Res Novae 2022 Print Magazine

A WORLD STILL UNCERTAIN

IN THIS MAGAZINE NEWS

Exploring the effects of later school start times on students

OPINION

Discussing disparities within the American healthcare system and how to best address medical inequity at MVHS

SCIENCE FICTION MONTA VISTA HIGH SCHOOL | MAY 2022 | VOLUME VII ISSUE II

A glimpse into the world during a nuclear war and the psychological effects of mutually-assured destruction

IN THIS MAGAZINE THE AWAITED DISSECTION

BY DIVYA VENKATARAMAN

FACING FACE PAREIDOLIA

BY ANANYA DUA

A WAKE NING

BY INIYAA SURESH

AM

PAGE 03 SENIORS IN STEM

PAGE 05 WORDLE-LY WISE

BY ERIC ZHOU

INVASION OF THE RED FOREST

BY RIYA RANJAN

PAGE 07 COW PRINT

BY AMY ZHENG

PAGE 09 DISPARITIES DECONSTRUCTED

BY LAVINIA LEI

BY DIVYA VENKATARAMAN

PAGE 13 JUST ONE MORE RUSH

BY AVANI DURVE

PAGE 19

PAGE 11 EVERYTHING GOES DARK

BY ANGELA ZHANG

PAGE 15 THE ROBOT’S GUIDE TO SOCIETY

BY AASHI VENKAT

PAGE 06

PAGE 20

PAGE 18 RESTORE

BY DAHLIA SCHILLING

PAGE 21

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Riya Ranjan LEAD EDITOR Divya Venkataraman SECTION EDITORS Arnav Rathee Aashi Venkat Angela Zhang VISUALS LEAD Jennifer Zhao DESIGN LEAD Marvin Wu Cover & Page Design

by Marvin Wu

STAFF WRITERS Abha Dash Preetal Deshpande Indu Devakonda Ananya Dua Avani Durve Brinda Jayasimha Lavinia Lei Kalyani Puthenpurayil Dahlia Schilling Anjali Sharma Iniyaa Suresh Yash Thapliyal June Wang Amy Zheng Eric Zhou

ABOUT US Res Novae is Monta Vista’s student run STEM publication.

Every month, we publish news, opinion, and science fiction articles on mvresnovae.org. We answer questions ranging from “How have MVHS students contributed to cancer research?” to “Can intelligent robots cook my dinner for me?”

LETTER FROM THE EDITOR Dear Res Novae Readers, As the world returns to its former in-person, interactive form, I am proud to present our first physical print magazine in nearly two years — one that a team of 20 staff writers and visuals leads worked hard to develop. Our 2022 print cycle is an in-depth look at the spirit of what post pandemic life ought to be about: human connection and experience. After two years of online life, the MVHS community is slowly, but surely, returning to what it used to be; and science remains an integral part of that restoration.

Though the pandemic has ended, its influence has remained, shifting our lives and world forever. Writer Dahlia Schilling explores the theoretical implications of such a vast global change on page 21, with the story of a protagonist functioning in a world with an artificial sun. As we all attempt to restore the semblances of our own prepandemic world, whether through the return of in-person birthday parties or graduation ceremonies, Schilling’s story reminds us that a full return to pre-pandemic life requires a slow, steady progression and appreciation of the world around us.

More concretely, as students, we have all experienced the stresses of the shift from online back to in-person school.

From new block schedules to in-person exams to constant COVID testing, the learning curve of post-pandemic education has been just as steep as that of virtual schooling.

On page 6, writer Iniyaa Suresh explores the medical implications of new education legislation for later school start times, with the stories of individual students adjusting to constantly changing expectations of their academic lives.

On a global scale, COVID brought the world’s attention to the ins and outs of healthcare systems — and in the United States, vast systems of inequity were exposed, from racial to genedered disparities in the administration of medicine. Lead editor Divya Venkataraman details the stories of MVHS students, teachers and administrators as they navigate the complexities of American healthcare, just as all citizens have done for the last two years.

On a more personal level, in the post-COVID era, our concepts of identity have been constantly changing, forever shaped by the pandemic — and it is important that we treat ourselves and others with care and heart. On page 13, Lavinia Lei emphatically describes her experiences with vitiligo, and her journey from shock to acceptance. As she discusses the intricacies of the reactions of those around her, and her response to the support and confusion of her communities, she shares a story that many can identify with: one of self-love and acceptance.

As you read, I hope that each of these stories resonate with you and your journey through life after COVID in some way. And, while I am certain that the effects of COVID will last for the next generation, I know that we will all continue to learn and grow, evolving in tandem with our post pandemic world.

Signing off for the last time,

Riya Ranjan Editor-in-Chief

PHOTO | ANUSHA SAINARAYANAN

FPPN officer Divya Venkataraman cuts through the sheep brain in half to reveal the cross-section.

THE AWAITED DISSECTION

BY DIVYA VENKATARAMAN MVHS FPPN and MVHS Neuroscience hold their annual sheep brain dissection club collaboration meeting

O

n Monday, March 21, 2022, Monta Vista Future Practicing Physicians Network (MVHS FPPN) and Monta Vista Neuroscience (MVHS Neuroscience) had their first brain dissection collaboration meeting since the start of the COVID-19 Pandemic in 2020. After hours of preparation and coordination, the two MVHS clubs were able to host the highlyawaited dissection for their eager club members — teaching valuable lessons and making priceless memories.

The brain is one of the most important organs in the body; according to Princeton Brain and Spine, the brain allows us to function as humans — coordinating both actions and reactions, enabling us to think and serving for us to have memories and feelings. Unfortunately, it is unfeasible

03 NEUROSCIENCE

for the clubs to dissect a human brain, so they opted instead to dissect the brain of a sheep — an animal in which brain structure and function are both similar to those of humans, according to The Exploratorium.

Dissecting the brain of a sheep allows us to see the brain in much more detail, enabling us to pinpoint where the parts of the brain are located and how they work together to perform all of the

brain’s various functions.

Oftentimes, science classes in school are unable to explore learnings in a handson way like dissections do, focusing more on lecture-based lessons. Hence, the officers from both MVHS FPPN and MVHS Neuroscience hope that this brain dissection gives a more direct learning experience for their members who are deeply interested in

“When you actually cut through the brain and see how all of the parts overlap, you realize that there is so much depth to [neuroscience].”

SENIOR ANANYA RUPANAGUNTA

either medicine, neuroscience or both.

Senior Ananya Rupanagunta, MVHS Neuroscience club’s president, adds that the brain dissection not only introduces members to a more hands-on approach in learning the parts of the brain and their functions but also shows them the vast field of neuroscience — and how hard it really is to study such a conceptual organ as the brain.

“Most of our [brain structure] lectures are simplified content meant [to convey] a very basic understanding,” said Rupanagunta. “But then, when you actually cut through the brain and see how all of the parts overlap and are connected, you realize that there is so much depth to [neuroscience].”

Lora Lerner, MVHS biology teacher and MVHS FPPN club advisor, agrees with Rupanagunta. Lerner believes that one of the most interesting parts of the sheep brain dissection, in her experience, is being able to visualize what used to be such an abstract concept.

“You can clearly see the different structures [in the brain] — [such as] the hypothalamus and the optic nerve and how they’re physically connected, or the actual myelin,” said Lerner. “I remember — it’s like, ‘yeah, I’ve read about that, but I didn’t really quite get the brain until I saw it.’”

