News Articles

Congratulations, Winter Short Story Winners!

February 02, 2021

Published in the San Jose Public Library

You brainstormed and beat writer's block; you drafted; you wrote and edited; you met new characters and invented new places, and now, it is finally time to announce the winners of the first ever Winter Short Story Competition for San Jose Public Library!

Continued on the San Jose Public Library...

How One Piano School is Meeting The Needs of Modern Students: Oclef Path Projects

November 03, 2020

Published in the The Ritz Herald

This is the 21st century, and the 21st century student is unique. Their learning styles and approaches are heightened, revolving around shifting technological advancements and rising to meet the needs of their energies and thought processes.

This is part of the idea behind the Path Project. Developed at Oclef, one of the top-ranked piano schools in the country, the Path Project is a course designed for the modern student. It focuses specifically on developing key skills and traits which are unique to today’s modern workforce: critical thinking, problem solving, project management, and independence. Continued on the Ritz Herald...

Eternity, Our Existence, and Empty Space

October 12, 2019

Published in the Evergreen Times

Pinch yourself, right now. There, you feel it, don’t you? But do you really feel it? Do we really exist? Do we matter, in the vastness of imperceptible space, time, and matter? How can lifeless atoms bunched together create a consciousness, a personality, a mind of its own? What about everything that we think we are aware and knowledgeable of? Are we living in someone’s morbid dream, an illusion so vast and so great that a universe is born? A trillion universes?

I have always given thought to these baffling questions. They make me stop what I’m doing cold turkey, and realize that there may be more to this world that we think we are a part of - or nothing at all. It really confuses me sometimes. But I think it's good to have these confusing, yet thoughtful moments. In a world where digital and virtual “reality” take over and cloud our minds on a daily basis, we often don’t stop to ponder about why and how this world has come to be, and if there is a reason for it, or none at all. And really, it’s not our fault, or so we think. That’s the thing - everything is about perception. For example, do you really see the stars as they are currently? The answer is no, because the light that stars emit takes millions of light years to reach us. It’s almost like we are gazing into the past, while living in the present. Science has proven this to be true, but it’s mind boggling nevertheless.

I believe that, depending on how you think about the universe, we do matter, and yet we think we are insignificant in our vast perception of the cosmos. We are all souls who have strayed from a single, connected source, and have become detached from that source through attachment with something. Because we all have desires and attachments, we fail to see through our defined universe, including time, space, and matter. We are constantly boxing ourselves in confinement. How many times can you split an apple in half? Infinitely. How big is the universe? An infinite size that we cannot perceive in our limited minds. This only proves my point further - seeing past the extremities of the “definable” universe is impossible for is, because we are so attached to our physical world that we cannot look past it and have a real understanding of what we are a part of. The pureness of anything, including love, isn’t all pure because our feelings of attachment taint what is pure. That’s not to say that our love isn’t real or true - it is only to explain that love comes with the highs and lows of circumstance. It’s quite human.

We may feel insignificant due to our lack of understanding of what we are and what we are truly a part of, but we do matter. We can’t avoid thinking about the defined rules of our lives, and that’s understandable. But we all, in actuality, live for moments in our life when we feel the euphoria of unconditional happiness or love. With these moments, your significance is true, no matter how small.

Back to our reality - what’s the takeaway? Well, the universe and our existence is something that is beyond everyone. But in our daily lives, we can find ways to dedicate time to bringing ourselves back to the ground reality of existence and ourselves. I think meditation is great for this, to just cleanse the mind of constant, buzzing thoughts that keep us in confinement. We all matter, no matter how small we are. The universe may be vast and unthinkable, but if you have found a place in that vastness where you feel as one, that is a feat in itself.

