2025 Scholarship Awardees

Armaan Gomes

Homestead High School

Armaan is a senior at Homestead High School in Cupertino and is an aspiring computer engineer with a passion for hands-on problems solving. He has a deep interest in electronics, digital signal processing and biomedical devices, building a glasses-based hearing aid to improve speech clarity for those with hearing loss. Later, as an ISEF Grand Prize winner, he developed PDM (Pulse Density Modulated) Bitstream ASICs to increase beamforming efficiency and precision across a variety of applications from hearing aids to acoustic cameras. While his research spans many domains, it primarily revolves around array signal processing. This is a major facet of his work at the UC Berkeley Nanotechnology Lab; he is working on a high speed 18-channel potentiostat that interfaces with carbon-nanotube-based cartridges in order to accelerate blood tests and perform impedance spectroscopy. Armaan thrives both in his home lab, building and iterating on ideas, but also in his school’s robotics workshop. As Dean’s List Semi-Finalist and Software Co-Lead of FRC Team 670, Homestead Robotics, he has worked to improve the team codebase and documentation while fostering collaboration and team-building. Beyond the competition he works with teachers and administration to repurpose old laptops into loaners to increase accessibility and train new members. Passionate about education and accessibility, he tutors an Algebra 1 class at Homestead and judges at his local Taekwondo studio, where he has earned a third degree black belt. He believes that the best way to learn is by diving head-first into abstract concepts to make tangible solutions. During college, he looks forward to diving into hands-on research, collaborating with like-minded peers, and pushing the boundaries of what is possible to help his community.

Roxana Pourfarzaneh

University of California, San Diego

Roxana is a second year student at the University of California, San Diego studying mechanical engineering with a minor in astrophysics. She currently conducts research in the Barreiro Lab at UC San Diego, which focuses on Quantum Science and Technology with Ultracold Strontium. In the future, she hopes to contribute to the furtherance of space exploration and aeronautical technology. Her hometown is Alameda, California, the place where her passion for equity within STEM began. She is currently pursuing this as social chair for the Society of Women Engineers at UC San Diego and as a mentor for a program introducing high school girls in San Diego to STEM topics. In her free time, she loves to read, go to the beach, and listen to different genres of music.

Nandini Periyapalayam Sekar

University of California, Berkeley-University of California, San Francisco

PS Nandini is a PhD candidate in the UC Berkeley-UCSF Joint Bioengineering Graduate Program. She is passionate about advancing humanity’s approach to neurological and neuropsychiatric care by creating affordable and scalable neurotechnological solutions for brain disorders. She holds a Bachelor of Technology in Biotechnology from SASTRA University, India and an MS in Neuroscience from Charite Universitatsmedizin-Berlin, Germany and Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, with the Erasmus Mundus Scholarship given by the European Union. She is pursuing her PhD under the mentorship of Dr. Edward Chang and Dr. Ankit Khambhati at UCSF and developing closed-loop neurostimulation therapy for patients with treatment-resistant depression. She is currently working on using time-series analysis and machine learning to unravel long term trends in the brain and behavior of these patients, and developing tools to predict mood many days in advance. Nandini is also interested in exploring the ethical implications and global societal consequences of such emerging neurotechnologies. Toward this goal, Nandini has been named a Quad Fellow (awarded by the Governments of USA, Australia, Japan and India). Outside of academics, Nandini is the Founder of The Keni Project, a student-run Non-Profit Organization that has so far set up 12 libraries in underprivileged schools in 4 cities in Tamil Nadu. She is also a Carnatic vocalist and Veena player, and an avid painter and artist for which she received the National Balshr

Sonali Sinha

Khan Lab School

Sonali is a senior in high school interested in computer science and mental health awareness. Sonali leads autonomous software development on FRC Team 1868, Space Cookies, where she has taught Java workshops and co-developed Tagalong, a code generation platform and library for FRC teams. With the team, she also mentored young students in competitive lego robotics at the Aspire East Palo Alto Charter School. Outside of robotics, Sonali has researched brain activity during ketamine-induced anesthesia and using video games to alleviate PTSD symptoms. She was recently honored as a 2024 & 2025 NCWIT Aspirations in Computing National Honorable Mention. In the fall, she plans to major in computer and cognitive science at Barnard College of Columbia University.

Shih-Hung Chiu

University of California, Berkeley

Shih-Hung Chiu is a PhD candidate in the Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE) Department at the University of California, Berkeley. He holds a bachelor's degree in Civil Engineering from National Taiwan University and a master's degree from UC Berkeley’s CEE Systems Engineering Program. His research focuses on strengthening underground water infrastructure resilience by integrating Distributed Fiber Optic Sensing (DFOS) technology and machine learning models to enhance the monitoring, maintenance, and rehabilitation of aging water distribution systems. With pipelines increasingly vulnerable to failures from seismic activity, climate change, and material degradation, Shih-Hung aims to develop proactive infrastructure management solutions. A key aspect of his work involves strategically placing DFOS sensors near seismic fault lines to continuously monitor strain, temperature changes, and acoustic signals of water leakage, enabling utility owners to detect early signs of failure and mitigate risks before they escalate. Additionally, recognizing that many existing pipelines lack modern monitoring systems, he gathers and analyzes environmental and historical data to develop machine learning models that predict pipeline degradation. Shih-Hung is creating predictive tools that would help utility owners to assess pipeline conditions, optimize replacement schedules, and minimize service disruptions, ultimately contributing to more resilient and sustainable water infrastructure.