Vrinda Inani, sophomore at MVHS and FPPN club member, recently partook in the dissection on Monday. Inani believes the dissection to be a great experience, not only in helping her understand more about the brain in a more direct approach than classrooms offer, but also a great way to introduce different elements of her interested careers.

“My favorite aspect of the [brain] dissection was getting a first-hand feel for not only dissections in general [but] also surgery-like [procedures],” said Inani. “We had diagrams provided and could even talk to officers that were constantly available for any questions — [that] really helped me learn more about the brain and the dissection process.”

While the brain dissection provides immeasurable value to club members, preparing for it takes a lot of dedicated work from the club officers. Junior Raaga Karumanchi, an MVHS Neuroscience club

officer, shares how both clubs have been working on this dissection for the past few months, shaping their previous club lessons and activities around the dissection. In order to ensure all members are prepared for the dissection, the club’s created lessons on the different parts of the brain, their functions, their locations and safety procedures for the dissection itself. Both MVHS FPPN and MVHS Neuroscience emphasized the safety meetings, making attendance to the safety meeting required to be able to perform the dissection.

“We have two safety meetings before the actual brain dissection,” said Karumanchi.

“They are a really great way to give

members a head’s up, and [let them know] what will be on the dissection.”

Ultimately, regardless of how long it took, both MVHS FPPN and MVHS Neuroscience handled this intricate collaboration incredibly well. Lerner conveyed her pride in the organization of the dissection, highlighting the unique experience the dissection provided to club members in both MVHS FPPN and MVHS Neuroscience.

“From the perspective of a club advisor, I thought [the clubs] did a great job in preparing [such] an educational experience,” said Lerner.

“A lot of what makes the dissection so special is it’s novelty — it’s an interesting thing that you may not get another chance to do.”

“I didn’t really quite get the brain until I saw it.”

BIOLOGY TEACHER LORA LERNER

PHOTO | ANUSHA SAINARAYANAN

Students reference handouts given by FPPN and Neuroscience officers to identify components of the sheep brain with a probe RES NOVAE 04

FACING FACE PAREIDOLIA: GENDERING OF INANIMATE OBJECTS

BY ANANYA DUA Exploring gender bias in individuals’ perception of inanimate objects

T

he Man in the Moon.

Boy in the Plastic Bubble.

Man in the Mirror.

What do these titles have in common besides being cornerstone films in American cinema?

Well, for starters, all of them associate a male with an inanimate object.

On Feb. 1 2022, in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, researchers reported that facelike patterns in inanimate objects are more likely to be perceived as male than female.

Utilizing more than 3800 adult volunteers online, researchers Susan Wardle, Sanika Paranjape, Jessica Tauber and Chris Baker of the National Institute of Health displayed over 250 images to the participants. These images were illusory faces from potatoes to socks to suitcases, which the participants labeled with male, female or neutral.

The results were unforeseen. The objects were deemed to have male faces about four times as often as they were to have female ones. Additionally, both male and female participants were subject to this bias, with around 80 percent of participants labeling more images male than female. In fact, only 3 percent of participants judged more images as female than male. The remaining 17 percent of respondents distributed male and female images equally.

Amy Nguyen, assistant professor of psychology at San Jose State University, was surprised by the results. “I expected some bias, it’s almost human to be subject to it, but, 80% leaning male is truly surprising,” Nguyen said.

After the initial study, the researchers conducted follow-up surveys where they used the same objects, but without illusory faces. The participants did not show bias in this set of images. While these conclusions are a bit puzzling, researchers successfully eliminated the notion that participants viewed something about the underlying

05 PSYCHOLOGY

objects as masculine/feminine that guided their choices.

In addition to these observations, Dr. Wardle also trained computer models that were programmed to respond to simple visual features and modify their output after getting feedback on errors. This allowed them to recognize faces with considerable accuracy. The models searched the illusory face photos utilized in the first batch for stereotypically masculine or feminine features – for example, smaller noses for females compared to larger, more protruding noses for males. However, they could not explain the bias, either.

A possible explanation could be that to see female faces in these images, additional features are required, making the former more unlikely of a classification; Luisa Rodriquez, a final year psychology graduate student at CSU Monterey Bay, agrees.

“In video games, false lashes and full lips are often used to make characters appear feminine,” Rodriquez says. In fact, female Lego characters are distinguishable from their male counterparts only by these over exaggerated features.

Colleagues of the NIH group have also conducted another study branching off this one, but with youth. The same gender bias was found in children as young as 5 years old, suggesting that this bias starts early.

The phenomenon observed by the researchers is called Face Pareidolia.

Face pareidolia is defined as the spontaneous perception of illusory facial features in

inanimate objects, and can be thought of as a natural error of our face detection system.

Rachel Chan, officer at the MV Girls Empowerment Project (GEP) Club, believes the results of this study have applicability to the real world and our perception of gender.

“It’s a symptom of a microaggression,” she states. “We automatically assume [the illusory faces] are male.”

A striking bias in gender perception can be highlighted in the results, with many more illusory faces perceived as male than female. This bias is especially significant because the illusory faces did not have a biological sex; the participants tended to assume men as the convention more than 80% of the time. Studies show that interpersonal and intrapersonal gender biases create stereotypes, making it crucial to eradicate this convention to prevent fostering stereotypes and restricting the growth of females in society.

“It’s a symptom of a microaggression. We automatically assume [the illusory faces] are male.”

JUNIOR RACHEL CHAN

ILLUSTR ATION | ANANYA DUA

A WAKE NING CHANGES

BY INIYAA SURESH Exploring the effects of later start times on students and the potential of a nap room on campus

T

he standard college lifestyle consists of mugs of coffee, exams written on adrenaline and a peak in sleep deprivation. This hustle culture is now writing the handbook of high school student life, especially at schools like MVHS. Although Gavin Newsom, California’s Governor, signed legislation three years ago to combat this influential way of life, the rise of COVID-19 cases during the pandemic put it on the back burners. Now, he has brought the policy back into the limelight, mandating that high schools must have start times after 8:30 AM and that middle schools must begin after 8:00 AM. With schools starting at 8:00 at the earliest this year, the implications of the 30 extra minutes of rest may come with a lot more benefits than what appears to the eye.

While the 30 extra minutes of sleep is beneficial to students, it can cause concern for parents. Michelle Zheng, sophomore at MVHS, explains that with the current schedule, there is a staggered time between the start times of Lincoln Elementary School, Kennedy Middle School and Monta Vista High School, in addition to the time that parents usually need to commute to work. “[The usual schedule] allows for everyone to be on time and for parents to be able to drop off their kids before work,” said Zheng. “However, with the newer schedule, parents are in a greater rush to get to work on time because of the later start times.”

Students, however, may be beneficiaries of this new legislation. A study run in four Minnesota school districts found ILLUSTRATION | MARVIN WU

AM

that by delaying school start times by 20-65 minutes, the average student grade point average (GPA) increased by 0.1.

Additionally, students were 16% more likely to get the recommended hours of sleep every night. A similar pattern emerges among numerous studies: with later start times, the grades and sleep of a student increase significantly.

