Veritas Volume 5 Issue 2

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Maga y g o l o n ech ce and T

IN THIS ISSUE

The war on broadcast p. 18 Ever evolving AI p. 26-27

April 2025 1

VERITAS April 2025 Volume 5 Issue 2

Mission Statement In Silicon Valley, and specifically in Palo Alto, we are lucky enough to have the opportunity to grow from some of the most progressive minds in assorted STEM fields. Palo Alto High School has a thriving community of students who are ready to share their discoveries. However, at the same time, many students might also feel intimidated by, or disinterested in these fields despite its proximity to and importance in our daily lives.

Veritas hopes to bridge the gap between these students and STEM by repackaging scientific content to be interesting for all, promoting a flexible approach to scientific education, and embracing new approaches to science and technology without hindrance by tradition.

Advertising The staff publishes advertisements with signed contracts providing they are not deemed by the staff inappropriate for the magazine’s audience. For more advertising with Veritas, please contact palyjournalismincubator@gmail.com

Publication Policy Veritas, a science and technology magazine published by the students in Palo Alto High School’s Incubator Journalism class, is a designated open forum for student expression and discussion of issues concerning its readers. Veritas is distributed to its readers and the student body at no cost.

Printing and Distribution Veritas is printed two to three times a school year by aPrintis in Pleasanton, California. All Veritas Work is Available at issuu.com/palyveritas.

Artificial Intelligence Policy Artificial intelligence and the rise of ChatGPT has brought on discussions of the originality of student writing and art. Veritas prides itself in only publishing work created directly by students. As such, all art, writing, and photos in Veritas are solely produced by students — although we do allow tools such as ChatGPT and Murrow to be used for basic ideation.

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Staff Editors-in-Chief Vivian Tang Divij Motwani

Managing Editor William Xue

Business Manager Amily Zhang

Staff Writers Karin Blumenfeld Hadrien de Martel Doreen Hou Arjun Jindal Marcus Ling Alexander Lawson Ava Knapp Mihika Sridhar Cailey Lilly Quita Chapin Walker Xander Yap

Adviser Paul Kandell

Letter to the Editors The staff welcomes letters to the editors. We reserve the right to edit all submissions for length, grammar, potential libel, invasion of privacy, and obscenity. Send all letters for veritaspaly@gmail. com or to 50 Embarcadero Road, Palo Alto, CA 94301.

Connect veritaspaly@gmail.com veritas.magazine issuu.com/palyveritas

IN THIS ISSUE Letter From The Editors

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Local STEM news

Dear readers,

6-7

Variables to victories

8-9

Breaking barriers

Welcome back to Veritas! We are excited to return with our Spring 2025 issue.

This April, we give a glimpse into both the changes and the constants in today’s world and how they connect to our community. We present stories on wildfire risks and solutions to mitigate them, the changing media sphere of broadcast journalism and radio, as well as the persistent evolution of AI and how it is presented to the world.

We also introduce a new section for local STEM news (p. 4-5) on topics such as genetic and biotechnology information company 23andMe’s bankruptcy, progress on Caltrain quiet zones, and FRC Team 8’s season finish.

To showcase the inner workings of Paly’s science classes and projects, this issue includes articles about labs, the AP Research and Advanced Authentic Research courses, and students participating in science competitions.

Although we have not profiled a specific science teacher in this issue, staff writers Karin Blumenfeld and Ava Knapp explored the influence of female STEM teachers on students in “Variables to victories” (p. 6-7). In addition to this, “Breaking barriers” written by William Xue and Cailey Lilly Quita covers Paly’s Girls in STEM club.

As these advancements continue to affect our community — situated at the heart of Silicon Valley — in unprecedented ways, we want Veritas to be a guide for you in this ever-changing world.

Enjoy!

— Vivian Tang and Divij Motwani, Editors-in-Chief

10-11 From Classroom to Lab 12

Racing Reactions

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Post highschool thoughts

14-15 Experimenting with change

16-17 Rewiring the radio 18

The war on broadcast Can this new gel

20-21 make fire season survivable?

22-23 Flaming Reality Skincare for 24-25 Noori: students

26-27 Ever-evolving AI

On the Cover For this issue’s cover, we feature the broadcast display panel at the KQED headquarters in San Francisco, which ensures the uptime of all KQED, NPR, and PBS television broadcasts. For more information on KQED’s technological evolution, read Rewiring the radio (Pg. 16-17) and The war on broadcast (Pg. 18). (Photo by Divij Motwani).

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LOCAL STEM NEWS Caltrain quiet zone development progresses P

SOUTHBOUND — Caltrain sounds horn as it passes

by Palo Alto High School. (Photo by William Xue)

alo Alto has been aiming to develop a Quiet Zone, opting to enhance the quality of life for residents while still adhering to safety standards that require train horns to sound 15-20 seconds before crossing. With study for the Quiet Zone being completed in 2023 in collaboration with the City of Menlo Park, the initiative continues to progress.

As of March, Palo Alto has received approval from the California Public Utilities Commission for improvements and is preparing to transition the project to the Public Works department for construction.

While this process has remained smooth for the most part, implementing it in southern Palo Alto has more challenges because crossings such as Churchill Avenue, Meadow Drive, and Charleston Avenue have more complex safety requirements.

According the council’s Rail Committee, a previous evaluation suggested that quad gates — barriers that prevent cars from crossing during train passages — may be necessary to meet safety standards, which makes it more difficult to implement a Quiet Zone in south Palo Alto.

Residents in these areas are calling for the city to prioritize Quiet Zone improvements in these areas.

FRC Team 8 finishes Top 10 at Idaho Regionals

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fter competing at the Idaho Regionals from March 26 to March 29 in Nampa, Idaho, Palo Alto High School’s FIRST Robotics Competition Team 8 concluded its season, placing within the top 10 at the Idaho regional.

Junior and Build Team Captain Yuna Jeong said the team was proud of how their robot turned out.

“I think our robot performance was really great, and we had a really

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solid robot,” Jeong said. ‘I was proud of how the team performed.”

Despite not qualifying for the FIRST World Championships, Jeong says that seeing the robot function smoothly was fulfilling, however she hopes the team can advance further next season.

“I put in a lot of work, and I would have liked to go get further, but in the end, it was more fulfilling just to see a robot work.”

