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Past Newsletters





February/March 2022 Issue



The Universe + Summer Opportunities



November 2021 Issue



Dreams / Dreaming



September 2021 Issue



Exploring STEM



May 2021 Issue + Final Remarks



Mental Health & Engineering



April 2021 Issue



Environmental Science



March/April 2021 Issue



Health (General)



Opportunities List (Summer)



Summer STEM Opportunities



January/February 2021 Issue



General STEM Reports



December 2020 Issue



General STEM Reports



November 2020 Issue



General STEM Reports



STEM News: Inside SI





STEM-related activities going on at SI. Scroll down further to explore our "STEM: Outside SI" section.




A Visit from the STEM Squad



November 14th, 2021. By Audrey Tam '22




From the psychology of zombie apocalypses to Carl Sagan’s call for informed voting, hear your favorite STEM teachers at SI reflect on the past, present, and future of their respective disciplines-- as well as their personal journeys into STEM.


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It's Our Future: The Effects of Resolution Copper's Mine on Oak Flat



November 14th, 2021. By Ethan Tam '22



Resolution Copper, one of the biggest mining companies in the world, currently threatens Oak Flat, the native land of the Apache tribe. In addition to religious liberty concerns, environmental issues on the Arizona water shortage and biomagnification are highlighted in many reports. Why is this mine in particular so damaging to the ecosystem and community of Oak Flat?


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Reviews of STEM AP Classes + Student Mental Health w/ APs



May 24th, 2021. By Ethan Tam '22 and Keira Tam '22



As the 2020-2021 school year wraps up, many rising juniors and seniors will take STEM APs for next year. However, students need to remember that these courses are college-level, meaning that they require a much higher level of work than even honors classes. This article delves into honest reviews of STEM APs from the editors and some tips for taking care of one’s mental health while taking these classes.


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Club Spotlight: SI Green Team



April 18th, 2021. By Ethan Tam '22





Natalie Tam '21 and Dory Miller '22 share their experience and vision as Co-Presidents of the SI Green Team.


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The Health Benefits of Yoga ft. SI Yoga Club



March 27th, 2021. By Aiden Wong '22



Yoga's everywhere now. Your mom does it, your friend does it, maybe even your second cousin, Mary, has tried to get you to join her class. But have you wondered what yoga really does? This article explores the physical and mental benefits of yoga and how you – yes you! – can get into yoga too!


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AP Science Classes: Demystified



February 7th, 2021. By Selina Rong '24, Audrey Tam '22, Aiden Wong '22




With class selections coming up, you might have heard of the infamous AP science classes. But what exactly are they about? Luckily for you, AP Chemistry teacher Mr. Stecher, AP Physics teacher Ms. Kellar, and AP Biology teacher Ms. Shorrock Chen are here to tell you all about their classes.


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STEM at SI: SI's Project Invent Team



January 29th, 2021. By Keira Tam '22



Project Invent is a nationwide engineering and design competition that empowers innovative high school students to invent technologies that solve real-world problems. Mr. Patterson, one of the moderators of SI’s Project Invent team, dives deep into what the team does, their process of choosing an invention to work on, and what he hopes students will learn from their experiences.


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STEM at SI: STEM Club and MedCats Club



October 31st, 2020. By Daniel Gao '22




The Apogee Report is introducing a series called STEM at SI, which features SI clubs and activities that are centered around science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. This month’s feature includes the SI STEM Club and the Medcats Club.


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SI's Red Cross Club



October 31st, 2020. By Keira Tam '22




Are you interested in learning how you can help worldwide humanitarian crises here at SI? Find out more by reading about what the Red Cross Club is, what they do, and their upcoming plans!


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PERFECTION IS ACHIEVED NOT WHEN THERE IS NOTHING MORE TO ADD, BUT WHEN THERE IS NOTHING LEFT TO TAKE AWAY.



STEM News: Outside SI





STEM-related activities and research going on outside SI. Fascinating reports by student writers.