Albeit the increase in sleep levels and higher GPA, the effect of this new schedule on extracurriculars has yet to be considered. With the mandate of 64,800 minutes of instruction, schools have no other choice but to push back school end times as well, while the game times for certain sports remain the same, at 4:00 PM. Additionally, several club activities and meetings occur after school, but a later ending time may delay these events or shorten the time delegated to each of them, affecting a student’s ability to maintain their performance in their extracurriculars.

Sophomore student athlete Olivia Ho describes that in order to accommodate schedule changes that include skipping more class time, student athletes will be forced to improve time management even more so than they have done in the past. She further explains how current students may not quit sports teams due to the changes, but how it might intimidate incoming freshmen.

“For students that aren’t incoming freshmen, [the new schedule] won’t affect participation in school athletics, as many of these athletes already have attachments to their teams,” said Ho. “However, I think recruiting freshman next year will be difficult, especially since they don’t see the full scope of what being on a team encompasses and rather might only weigh the negatives that come with being a student athlete.

The conversation around more AM sleep for high schoolers has led to discussions around

a nap room emerging within the MVHS’s leadership class. A room dark enough to sleep in without worrying about the discomfort of the cold, hard ground or anyone disturbing students seems like a perfect solution, and one that has been tried and tested at that. Japan has slowly been integrating afternoon nap times into some of their intermediate and upper schools, paralleling the idea of siestas. Akemi Nakamura from The Japan Times explains that when allowed to nap for just 15 minutes in the right environment, 61% of students say they can focus better on the lessons directly afterward.

MVHS freshman class officer Peter Chen believes in the potential of a nap room but also expresses concern about the logistics of running a nap room on campus.

“With a nap room, an advisor would always need to be present because of the dark and private environment,” Chen said.

“Also, students may be likely to fall asleep for too long and may miss class, but if we can work around these important issues, it would be a very beneficial addition to [MVHS].”

Leadership advisor and physiology teacher Jenna Smith agrees with the general benefits of adding a nap room on campus.

“A nap room could be the resting time that students need in the middle of the day when the midday slump hits because it could allow them to perform better in class and improve their performance overall,” Smith said.

Sleep is an essential part of everyone’s daily routine, but prioritizing it differently has a different impact on each individual’s life. We should all use this newfound opportunity to make sleep a more critical aspect of our lives to the fullest extent; because by sticking to a healthier sleep schedule, we can obtain the academic improvement many seek by studying into the late night, without sacrificing our health.

RES NOVAE 06

BY ERIC ZHOU Delving into the different STEM pathways of MVHS seniors ILLUSTRATION | ANGELA ZHANG

A

s another year gradually comes to an end, the graduating seniors at MVHS are confronted with the next steps in their lives — and for many, this includes deciding on which collegiate studies, particularly in STEM, they want to pursue.

Senior Nathan Wang, president of the MVHS Competitive Programming Club, wants to major in computer science and describes his strong interest in programming that originates from its diverse applications.

“I [have] always been interested in computer science,” Wang said. “I think computer science is a really versatile field.

You can do a lot with programming, and it’s enjoyable for me. It’s my creative outlet since I can create so many things with programming, so it’s a natural major for

me to choose. [There are also] good job opportunities.”

A veteran of USA Computing Olympiad (USACO), Wang hopes to intrigue others about competitive programming and to help others succeed in the competition.

“I want to bring more people into competitive programming since I think it’s often an overlooked activity that can be really beneficial,” Wang said. “I [want] to help more people discover the world of competitive programming, so being the president of the Competitive Programming Club [helps] me meet that goal.”

Exposed to programming at the young age of seven, Wang was fascinated and started programming then. Not to mention, his family also greatly influenced his

“[Computer science is] my creative outlet since I can create so many things with programming.”

SENIOR NATHAN WANG

07 FEATURES

decision to pursue computer science.

“My parents are both software engineers, so I was often on their computers,” Wang said. “At seven, I started programming, and that’s when [my interest] started. My parents coding all the time and my brother also doing [computer science] naturally made me also want to do computer science.”

Similar to Wang, director of electrical engineering on the MVHS Robotics Team Sanya Garg, also a senior at MVHS, plans to major in computer science. Echoing Wang’s words, she is fascinated by the number of applications that computer science offers.

“What really [drove] me to [computer science] was just the number of applications it has to other fields,” Garg said. “I feel like [computer science] is constantly evolving, and [there are] so many different branches that you can go into.”

Recalling her memorable experience in the MVHS Robotics Team since freshman year, Garg emphasizes that she wants to support the underclassmen.

“I wanted to be an officer in order to guide people the same way that the upperclassmen guided me when I was an underclassman,” Garg said. “[I also wanted to] just contribute to the club as much as I could.”

Additionally, the culture at MVHS and in the Bay Area has influenced her decision to major in computer science.

“Being in the Bay Area and going to MVHS where the majority of this school population values STEM and decides to pursue it definitely did affect me,” Garg said. “I don’t think that I was influenced into doing [computer science] just because other people were doing it, but I will say that there is an element of [computer science] being highly valued in MVHS that does contribute to [my decision]. [Also, STEM is] a good career path, and there’s definitely a pressure for many people to pursue STEM at MVHS.” On the other hand, senior Edwin Xie, copresident of the MVHS Math and Science Club, is going to major in math and wants to pursue a career in academia because he finds pleasure in solving math problems.

“Solving problems is so satisfying.

There’s a [specific] part of learning math that’s very collaborative and fun, and I really like [that aspect],” Xie said. “Research

PHOTO PROVIDED BY EDWIN XIE

is discovering new things and creating new knowledge, and I think the contribution part of that will be meaningful and fulfilling to me, as opposed to a desk job.”

Since he has attended math Math and Science Club president Edwin Xie explaains the competitions, Xie’s reason for leading solution to a math problem through Zoom Math and Science Club stems from his the promising future of STEM pathways. passion for math and an interest in sharing Wang, Garg, and Xie — three MVHS his knowledge seniors who have already achieved high with more goals throughout their four years at MVHS people. Fostering — highlight the importance of giving back a welcoming to the community through one’s passion learning by helping others reach their dreams. experience at his Choosing personal paths in STEM and club, Xie wants not following someone else’s is important his peers to enjoy because it is one’s own passion that matters. math the way he does.

“I think [part of my goal as president is] to help people learn math but also [to] get more people interested in math,” Xie said.

“And [I want to make] learning math a more collaborative experience.”

Although Xie’s passion for math developed at a young age, his interest in a math major started in the summer after ninth grade when he attended the five-week math summer program MathILy, which taught him an introduction to proof-based mathematics. At MathILy, Xie enjoyed the engaging classes where students did plenty of problems.

“A lot of the people I met [and] the professors I had classes with [were] really passionate about what they do,” Xie said. “I see [this passion] in myself, which [encouraged me] to major in math.”

STEM is often a particularly popular choice PHOTO PROVIDED BY NATHAN WANG for many seniors here at MVHS — primarily due to Senior Nathan Wang displays his code.

“Theres a [specific] part of learning math that’s very collaborative and fun, and I really like [that aspect].”

SENIOR EDWIN XIE

RES NOVAE 08

WORDLE-LY WISE

ILLUSTRATION | MARVIN WU

BY RIYA RANJAN Five Letters, Six Guesses, Infinite Strategies

T

ears. Crate. Adieu. Five letter words like these, seemingly unrelated, have taken the world by storm in the new New York Times trending word game — Wordle.

