From Curiosity to Competition: Hausner Students Shine in STEM

This spring, Hausner Upper School students took part in a full STEM fair journey, beginning with our school fair, continuing to the Synopsys Silicon Valley Science & Technology Championship, and culminating in the California State Science & Engineering Fair (CSEF).
 

Success at Synopsys

After months of research and preparation, our 7th and 8th graders represented Hausner at the Synopsys Championship and earned recognition across multiple categories:

• 1st Place, Physical Science and Engineering: Matthias Garzon, Isaac Romanoff, and Elijah Alcheck & Caden Eaton
• 2nd Place, Environmental Awards: Joshua Sandel
• IEEE Electro-Technology Award: Silvia Syrowicz
• Honorable Mentions: Eden Ross, Danielle Zomet, and Avigail Kozodoy

Students also received over $600 in sponsored awards.

Four students—Matthias Garzon, Isaac Romanoff, Elijah Alcheck, and Caden Eaton—were invited to move on to the state competition.

Taking on the State Stage

At the California State Science & Engineering Fair (CSEF), students competed within grade level and subject categories alongside peers from across California.

• Elijah Alcheck and Caden Eaton placed 2nd in 7th Grade Applied Mechanics
• Isaac Romanoff earned Honorable Mention in his category

All four students who advanced to state are eligible to apply to the Thermo Fisher Scientific Junior Innovators Challenge at the national level.

Student Perspective

Elijah and Caden’s award-winning project, “Mind Your Meds,” reflects the kind of meaningful, real-world problem-solving we strive to cultivate at Hausner. They shared:

“We chose this topic for personal reasons that made the problem feel real to us… As we researched, we learned that about 75% of Americans have trouble taking their medication, which showed us how important this issue is.

Working on this project was challenging and exciting. We designed, 3D printed, and programmed multiple versions, and had to keep redesigning when things didn’t work. It taught us perseverance, problem-solving, and time management. We were proud to create a prototype that works and costs less than similar products.”

Acknowledgments

Thank you to our STEM teachers—Liat Baranoff, Laura Coughlin, Khurshid Gandhi, Pooja Dimba, Rachel Kohls-Lunt, and Raju Rajesh—for guiding students through this process, and to the families who supported them along the way.

Kol hakavod to all of our students who participated at every level of the STEM fair.