LOADED — Paly Robotics’ 2025 season robot pre-loaded with game piece (Photo by Divya Pabba)

Text and photos by VIVIAN TANG, DIVIJ MOTWANI and WILLIAM XUE

NVIDIA hosts annual GTC conference R

form filled with rubber bands. (Photo by Divij Motwani)

obots and technology exhibits crowded the floor as thousands of attendees weaved through the busy San Jose Convention Center for Nvidia’s annual GPU Technology Conference.

Taking place in mid-March, the four-day event highlighted the newest innovations in artificial intelligence, robotics and computing, drawing experts and industry leaders from across the globe. Apart from the exhibits, Nvidia used GTC as its largest developer event and unveiled its Rubin AI chips, which aim to accelerate artificial intelligence research and production.

Attendees experienced hands-on demonstrations from hundreds of technology companies, ranging from autonomous vehicles to extended and virtual reality exhibits. For example, medical technology company Intuitive Surgical showcased its newest AI-enabled surgical robot, the Da Vinci 5, highlighting its precision and potential for revolutionizing medical procedures.

23andMe files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy

City encourages public input on wildfire plans

MOCK — Conference attendees attempt surgeries on a plat-

S

an Francisco genetic testing and information company 23andMe filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on March 23. This follows a series of setbacks for the company, such as poor financial performance, failed business ventures, and a major data breach in 2023.

According to the Washington Post, the filing indicates the company’s inability to recover from these losses and allows it to “maximize the value of its business,” as Chapter 11 of the bank-

ruptcy code allows for the reorganization of debts as well as business operations.

California Attorney General Rob Banta also issued a privacy “consumer alert,” urging customers to delete their data from 23andMe due to the potential privacy risks associated with the company’s bankruptcy. Many online users have recommended the same, posting how-to guides on deleting data and destroying previous test samples.

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n March 26, the city of Palo Alto announced a series of public engagement meetings to address and raise awareness about local wildfire risks attributed to factors such as climate change and prolonged droughts.

Palo Alto has previously invested projects geared towards utility undergrounding, in addition to fire fuel reduction measures, but hopes to continue improving city programs and policies using

input from the public.

According to the City of Palo Alto, residents are encouraged to provide feedback on the State Fire Hazard Severity Zone Maps — maps that classify areas in terms of wildfire risk — until April 26.

Their feedback will then be considered in conversations around land use planning, building codes, and wildfire mitigation strategies.

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Text by KARIN BLUMENFELD and AVA KNAPP

Photos by ARJUN JINDAL and AVA KNAPP

Variables to victories Female STEM teachers inspire students during Women’s History Month

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n 1996, the assignment for computer science students at Harvard University’s computer lab wasn’t to watch graphic pornography or play violent video games, but that’s what many of Roxanne Lanzot’s male peers were doing.

As one of the only women studying the course in college, Lanzot said she struggled to complete her work in an environment that felt ‘unwelcoming’.

Despite the discouragement, she persisted, determined to carve out a place for herself in computer science.

Now, as a computer science teacher at Palo Alto High School, Lanzot — along with other female STEM educators — is working to create the supportive spaces she once lacked, inspiring the next generation to do the same.

As Women’s History Month comes to a close, several female STEM teachers at Palo Alto High School shared their personal journeys with Veritas—from overcoming obstacles to thriving in their fields—in

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hopes of inspiring the next generation of female scientists, mathematicians, coders and more.

Algebra 1 and Analysis teacher Sarah Gilmore said that it took a while for her to really understand what made math so fulfilling.

“I had a love of numbers, not necessarily of math,” Gilmore said. “Math was a love-hate relationship with me. I excelled in it in high school, but I never really understood why it was so cool. As a freshman in college, I retook calculus again and it was so beautiful the way things worked out that I decided to major in it myself. I wanted to help students that were like me who knew that they were good at something but didn’t understand why it was cool.”

On the other hand, physics and AP Physics teacher, Sefika Eris, said that physics has always been something that has interested her.

She’s excited that her past students have

decided to pursue science too.

“Physics is the most exciting of all sciences to me,” Eris said. “I see it as a mental stimulant. I’ve had female students reach out to me and say that they chose physics as their major, and now they are starting their masters and doctorates. I feel very proud about it.”

According to Computer Science teacher Lanzot, she loved computers from an early age but experienced discouragement as one of the only females among her peers as an undergraduate in college.

“My first year of college, the internet was still relatively new and I had to go to the computer lab to do computer science assignments,” Lanzot said. “I often found myself not being able to go to the computer lab until it was pretty late at night having other jobs during the day. Many times I was the only female in the computer lab and many of the other students in the room were either using the computers in the lab to play hyper-violent video

MIDDLE — Physics teacher Sefika Eris

teaches her class about circuits prior to a group lab. According to Eris, she’s witnessed a shift in the female-to-male ratio in her physics classes over the years. “Twenty years ago, there were a lot fewer girls, even in Physics Honors,” Eris said. “It was probably a one-to-four ratio. There were hardly any — maybe one or two girls — in the AP class.”

LEFT — Analysis and Algebra 1 teacher

Sarah Gilmore reviews practice problems with her Algebra 1 class. According to Gilmore, learning math is similar to learning a new language in that it comes with challenges. “We’ve all got our strengths and weaknesses when it comes to learning a new language, which is exactly what mathematics is,” Gilmore said.

RIGHT — Computer Science teacher Rox-

anne Lanzot reviews a coding problem with her class. According to Lanzot, she reinforces the idea of positive work environments through her club. “I’m the adviser of Paly’s Girls Who Code Club,” Lanzot said. “One of the goals of that club is to create a positive space for girls who are interested in technology that is judgment free and that does not make girls who are interested in tech feel isolated.”

games or to openly watch graphic pornog- world reflected in the demographics of the raphy. That discouraged me from studying creators of these technologies,” Lanzot said. it further in college. The environment felt “Women do need to be at the table creating, having a voice. hostile, terrible and unsafe.”

“I’ve had female students Don’t let it discouryou, find spaces Lanzot’s exreach out to me and say age that feel welcoming perience did not fully dissuade that they chose physics as and feel supporther from pur- their major, and now they ive.” said suing the field are starting their masters thatGilmore her methodolof study that interested her as and doctorates. I feel very ogy for encouraging her students changshe found better proud about it.” es depending on the environments to student and the sitlearn and work.

— Sefika Eris, Physics Teacher uation.

Lanzot said, She gets to know speaking from experience, that she would advise female each student individually and decides how students interested in computer science to best to help them from there.

“It really just depends on what works find the best environment for them, even if best for their [students’] brain waves,” it requires extra exploration.