Wordle was created by Josh Wardle, a software engineer from Brooklyn, NY, as a romantic gift for his partner. Wardle’s game has a simple design, with a designated five letter “word of the day” that a player has six guesses to get right—but its simplicity is what makes it so novel, and now, over 300,000 people play Wardle’s game daily.

Since Wordle’s release, many have begun to publicize their strategies — looking for the most optimal words to start with to

minimize the number of tries taken to guess the word — and “celebrity” scientists have begun to chime in as well. Mathematician Grant Sanderson, who runs the math Youtube channel 3Blue1Brown, recently released his algorithmic explanation of Wordle strategy , receiving over 7 million views within just three weeks of releasing this video.

“The results which are least likely to happen are the ones that give you the most information.”

Wordle 253, a Wordle example. When a player makes a guess, letters that are highlighted in green are letters that are in the correct place, and letters in yellow are letters that appear in the final word but in a different position. Letters in gray are not in the final word.

09 TECHNOLOGY

A WORDLE ALGORITHM Sanderson’s video is centered on the creation of an algorithm designed to optimize Wordle guesses based on information theory, which deals with mathematically representing information. The wordle-bot attempts to generate the guess that will give the player the most information, essentially

MATH PROFESSOR BILL WILSON

quantifying how good a guess is. The basic unit of information Sanderson uses is the bit, or binary digit, which is often used to represent values in computing — in Wordle terms, if your guess gives you one bit of information, it cuts the “uncertainty,” or the number of remaining possible answers, in half.

Professor Bill Wilson, who teaches discrete mathematics at De Anza College, explains that the “bits” of information you get from a guess is inversely correlated with how probable it is to obtain that information — essentially, uncertainty is most reduced when you see an unlikely pattern, like a word without any vowels, or one that starts with a ‘Q’.

“You can only get one of the three colors in each of five slots — yellow, green or gray — so there are three to the fifth possible results you can see,” Wilson said. “The results which are least likely to happen are the ones that give you the most information, because if there’s some pattern that would correspond to only one possible word, it’s not likely you’re gonna see that pattern. But if you do, you can celebrate, because the next time you got the word for sure, 100%.”

Senior Lydia Lu, who plays Wordle daily, has her own strategies to get the most “bits” of information possible from a given guess — without, of course, the precision of a computer algorithm.

“My first words will always consist of the same three or four words recycled: adieu, crane and radio,” Lu said. “Through word of mouth, and just talking to other people I know who play the game, I know those are good words to start off with because they either use a certain amount of vowels, or they use certain letters that are the most common letters in English words.”

Sanderson’s algorithm adds refinement to the strategies that most players, like Lu, use by weighing not only which letters and words are most common, but also where letters are most commonly placed in words. Using logic similar to Wilson’s, Sanderson’s algorithm calculates an “expected information” value for each guess by multiplying the probability of a certain amount of information being gained from the guess times the bits of information gained.

A diagram of Sanderson’s algorithm in action. Here, the guess is “weary,” and the information gained if the ‘A’ and ‘Y’ are in the correct place is calculated by log2(1/p), where p is the probability of ‘A’ and ‘Y’ being in the correct place.

Sanderson’s equation then sums this product of the probability and the information from the potential outcomes of each guess to calculate an “expected information” for each guess. The word with the highest expected information is then designated as the best guess.

WORDLE IN PRACTICE In theory, algorithms like Sandersons would guarantee optimal guesses for every Wordle game. However, enjoying Worlde requires no such precision, but rather intuition and a positive attitude.

“On the first guess, the most important thing is to have common letters, and to try as many letters as possible,” Wilson said. “Then, if I feel like I’ve got a good picture of what it might be, I might try to ace it and get it in two or three guesses, but if there’s not so much there, then I’ll pick a word that has completely different letters, so I can find out more about what’s going on.

That’s more intuitive than using anything quantitative.”

Wilson and Lu both believe that a

“good” Wordle player can guess a word in three guesses, or less than four on average. Sanderson’s bot takes about 3.43 guesses, indicating that the precision of the algorithm is pretty much on par with regular human intuition. And, this intuition surrounding Wordle is what makes the game so appealing.

“It gives people something to look forward to because you can only play it once every 24 hours,” Lu said. “It’s just a fun thing that you can do to start off your day, and because you can only play once, it takes a while for an individual to get bored from playing it.”

With Wordle as part of his daily routine, Wilson concurs with Lu. “I try to do it in four or fewer guesses — and I feel like it’s gonna be a good day when I get it in three. It’s a good start to my day.”

“Because you can only play once, it takes a while for an individual to get bored from playing it.”

SENIOR LYDIA LU

RES NOVAE 10

ILLUSTRATION | DIVYA VENKATARAMAN

INVASION OF THE RED FOREST: CHERNOBYL AND THE DANGERS OF NUCLEAR WARFARE

BY AMY ZHENG The disaster of 1986 reopened

I

n 1986, one of the worst nuclear power plant accidents in the history of the world took place at the Chernobyl nuclear power station in Pripyat, Ukraine.

Two workers in the factory were killed immediately, and another 28 citizens died from acute radiation just weeks after, leaving at least 5 percent of the nuclear core deposited in various parts across Europe.

Even today, nearly 4 decades after the incident, the ten-square-kilometer piece of land surrounding the plant remains uninhabitable. It has since grown into a “radioactive forest,” deemed the “Red Forest,” because of the ginger hue the

11 CHEMISTRY

pine trees take on from the high levels of radiation. However, with armed Russian forces now invading Chernobyl, could an old wound be reopened once again?

RUSSIAN INVASION OF CHERNOBYL Just hours after Russian forces invaded Ukraine, they were able to seize the longprotected nuclear power plant, located around 65 miles north of the capital, Kyiv.

Not only did this action cause them to be exposed to the “exclusion zone,” the most heavily contaminated area around Chernobyl, but it also allowed them to establish authority over “highly active

samples of radionuclides,” the laboratory agency reported. If not managed responsibly, these samples could lead to harm to the “civilized world.” Because of the nature of the unstable radionuclides, if the samples were controlled without care, they could release huge amounts of radiation.

As a result of the Russian invasion, Ukrainian officials reported extreme highs in radiation that “spiked above control levels.” According to a report from BBC News, the dose of radiation, measured in microsieverts, jumped from three per hour to approximately 65 microsieverts per

hour. This is nearly twice the global average radiation exposure, as reported by the World Nuclear Association.

Professor Claire Corkhill, a nuclear materials expert from Sheffield University, told BBC that the reason for this large spike is most likely due to “the increased movement of people and vehicles in and around the Chernobyl zone…[kicking] up radioactive dust that [is] on the ground.”

Although Russian troops have since then left Chernobyl, recent reports have shown that the soldiers did end up digging up “underground kitchens, tents, and fortifications.”

“One such fortification was located near a site for the temporary storage of radioactive waste,” Yevgen Kramarenko, head of the Chernobyl exculsion zone agency said in a briefing. “The system for monitoring radiation in the exclusion zone is still not working, and the servers that processed this information have [also] disappeared.”

While the long-term effects of these sudden changes left by Russian troops remains currently unclear, the disturbance in this particularly radioactive area can mean more harm than good.