The Star That Turned Into a Diamond




March 6, 2022. By Rini Saha '25




​Come closer, but not too close (or you’ll start orbiting this article)- and read about the story of how the millisecond pulsar star PSR J 1719-1438 turned PSR J 1719-1438b into a diamond planet! Discover what it means to be a millisecond pulsar star, a white dwarf planet, and how PSR J 1719-1438b became a dense planet with a diamond core with a bit of help!


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Where Are All The Aliens?




March 6, 2022. By Hadrian Barki '23




With mind-boggling numbers of habitable planets and billions of years before us, why don’t we have any evidence of precursors before us or even other intelligent life? Where are all the aliens?


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Exoplanets: New Discovery of Seasons Outside Our Solar System




March 6, 2022. By Ashley Chung '24




The discovery of a new exoplanet helped scientists gain insight into how seasons may work on planets outside our solar system. This article includes a description of what exoplanets are and how they are discovered. We'll also examine the exoplanet, XO-3b.


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Biological and Ethical Concerns of Advancements in BMI at Neuralink




November 14th, 2021. By Olivia Petri '25




Overview

  • What is Brain-Machine Interface (BMI)?
  • Benefits of Neuralink
  • Biological concerns
  • Elon Musk's extreme goals for Neuralink
  • Ethical concerns

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2021 Nobel Prize in Physiology: Newly Discovered Temp. and Touch Receptors




November 14th, 2021. By Keira Tam '22




The ability to recognize heat, cold, and touch, plays a crucial role in how we interact with the world around us. But how do the nerve signals in our bodies allow us to perceive senses like temperature and touch? This longstanding question has been answered by this year’s Nobel Prize winners.


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Hippocampus on Dreams



November 14th, 2021. By Selina Rong '24




The hippocampus is now known to be a vital part of dreams if not damaged, the formation and effects on dreams. And although dreams are not direct recordings replaying our memories, the link between these two is noticeable with the hippocampus as an important connector.


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Do Dreams Mean Anything?



November 14th, 2021. By Hadrian Barki '23





Dream interpretation has been around for millennia and is widely used in therapy, but is there any scientific backing for it? Do the dreams you have possess meaning?


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The Fauci Effect: What the United States Needed



September 29th, 2021. By Ethan Tam '22




Professionals at the forefront of the pandemic such as Dr. Fauci have inspired more students to apply to medical school; with such increased interest in the field, perhaps it’s the start of the solution to narrowing the gap between demand and supply of U.S. doctors.


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Starting Early in STEM



September 29th, 2021. By Selena Rong '24




Jobs that require knowledge in STEM branch out to many professions because virtually almost all jobs require a bit of STEM. STEM related fields attract interests from many young adults because of the freedom within the range of STEM related careers. The amazing thing is that there is something for every interest!


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AI and Alzheimer’s: A Tale of Two Brains



September 29th, 2021. By Audrey Tam '22




Why STEM? It allows us to improve our quality of life. A brief examination of a new Alzheimer’s identification algorithm reveals how applied science helps us both prevent and mitigate today’s problems, and as a result, reduce human suffering.


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Why does STEM pay more?



September 29th, 2021. By Hadrian Barki '23





Why does STEM pay more? Why do the humanities pay less in general? What really makes medicine so lucrative? And many more questions to be answered.


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Engineering Better brains



May 22nd, 2021. By Audrey Tam '22




In a way, our brains are electrical circuits. By merging electrical and computer engineering with psychiatry, researchers working with brain-machine interfaces hope to gain a greater understanding of our treatment of mental disorders and mental health as a whole.


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Combating Dementia: Music & Memory




May 17th, 2021. By Cayden Tu '24




Music and memory are interwoven in the complex fabric that makes up the human brain. New research indicates that music, and the brain's response to it, may provide key understandings in how to engage Alzheimer's patients.


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The Impacts of Online Learning: mental health & zoom fatigue




May 17th, 2021. By Hadrian Barki '23





Online learning leaves many of us feeling drained and exhausted. This article explains why this happens, and how we can alleviate it.


