all work. Art and math go hand in hand, and often, combining them is where real magic happens. 

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Mihika Bansal

This past summer, I had the opportunity to teach math to seventh graders through a month-long internship. The students came from under-resourced, low-income, and first-generation families, where they could not get help from tutors or educated parents if they didn’t understand a concept. 

Students were exposed to ratios, proportions, time, and other math skills used in everyday life. The concepts opened up new ways of thinking that the students could carry with them for the rest of their lives. For example, being able to read the clock accurately or solve a problem on ratios gave them confidence that math is a subject they can love, not run away from. 

One of the best parts of the experience was watching the students’ attitudes toward math evolve over the four weeks. I remember walking in the classroom on the first day, seeing half of the class with heads on their desks, and a few of them talking amongst themselves on how they would “fail the class from being bad at math.” After a few weeks, those same students ran into the room excited for groupwork activities, projects, and games, where they could solve problems with pride and confidence in themselves. Even the smallest of achievements, like correctly solving a ratio on the board or explaining a solution to a peer, created moments of excitement in the classroom.

I received valuable skills too, like patience when I explained the concepts in different ways until it clicked with each and every student. It taught me how important encouragement is, especially when students may not always have access to consistent resources or support.

By the end of the internship, I could see how much the students had grown. They were more confident, willing to try problems on their own, and genuinely interested in learning something new. Watching them improve and gain confidence made the experience so rewarding. It reminded me that teaching isn’t just about passing down knowledge, but more about helping people believe in themselves and their abilities.

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Mihika Bansal

The Tower of Hanoi involves many mathematical concepts, two of which are recursion and fractals.

Recursion: 

Recursion helps achieve the goal of moving all the disks from the first peg to the third in the least possible number of moves. In broader terms, recursion helps break down a large problem into smaller pieces for efficiency and accuracy. For the Tower of Hanoi, recursion is specifically used to continue making “towers” until the disk with the largest radius is able to directly move to the third peg for the other disks to stack on top. Therefore, the more disks, the more moves. By using the formula S = 2n − 1 (where S is the fewest number of moves to get all the disks from the first peg to the third peg and n is the number of disks), you can find the least possible number of moves for any number of disks n without physically solving the problem. 

Fractals: 

Fractals are smaller replicas of a larger idea, another concept that comes into play with the Tower of Hanoi. For example, in nature, fractals can show up like the petals in the leaf (replicating the leaf itself)! 

The Tower of Hanoi can be expressed as a fractal too, known as the Sierpiński Triangle.

The Sierpiński Triangle begins with an equilateral triangle, where all the angles of the triangle are 60 degrees, and all the side lengths are equal. Then, another equilateral triangle is formed in the center, after connecting the midpoints of the larger triangle (see the biggest white triangle.) Afterward, the triangle is removed, and three smaller equilateral triangles are formed where the same process continues again to infinity. 

How does this relate to the Tower of Hanoi?

This animation on the computer (link below) shows how the Tower of Hanoi is represented in the triangle: 

https://math.ucdavis.edu/~romik/downloads/hanoi-animation.gif 

The bolded red line shows the fewest number of moves with four disks. There are many other possible ways, not necessarily the fewest number of moves, to solve the puzzle through the triangle from the top to the bottom right corner, zigzagging through smaller triangles.

References

“Tower of Hanoi.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, inc., 10 Nov. 2023, www.britannica.com/topic/Tower-of-Hanoi.  

Admin. “Solving the Tower of Hanoi.” Futurum, 16 June 2021, futurumcareers.com/solving-the-tower-of-hanoi.

Jost, Eugen. Beautiful Geometry. Princeton University Press, 2017.

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