From CSI to Cancer Research, Top Speakers A Hit at Monta Vista's Symposium

Contributed by Karan Gugle

The Monta Vista Technology Student Association, a student-run organization in Monta Vista High School, hosted its Spring 2013 Technology Symposium on May 17. The event, sponsored by Cupertino Library, was attended by over 300 students and community members.


"We do lot of activities such as regional, state and national level competitions, tech tours, and tech talks for our members. And in this way we not only educate our members but also generate interest in technology within our school and give back to the community" said Karan Gugle, president of the club. 

MVTSA organizes two symposium in fall and spring, inviting experts from different technological areas to speak to and interact with the audience."

Although the software and hardware are dominant technological areas in Silicon Valley, the club invites speakers in wider fields, such as cancer research, and even motivational speaking, to reflect on social issues affecting technology, he said.

The event was hosted at Cupertino Community Hall in the civic center and speakers for the event were Sepideh Nasiri, VP at Women 2.0, Zachary Smith, Technical Director at HXLR8R, Jagath Reddy Junutula, Senior Scientist at Genentech and Cordelia Willis, Criminalist, Santa Clara County Crime Laboratory.

Sepideh Nasiri, Women 2.0
Nasiri spoke of the gender gap in technology and talked about some of the steps students can take to address it. Her hard-hitting data with the motivational content gave members of the audience much to think about.

Zachary Smith, HXLR8R
Smith talked about advanced manufacturing techniques in digital fabrication and played videos from actual automated manufacturing plants, mesmerizing the audience. He lamented the lack of major advancements in fabrication and 3-D printing compared to the progress made in hardware and software but urged the audience to look at it as an opportunity for progress and disrupting the current status quo. His speech left the audience impressed and wanting to know more.


Jagath Reddy Junutula, Genentech 
Junutula started by explaining cell biology and the underlying causes of malignancy. He then went on to explain the different types of cancers and the logic of focused research addressing specific types of cancer. He talked about personalized medicine and targeted therapy and played engaging videos of the working of the drugs at a molecular and macro level. The talk left audience impressed with the recent advances in cancer treatment across the industry, and with Genentech in particular.

Cordelia Willis, Santa Clara County Crime Laboratory
Willis spoke about the importance of forensics in law enforcement. She talked about the scientific basis of several techniques used in investigation and went on to describe the actual techniques used in the real world. She talked about several newer techniques such as the measurement and modelling of crime scenes using lasers, analyzing DNA with techniques that can use tiny drop of blood, body fluid analysis, and bullet and firearms forensics.

Members of the audience were so engaged that many stayed on to continue the discussion with the speakers after the talk. The symposium also provided an opportunity to network and build connections with those at the top of their respective fields.

"This is what we intend to do when we organize these symposiums," said Gugle, who said he was pleased with the participation of the audience and the content of the talks. He thanked the sponsor of the event, the Cupertino Library and the speakers, for making the event so successful.