THE CAUSE AND EFFECTS OF NUCLEAR WARFARE While Chernobyl is now only a restricted site for nuclear waste storage, nuclear plants like it can be utilized not only for producing nuclear energy but also for constructing nuclear weapons. In both cases, uranium is processed into fuel, resulting in fissions which in turn produce plutonium as a byproduct of the cycle.

One of the main differences between the use of uranium in nuclear power plants in contrast to that of a nuclear weapon is time. While the fissions in nuclear power plants are relatively slow and spread out to generate electricity, the fissions in nuclear weapons occur in less than a fraction of a second, releasing the explosion.

With the recent tensions only rising with time, a nuclear war could be on the horizon, Dmitry Peskov, a Kremlin spokesman, warned in a CNN interview recently. Monica Montgomery, a research analyst at the Center for Arms Control and Nonproliferation, told Vanity Fair that “the

threat is increasing. In general, it remains low…but it will increase as long as the stalemate continues.”

The dangers of nuclear war are extreme, with the lives of millions of citizens being directly taken away upon impact.

Millions more would also be affected by nuclear fallout, or the “residual radiation from a nuclear explosion,” according to Atomic Archive.

However, a lesser-discussed effect of nuclear weapons, one which could lead to worldwide famine, is perhaps the most deadly consequence of the war: nuclear winter.

When nuclear bombs are detonated in cities, these locations create such an intense fire that new winds appear amidst the firestorms. Because hot air ascends, immense amounts of smoke and soot would enter the stratosphere and block the sun’s light—the smoke’s presence above the clouds prevents even rain from affecting it.

Alan Robock, a climatologist and professor at Rutgers University, published a peer-reviewed paper in the Nature Magazine specifically in regards to nuclear winter. According to the study, temperatures could drop significantly to around 60 degrees Fahrenheit, resulting in worldwide famine.

discomfort surfacing as a result of the war.

“The prevalence [of the situation being brought up] by the people around me has brought [my attention] to the war,” Li said.

“The feeling of loss and danger just weighs down on [my mind].”

In regards to the possibility of a nuclear war, Savchenko feels that it “is terrifying [to think about].” He expresses the importance of educating the public on the situation in Ukraine and the value of peace instead of war.

“I feel like the government knows they have to be very careful because of [the possibility of a nuclear war],” Savchenko said.

“But the public doesn’t seem to understand and just wants the government to send tanks and military to Ukraine. Even though I should be patriotic and [understanding], I still feel that we should keep this conflict as small as possible and away from war.”

As MVHS students, efforts made to help Ukrainians may initially seem trivial amidst a war between countries a whole ocean across from us. However, any efforts, from donations to even general education about the situation, can contribute towards change being made.

“There are a lot of donation charities for Ukraine right now, and I feel like [even] donating small amounts would help,” Savchenko said.

A.P. Government and World History teacher, Hilary Barron, agrees with Savchenko, citing organizations such as the Red Cross and the U.N. as possible sites for donation. “There are a variety of ways to [help those in need],” said Barron. “Even [beyond] donating money, just giving time and attention, [as well as] spreading the word, [could] support those in need.”

It is crucial to not turn a blind eye toward the innocent who are suffering from the actions of governments today. The world today is one that is filled with unimaginable destruction and violence, with nuclear weapons escalating fear and tension.

However, it is also one where hope can be preserved and humanity can be spread in order to rise above that cruelty.

“We should keep this conflict as small as possible and away from war.”

FRESHMAN ARTEM SAVCHENKO

A GLOBAL WAR The effects of a nuclear war are devastating and unimaginable. The RussiaUkraine conflict, which has been raging for over a month now, has taken an immense toll on people around the world.

MVHS freshman Artem Savchenko has relatives currently residing in Zaporizhzhia, a city in south-eastern Ukraine, and recalls the phone calls his mom makes with his grandma every one to two days. “[This situation has] definitely affected me mentally,” Savchenko said. “But I [also know that there] are people who are affected a lot more than me.”

MVHS sophomore Katherine Li also acknowledges the emotions of unease and

RES NOVAE 12

COW

PRINT

BY LAVINIA LEI

IA

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13 BIOLOGY

VIN | LA

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My experience living with vitiligo

A

t the ripe age of 15, I thoroughly experienced the symptoms of old age as my bones creaked and my hair grayed. I’ll admit, the former was probably a result of bad Zoom posture. The latter, on the other hand, was of mysterious origins.

My sister was the first to spot it. I was sitting at my desk blissfully unaware, frying my eyes with my laptop screen as usual when I heard the snap of a picture being taken from above my head. She subsequently showed me a picture of the giant patch of hair that was now growing white from the root, and my first thought was, …what? No way. Huh? I efficiently traversed through the other four stages of grief within the next few hours in my room, even shedding a few tears as I came to the conclusion that my body must be deteriorating from stress. The next day, with a renewed sense of purpose, I scoured the internet for an answer until two minutes of research diagnosed me with… vitiligo (confirmed by a stupidly expensive doctor’s appointment a month later).

If you’re like me who had never heard of the term before, vitiligo is an autoimmune disease that attacks melanocytes — the cells that produce melanin. Consequently, patches of skin and hair become unpigmented, forming patterns of whitening that vaguely resemble cow print.

As it was, I was slowly being blotted white across my scalp and neck.

It started off small; barely a centimeter of my hair was white at that time, and I couldn’t see it unless I got a camera and pointed it at my head.

Back then, it was just barely real to me, and I could forget that it existed at all.

One day, the vitiligo decided to splay itself across my neck. As my skin mottled and my hair grew out, the beginnings of the white began creeping into the me I saw in the mirror. I had made peace with simply acknowledging its existence by then, but I wasn’t ready to deal with others’ reactions to it. Luckily for me, I was just another fuzzy rectangle floating in a sea of rectangles to most other people, so vitiligo continued to stay a latent thought lingering only faintly in

the backmost corner of my mind.

At some point, I had to start meeting people in person again, and my vitiligo would be an unavoidable topic of conversation, not necessarily with people my age, but definitely with people my parents’ age. True to expectation, lots of aunties fussed over the color of my hair; they made me only mildly uncomfortable but would quickly move on to discuss it further with my mom instead of me.

What irked me the most was how my mom insisted afterward that I cover up my hair when I went out in public because she was tired of having to explain to them how I wasn’t actually some rebel child dying my hair to be cool. It made absolutely no sense because what’s it to these people what I choose to do with my hair anyway?

Why do I need to explain myself for not looking the way you expect me to?

Fortunately, that was the worst of it, and I never had to meet anyone else as insistent on unearthing every little detail of what had happened to me. Most people just didn’t comment, about three people recognized it as vitiligo, and the rest asked how I managed to dye my hair like that. Perhaps conditioned to giving the shortest possible answers, I usually replied with the three words “It’s not dyed,” thus commencing an awkward pause wherein the other person would flounder with the decision of whether to continue the conversation or not. I probably could have spared them the embarrassment by offering an explanation the first time, but that would have taken more effort on my part. I almost felt bad, but then I decided that after the many encounters in which I was made uncomfortable by other people asking, I shouldn’t have to concern myself with whether or not I was making other people uncomfortable for asking.