“It’s really important to seek out those Gilmore said. “I sit them down and see communities because it is so important where they’re getting stuck and encourage that we start to see the demographics of the them to back it up a little bit. I give them a

different type of problem that kind of hits the same level of being stuck but doesn’t look as difficult, and just kind of work with them step by step until they get to the end of wherever they’re stuck,” According to Gilmore, she applies her encouragement strategies even now to current students. “[For a student] it wasn’t necessarily that the math was the thing that didn’t click, it was the confidence,” Gilmore said. “I’ve been working with her [the student] to remind her that a grade is not everything. It’s really just how you feel as you get to the end of this problem and what math makes sense to you.”

Gilmore said that if she has one piece of advice for aspiring female mathematicians, it’s to avoid comparison.

“Always stop comparing yourself to others,” Gilmore said. “You are just as capable, if not more capable than your counterparts, and you should have fun with it. Just enjoy it.”

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Text by: CAILEY LILLY QUITA and WILLIAM XUE

BREAKING

BARRIERS A STEM club’s journey through empowering women and fostering community

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aughter and conversation filled the lunchtime air in Room 852 as students screamed the iconic, “Bingo!” when finding another student similar to them. In Palo Alto High School’s Girls in STEM Club, it’s not just about science, technology, engineering and math experiences; it’s also about creating connections, community and having fun.

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The Girls in STEM Club, led by seniors and co-presidents Sophia Dong and Hannah Ruan, creates an environment that allows girls to explore different topics through various events and activities.

Because STEM is competitive and traditionally male-dominated, Dong said she wants to create a space for women to be able to thrive in this field and gain insights for the future. One way she does this is by showing club members examples of other successful female individuals in STEM. “I’d really like more women in STEM because hard sciences like engineering have been traditionally male-dominated,” Dong said. “I think this club brings a lot of inspiration to people, and I really try to help people find ways they can connect to other people of the past.”

To achieve this goal, the club frequently hosts guest speakers and other events to inspire members and widen exposure. According to Dong, guest speakers often recount their experiences in STEM and share them with students.

“We want to bring in industry professionals to try and inspire club members and also bring insights into maybe how they can get started in a career in STEM,” Dong said. “Also, the poster project is for researching women in STEM and women who have made contributions to science that have been traditionally overlooked by men and just bringing awareness to how important they are.”

Dong recalls there weren’t a lot of girls in her previous physics class, which left her feeling isolated. This experience is what in-

Photo by: CAILEY LILLY QUITA

spired her to get involved in the club.

Since joining the club last school year, Dong saw its potential to become more involved with the student community and the Associated Student Body.

“Hannah and I got in contact, and we decided that this year was a great chance to revive it [the club] and expand it to a little bit more than was done last year,” Dong said.

Dong was inspired by the poster project, sometimes done in math classes, where students research mathematicians, create posters, and post them around the classroom.

“I was hoping to do that with women in STEM,” Dong said. “Hopefully, we can get ASB approval and post the posters around campus.”

For senior and club member Jessica Bae, the club is a space that brings community and provides an area to learn.

“My favorite part about being in this club is that I get to meet people who have the same interests as me,” Bae said. “People who are all very interested in a field in STEM, and I feel like we really get to support each other here.”

While the club’s name specifies Girls in STEM, everyone is welcome. The club regularly plans activities that draw attention from students across Paly.

According to Bae, the club prioritizes inclusivity and is a place for people to pursue their passions.

“Today, we’re doing a bingo, where I can meet people that I didn’t get to know earlier,” Bae said.

According to Bae, her dream job since she was little was to be a doctor, and she says this club has helped solidify her career.

“I feel like STEM is something that I am capable of pursuing [because of the club],” Bae said. “The support the club gives and just knowing there are more people out there who want to be in a similar field is reassuring.”

ABOVE — Club members Nieve Teetzel (left) and club president Sophia Dong (right) engage in a fun game of ice breaker bingo. Fun activities like these foster community and trust, crucial for creating strong connections.

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Text by DOREEN HOU

Photos by JOSEPH SUN

From Classroom to Lab High school student unveils brain chip innovations at Synopsys Science Fair

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ooking through the lab goggles, Palo Science and Engineering Fair in May. “I did some research over the summer Alto High School junior Joseph Sun uses one hand to hold the testing at an institute, and I'm pretty proud of my mouse and another hand to careful- work,” Sun said. “I want to present it at a ly push in the antibody. Sun is experiment- science fair. So this way I can showcase my research to the ing with a specific type of antibody “I want to do this project because public and get some feedback to decrease imit just has a major impact,” Sun on my work.” mune responses Sun rewhen inserting said. “I think solving neuroinbrain chips, and flammation, which is one of the s e a r c h e d hopes to bring biggest issues facing society in SIF001, an anhis success to the today’s world, is a major thing tibody, to see if wider audience it can suppress by participat- that’s plaguing people’s lives”. human immune responses when ing in this year’s —Junior Joseph Sun implanting brain Synopsys Science chips, miniature & Technology implants placed Championship.

The Synopsys Championship is a com- in the brain. Eventually, the goal is to allow petition dedicated for middle school and the human brain to stay directly connected high school students to showcase their proj- to brain-control interfaces.

“I want to do this project because it just ect-based research that goes beyond their has a major impact,” Sun said. “I think solvclassroom study.

Joseph Sun, a Palo Alto high school ju- ing neuroinflammation, which is one of the nior and participant in the Synopsys Cham- biggest issues that's plaguing people's lives. I pionship in March, said that he planned to think investing in this would be very benefishowcase his research and possibly take a step cial and very purposeful.” forward in qualifying for the International Sun saw that brain chips have a lot of

potential in aiding neuro-rehabilitation. According to a definition by Johns Hopkins Medicine, neural rehabilitation helps people with disease, injuries and disorders to increase function, and ease the symptoms and difficulties faced by the patient(s).

“I chose this topic because I think brain chips have a lot of potential in neuro-rehabilitation,” Sun said. “Take Neuralink’s as an example. In their[researchers’] first clinical trial, a patient used a brain implant, and researchers found out that the patient could control a computer mouse. They could play video games with just their brain, even though they are paralyzed. They can do basically almost any function with a computer, even though they don't have a hand or they can't use their hand.”

Sun emphasized the importance of doing research with authentic and impactful ideas.

“When you're thinking of ideas for your science project, you need to think of ideas that are impactful and meaningful to society,” Sun said. “Your science project should not be a replica of an already existing experiment. It should be something new that introduces something meaningful into society, that helps solve a problem.”

