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16 mhmatters.net The Talented Prawira Siblings of Mountain House Rising Science Stars Jacqueline Prawira and Jordan Prawira have raised the bar on achievement Issue #<strong>104</strong> • September 2022 By Sadia Khan - Mommy of Z kids Jacqueline Prawira, 17 years old says: I’ve grown up in Mountain House for 15 years, beginning my educational journey in Questa Elementary, where I skipped kindergarten to attend 1st to 4th grade, before moving to Altamont Elementary School from 5th grade to 8th grade, then progressing to Mountain House High School. Now that I’ve graduated from high school, my stay in Mountain House will be coming to a bittersweet end as I am moving out to attend MIT in Boston, Massachusetts for my undergraduate studies. Two award-winning teenage scientists from the same household are demonstrating to the world how to solve problems thinking outside the box. Jacqueline added, I am part of a family of 4, consisting of my mom and dad, myself, and my younger brother, Jordan. My dad works in finance while my mom is a homemaker. In contrast, Jordan and I are the first generation in our family to pursue STEM in our college and career goals! (STEM is an acronym for: Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics). Although our schedules are packed with competitions interspersed throughout the year, we make time to enjoy ourselves as a family, whether by watching movies, working out together at CrossFit, cheering each other on in Taekwondo and Muay Thai, or trying new foods at the Farmer’s Market! Jacqueline is goal oriented and tells us about her achievements. She has earned international and national accolades for scientific research over the past 9 years. She was officially published as a researcher in the Youth STEM Matters journal in 2021. At the Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF), the most prestigious scientific research competition for high schoolers, Jacqueline was the first-ever Mountain House Your success is our goal. Your trust is our asset. Your satisfaction is our reward! Harshad Bhimani Realtor ® CalBRE# 01960659 mobile: 408.616.0488 harshad.bhimani@gmail.com student to compete and win beginning in her freshman year, becoming a three-time winner of a 2nd place Grand Award in Materials Science (2019, 2021, 2022), and earning the Patrick E. Hurd Sustainability Award (honorable mention in 2019, winner in 2022). Additionally, Jacqueline was named a Top 300 Scholar in the nationwide Regeneron Science Talent Search (STS), won 1st place at the National Junior Science and Humanities Symposium, and 1st place at the 2021 International Spellman Clean Tech Competition. She has won 1st place every year at the SJCOE STEAM Fair since 2014 and earned the Best of Show Award every year since its introduction in 2019 (except in 2021 when the STEAM Fair was canceled due to the pandemic) and have consistently medaled at the state-level California Science and Engineering Fair (CSEF), including earning the title Project of the Year in 2021 and being a two-time winner of the 1st place Cheryl Saban Scholar Prize in 2021 and 2022. www.NandHomes.com www.Facebook.com/NandHomes A Tradition Of Trust Mountain House Resident & Area Expert Coldwell Banker and the Coldwell Banker logo are service marks of Coldwell Banker Real Estate, LLC. Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage is owned by a subsidiary of NRT, LLC. If you have a broker relationship with another agency, this is not intended as a solicitation. Other awards earned include: Top 25 placement nationwide in the Meteorology, Green Generation, and the Rocks and Minerals Science Olympiad MySO events; 63 lifetime medals over 10 years of Science Olympiad competitions; placement as the Top Scorer in the SJCOE-hosted Academic Decathlon and Pentathlon regional competitions; and 33 lifetime subject medals over 6 years of Academic Decathlon and Pentathlon. Jacqueline plans on dedicating herself to inventing and researching solutions so that we no longer need to choose between the quality of life and the health of the environment. “The biggest environmental issues we face today— climate change, plastic pollution, contamination of our resources—stems from the wasteful nature of modern-day convenience,” Jacqueline explains. “My plan is to tackle these issues from the source by up-cycling the garbage we produce into valuable products—preventing accumulation of pollution and enhancing sustainable use of resources for generations to come,” she adds. Mountain House Dental Isabela L. Putzlacher, DDS Experience Less Painful Dentistry with The Wand! Computerized Anesthesia Now Offering One Appointment Crown 209.839.8755 561 Wicklund Crossing (next door to Wicklund's Market) CEREC Machine • Laser Dentistry with Waterlase MD • Gentle and Personalized Treatment • Digital X-rays /Intra Oral Camera • White Fillings, Veneers & Crowns • Teeth Whitening, Sealants • Emergencies Welcome • Nitrous Oxide Available Jacqueline’s plans for the next 5 years- “The next 5 years will be dedicated to bringing my research, so far, closer to reality. At this point, I have 5 years’ worth of work developing alternative materials to plastic,” she states. “In addition to completing my undergraduate studies majoring in Materials Science and Engineering at MIT, I plan on joining the Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program to collaborate alongside MIT faculty in researching innovative technologies to solve global issues and advance society as a whole. I hope that my prior research can contribute to the work I will be developing in the future as part of my career and passion to solve environmental problems.” Your message to the youth of MH? “Every diamond needs to bear a lot of heat and pressure over time. Persist in your work, even if it is hard, because seeing your endeavors through will be worth it!” If you have to give one piece of advice to the teenagers to become the very best what will it be? “To tap into your potential,” she urges. “I would suggest embracing what makes you special. The qualities, hobbies, and interests that make you unique are the key to finding something you will be passionate about and excel in. Nurturing your point of uniqueness can grow your strengths into something world-changing.” How do your parents feel about your amazing achievements? Anything they would like to add to this? “Our parents are very proud to see us grow, achieve and be able to pursue our interests in STEM,” she says. more next page
