DEC 2024: Hello everyone, this is my first blog entry for What the HEC, where I will discuss topics related to the environment that I find interesting or cool. I have recently traveled to Costa Rica for Winter break (2024) from December 21st to January 3rd, and a big part of Costa Rica is how lush it is there. This comes with a lot of wildlife, which was on full display for my trip. My family and I went to this town called “Monte Verde,” which is unique due to their cloud forests. Cloud forests are rare because the moisture that the plants receive comes primarily from clouds, allowing a unique diversification of wildlife. In one of the Monte Verde cloud forests, our tour guide Luis, told us about how the golden frog was once in Costa Rica, but became extinct in 1989, shortly after they were discovered in 1964. Luis mentioned that the toad went extinct due to local bacteria and the changing climate, which you could probably find just by looking it up, but Luis also mentioned how the changing climate allowed the fungus to develop and multiply at an increased rate, which killed the toads. Previously, the jungle had not been the optimal condition for the fungus to multiply rapidly, but due to global warming, it became ideal for the toad’s demise. I found this quite interesting because it related to a book I have been reading called, “The Sixth Extinction,” by Elizabeth Kolbert, which discusses the mass wave of extinctions occurring recently in human history. The book covers golden frogs in its first few chapters, so being able to read about it and then coincidentally going to the location in which they were discovered, feels special.

JAN 2025: Before December, I knew that I wanted to pursue science long term, so collegiately and professionally, however I never had a specific goal in mind for what area of science I was set on. After taking AS Chemistry as a sophomore, I felt like I wanted to go into chemistry, however after being introduced to AP Biology, which I’m taking now as a junior,  I felt as if I leant more toward biology for my study of interest. Now, post December, I find myself being really invested into environmental sciences, but still wanting to pursue biological aspects of the environment. I’ve heard a decent amount about the type of work that the typical environmental scientist does, and it does not inspire me at all. In fact, my uncle who works at PG&E works with environmental scientists regularly and said it would be a waste of my academic skills to go into environmental sciences because of how simplistic his co-workers’ jobs are. A combination of all these factors has pointed me into a very specific direction, that being applying biological sciences to environmental issues. I’m not quite sure exactly how I would be able to expand on this knowledge in order to build a reasonable college application, however I’m dedicated to seeking out new opportunities which will help me put this focus into action in one way or another. Additionally, this biological focus speaks to me because not many others share the same passion, which gives me incentive to pursue issues which are not as known or covered in society. That justification is slightly vague, but another way to think about it is, if no one addresses an issue, it will eventually get out of control, and in this case I could be someone who addresses said issue. As a testament to this, ever since I’ve had this focus in my head, I haven’t met another one of my peers who shared my same particular interest.

FEB 2025: I’ve recently begun to do beach cleanups as a result of my venture in Costa Rica, ultimately with the goal of trying to make an effort to preserve the coastal ecosystem of Half Moon Bay, which is about 40 minutes away from where I live in Redwood City. I acknowledge that my contributions are insignificant to the overall health of the ocean however I still believe that I am making a difference in the small Half Moon Bay ecosystem. The organization that I assist in these clean ups is the Pacifica Beach Coalition and in the month of February, the animal that is being emphasized is the pygmy sperm whale. Although still technically a whale, the pygmy sperm whale is quite small with adults only reaching around 12 feet and around 700 pounds. According to my lead, Iona Pratt, for the 2/8 Montara State Beach cleanup, the pygmy sperm whale is quite elusive which is why it is particularly susceptible to pacific pollution since it’s hard for scientists to monitor their ecosystems. This raised awareness was validated later in the month when a pygmy sperm whale washed up on Pismo beach, displaying the dangerous side effects of pollution. As a little fun fact to throw into this entry, the pygmy sperm whale is one of the only mammals on the planet who uses an ink-like defense in order to escape from predators. This mechanism is very similar to squids. Hopefully my continual effort in the cleaning of pacific beaches will make a beneficial difference in the ecosystem so that animals like the pygmy sperm whale may live long lives.

MAR 2025: This month hasn’t brought the most news in terms of environmental progress of mine, however I have still been pursuing some scientific extracurriculars. This year I got close with a bunch of new people, and that came with a bunch of new opportunities. One of my now closest friends has a dad who is very involved in the scientific community and has started a non profit called Avante Science. Avante Science essentially gives the opportunity for underprivileged schools to run their own science fairs, in hopes that the experience will motivate kids in these areas to pursue science in high school and later in life as well. AFte the kids to assemble their science fair projects, teen advisors grade how they did, and give them a medal as encouragement. My friend’s dad suggested that I be a teen advisor for the event, which was on March 27th, and I found it to be very endearing to hear these kids talk about their science project with pride. I graded kids from 2nd to 5th grade and this particular science fair took place at Adelante-Selby, which is an elementary school that is not far from my house in Redwood City. I was a bit surprised about just how advanced some of these kids made their projects, considering most of them are under the age of 10. Avante provides a variety of kits for the students and one of them tests the Acid and Bases of different liquids. Typically, the student would conduct the experiment at home based on the guidelines and then present their findings during the actual event, but one kid wanted to test whether acidic and basic solutions improved buoyancy, and he brought the liquids he made, into the classroom to give a live demonstration to all the graders who went up to him. Not all students go above and beyond like that, however the ones that do are what make grading them so entertaining. There’s another science fair later down the road at Garfield, another local elementary school, which I will be sure to attend.