LEFT — Sun tests locomotor func-

tion of mice on a rotating rod known as a rotarod. It is used to test potential of mice holding form of neurological disease. (Photo by Joseph Sun)

RIGHT — Sun is injecting Sif100, an antibody that aids implantation of brain chips, into the lab mice. He is interested in researching methods that help neural chip implantation because he saw the potential use of brain chip sin neuro-rehabilitation. “I’m super passionate about this [research finding], because I’ve been reading the news a lot, and I’ve been able to see the potential neuro-rehabilitation that can happen with brain chips” Sun said. (Photo by Joseph Sun)

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Text and photos by ALEXANDER LAWSON

Racing reactions Chemistry honors students experiment with rates of reactions

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n the world around us, reactions are happening all the time, especially in Palo Alto High School’s Chemistry Honors classes. Recently, students completed labs in which they had to test how different factors affected the reaction rate of an Alka-Seltzer tablet.

It was a full hands on activity, with students taking lead on the variables that they tested. The only instructions were to keep the mass of the reactants constant. Factors ranging from surface area to temperature were tested by multiple groups of 3-4 students, all of them testing different variables at different levels.

Sophomores Edison Lee, Arthur Blanch, Carlos Cheung, and Junior Patrik Pal mea-

sure the temperature of the water they will use in their next reaction.

Sophomore Steven Rao times a reaction with a stopwatch.

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Sophomore Arthur Blanch grinds up Alka-Seltzer to increase its surface area.

Sophomores Richard Klinkner, Felipe Correa, and Steven Rao place their water into an ice bucket in order to lower its temperature.

Text and Photos by ALEXANDER LAWSON and XANDER YAP

Post highschool thoughts Advice from graduating seniors to STEM underclassmen at Paly

Palo Alto High School is known for many things, but it’s especially known for its academic rigor and STEM focused course selection. As students grow and learn in the Paly ecosystem, they discover key insights about how to thrive at the school. But when they leave, underclassmen lose this valuable guidance.

Because of the difficulty of Paly’s STEM classes and the diversity of opportunities that Paly has to offer, Veritas magazine brings together seniors in STEM to ensure that this knowledge is remembered.

“You should do something that will differentiate yourself. You should definitely join a sport, play music, or do something that will differentiate yourself from other applicants, in addition to doing things related to your major.”

– senior, Charlie Chen

“Take the AP classes of the regular level classes that you enjoyed, because it pays off and it’s not that much harder. It’s also fun because you get to do more and so you get to learn more and so as a result you get to be interested in more things.”

– senior, Aarohi Shah

“We specifically have math clubs, physics clubs, and I think overall the teachers, especially in the physics department, are really helpful. When you ask questions in office hours, they answer it flawlessly. I think Paly as a community is really STEM oriented. So there’s always a lot of people to talk to. I think it’s just that the community itself fosters an environment for STEM.” – senior, Marco Li

“You should do something that will differentiate yourself. You should definitely join a sport, play music, or do something that will differentiate yourself from other applicants, in addition to doing things related to your major.”

– senior, Crystal Li

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Text by KARIN BLUMENFELD

Experimenting with change Science department leads AAR and AP Research classes

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wo classrooms around campus are filled with open laptops, yet no two screens are the same. While this may sound like a study hall, in rooms 1702 and 1707, students in the research pathway aren’t studying for a new test, but instead, they are each creating their own unique test questions, guidelines, and lessons through individual processes.

From science labs to social justice papers, research is at the heart of any advanced level of study, promoting progress in various fields.

To prepare students for post Paly life, the school offers two research paths, Advanced Authentic Research , a one-year, dual-enrolled course, and AP Research following AP Seminar, a two-year capstone program.

For the first time, both AP research and AAR are being taught by teachers with science backgrounds: Michael Lupoli and Samuel Howles-Banerji.

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Lupoli has taught nearly every science course that Paly has to offer including Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Astrophysics, and Marine Biology.

Meanwhile, Howles-Banerji has spent the majority of his time at Paly teaching Chemistry.

AP Capstone is a nationally recognized program that begins with building critical reading, writing, and thinking skills in AP Seminar and then developing personal research with those skills in AP Research.

During AP research, students explore an unanswered question and design a study to answer the question.

“AP research is a very open-ended course where it’s entirely student-driven,” Howles-Banerji said. “Everybody’s working on their own research.”

Their research includes going out and collecting their own data. While not all projects are science-based, this is still very similar to the science field.

“It’s not just doing research and not just gathering other papers,” Howles-Banerji said. “It’s generally more of ‘okay, well, nobody has quite answered the question from this perspective, so I’m going to create a study to answer this new question that nobody has asked.’”

Senior Maxwell Akash Tuteja is working on a project in AP Research regarding acoustic physics and technology.

“Although AP Research doesn’t offer explicit laboratory tools or equipment, it sets you up for independent study,” Tuteja said. “We’ve spent class time discussing the feasibility of our various projects and how we’re going to get the resources to accomplish them.”

If students want to perform lab work in AP Research, that would need to be done through outside connections, however, it is possible to build and test the technology at home.

“Often if a student is going to want to do research that involves more laborato-

Photos by ARJUN JINDAL and VIVIAN TANG

ry science, they’re probably gonna need a professional,” Howles-Banerji said.

Meanwhile, AAR answers unanswered questions by analyzing published papers and drawing conclusions from combining sources.

“What [they] [have] to do is look at published literature that already exists and look at data sets other researchers have collected and analyzed that data,” Lupoli said.

There are some elements of direct surveying in AAR. If current Advanced Authentic Research students want to have access to laboratory equipment, they have to undergo the same process of reaching out to external labs as AP Research.

Lupoli hopes to change the program to include more opportunities for STEM through making laboratories more accessible and providing more information on STEM research in the course.

“In reality, we tend not to do too much lab work for this class,” Lupoli said. “But I hope to actually change that in future years. I’d like to expand that aspect of the program. I’d like to find ways to use the lab equipment and materials we have here at school. Better for our students.”

Both programs aim to make a larger impact in their community through their findings and research questions. For example, senior Katie Bradley is working on a project in AAR between the gender divide in STEM fields.

“I hope my project sheds light on some potential reasons why more girls don’t take AP Physics C at Paly,” Bradley said.

In his AP Research project, senior Graeme Kieran aims to shape public policy through his new research in public opinion on AI surveillance, an up and coming field.

To achieve this, he is working on code independently.