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Defeating Extinction: The Tale of the California Condor



April 18th, 2021. By Aiden Wong '22




Protecting the environment sounds like an idealistic, lofty goal. However, as the story of the California Condor shows, real progress can and has been made! The tale of the California Condor's revival from the brink of extinction isn't just for bird lovers, but also for anyone looking for a dose of hope.


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A Desperate Cry For Kelp: The Urgency of Global Climate Change




April 17th, 2021. By Cayden Tu '24




Our life as we know it is changing. Many people in SF have visited the Academy of Sciences or even Monterey Bay. They might've come across kelp forests, which are a major component of our marine ecosystem. These forests are dying quickly and we, as a community, need to address this problem immediately.


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Why ditching plastic saves more than just turtles



April 17th, 2021. By Audrey Tam '22





It's no secret that plastics are bad for the environment. But why? The answer lies in the chemistry of plastics – in what they are made of and how they are produced.


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The Pandemic's Negative Toll On Students' Mental Health



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As we are all aware, the COVID-19 pandemic has displayed various challenges to all sectors of society. COVID-19 has not only had the potential to degrade one's physical health, but it is also a virus responsible for numerous reports of low self-esteem and poor states of mental health. This article gouges into the pandemic's negative toll on students' mental health.


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Healthy Habits For Our Well-Being



March 27th, 2021. By Keira Tam '22 and Selina Rong '24



Though it has already been a year since the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic and many people have gotten used to the new normal, it is easy to get frustrated from feeling like we cannot control various aspects of our lives. At times like these, it is more important than ever to try our best to create and sustain healthy habits.


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COVID-19 Update: Spike Protein and Emerging Variants



March 20th, 2021. By Ethan Tam '22





New research shows that a sturdier spike protein on the new COVID-19 variants may allow the virus to spread more quickly.


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One-Shot Wonder: The Janssen Vaccine



March 20th, 2021. By Cayden Tu '24



Despite what seems like a never-ending pandemic, advances in medical technology and healthy industry research are providing hope for the future. New vaccines have been approved by the FDA and one sign of hope is the Janssen vaccine created by the Johnson & Johnson pharmaceutical company.


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AI not sci-fi: how technology is transforming crisis response



January 29th, 2021. By Cayden Tu '24



This report compiles one of the crucial uses of AI, helping the COVID-19 pandemic that is engulfing our world... this article also dives deeper into how this wondrous creation of technology uses the online database to save lives with medical workers.


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Gitanjali Rao: time's kid of the year



December 6th, 2020. By Keira Tam '22



A fifteen-year-old Colorado scientist and inventor who uses science to help out immense crises such as contaminated drinking water, cyber bullying, and opioid addiction has been crowned Time Magazine's first-ever "Kid of the Year."


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COVID-19 vaccines: a scientific explanation



December 6th, 2020. By Ethan Tam '22




As new COVID-19 vaccines emerge this month, conspiracy theories plague the internet, reinforcing beliefs of anti-vaxxers. This article delves into the molecular level of how vaccines function to explain the potential of the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines.


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Proposition 14: an investment or a fraud?



December 4th, 2020. By Aiden Wong '22




This report includes:

  • A description of Prop 14 and what it will do.
  • A summary of what stem cells are.
  • A description of the California Institute of Regenerative Medicine and what it has done.

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How many triangles are in this picture: a brain teaser



December 2nd, 2020. By Audrey Tam '22





Hint: It’s not counting them all individually. With some math, finding the answer is a lot simpler than you might think!


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Deepfakes: AI and the Election



October 31st, 2020. By Audrey Tam '22




Deepfakes are artificially produced media where a person’s likeness replaces another in an existing video. An autoencoder is a neural network used in deepfakes; it functions by compressing and reconstructing data . . .


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Chemistry Nobel Prize 2020



October 31st, 2020. By Selina Rong '24




Jennifer Doudna and Emanuelle Charpentier win the chemistry nobel prize for discovering a genome editing tool. This tool can change the course for science. It adds advantages with medicines, crops, and much more!


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