Though the comments were usually fine, hiding my vitiligo also became a really easy

Why do I need to explain myself for not looking the way you expect me to?

thing for me to do; I could cover my neck with my hair and my hair with a bucket hat, and no one would say a thing (other than express wonder at the sheer size of my hat collection). At first, I didn’t care enough to wear a hat all the time to hide my hair, but a few days outdoors led to my tragic discovery that melanin exists for a reason and that my scalp was now capable of being sunburned. I now abide by the unshakable tenet that a bucket hat a day keeps the skin cancer away.

From this whole experience, I would have to say that the biggest downside lies only peripheral to the vitiligo itself, which is in its treatment. The first time I visited the doctor’s office, I was prescribed topical steroid creams in order to contain its spread. Because my parents were, and still are, deathly afraid of vitiligo “ruining” my face, I have been applying these creams twice a day every day for the past year or so and have come to the conclusion that they are quite the nuisance. They are troublesome to apply, feel gross, and also don’t have much effect (at least on me).

Even more so, I find any sort of treatment unnecessary because I don’t think my skin and hair need “fixing”. Sure, melanin is nice and all (burning is not fun), but vitiligo doesn’t pose much other danger to my health. I’m fine. I could continue with the steroid creams, undergo UV light therapy, or get skin graft surgery if I really wanted to, but the thing is, I don’t want to. I have mixed vitiligo, and I’m keeping it because it looks freaking cool.

RES NOVAE 14

AN VEN KAT AR A M IVYA S|D ILLU

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DISPARITIES

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merican healthcare has often been idealized as one of the best healthcare systems in the world — but the COVID-19 pandemic has recently proven this notion to not always be accurate.

Though the American healthcare system helps save lives every day, the Health Equity Tracker shows how the pandemic has brought light to many disparities within the American healthcare system through a spontaneous stress test on its efficiency — COVID-19. The pandemic — and the struggles that came with it — uncovered several inequities within the American healthcare system that has otherwise been kept hidden; John Geyman, a member of the Department of Family Medicine at the University of Washington School of Medicine, states that African-Americans accounted for nearly one-quarter of COVID-19 deaths, although only making up about 12% of the American population.

Atmaja Patil, a senior at MVHS, also

15 MEDICINE

BY DIVYA VENKATARAMAN Discussing disparities within the American healthcare system and how to best address medical inequity at MVHS

believes that the pandemic has definitely shown some areas of improvement for the American healthcare system, believing American healthcare to be rooted in many disparities — causing medical inequity to be a huge societal issue in America.

“Health inequity [in America] is a huge issue, and we have to work towards solving it — we really do,” Patil said. “During the pandemic, data [showed] that women of color had some of the lowest vaccination rates; with COVID-19 happening, I think it is more

evident than ever that healthcare disparities are a persistent issue in America.”

Statistical studies seem to agree with Patil’s assertion. In a Commonwealth Fund analysis of the healthcare systems in 11 different countries, America was ranked 11th on healthcare system performance — last place. The analysis was broken down into five categories: access to care, care process, administrative efficiency, equity and health care outcomes; of the five sub-categories, America was ranked last (11) on all except “care process,” where America was ranked second. Figure 1 shows America’s

“With COVID-19 happening, I think it is more evident than ever that healthcare disparities are a persistent issue in America.”

SENIOR ATMAJA PATIL

healthcare system performance is below the average of the any other country analyzed — showing the intensity of disparities within the American system itself. The same analysis shows that healthcare spending in America has increased along with the decrease in quality of healthcare, essentially indicating that America is spending more money on worse healthcare.

Ben Clausnitzer, school principal of MVHS, shares his idea of what these increased amounts of medical disparities constitute in the American healthcare system — from racial inequities to socialeconomic disparities.

“When we talk medical equity, there are definitely a couple [of] things that jump off the page,” Clausnitzer said. “One of them is racial equity in the medical field and the realities of structural racism in America, [which] has created unequal outcomes for human beings. [Another one] is the socio-

economic disparity in the healthcare system — also having similar [effects].”

Patil herself has experienced healthcare disparities in America when her mother was hospitalized for a health condition.

She shares how her mother had first received specialized, caring treatment and surgery for her condition in India — her mother’s native country — before coming to America. However, when Patil joined her mother in her checkup appointment for her health condition in an American hospital, she began to notice the health disparities rooted in the American healthcare system.

“I remember the American doctors in

the room describing the Indian medical procedures my mother received almost like they were of a lower class — less professional, regardless of [the procedures’] actual scientific reasoning — clearly showing a bias against [outof-country] procedures,” Patil said. “They made it seem like a country issue — and these biases can lead to much worse, such as not being given equal treatment.”

Sara Borelli, an English teacher at MVHS, has directly witnessed health disparities in the American healthcare system — with the quality of care heavily depending on the location and socioeconomic status of the

“These biases can led to much worse, such as not being given equal treatment.”

SENIOR ATMAJA PATIL

RES NOVAE 16

patients.

“I [once] went to a county hospital in Oakland — primarily filled with impoverished and homeless people — and everything was so run down,” Borelli said. “[Meanwhile,] whenever I went to [another, highend] hospital, there were so many more rooms [that were] cleaner and bigger. It was just a different atmosphere.”

Although medical disparities are a huge problem in American society, there are ways to approach this issue; one way is by spreading awareness of the inequities surrounding medical care — allowing for an increased knowledge to spread across several communities in order to intervene and one day remove the presence of disparities in the medical field.

Borelli also shares that awareness is a great first step in

approaching the issue of healthcare disparities in America. While it definitely will not solve the issue on its own, spreading information surrounding these disparities has the power to drive change in society.

“People need to be aware that not everybody is as affluent as [they themselves] are — people [may not] have the same opportunities,” Borelli said.

“Truly realizing that healthcare is not something that should be taken for granted — that equality, a right of everybody, is not always present in the medical field — is the first step to making change.”

MVHS staff and students agree with Borelli — wanting to do something for the MVHS community that spreads awareness of inequity. Since the pandemic started, MVHS has been working towards creating equity across campus through the incorporation of staff and student equity taskforces. Although not related to medical inequities specifically, the equity taskforces are a great stepping stone to help spread awareness of disparities within American society. By condemning inequities on the school campus, MVHS is spreading awareness of said inequities, and helping students understand the harsh realities of American disparities in society and consequently, in healthcare.

Clausnitzer, having been one of the key players who helped initiate the equity taskforce, discusses the long-term effects he hopes that the taskforce will have on MVHS and equity in healthcare — but also in general.

“Working with equity means engaging in transformative work,

“It’s time to think transformative and start to make change — not out of compliance but to achieve equity on campus and then on a larger scale.”

PRINCIPAL BEN CLAUSNITZER

ILLUSTRATION | DIVYA VENKATARAMAN

17 SCIENCE FICTION

[rather] than performative activism; and this is what we have started to embark on [in the equity taskforce],” Clausnitzer said.

“It’s time to think transformative and start to make change — not out of compliance but to achieve equity on campus and then on a larger scale.”

Patil, a member of the equity taskforce, conveys that what the equity taskforce is currently doing can definitely contribute to more awareness of healthcare disparities in America — and what can be done to help.

“The equity taskforce primarily focuses on equity education and resources to directly educate both staff and students on campus,” Patil said. “This [information] can then get students to see the importance of cultural sensitivity in American healthcare.”