Issue #<strong>104</strong> • September 2022 Prawira Siblings continued from previous page Brother, Jordan Prawira, is now 15 years old. “I’ve lived in Mountain House for all of my life,” he begins, “and started school in Questa Elementary for grades K-2, then moved to Altamont Elementary to finish my elementary and middle school education. I’m currently a junior at Mountain House High School. “I live with my sister, mom, and dad. My dad works in finance, and we have a close-knit family dynamic, doing various activities together. We have an active lifestyle, as we’ve trained in Taekwondo and Muay Thai, bike together to the farmer’s market, and have recently started training as a family at CrossFit.” Like his sister, Jordan has attained an amazing number of competition awards and recognition. “I’ve won various competitions all the way to the international level for my engineering work on various aerodynamic projects dealing with wind turbines and fans for the past 9 years,” he states. “I took 3rd place in the National 2019 3M Young Scientist Challenge, winning a trip to the New York Stock Exchange Closing Bell ceremony. I was also selected as one of the 20 under-20 Young Innovators in the Diversity Magazine, and one of the six Standout Students in the San Joaquin Magazine. I’ve consistently won first place in the SJCOE STEAM Fair, and have medaled in places 1st to 4th every year in the California State Science and Engineering Fair since 6th grade, for 5 years,” he continues. “Additionally, I’ve won 2nd place two times in a row in the Engineering and Sustainable Design Category at the Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair, in 2021 and 2022. My sister and I are the only two students at our school to ever go to this competition. “At the Regional Junior Sciences and Humanities Symposium, I have place twice and was a finalist in the National JSHS both times. I also have recently won 3rd Place in the International Spellman Clean Tech Competition with a prize of $3,500. “I also placed in the top 25 nationwide in the Meteorology and the Rocks and Minerals Science Olympiad MySO events, and have a number of medals across 8 years of Science Olympiad competitions,” Jordan humbly states. “I have also won top prizes at the SJCOE-hosted Academic Decathlon and Pentathlon regional competitions, winning first place medals in all events in 2022. In Altamont, I was a top scorer in the Math Olympiad team. “My plan is to implement my aerodynamic projects for real-world use. For example, my low-cost air purifier design that re-uses disposable face masks can be used worldwide in emergency applications, to help improve air quality in situations where filter supplies are unavailable. My highly efficient wind turbine design can be used in urban and suburban settings to provide clean energy in a variety of situations, even if wind speeds are low,” Jordan explains. Where do you see yourself in the next 5 years? “In 5 years, I hope to be in a prestigious college for my undergraduate studies, working in mechanical or aerospace engineering to further my ideas and improve them in real-world applications. Using the knowledge I can learn from these studies, I can improve the performance of my inventions and optimize them to solve global issues.” Your message to the youth of MH? “Persevere through any difficulties. Pushing through what seems difficult allows you to learn and grow. Working hard allows you to make the most out of what opportunities you’re given, and open new ones for yourself, bringing you to success.” If you have to give one piece of advice to teenagers to become the very best what will it be? “Pursue your ambitions. Hard work in your field of interest can show you how much you’re capable of. Continuing-on and continuously improving yourself in these areas can bring you success. Even if things don’t work at first, perseverance and thinking from new perspectives can help you perfect your skills or ideas.” How do your parents feel about your amazing achievements? “Our parents are proud of our accomplishments, as they can see us pursuing our fields of passion, learning and growing, even though they aren’t scientists and engineers themselves.” I really enjoyed my conversation with Jacqueline and Jordan. They are humble, dedicated and a powerhouse of talent. Mountain House is proud to have them. We wish them the very best in all their future endeavors. mhmatters.net The Causes and Health Effects of Wildfires Submitted by Aarya Vishnu The Causes and Health Effects of Wildfires California has been cursed with increasingly vicious wildfires. Plagued with a dry climate, densely forested regions, and seemingly endless amounts of “once in a lifetime’’ droughts, California has the perfect conditions for a wildfire to start and spread. When California was significantly more rural - before 1800 - around 4.4 million acres of land burned annually. During this time, California was considerably more forested. Even if this is the case, with more homes encroaching on forested land, fires are more deadly today, burning 4.5 million acres of land in 2020. These wildfires receive lots of attention, and rightfully so. Yet one of the less discussed parts of wildfires is the adverse health consequences. Wildfires can release dangerous amounts of greenhouse gases while significantly affecting air quality. What Defines Air Quality? Air quality is basically the measurement of the purity/cleanliness of the air. The Air Quality Index (AQI) is a measure of how polluted the air currently is. The higher the AQI, the worse the Air Quality. For example, an AQI of 28 would be considered good while 128 would be unhealthy for sensitive groups. How Wildfires Affect Air Quality and Health According to Stanford Wildlife research, in an area with an AQI of 150, If a person were to stay outside the whole day, it would be equivalent to smoking seven packs of cigarettes. That’s One Hundred Forty cigarettes a day, just by breathing in the air. Millions of Californians are exposed to high concentrations of carbon dioxide as well as black carbon (a black, soot-like material), methane, and nitrous oxide. These particles could irritate your sinuses, increase your heart rate, and induce shortness of breath. Those with preexisting cardiovascular or respiratory conditions are especially at risk of developing serious symptoms when breathing in the smoke. 17 How to Reduce Wildfires Although there is no way to prevent all wildfires, considering that they are a natural occurrence, there are ways to prevent them from spreading. The best way to prevent a small fire from forming into conflagrations (or large fires) is by reporting fires to the National Fire Information Center or by calling 911. The best way to outright prevent fires from starting is by keeping sparks away from dry vegetation. Unattended campfires that should have been properly put out, or carelessly thrown out cigarettes that should be properly disposed of, are some of the most common causes of wildfires. As the climate continues to worsen and as wildfires are getting more dangerous, it is best to stay vigilant to prevent these life-altering occurrences. About The Author: Aarya Vishnu is a rising senior at Mountain House High School who aspires to be a medical researcher.
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