APR 2025: My mom recently brought up to me how scientists are making progress in essentially harnessing the same fuel source as the sun. The way these scientists do this is through nuclear fusion of plasma. In January of this year, researchers in China were able to confine this reaction for 17 minutes with a net positive energy output. This breakthrough is absolutely huge for the environment and scientific world. Although 17 minutes may not seem like a lot, the fact that it was able to be done in the first place means there’s a real possibility that humans may be able to sustain this plasma fusion for a long amount of time. This is so important because unlike other natural fuel sources, plasma fusion doesn’t create harmful byproducts like the burning of fossil fuels does. If humans can get to a point in the future where we can rely solely on nuclear fusion of plasma for energy on the planet, the changes that have been observed around the world as a result of climate change will surely revert naturally. Something that is up for debate though, is once this technology can be reliably used in modern infrastructure, will it be accessible for the whole world, or just to the countries that can afford it? In my mind, it’s extremely unethical for the rich countries to fix all their climate issues due to the utilization of plasma fusion, whereas the poor countries still have to deal with the effects of climate change. Now obviously this example is a bit extreme, as if the richest nations were to switch to plasma fusion, most negative climate effects would revert nonetheless, as the rich nations are the ones who burn the most fossil fuels. This sentiment is still extremely valid though, and should be considered when considering the price of revolutionary innovations

MAY 2025: Some advice my college counselor gave me as the junior year ended, was to look into programs which I could potentially apply to in the summer. Not only would applying for a research program allow me to build on my scientific interests, it would also allow me to develop necessary lab and time management skills before college starts. Ultimately, the goal is to get hands-on experience, which is why my sights are set on UCSB’s SRA program. Essentially, the program allows a person to fly down to UCSB for a month in order to participate in research in the students’ particular field of study. The track that spoke to me, was track #9: Molecular Clock. This track discusses molecular biology, which my dad already has experience in, and also speaks to my biological based goals for my future career. This program is very competitive, so although my hopes are high, realistically there is a slim chance that I get in. Even if I don’t get in, the application process would not be a waste, as the application mimics that of a traditional college supplemental essay, giving me good practice for when I apply to college as a senior. Some back up programs I’ve been considering are the UCSD BE-BOAT program, which is relatively similar to SRA as you fly down in person to attend the program, as well as the Horizon research program. The horizon program is unique because there is no in person lab work, and no cohort with other students. However, Horizon is more personalized because you get paired up 1 on 1 with a professor to pursue a topic of your choice. Horizon seems as if it lets the student have slightly more freedom that SRA or BE-BOAT would.

JUN 2025: For the summer of 2025, I have a research opportunity lined up with Horizon Academics. The application process was somewhat difficult, as I had to submit a pseudo college application, similar to the SRA application, however I am quite happy with my enrollment. Horizon gives you the chance to apply for a wide variety of programs however I gravitated towards Gene Editing and CRISPR because I had learned about CRISPR in my AP Bio class, and I also felt like I could apply CRISPR to the environment and in a relatively niche way that was still intriguing to me. Ultimately, the goal for me will be to write about a paper in which I outline an experimental design in which someone will be able to genetically engineer a bee to be less resistant to common pesticides, in hopes that it may revitalize their population. This ties into my December entry, as the inspiration for this research paper is a direct result of my trip to Costa Rica. I’m not entirely sure how I will be able to create this experimental design, however with the help from my professor, Evey Hegewisch, I should be able to write a sophisticated paper. My initial idea is to increase expression of a gene which would let the bee release more proteins to break down toxins, however there are many considerations to take into account for the functionality of this process. This paper should take all summer which seems pretty daunting but I feel confident in my ability to get it done on time at a high quality. Additionally, I want to publish my work because I feel as if there could be legitimate real world applications if my experimental design is successful. 

JUL 2025: My research paper has been going swimmingly thus far. To be honest, I haven’t actually started writing it yet, as I have been busy attaining all the information I need to actually write the paper. How the research program is set up, I have 15 sessions with my professor and the first 5 are lectures about the topic matter in order to give me a better sense of what I actually have to comprehend, fundamentally, in order to write a successful paper. Currently, I am absorbing these lectures as best I can and even though I haven’t started writing yet, I feel really good about myself moving forward. Firstly, all the topics that my professor is covering are things in which I have some background knowledge already, and additionally, I can visualize how the things I’m learning will come together in the final paper. My mindset at this point in the research project is definitely learning towards publishing my experimental design, and I will make sure to include it in a later entry when that happens. Besides my progress on the paper, summer has been relatively slow. Of course, I have been keeping up with my beach cleanups, but not being in school means I can’t really pick up any new opportunities, so for now, there isn’t too much else to write about.