“What I wanna do is I wanna judge the public opinion on human reviewers versus AI reviewers in order to drive policy,” Kieran said. “ One of the biggest concerns that we’re seeing is ethics. And so, I want to see if I can get a more nuanced perspective on public opinion to create ethical suggestions for policy.”

Both classes are collaborative, enjoyable, and leave room for freedom of thought.

However, AAR is the path looking to open up more opportunities for STEM-

based projects.

To do so, Lupoli is looking for students interested in science to join his class.

“It’s typically been teachers and the humanities teaching AAR, which is great, and there are plenty of people who do research subjects in the humanities,” Lupoli said. “But I would like to get more science-minded students in AAR doing science-related projects.”

TOP RIGHT — Samuel Howles-Ba-

nerji assists seniors Otto Kiss Meyerfreund and Jack Madwed in leading their AP Research presentations. “I’m interested in what my students are doing,” Howles-Banerji said. “Because I’ve been talking to them about it all year, I can’t help but to get interested in it.”

TOP LEFT — Michael Lupoli reviews senior Jose Pinto Saldana’s AAR draft and gives insight. “You’re essentially doing one project all year long,” Lupoli said. “And you’re updating it, you’re adding parts to it throughout the year and we coach people through that and give people direction and guidance.”

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Text by DIVIJ MOTWANI and MARCUS LING

Photos by DIVIJ MOTWANI and MARCUS LING

Rewiring the radio How KQED has restructured broadcast journalism for the digital age

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arlier this year, wildfires tore through Southern California, leading to many locals evacuating the vicinity and tuning in to live updates via radio. In fact, Nielsen Audio reported that LA news-talk radio stations experienced a 40% spike in listeners in that time.

Still, despite power outages, network failures, and the urgent need for timely updates during the crisis, legacy radio stations like KQED had less impact than social media platforms. The millions of views and likes across platforms like TikTok and Instagram covering the fires were merely a product of trends shifting news coverage away from legacy media to social media. According to a Pew Research Center study, in 2002, 6% of Americans listened to online audio in the past week, but in 2023, this figure rose to 70% in 2023.

However, as listener habits evolve, news stations across the country, including San Francisco-based KQED radio, are reshaping their approach to journalism, bringing new forms of content.

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Founded in 1954, KQED represents the highest class of public media amongst NPR and PBS affiliates, bringing radio and media content across Northern California.

To learn more about how approaches to modern journalism are being reshaped by technology and audience behavior, Veritas visited KQED’s new headquarters in San Francisco.

Inside, Ethan Toven-Lindsey, vice president of news at KQED, explained how the station is adapting to an era where traditional AM/FM radio has been on the decline over recent decades.

The pandemic further underscored the changing media landscape, reinforcing a trend toward digital consumption.

“It wasn’t the pandemic that created the drop-off in audience,” Toven-Lindsey said. “There have been fewer and fewer audience members on linear radio for decades. The pandemic sort of drove that home.”

In response to this decline, KQED has been actively pursuing digital-first strategies to keep pace with changing listener habits, gearing con-

tent towards various social media and short-form video platforms.

“We’ve intentionally launched Daily News podcasts, dynamic podcasts, weekly podcasts, digital video explorations,” Toven-Lindsey said. “We push our content on TikTok and a number of vertical video platforms. All of that gets an audience.”

Yet, despite this digital evolution, linear radio remains crucial, especially in emergencies.

Toven-Lindsey pointed to the Blue Ridge Public Radio in Asheville, North Carolina, to show the importance of traditional broadcast infrastructure. During the catastrophic flooding caused by Hurricane Helene in Oct. 2024, radio was the only communication channel left standing.

“The entire county lost power…you did not have internet, you didn’t have a phone, you didn’t have a landline,” Toven-Lindsey said. “Most people lost all connectivity and power. Guess what didn’t go out? The radio. It kept working, and it became the lifeline. It became the internet for that community they would get on every day.”

Despite this, KQED isn’t worried about in-

vesting in more traditional radio infrastructure. field. Reporters and editors, yes. But also, newsRather, the organization is shifting its focus to- letter editors, TikTok producers, photojournalists, and all of them are working with those reporters wards multi-platform reporting.

“Our radio audience right now is pretty or by themselves to cover all of the different stories healthy, but that doesn’t mean that we’re gonna based on what platform is best for them.”

But all of this comes at a cost, and journalism OVERLY reinvest in broadcast, linear radio,” outlets have long relied Toven-Lindsey said. on the outdated business “Over the last eight “Journalism is not just model of sponsors withyears, we have restrucin bundled, long-form tured our internal work- resurgent, it never realjournalism. This includings to be more focused ly died. It was the busied bundled newspapers on multi-platform.” and traditional AM/FM This approach ness model that died” radio broadcasts. allows KQED to use — Ethan Toven-Lindsey, “From the 50s to different platforms deVice President of News, KQED the 90s, print newspapending on story type, pers packaged all of this creating more engaging stuff together, delivcontent. Stories about protests may utilize more vertical video content, ered it to your front door and you paid for it,” whilst other stories may perform better on their Toven-Lindsey said. “[Newspapers] convinced themselves that everyone wanted all of this stuff website. “[The content creation process] will be like, when they only really wanted things like sports hey, this is an incredibly visual story, this strike,” scores and maybe celebrity news.”

On the other hand, a modern social meToven-Lindsey said. We should do a vertical video on it, and then we send our vertical video reporter dia-oriented news service makes for a better consumer experience and more personalization comto do it.”

With this system, reporters can specialize in pared to the traditional newspaper. This would specific stories, bringing specific platform exper- require generating revenue predominantly from end-user subscriptions instead of corporate/busitise for better reporting. “[KQED has] a 100-person newsroom,” ness sponsors.

“I think that The New York Times is actually Toven-Lindsey said. “About 40 are reporters, then the other 60 are people who are experts in their the right solution,” Toven-Lindsey said. “They are

conglomerating the bundle with games, cooking apps and news that people value, but now it’s paid for by subscribers. KQED is trying to do something like that too for members, and we are figuring out new business models to support this thing.

We’re in the transition period where we haven’t mastered them yet, but there are people that value this, and they will pay for it.”

Despite these ongoing transformations, journalism isn’t dying, according to Toven-Lindsey. It’s simply evolving from its past. As KQED navigates the turbulent waters between traditional media and emerging digital platforms, the station is committed to keeping its journalism accessible and relevant.

“The old business model of journalism is dying and is, in fact, dead,” Toven-Lindsey said.

