Bay Area Research Exposition inspires young women in STEM

As Foothill College Biology professor Neha Arora gazed over the packed lecture hall of the Mountain View Google complex on April 2, she saw 40 pairs of eyes staring back at her, eager to learn about her career in the STEM fields.

“I was so inspired by this young generation of high school students that are women in STEM,” Arora said after the talk. “Seeing what they’ve accomplished in the past and their goals for the future made me proud to be a woman in the STEM industry.”

The Women in Sci  ence, Technology, Engineering and Math (WiSTEM) clubs of Lynbrook, Monta Vista and Saratoga hosted the third annual Bay Area Research Exposition (BARE). The event kicked off with a keynote speech by Arora.

In her talk, Arora said that during her high school years, she struggled to pass even basic math classes. Despite her difficulty in high school classes, while getting her undergraduate degree, she found that asking for help proved beneficial.

“When I first started studying STEM, it didn’t come easily and I was really discouraged because I didn’t know if I could do it,” Arora said. “But I worked hard and I think the important lesson to learn is that if you put in the time and effort, success will come.”

The event also included a research exposition, in which participants who chose to compete presented their solutions to a prompt, designing a STEM-related solution to a problem that the community faces in either health, environment or efficiency.

Competitors designed a tri-fold prior to the event to present their research and projected experiments. At the event, they presented their ideas to the audience and judges. Ranging from protecting the ozone layer to helping the visually impaired, the projects demonstrated the diverse possibilities of STEM in the future, Arora said.

In the end, Lynbrook sophomores Isa Dash and Susan Zhou won first place with their mobile iOS app Victus, which helps those with dietary restrictions discover more food options.

Following the competition, Fei Liu Overney, a senior Staff Software Engineer of KLA-Tencor Corporation, joined Arora in a panel discussion.

“[Interacting] with the professionals and asking them questions directly was really cool,” participant senior Isha Mangal said. “It was nice to get to hear how each woman took different approaches to be in a STEM-related job today.”

Mangal said she especially liked hearing from Arora during the panel, who didn’t take the “conventional path” to become a biology major; instead, she explored the natural world and worked in developing countries like India to develop interest in her field. Inspired by Arora’s story, Mangal looks forward to pursuing a career in a STEM field as she studies pre-med at UC Berkeley next year.

After seeing how excited participants like Mangal left the event, Arora said she wished she had the opportunity to attend something like BARE in high school.

“It’s events like this that really inspire girls to grow up and not give up on their dreams, pursuing the paths of their choice,” Arora said. “I can’t wait to see what these girls do in the future; it’ll be amazing.”