AUG 2025: My paper has been wrapped up as of the end of this month and I believe it was a success in terms of the advancement of my knowledge, as well as the professional aspect in which it was written. In fact, I’m so confident in this paper that I’m actively submitting it for publication with Press Journals, as recommended by my professor. In terms of what I gained from the paper academically, I feel much more confident in my abilities to assess and comprehend scientific processes related to CRISPR. I feel as if I can continue to work with CRISPR to a somewhat advanced degree, which has inspired me to reach out to additional professors at SF State and Stanford, via cold emails, in order to potentially gain more experience in a real lab before I go to college. The results of these emails have come up slightly short as of recently, however my continual persistence will be enough to gain the recognition from at least one professor eventually. Evey, my original professor, is someone who I want to keep in contact with as I value his professional and collegiate connections. He has expressed that he’s willing to help me out in some senses, which is why I’m going to be flying down to UCLA for a lecture that he is attending on 10/27. My attendance will hopefully allow for my introduction to some members of the scientific community at UCLA and as for now, I will continue trying to build up my environmental knowledge as I prepare to start my college applications in the coming months.

SEP 2025: This year, as a senior, I took APES to advance my knowledge in the environment because as you may be able to tell, that’s the field I’m most interested in and will be pursuing in college. My APES teacher, Ms. Akey, pitched the idea to our class that if any students were interested in impacting the broader community of redwood city, that we should sign up for the SUSHD sustainability committee. This committee is essentially focused on civil pursuits in my school district about how to be more environmentally conscious. I thought this committee would give me the unique opportunity to branch out my influence to a wider range than just my immediate community of woodside high school, so I joined. Although we have only had one meeting so far, with our second meeting being on September 23rd (it’s the 21st right now), I have already heard some intriguing ideas that excite me for the future of my tenure on the committee. Firstly, there are 3 sub committees, Clean Energy, Zero Waste, and Environmental Literacy. I decided to join the Clean energy sub committee because I felt like there could be more biological applications related to clean energy compared to zero waste and environmental literacy. Personally, I’m more interested in the scientific side of environmental science and less interested in the civil side, which was the key factor in my sub committee choice. As for the ideas that were interesting to me, our sub committee advisor pitched the ideas that our sub committee could potentially go to other schools to present about our ideas in hopes that they will get adopted by each individual school. Now although the actual presentation material has not been thought of yet, this idea of presenting at other schools was interesting for multiple reasons. Firstly, I think it would be extremely cool to see my contribution have a lasting impact. For example, if we presented about how each high school in our school district should use solar panels in their student parking lots, and they actually got implemented, the change would be permanent and I would feel satisfied with our achievements as a committee. Secondly, it gives me the chance to meet others who are interested in the same fields that I am, as in this world it’s not about what you know but who you know, and these connections could be very valuable. I’m extremely excited to continue my work on the SUSHD sustainability committee.

OCT 2025: In school, the senior class has recently been introduced to an assignment called Senior Thesis. Essentially, Senior thesis is a 6-8 page paper in which you take a defensible stance about a controversial issue and argue your position. When I heard about this project, my mind instantly jumped to something scientific, as I have experience with it in the past and I want to explore a different side of CRISPR. In the summer I did a research paper on CRISPR in relation to gene regulation, but for my senior thesis project I want to focus on CRISPR in relation to De-extinction. My AP bio teacher last year told us about the revival of dire wolves, and since then I’ve been looking for an opportunity to expand on this idea, and now senior thesis is giving me that opportunity. I’m slightly concerned about the length of the paper as the maximum being 8 pages restricts how much raw information I can put into the paper however I still believe I can do an adequate job educating the reader as well as providing reasons for my defensible stance. Since we need to have a two part thesis, the essential question I’m learning towards right now is “How is CRISPR being used for de-extinction purposes, and what restrictions may occur for this practice when taking into account ethical consideration?” Of course the first part of the paper will address HOW crispr is being used for de-extinction and the second part of the paper addresses ethical concerns. Although at first it wouldn’t seem like there would be ethical concerns with bringing back a species that would be beneficial to the human race/environment it always has to do with accessibility. Let’s say theoretically a prehistoric insect gets revived that eats other pests like crazy, this would make it so that farmers wouldn’t have to use pesticides, since the pests are no longer an issue. This brings up the problem of, how would other, poorer, nations who cannot afford the technology to be able to replicate the production of this prehistoric insect be affected? The poor countries in question would be left by the wayside, which is something that scientists would like to avoid, the point of creation is to benefit ALL humans. Ideally I would be able to explain the point in my senior thesis project effectively.