“But there are new business models…Journalism is not just resurgent, it never really died. It was the business model that died…people value this [journalism].”

TOP LEFT — A glimpse inside the televi-

sion broadcast room, featuring a multi-view display wall and video switcher. (Photo by Divij Motwani)

TOP RIGHT — KQED’s vice president of

news Ethan Toven-Lindsey operates the editing software used to splice together audio segments of a radio show. (Photo by Marcus Ling)

17

OPINION

Text by DIVIJ MOTWANI and MARCUS LING

Photos by DIVIJ MOTWANI

The war on broadcast The war on broadcast Students must unite against the efforts to defund public media

N

O MORE FUNDING FOR NPR, A TOTAL SCAM!” President Donald Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social. “THEY ARE A LIBERAL DISINFORMATION MACHINE. NOT ONE DOLLAR!!!”

On Jan. 30, Trump’s new head of the Federal Communications Commission, Brendan Carr, launched an investigation into the National Public Radio and the Public Broadcasting Service.

The president-elect demanded that CBS lose its broadcast license after airing an interview with Kamala Harris — declining a “60 Minutes” interview himself — and has repeatedly referred to journalists as the “enemy of the people.”

Trump’s most recent stance echoes the opinion of the conservative playbook “Project 2025”.

Specifically, it looks to strip public media of federal funding and licenses for noncommercial education stations.

PBS and NPR are national nonprofit media networks that provide accurate, unbiased journalism to American audiences. KQED, based in San Francisco, is one of NPR and PBS’s largest affiliates, offering regional news coverage and journalism for communities across Northern California.

Radios have and will continue serving the important role of keeping society informed, bridging geographic divides at a low cost to the

18 April 2025

consumer. However, radio stations nationwide are suffering from declining profits. According to a Pew Research Center Study, the average annual revenue of a radio station has decreased by nearly 30% since 2015, making it harder for them to stay afloat.

As such, many stations have grown increasingly dependent on annual grants from the federal government. Each year, Congress allocates a budget for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which then distributes the funds to public media outlets. While larger stations like KQED might weather the storm of federal funding cuts, the same cannot be said for smaller, rural affiliates that rely heavily on these grants.

“KQED gets 6% of our funding from CPB, so it’s a non-zero percentage, but it’s not a catastrophic percentage,” said Ethan Toven-Lindsey, vice president of news at KQED. “But smaller stations are more dependent on CPB grants because they’re serving rural communities. They don’t have these large audiences with a large number of employees that are able to help build and structure huge media organizations like KQED.” Broadcast journalism’s job has always been about informing the public, and Palo Alto High School students should stand up for it. Reaching federal lawmakers could prove difficult, so students should start by calling, emailing, or writ-

ing letters to local lawmakers, such as members of the Palo Alto City Council, asking them to fight for our journalism. Eventually, representatives will take notice when constituents, especially young people, engage in civic discourse.

For example, a Kansas Senate committee voted to reduce funding for the state’s PBS network, but the decision faced criticism from the public.

Eventually, according to the Free Speech Project, the committee reversed its decision, reinstating the full $500,000 budget.

We should also support organizations that advocate for the continued funding of NPR and PBS, such as Protect My Public Media, which organizes protests and is currently petitioning Congress to advocate against proposals to cut public media funding. Simply put, facing dwindling revenue and funding, many public radio stations cannot sustain themselves profitably if we collectively choose inaction.

And without public radio, millions of Americans will be denied the unbiased reporting of the truth they deserve. It’s commonly said that democracy dies in darkness. In this case, democracy dies in silence. Radio silence.

ABOVE ­— A glimpse inside KQED Studios, an internal venue used to host in-person multimedia events. (Photo by Divij Motwani)

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Text by CHAPIN WALKER

Can This New Gel Make Stanford professor Eric Appel has created a new gel that can protect homes and landscapes from wildfires

F

lames race across a dry, brittle field, consuming the land at alarming speeds. At the center, a power pole stands surrounded by the dry field, its shadow stretching across the ground.

Thanks to the application of a special fire retardant-gel, the flames stopped just short of the pole, but without it, this structure likely would have turned into ash.

The wildfires that ravaged Los Angeles in January 2025 burned 60 square miles and destroyed over 11,500 homes, marking one of the most costly disasters in U.S. history.

As the region grapples with increasingly frequent and severe fires, traditional fire retardants have proven inadequate, washing away too quickly to offer lasting protection. In response, researchers are exploring a new gel-based solution that helps slow the spread of flames and reduce the damage to vulnerable areas.

A new technology, PHOS-CHEK

20 April 2025

FORTIFY, developed by Eric Appel — an With the approval process now beassociate professor of Materials Science hind them, people can buy this gel online.

“Our first gel is already on the market and Engineering at Stanford University — may offer a way to reduce the impact of and available for purchase through Perimwildfires. Appel and his team have created eter Solutions,” Appel said, During the recent Los Angeles fires, a cellulose-based fire retardant gel containing silica particles that form a protective Appel mentioned, he had a lot of people layer when exposed to heat. It can be ap- reach out asking for him to spray their plied to vegetation and homes and form houses. Many hoped his fire retardant gel a protective barrier that could be used to could protect their homes, highlighting its potential impact safeguard buildwhere traditionings and limit the spread of fires in “If people can afford it and al fire prevention methods fall short high-risk areas ac- have access to it in placaccording to Apcording to Appel. pel.

When ex- es that are prone to fire, “I was getting posed to great and they’re able to apply a bunch of emails heat, it transforms it themselves, then that from people wantinto an aerogel.

This allows the gel could be a game changer in ing me to spray [the gel] during to protect surfaces a fire” at the same ca— Nicole Loomis, Environmental the fire,” Appel pacity even when Science teacher said.

Appel’s ex80% of the water perience with has evaporated.

According to Appel, it’s made from all constant inquiries about fire suppression biodegradable and non-toxic materials in- during active wildfires sheds light on a cluding water, cellulose, and silica, making broader issue he’s noticed. Despite the urgent need for fire prevention during the it environmentally safe.

“It’s been fully approved by the US height of a wildfire, he believes that public Forest Service,” Appel said. “They actu- interest decreases once the immediate danally make you go through fish and mam- ger of wildfires has passed.

“There’s a wildfire season, and it’s all mal toxicity studies. They feed increasing amounts to fish or they put it in the water, over the news for months, and then when and they see how much can you put in the it’s out of season, it [the news] goes water before it starts hurting the fish.”