Michael Bai

Dr. TJ Owens Gilroy Early College Academy

Michael is a high school senior at the Dr. TJ Owens Gilroy Early College Academy (GECA) and a dual-enrolled student at Gavilan College. He will graduate with an AS in Mathematics, an AS in Physics, and an AA in Spanish. He serves as an Applied Math/Physics Research Intern at Gavilan College investigating numerical methods in wave physics. Because of the many amazing STEM outreach programs he has participated in when he was younger, he is also passionate in giving back to his local community. He creates mock math competitions and workshops as the GECA Math Club President and works with his Linear Algebra professor to modify the curriculum and create more labs. He also cares about empowering underrepresented voices, as he founded a Gilroy Veterans Oral History Project partnering with American Legion Gilroy Post #217, reaching over 350 visitors monthly. In the future, Michael intends to pursue a Bachelor’s degree in Applied Mathematics or Electrical Engineering at a four-year university. In his free time, he loves to learn about new fusion cooking techniques, emceeing shows, learning about local history, and performing card tricks."

Isabelle Hsu

University of California, Berkeley

Isabelle is currently a UC Berkeley student majoring in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science (EECS). She has been involved with communities with special needs since high school and realized that she could utilize her experience in technology to support these groups of individuals. She continues her passion at UC Berkeley’s EnableTech by working with students from various fields with different expertise to build customized technology to enable clients with unique mobility challenges to overcome their barriers to reach higher potentials.

Application deadline for next year’s award is January 15th, 2026.

SVEC High School Award

The Silicon Valley Engineering Council Engineering Education awards recognize young engineering and technology students for their dedication, focus, and commitment to engineering. Engineering and Technology students graduating from high school are eligible. The award is $500 and students may receive an SVEC Education award only once. Recognizes high school engineering and technology students for their dedication, focus, and commitment to engineering.

Apply for the High School scholarship here.

SVEC College Award

The Silicon Valley Engineering Council Engineering Education awards recognize undergraduate engineering and technology students for their dedication, focus, and commitment to engineering. Engineering and Technology. The one-time award is $1,000 and students may receive an SVEC Education award only once.

Apply for the College scholarship here.

SVEC Graduate Award

The Silicon Valley Engineering Council Engineering Education awards recognize graduate engineering and technology students for their dedication, focus, and commitment to engineering. Engineering and Technology. The one-time award is $1,000 and students may receive an SVEC Education award only once.

Apply for the Graduate scholarship here.

Keeper of the Flame Award

The purpose is to promote high standards of content and rigor in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Education. The SVEC Keeper of the Flame award recognizes and honors those heroes of K-12 education who have distinguished themselves as Keepers of the Flame of knowledge by maintaining high standards of content in STEM instruction in the face of significant challenges. This award is not intended just to recognize outstanding teaching ability. The award will consist of a cash grant of $1000 given directly to the winning teacher. The award funds are to be used by the teacher for educational purposes. Up to two teachers will be recognized each year.

Apply for the Keeper of the Flame here.

If you have more questions, please contact SVEC Scholarship/Education Committee at:

Education Committee Chair – Yanika Schneider (SPE)

education-awards@svec-ca.org

2023 SVEC Educational Awards Video

 

 

Keeper of the Flame Award

The purpose is to promote high standards of content and rigor in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Education. The SVEC Keeper of the Flame award recognizes and honors those heroes of K-12 education who have distinguished themselves as Keepers of the Flame of knowledge by maintaining high standards of content in STEM instruction in the face of significant challenges. This award is not intended just to recognize outstanding teaching ability. The award will consist of a cash grant of $1000 given directly to the winning teacher. The award funds are to be used by the teacher for educational purposes. Up to two teachers will be recognized each year.

For questions, please contact the SVEC Scholarship/Education Committee at:

education-awards@svec-ca.org

 

Discover “E” (E for engineering) is a nationwide student outreach program to expose elementary, junior and senior high school students to engineering and cultivate their interest in math, science, and engineering. This outreach program takes place annually in Silicon Valley from the beginning of National Engineers Week until the end of March. The Discover “E” program was initiated in 1990. Thousands of engineers throughout the United States participate in the program every year. The Discover “E” outreach effort in the South Bay area has been coordinated by the Silicon Valley Engineering Council since 1992.