Ultimately, Clausnitzer hopes that MVHS students can work towards sharing their voices and start building an equitable campus for all — regardless of background differences. Once a part of this is achieved, he hopes to tackle more widespread disparities — such as the inequities and disparities within the American healthcare system.

“Students should start committing to becoming [more] self-aware — awareness of what you are doing, what you are saying and the impact [you] have on others,” Clausnitzer said. “I want our student voice to help [MVHS] see every human being as of equal value.”

EVERYTHING GOES DARK

BY ANGELA ZHANG

C

ars honk. You stare out the window of your bedroom listlessly. People shout to one another, desperate to get out of the town, vainly in search of somewhere safe.

Your mother’s call disrupts your reverie.

You look back at the mess that is your house. Clothes are strewn all over the floor, waiting to be packed into an open suitcase.

No one has bothered to take out the trash for the past few days — you won’t be coming back here again anyways.

You zip your overflowing suitcase shut and hurry to the living room, where the television has been turned on everyday for the past week. Your father is sitting on the couch, staring lifelessly at the screen, while your little brother sits in the corner, crying.

Nobody has eaten anything, apart from some stale bread, since last week, when food stores became depleted and prices skyrocketed.

“Panic is sweeping across the country after the announcement of the global nuclear war,” the announcer says. “The red button has been pressed.”

Live footage from the opposing country plays, portraying a sea of panic not dissimilar from the one outside your window. Suddenly, an orange plume

appears on the screen, erupting in a gray cloud. Screams erupt and the cameras are cut.

A wail erupts from behind. You turn around and watch your mother break down, her hands over her eyes. Your own body feels numb, unable to process the carnage that has just played out in front of your eyes.

“The nuclear blast killed everyone within a hundred mile radius instantly. The neutron and gamma rays from the nuclear fission would cause any survivors to suffer acute radiation sickness,” the announcer says with an emotionless expression. “We are expecting a counterattack soon. Locate your nearest nuclear bunker immediately.”

The announcer’s last words jolt your mother from her collapsed mental state. She reaches for the notice that the government mailed to each household.

The long document details the locations of nuclear bunkers, which were hastily prepared at the beginning of the war, the start of the nuclear threat.

“We leave. Now.” The gas station is packed. Your family joins the seemingly never ending line for gas with sky-rocket high prices. Five hundred dollars for half a tank of gas? That’s nothing for the chance to live.

Pulling out of the gas station an hour later, your car joins the long line of traffic, all going towards a single destination.

BEEP! HONK! Your father rolls down the window just a bit, to let air into the stuffy car. Each drop of gas is too precious to waste on the comfort of AC, though the radio stays on. You close your eyes and cover your ears, trying to drown out the fear that threatens to take you over.

CRASH! You shriek and spring up from your seat, half expecting to be vaporized by a nuclear blast. Half a second later, you’re still alive. You look around and see a truck ramming through the traffic, desperately trying to make it to the nuclear holdout on time.

In a flash, you feel yourself screaming and hollering at your father to follow. You climb over to the driver’s seat and desperately press the gas pedal. Your body moves on its own and accelerates after the truck, flipping other cars to the side and leaving a trail of carnage in your wake. You have lost control of your mind; it’s only goal is to survive.

Suddenly, the radio issues an alarm.

“Warning, nuclear missiles detected. Take cover immediately.”

You pause, mid-shriek. Time itself seems to pause. Then, everything goes dark.

RES NOVAE 18

JUST ONE MORE

I

n 1986, one of the worst nuclear power plant accidents in the history of the world took place at the Chernobyl nuclear power station in Pripyat, Ukraine.

Two workers in the factory were killed immediately, and another 28 citizens died from acute radiation just weeks after, leaving at least 5 percent of the nuclear core deposited in various parts across Europe.

“This is ridiculous. You’re higher than…”

A kite?

The Burj Khalifa?

Mount Everest?

“You know what? I’m not even gonna say it. But I can’t believe that you were given a blessing — a life — and all you’re doing is throwing it away.”

Boring.

My eyes break away from my mother’s stone-cold gaze, choosing to stare down at the shiny linoleum tiles that line the floors of her office instead. As the late afternoon sun trickles in through the colorful glass windows of my mother’s office, my mind begins to depart from the scene, focusing only on the seemingly-luminescent rainbows that have been cast and are now dancing around the room.

Mother, sensing my loss of focus, sighs and mutters,“You’re breaking my heart, you do know that, right?” before leaving me and my rainbows for a cup of green tea and a biscuit.

ILLUSTRATION | AASHI VENKAT

19 SCIENCE FICTION

BY AASHI VENKAT Content warning: This article has mentions of addiction. Reader discretion is advised.

The second she leaves, my subconscious takes me to my room, right back to where this all began.

But this time, the insides of my drawers are empty cavities, the only thing in my closet are guts, my floorboards are all stitched shut, and yet my body remains at the mercy of my addicted mind.

My mother’s voice comes back to me, haunting me with the constant reminder that I had survived the last seven weeks only to relapse again last night. Foolishly, during the past seven weeks where I clung to the cliff so I wouldn’t fall into the abyss of relapse, I’d discarded everything in my room — in me— that even alluded to my addiction. I did all of this, I even cut ties with my dealer, just so that I could be clean.

“Clean” is a beautiful yet frightening word. It implies that we’re all a slate — and getting “clean” is something that’s essential to rid us of our misfortunes — but I’ve been wiped down so much, I’m bound to disintegrate.

But dopamine’s a funny thing. It encourages you to break the dam, widen the wound, do whatever it takes to feel its comforting arms around you. Yet, the arms leave as quickly as they come, leaving you with nothing but a shattered glass doll of who you once were.

The doll’s broken, so it feels instinctual to seek another rush. And, to produce the same level as dopamine and feel the same way you felt during your very first rush, you have to increase the intensity. It begins to feel like second nature, something inevitable, something you can control because you’re choosing to have one more rush. All you want — all you need — is one more rush.

Just one more rush.

ILLUSTRATION | MARVIN WU

Yet strangely, whether it be the emotional baggage that surrounds another relapse or the physical boundaries I set when I swore to get clean, it now feels impossible to acquire another rush.

So, instead I sit with my feet swinging off the side of my window, the afternoon skies slowly shifting into a blood red-tinted cotton candy haze. My mind departs once more, burying itself in the clouds that stretch far past the horizon and into the midnight blue sea, though this time I feel almost weightless.

And maybe this is how a hummingbird feels, with their small bodies that take flight due to their pulsating wings: free. Like clockwork, my feet begin to slide from the window’s ledge, entrusting my wings to carry the weight of my body, though this time I allow myself to fall down towards the ground rather than rise towards the sky.

My feet land on a soft green meadow, where orchids lay stagnant and a singular ray of sunshine gleams through a mass of clouds. The meadow is muted compared to the room I left behind, but I indulge myself in it, allowing myself to feel at home on ground level instead of purely up in the skies.

Peaceful, real and comforting — somehow void of the lure for another rush — this is home.

THE ROBOT’S GUIDE TO SOCIETY

BY AVANI DURVE

S

kylar grabbed her backpack and gave her mom a kiss on the cheek before heading to the door.

“I’m going to look for jobs after school today.”

“No, Skylar, I told you not to worry about that. You need to focus on school if you want to be able to get into the universities. I will take care of the money. Now go, you’re going to be late for school.”