Art by VIVIAN TANG

Fire Season Survivable? away,” Appel said.

Without consistent attention and action, communities keep falling short to implement solutions to keep themselves safe during fire season according to Appel. He also mentioned one of the potential causes of the Los Angeles fires was ignition by power lines. Appel said his gel could have helped prevent the fire if that was the case.

“If it’s really windy and the power lines are smashing into each other, if they shoot sparks out just right, that’s the perfect way to start a fire,” Appel said. “Maybe we could have treated the vegetation underneath the power lines, and then even if there are sparks, it wouldn’t ignite.”

Another factor that made the Los Angeles fires so deadly is how the city was behind on doing prescribed burns according to Appel.

He also mentioned , in California, almost 20 million acres of brush must be burned every 10 years or so to reduce wildfire risk and at the rate the state was going, California was never going to get it done.

Appel said by using his gel to create a boundary around the prescribed fire, the fire won’t be able to spread past that, letting firefighters take fewer steps

before the prescribed burns.

“There was a cultural site that needed protection during a prescribed burn,” Appel said. “We showed that we could spray around it and then they do the burn, and the spray treatment would actually protect it.”

Appel said communities in the mountains in the Bay Area, such as the Palo Alto Hills, are not prepared for a fire of the magnitude of the LA fires. They need to do a lot more forest management and prescribed burns in order to be ready, and many people don’t follow the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection guidelines as well, according t o

Appel. Nicole Loomis, a Palo Alto High School Environmental Science teacher, agrees that preventative measures are crucial.

“I think houses that are built in fire prone areas should be built like, there should be building codes that require certain fire-preventive building techniques,” Loomis said.

She also suggests that California could leverage new technology, such as Appel’s sprayable gel, to help prepare for and prevent the increasingly frequent wildfires.

“If people can afford it and have access to it in places that are prone to fire, and they’re able to apply it themselves, then that could be a game changer in a fire,” Loomis said.

21

Text TextbybyHADRIEN XANDERDE YAP MARTEL and HADRIEN and XANDER DE MARTEL YAP

Flaming factors to explain the increase. Palo with the University of California AgriculWildfires continue to human Alto High School Environmental science ture and Natural Resources’ fire network, said that these suppresworsen due to various teacher Nicole Loomis said California’s biome is natusion policies create an factors experts say rally prone to fires.

“California is in the environment where if a

W

ith more than 16,000 homes and other structures damaged or destroyed in just a single month, 2025 became the second most destructive fire year in California history, according to CalMatters. The Los Angeles fires served as yet another reminder of the worsening wildfire crisis and the importance of improved preparation.

The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection reported that the 10-year average number of acres burned by wildfires annually in California has roughly doubled since 2014.

Experts point to environmental and

22 April 2025

fire breaks out, it grows “California is in the chaparral biome chaparral biome, which quickly in size. naturally has fires occur- which naturally has “It’s this paradox ring, and so fires are part fires occuring and that we put ourselves into by suppressing of the ecosystem,” Loomis so fires are part of fires for so long, over said.

Due to human activ- the ecosystem,” the last century,” Benity, these fires have grown terou said. “We are immensely in size and se­— Nicole Loomis, now setting ourselves verity, and the natural cyPaly environmental up to have these really cle has been interrupted. science teacher crazy fires.”

“There’s been a lot of Global warming fire suppression policies also plays a major role over time that haven’t allowed fires to hap- in the wildfire crisis. Specifically, climate pen, and so there is a large build-up of fuel change worsens fire danger by increasing on the ground,” Loomis said. the length of the fire season.

David Benterou, a research associate “The fire season is getting longer be-

Photo by HADRIEN DE MARTEL

Reality “A very simple thing you could do is cause the snowmelt is happening earlier and there’s a longer dry season,” Loomis sweep the roof of your house off, sweep all said. “You [also] have more storms that the duff and debris that’s piling up on your deck,” Benterou said. could have more lightning strikes.”

Doing this preThese factors together have consistently wors- “We need to think vents the possibility of a spot fire, which can ened the wildfire situation about the way throughout California. cause significant property damage.

Palo Alto, despite we treat the fuels “Imagine a big being an urban area, still around our house, has some parts which are and defend our dead tree, it’s on fire and it’s torching at the under large wildfire risks, homes,” top, then there’s emaccording to Loomis.

“Houses in the Palo bers that fly out on the Alto hills, which are on ­— David Benterou, street,” Benterou said. the urban wildlife interresearch associate “When they fly out and get windborne, they face, those houses could can spread one or two be at risk,” Loomis said.

To best protect one’s home, Benterou miles, and then when they land on the suggests cleaning debris and getting rid of ground and land on receptive fuels, those any construction materials or dead grass fuels can light too.” that could serve as fuel.

Loomis also suggests creating a 5-foot

space around one’s home that protects against wildfires.

“It’s important to keep defensible space around your property,” Loomis said.

On a larger scale, Palo Alto also provides a variety of resources that residents can use, such as designated evacuation routes, safety zones and public education on wildland fire safety to help residents better protect their homes.

Since climate change is only getting worse, Benterou emphasizes the importance of taking precautionary measures.

“We need to think about the way we treat the fuels around our house and defend our homes,” Benterou said.

ABOVE — The Caldor fire blazes

burning down a forest. The fire burned a total of 221,835 acres according to the US Forest Service. (Photo by Hadrien de Martel)

23

Noori, skincare for students How one Paly parent is changing the youth acne conversation

24 April 2025

Text by Arjun Jindal and Xander Yap

F

Art by Arjun Jindal

or student battling acne each glance in the mirThis realization led Chaudhry to develop products speror can feel like a personal battleground. With cifically targeting adolescents and young adults struggling store shelves overflowing with creams, serums, and with acne. countless promises, it’s challenging to know what “I tested my product on the combination (skin type), works against acne and what makes it worse. Amid an over- acne-prone, sensitive, normal, and dry skin — it performed whelming array of skincare choices, Palo Alto High School well across the board,” Chaudhry said. parent Ambreen Chaudhry hopes to make a difference for Chaudhry’s formula taps into a growing trend of skinteens with her brand Noori. care products that “ Tretinoin [a preAbout 85% of people ages 12 to 24 experience acne, blend clinical science significantly affecting their self-esteem and emotional scription acne medwith beauty. Her use health, according to the American Academy of Dermatolof ingredients like ication] destroyed ogy. This causes students to search for clinical solutions to jojoba seed oil, nimy skin.” their skin — and identity . acinamide, and ol“Honestly, the biggest sector in acne treatment is preive-derived squalane — Micheal Li is backed by research scription acne [treatment],” said Priya Venkatesh, global Paly Junior merchandise director at Sephora. While prescriptions like and aimed at one Accutane offer significant results, they come with heavy goal: reducing excess oil. Shesay plays a different role — costs, both financially and physically. Accutane, or isotreti- mimicking natural oils, regulating gland activity, or hydratnoin, causes dryness because it significantly reduces the ac- ing without clogging pores — to help bring oily skin back tivity and size of the skin’s sebaceous glands, which produce into balance.

