Team

Angela Zhan is a junior at Logan High School in Logan, Utah. She has been involved in science and mathematics competitions since elementary school. Angela was a two-time top 30 finalist of Broadcom MASTERS (Math, Applied Science, Technology and Engineering for Rising Stars) and finalist of the 2022 and 2023 Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair. She is passionate about promoting STEM in the youth and thus founded YouthSTEM to create opportunities for young kids to participate in STEM activities.

Snigtha Mohanraj is currently a junior at the Engineering and Science University Magnet School in CT. She has been conducting independent research projects investigating different methods of water filtration to remove harmful contaminants from our water. Snigtha was a top 30 national finalist of Broadcom MASTERS and placed 3rd in the US in the 3M Young Scientist Challenge. She was also a 2022 Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair finalist and a National Junior Science and Humanities Symposium finalist. Snigtha is a climate activist within her community and has been interning for the Climate Health Education Project, an organization promoting climate education within schools, while also working with the New Haven Climate Movement.

Joanna Sohn is a senior at Keystone School in San Antonio, Texas. She has participated in competitive science fairs since sixth grade. For her projects, she became a Broadcom MASTERS top 30 finalist and Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair finalist in 2021 and 2023. In the Texas Junior Science & Humanities Symposium, she earned 1st place in Medicine and Health for two years and was a recipient of the Momentum Grant. Joanna recently earned college credits in organic chemistry and was a winner of the Congressional App Challenge in 2022. She is passionate about learning, experimenting, and tutoring STEM subjects. She has also been teaching middle school math students and promoting coding and science activities.

Richard Deng is a junior at Lincoln High School in Portland, Oregon. Richard has been exploring all topics of STEM since youth and was a 2020 Top 30 Finalist of Broadcom MASTERS (Math, Applied Science, Technology, and Engineering for Rising Stars). He is passionate and driven to show the youth the endless possibilities and varieties that STEM topics have to offer. Richard started an Oregon State Branch for YouthSTEM at his high school which will focus on promoting STEM topics to the youth through presentations, experiments, and a STEM-focused tutoring program for high schoolers across the state. He believes that by promoting, exposing, and inspiring the youth in STEM topics, future generations will be able to seize the numerous STEM-related opportunities they encounter and help make advancements for the betterment of the people and society.

Vivaana Haval is currently a junior at Cuthbertson High School. Vivaana has been involved in conducting independent research projects and University affiliated research projects both in the USA and India. She has been participating in several STEM competitions and was chosen as Broadcom Masters top 30 scientists in the nation and won the Rob and Melanie Foundation’s Sustainability Award 1st Place, North Carolina American Water works Association 1st Place, Excellence in Biotechnology award in the UNC Science and engineering Fair place, Academic Games League of America Nationals, individual 4th place. She is a chief operating officer of a non-profit organization, where she oversees the event operations and is involved in educating the next generation of AI innovators through hands-on learning. She is currently researching on Surface modifying Bio-hybrid Nano-materials for Tissue Engineering in-Vitro and a Public Health related project on Breast Cancer, in affiliation with a University in India. When she is not conducting scientific literature searches, she enjoys tutoring math, writing articles for her school magazine and playing badminton. She has been pursuing Hindustani Classical Music for the past 12 years and recently has graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Hindustani vocals and music theory.

Anita Gaenko is a junior at Huron High School in Ann Arbor, MI. In addition to taking classes in math, chemistry, and biology at the University of Michigan, she participates in several extracurricular clubs, like Science Bowl, Science Olympiad, and Ethics Bowl. She was a 2022 Semifinalist for the U.S.A. Biology Olympiad, and achieved Honors in the 2022 U.S. National Chemistry Olympiad. She received the AP Scholar with Distinction Award for high scores on seven AP exams. She is also the recipient of the 2021 and 2022 Maryam Mirzakhani awards for being a top five female scorer in the state of Michigan on the AMC 10. She has been playing the piano for ten years and dancing for seven. Anita loves writing, and is the News Editor for Huron’s award-winning publication, the Huron Emery. Her dream job is in the field of medical research, where she hopes to use her strengths to help as many people as she can.

Agastya Sridharan is a senior at Scripps Ranch High School. Agastya has participated in the Science Fair for 6 years, where he’s won 1st place at his regional fair every year, placed top 3 at the California State Science Fair twice, and was chosen as part of the top 30 scientists in the nation (Broadcom Masters). He qualified for the International Science and Engineering Fair, where he won the 2nd Grand Award and special awards with the NSA and the Air Force. He also founded the LD Debate program at Scripps and competed as an independent on the national circuit. By the end of his freshman season, Agastya won the National Championship in debate (Woodward Academy). The next year, he was ranked the best sophomore in the nation at the Tournament of Champions. Agastya routinely helps younger debaters and serves as a mentor for PepTalk debate. He’s excited to be a part of the YouthSTEM.org team!

Eamon Gordon is a rising junior at Dos Pueblos High School in Santa Barbara, California. He takes a passion in a number of areas of STEM, and he combined his interest in mineralogy and web development to create mineralogy resource prospectorminerals.com. In addition, Eamon founded Financedu.org, a 501(c)(3) non-profit dedicated to providing free financial education for youth. He was a finalist at the 2021 Broadcom MASTERS competition, receiving the first place in Mathematics award. Outside of STEM, Eamon is an avid distance runner, and is active in his school’s cross-country and track teams.