“Mom, I need to help. Please” Money was tight right now and she needed to help. Her mother was having trouble finding a job. The computer systems that went through job applications rarely kept her in the potential employees list when they found out she was a singlemother of 2 daughters, especially with one daughter being only four. Before Skylar’s sister was born, her mother had no problem getting the jobs that she wanted, but now it was much harder. Even when employed, she was often prevented from getting promoted, instead watching many of her male peers with the same or fewer qualifications being rewarded by the Intelligence.

Even though her mom was struggling to get a job, she did not want Skylar to get a job. Her mom thought that if she studied hard she would be able to get into one of the universities, and while her grades were good and she had a good resume for college applications, the fact that she would need financial aid made the artificial intelligence that went through the college applications to rank her lower for admission.

Skylar got to school just as the warning bell rang and she ran the rest of the way to her first class. She did her best to avoid the field of view of the police robots that roamed the hallways of her school. It seemed as if her school had more of the robots than other schools. When she had visited high schools in other cities, where many of the white kids went there were barely any of the police robots.

Skylar got through her first few classes, doing her assignments and participating in class. At lunch, she quickly finished eating lunch and tossed her napkin into

the trash. As she started to walk away, something pushed her hard and she fell to the floor. She almost kicked out before she realized that what had pushed was one of the robot police that patrolled the hallways of her school. It was better not to harm any of the police robots; they had a tendency to shoot even at the slightest bit of provocation, sometimes even when there was none.

“There is no littering allowed,” the robotic voice said. Skylar looked over to the trash can and noticed that the napkin that she had thrown away had not gone into the trash can and, instead, sat on the edge. Skylar quickly apologized to the robot before it had a chance to do anything else and dropped the napkin into the trash before hurrying away.

After school, Skylar picked her little sister from her school and they walked home together. When they reached, Skylar made her sister a snack and got her started on her homework. She sat down next to her and began researching jobs that she could get without any special degree or coursework, while occasionally helping her sister with her homework. As robots and artificial intelligence could do many of the jobs that were previously held by people, it was getting harder and harder to find work that did not require lots of job

training courses. But Skylar was determined to find something. She had to help her family.

Skylar continued to research, taking a break to make dinner for her and her sister.

Her mother was not home yet. This was unusual, but Skylar did not dwell on it. She was likely out doing an interview. More and more time passed, and Skylar incrementally got more worried. By eleven, Skylar knew something was wrong. She went to put on her shoes to go look for her mother when there was a loud knock on the door. She cracked it open and peeked outside. It was a police robot. It handed her a small tablet.

“Hello, I am here to tell you that your mother has been arrested. Here is the arrest record.”

The video playing on the tablet showed her mother looking both ways before stepping out onto the road. Next to her, a white woman in an expensive looking suit stepped out onto the road with her.

The two were in conversation and Skylar’s mother was smiling. It seemed that she had finished an interview with the woman and had gotten the job. Suddenly, a police robot grabbed her mother and forced her to the ground, and she grunted in pain as her body hit the ground. The robot then proceeded to handcuff her while saying that she was under arrest for jaywalking before leading her away. The text under the video flashed saying that force had been used to apprehend her mother due to her high risk assessment ranking.

Skylar was in shock. Her mother did not deserve to get arrested. Not only that, her mother should not have had a high risk assessment. She was a good person that had never done anything bad in her life, except, of course, nothing they ever did would be good enough. They would always be targeted and considered dangerous.

They were minorities and poor, and that was all the robots needed to assess them as dangerous.

ILLUSTRATION | DIVYA VENKATARAMAN

RES NOVAE 20

RESTORE

BY DAHLIA SCHILLING

I

’ve heard tales of people long ago being scared of the dark. But a black world is all I’ve ever known. Darkness creeping into every corner, engulfing everyone and everything in its path. I don’t know warmth, and I barely know light. I guess I only know an artificial world. They say you can’t miss something you’ve never had. But I know that you can long to experience something you’ve heard about.

I’ve been told so many stories about the star they used to call the Sun that I can almost feel its warmth before falling asleep each night. It’s almost like a dream that you can’t quite recall, one that you can reach out and touch but not quite grasp.

I have a picture book. The pages are tattered from reading it so many times.

In one picture, children play and dance underneath something. Something comforts them like a hug from an old friend,

21 SCIENCE FICTION

one that I will never know.

They laugh and chase each other, comforted by warmth, by light. By something that makes things gleam and glow in ways only it can do. The children could’ve never imagined it to be gone. Its constant mellow warmth almost brushes their skin like warm fingertips. But by the time I was born, it had already slipped out of our hands.

I will never see the Sun. They used to take it for granted, but everything on the Earth depends on the Sun, which is why everyone panicked when scientists discovered that the Sun was burning faster than ever. Before I was born, the Sun had already started losing its light and heat.

But that wasn’t the only thing that was slowly slipping away. With all the darkness slowly but surely surrounding the Earth, the

hope people once had was fading.

That’s when Restore was built. It was an artificial Sun, used to brighten the Earth and keep its temperatures semi-stable. It was launched into low orbit, and replaced the star that once provided life on Earth.

They like to say Restore saved the world, and it did. But they forget to mention how it destroyed us.

When the sun burned out, everything changed. Restore provides enough heat, for survival but nothing more. At first, frost slowly started to creep up every flower stem, and creeks started to ice over. Deer waited for the water to unthaw, but it never did. Earth is still inhabitable, but when the world turned icy, so did everyone’s heart.

Our years are no longer divided up into seasons. In fall the leaves of trees don’t turn shades of deep red and orange anymore.

Instead the trees are barren year long.

ILLUSTRATION | ANGELA ZHANG

Most tropical plants went extinct with the drop in temperature. The plants that did survive are usually dark green, or brown.

Nothing’s colorful anymore. If you’d walk around the street near my house, you’d be overwhelmed by the darkness that engulfs everything.

Outside, the only noise you can hear is the wind rushing past. There’s no chirping birds, or buzzing bees. No cars driving past, or planes flying overhead. It’s eerily quiet.

So now I walk down colorless, soundless streets.

The days drag on, as it’s difficult to tell the difference between day and night.

The constant darkness makes it hard to differentiate between the days, weeks and months. It has brought on a sense of monotony and a never ending cycle of repetition. I once learned that people used to say, “Tomorrow is a new day.” The

promise of a new day has always brought hope. It would allow others to move on from the troubles of the past and get over the hard times. It lets them believe in the opportunities lying ahead.

But what happens when you can’t tell the difference between today and yesterday?

What happens when there’s no clear end or start to the day? When your window looks out at the same inky black darkness all year long? When there’s no light to greet you in the morning like a promise of a new start?

So tomorrow doesn’t bring the hope of a new start anymore. Now tomorrow is meaningless. I mean, why would anyone find solace in a tomorrow they know will be exactly like today? The darkness has engulfed everything. When the Sun disappeared so did people’s ambitions, hopes, goals and dreams.

But I refuse to be something else the

darkness takes mercilessly. I will stand in its path and wait for a tomorrow, because stories will never satisfy my yearning for a hot summer day, or a bright blue sky. Stories will not bring tropical plants and chirping birds back. Stories don’t bring the promise of a new start. So I dream.

I dream that one day I will see the Sun.

RES NOVAE 22

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