Venkatesh also sees this same trend of clinical backed natural oils, or sebum. By decreasing sebum production, Accutane effectively prevents clogged pores and reduces ingredients in skincare.

“All these milky serums are getting big because they’re acne. However, this reduction in natural oil production also means that skin, lips, and mucous membranes become affordable, and they do more than one thing, and hydration deprived of necessary moisture, leadis always on-trend, if you have well-hy“My journey ing to intense dryness and irritation. drated skin going to it’s great base for a lot “Accutane was effective, but the wouldn’t have hapof things,” Venkatesh said. dryness was intense,” said Jaydin Venkatesh advises that students with pened without all Richards, a Paly student who used oily skin should moisturize, too, because the medication. Another student de- the young teens and proper hydration can balance oil producclined to comment, describing the tweens I’ve encoun- tion and prevent the skin from overproducing oil, which may lead to breakouts. experience as too traumatic. tered.”

For many students, clearer skin “Even if your skin is oily, you still significantly boosts confidence. Yet, — Ambreen Chaudhry need a moisturizer,” Venkatesh said, Founder and CEO of Noori Skincare highlighting a common misconception due to these side effects, Accutane among teens that cleansing prevents acne. can be too much for many students’ “Over-cleansing dries out and aggravates your skin more.” skin to handle.

“Tretinoin [a prescription acne medication] destroyed As you shop for your next miracle cream, consider looking at the ingredients instead of the cover. After all, my skin,” said Paly junior Michael Li. Recognizing a rising demand for effective, youth-tar- it’s not just about appearance — it’s about purpose and geted skincare, some entrepreneurs have stepped into impact. the market with targeted, clean formulations. Ambreen “My journey wouldn’t have happened without all the Chaudhry, a former pharmacist, noticed this gap in skin- young teens and tweens I’ve encountered,” Chaudhry said. care products specifically designed for younger consumers. “I want to provide something good for the skin, ensuring During the pandemic, Chaudhry, a longtime chemist, young people protect their skin barrier and age well.” felt a desire to apply her skills to help others.

“After COVID-19, I was burnt out. My boys convinced me to quit,” Chaudhry said, reflecting on the challenging LEFT — PALY student Stanley Tang applies his skincare routine before school on March 29 in Palo Alto. “It’s part of how I take care but transformative experiences that shaped her journey. of myself and feel confident,” Tang said.

25

Ever Evolving AI Computer History Museum reopens AI exhibit after renovations 2 April 2025

W

Text and photos by MIHIKA SRIDHAR and VIVIAN TANG

alking into the Computer History Museum in Mountain View, visitors are immediately greeted by the front desk. But hidden in the back is an alley leading up to one of the museum’s most interactive exhibits.

The Computer History Museum features a changing exhibit that switches focus every few months. However, the museum was closed for renovation until January. In November, before the closure, the “Chatbots Decoded: Exploring AI” exhibit was added.

Now with its reopening, also comes the return of the chatbots exhibit.

Since its opening, the museum’s mission has focused on chronicling the history of digital innovation, and that is exactly what they did with the reopening of their AI exhibit. The exhibit includes the history behind past chatboxes and how they work.

According to museum Vice President and Chief Curatorial and Exhibitions Officer Kirsten Tashev, the release of ChatGPT 3.5, one of the most advanced AI models, was the perfect opportunity to build the “Chatbots Decoded: Exploring AI” exhibit around not only the past but also the present and future impacts of innovation.

“We thought it [the rise of ChatGPT] was a perfect opportunity for the museum [to start developing an exhibit about AI chatbots],” Tashev said. “For this particular exhibit, we had recently changed the museum's mission to be more about not just the past, but the continuum of past, present, future.”

Tashev said the exhibit is important because it forces visitors to acknowledge the future of AI in different industries like education. The exhibit uses features such as the “What’s Next” board where people can write their predictions for AI in the future; a documentary of experts on AI explaining how it can be used; and the history of the development of AI chatbots.

AI is often a point of contention, especially in education, because many people associate it with academic dishonesty. However, this has happened in history before, just with different technology.

“When calculators came out in the 80s, the exact same thing happened,” Tashev said.

“Parents were panicked.

Teachers were saying kids will cease to learn how to do math because of calculators, and then they found a way to

incorporate it into education. … We're saying maybe what will happen with the calculator will be similar to what will happen with ChatGPT.” One of the most interactive features in the exhibit is Ameca, a human-like robot that interacts with visitors through a microphone and camera. Ameca is unlike most other chatbots because it knows that it is in a museum so it can reference exhibits in the Computer History Museum, such as the Google Earth interactive exhibit. “[One time, this] little girl said, I got to see my home, and she's like, six or seven years old,” Tashev said. “… And then Ameca said, Oh, you must have been using the Google Earth interactive exhibit.”

The AI exhibit gives opportunities not only for adults but also for teenagers to learn about what their future might look like.

“Teenagers are a hard audience to reach, but this [AI] is going to be really important to their future, so I think it's filling a kind of need,” Tashev said. “And I see a lot of parents going with their teenage kids too because parents are curious about it too.”

Alysha Shaine, a teenager who visited the exhibit, said the experience made her feel more confident about the future, even with AI. “I think the AI exhibit made me feel confident about the future because I got to see videos about how people are planning to use it to better society,” Shaine said.

Teenager Ryan Kymore said viewing displays can be fascinating when you are really interested in the topic, but the hands-on elements of the “Chatbots Decoded: Exploring AI” exhibit are what truly bring it to life.

“I am not normally a museum person, but because of all the interactive things — like Ameca — I was actually really interested and spent like two-plus hours there, which I have never done,” Kymore said. _________________

LEFT ­— Visitors watch a documentary on the future of AI and its applications.

RIGHT — Ameca, a humanoid robot featured at the Computer History Museum, interacts with visitors through different expressions.

27

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