Sohan Govindaraju is a sophomore at Jesuit High School in Portland, Oregon. A 2nd Place Math winner in the 2021 Broadcom Masters competition, a finalist in the United States Geographic Championship, a member of Mathcounts School team, and a 2-time Science Olympiad State Champion winning 5 Gold Medals and 2 Silver Medals, including a Top 10 finish in the National Championship for Road Scholar. Sohan also co-founded a STEM Club in Middle School and a Rocketry Club in High School and participates in launches across the state of Oregon. His Science Fair research focuses on understanding the spread of wildfires and evacuation strategies.

Ryka Chopra is a sophomore at Mission San Jose High School in Fremont, California. She was the recipient of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Award for Health Advancement at the 2021 Broadcom MASTERS and won first place in ACSEF 2023. She also participates in math competitions like AIME and Math Prize for Girls, as well as coding competitions like USACO. Ryka is passionate about helping younger students explore the world of STEM and is excited to contribute to YouthSTEM.

Madilyne Beaudry is a senior at St. Joseph Catholic High School in Ogden, Utah. She has participated in a variety of STEM activities, runs the science club at her school, and is a 5-time science fair participant. She won a second-place award amongst the top 30 middle school finalists at Broadcom MASTERS, earned the Yale Science and Engineering Award, and won a silver medal in the Genius Olympiad, an environmentally focused fair. She has mentored multiple students in their science fair projects and works to promote STEM education.

 Seokhyun Chin is a Junior attending Choate Rosemary Hall. He has passions for numerous subjects, including coding, mathematics, physics, and chemistry. He excels in each of these fields, doing exceptionally well in all olympiads and winning medals in the USNCO and ACSL. He utilized the fundamentals he learned in his research, mainly focused on renewable energy and environmental sustainability. His work was commended, with making the finals of his state science fair and having the opportunity to participate in the MIT Undergraduate Research Technology Conference. He works on numerous projects using the technical knowledge he gained, including an app that won the Congressional app challenge in 2022. Outside of his STEM interests, Seokhyun is an avid wrestler, baseball player, and a member of the debate team at his school.

Evan Hamaoka is a senior at Keystone School in San Antonio, Texas. His interests are mainly centralized around the humanities, especially creative writing, prelaw research, and political science. However, he enjoys exploring and familiarizing himself with STEM topics as well, especially computer science. He is a 6-time regional winner of Scholastic Art and Writing awards, a soon-to-be published author in Adolescent Voices, and interns with the DMCA immigration law firm writing research papers. In his free time, he enjoys playing noise rock, long-distance running, and theater. He dreams to work in human rights law.

Alan Huang is a senior at Keystone High School in San Antonio, Texas. He’s particularily passionate about any aerospace-related topic and has built a variety of motorized aircraft prototypes in his garage. He’s participated in competitive science fair since the seventh grade and has won the Wylie Award from Southwest Research Institute for his research in 2023. Alan is also the mechanical lead for his school’s FIRST robotics team. He enjoys biking in his free time.

Abhijeet Ghosh is a sophomore at George Walton High School in Atlanta, Georgia. He has been doing science and math competitions since 3rd grade, from MATHCOUNTS to Science Olympiad. Abhijeet participates in the science fair, where he won top 3 in the state twice and was a finalist (top 30 nationally) in the Broadcom MASTERS competition. He has also placed within the top 20 in the nation in Anatomy and Epidemiology in Science Olympiad. Finally, Abhijeet loves to tutor others in STEM topics. YouthSTEM.org is a great way to spread this passion to others and assist others to excel in STEM.

Dr. Joanna Liyuan Hou is an assistant professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Utah State University and also serves as an adjunct professor in the Biological Engineering Department. Before this, she worked at the Department of Bacteriology at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, as a postdoctoral researcher. She received an M.S. in Environmental Engineering from the Chinese Academy of Science and received her Ph.D. in Civil Engineering from the University of Missouri, Columbia. She has a multidisciplinary background in the engineering and microbial ecology of natural and artificial systems. In her research, she applies various methodologies such as genome sequencing, metabolic engineering, and metabolite analysis in the engineering aspect to understand the microbial response to complex contaminant mixtures to improve the removal or valorization of contaminants such as antibiotic resistance genes and microplastics. She has published 28 peer-reviewed publications and served as the guest editor for the journal Sustainability.

Mrs. Christina Howell is a science teacher at Logan High School (LHS). She received a B.S. in Chemistry Professional Emphasis and a minor in Mathematics from Utah State University (USU) and her M.Ed, Secondary Education Science Emphasis from USU. She was named in the AFA Chapter 235 Aerospace Teacher of the Year in 2019, the Ritchey Science Fair Senior Teacher of the Year award in 2020, and was named one of the U.S. Presidential Scholars Program’s Distinguished Teachers in 2022. She has been the advisor of the STEM and Science Fair clubs at LHS for the last five years where she works with the club officers to promote STEM at the school and in the community.