Sixth Grade Student Wins Prestigious National STEM Competition in DC

August 01, 2017

Published in the Willow Glen Times

Nivedita Sanghavi, a San Jose sixth grade student, has won the prestigious ProjectCS GIRLS National STEM (Science Technology Engineering Mathematics) competition in Washington, DC. Nivedita invented a system called Peer-to-Peer Emergency Response System (PePERS) for the nationwide 911 network which will save lives by reducing wait times while attending Evergreen Elementary School. Nivedita, who graduated from Evergreen Elementary School with the Presidential Honor Roll, will be attending Chaboya Middle School in the fall. She recently presented her detailed invention to the San Jose fire department (SJFD) and it was met with rave reviews. “I learned that success is not about the limelight that you get, but the impact you make in the world,” said Nivedita. “I believe in making a positive change in people's lives using science and technology." Making positive changes in people’s lives is Nivedita’s goal in life, as she has her sights set on becoming a doctor or an architect.

ProjectCSGIRLS competition for Middle School Girls challenges participants in 6th-8th grade to build something using computer science and technology that can help solve an imminent social problem under one of three themes - global health, a safer world, or intelligent technology. Judges select semifinalists, finalists, and national winners. All finalists are invited to Washington DC for the national gala.

ProjectCSGIRLS currently reaches more than 3,500 middle school girls in 40 states. More than 700 middle school girls from 35 states participated in the 2017 ProjectCSGIRLS Competition, the fourth annual competition.

Background on Nivedita winning entry: The United States offers its citizens one of the most modern emergency response systems in the world. Typically users across the United States invoke emergency response services by dialing 9-1-1 on their phones. The 911 calls are routed by the phone service providers to the nearest 'Public Safety Answering Point' (PSAP). The PSAP is a service which collects the information from the distress call and in turn alerts the proper emergency responders and agencies such as the police, fire department or emergency medical services (EMS). In recent times these crucial emergency systems and services have come under tremendous pressure due to the following

Higher volume of 911 calls coupled with growth of overall population.
Declining funding from cash strapped local counties and states.
Higher budgets needed to modernize legacy PSAP and 911 call systems.

An estimated 240 million calls are made to 911 in the U.S. each year. In many areas, 70 percent or more calls are originated from wireless devices. This mind boggling volume of calls stretches the emergency systems to the brink that ultimately pushes up the time it takes to respond to incoming requests. It is estimated that 15 percent of 911 calls are made for non-emergencies. While average 911 response times are heavily disputed, the American Police Beat estimates the average response time for an emergency call at about 10 minutes. Imagine not being able to receive critical care or first aid during a time of emergency. Those precious minutes spent waiting for First Responders to arrive on the scene could be the difference between life and death.

“I want to help reduce the stress on the overburdened emergency response services and in turn decrease the time it takes for emergency services to arrive when a 911 call is made,” said Nivedita. “To solve this problem, my invention allows a 911 call initiated via a smartphone will be routed to a conventional PSAP as well as the PePERS system, which utilizes a nationwide network of smart phones providing identifies of other users in need of emergency services. The advantage of this system is the ability to rush aid to victims before conventional First Responders arrive at the scene.” PePERS will not solve or provide for every type of emergency, however PePERS provides immediate First Aid for as many emergencies as possible, therefore:

Saving lives by reducing the amount of time it takes for a 911 caller to receive help. This will especially be the case in rural / less populated areas.
Reducing the amount of time spent by conventional First Responders on non-emergency calls.
Increasing awareness of local emergencies to a wider audience and by building a community of users who care for each other in times of crisis.
Preserving scarce First Responder resources at the state and the county level that can be diverted to better use.

Nivedita's hobbies and interests include - building Legos (she is a master builder), swimming, playing the piano, taekwondo (brown belt), taking care of her two guinea pigs, and traveling with her parents.

Background on ProjectCSGirls Competition: Founded in 2013, ProjectCSGIRLS Competition is a national 501(c)(3) nonprofit working to close the tech gender gap through running a national computer science competition for middle school girls and workshops around the country. The competition and workshops challenge girls to be makers and use tech to develop projects with social impact, empowering them to pursue technology and confidently step forward into a field as male-dominated as computer science, speaking to their desire to create social change, and providing them with a network of like-minded peers, mentors, and professionals to help support and grow their ideas. For more information, visit Nivedita's Project Showcase on the web.