Dougherty Valley High School - Sandia National Laboratories California Regional High School Science Bowl
Coach Katherine Huang has been teaching and the Science Bowl coach at DVHS since 2009. She teaches honors anatomy and physiology and accelerated biotechnology and research, and AP environmental science at DVHS. She also works at Lawrence Livermore National Labs during educational outreach events including science on Saturday and Summer Research Academies in Bioscience. Coach Huang obtained her B.S. in biology at UCLA and M.A. in teaching at UC Irvine, and is currently pursuing her Ed.D. in educational sustainability at UWSP. Her passions are helping students appreciate the little things in life through molecular biology, bioinformatic research in biotech and comparative anatomy. She enjoys gardening, reading about natural history, and hiking.
Coach Rym Hannachi has been teaching at Dougherty Valley High School since 2009. She has taught all levels of physics at Dougherty Valley, and is currently teaching AP physic C: mechanics. She coached Science Bowl for three years from 2009 to 2012 and is happy to be helping out again this year. She is very proud of how much the Dougherty Science Bowl team has grown over the years, and always enjoys watching the competitions. Rym received a bachelor's degree in physics from Oberlin College in Ohio, and a teaching credential from California State University in San Marcos, California. Her favorite part about being a teacher is helping students discover the beauty and wonder of physics. In her spare time, she likes to read, hike, and spend time in nature with her family.
Kenneth Moon is currently a senior who enjoys studying computer science, physics and math. He was first introduced to computer science and physics by playing with circuitry as a child. Though looking forward to continuing studying all of these subjects, he is currently thinking about majoring in computer science. Kenneth can be seen participating in and managing several clubs on campus as an officer, such as the Science Bowl club and the Computer Science club. Although Kenneth is usually found indoors and around some electronic screen, he also enjoys playing table tennis with friends and visiting the outdoors on his bicycle. However, Kenneth is most frequently found programming in his room or reading some textbook. When Kenneth is in a musical mood, he enjoys playing the piano, although this is a rather rare phenomenon.
Risha Chakraborty is a senior at Dougherty Valley High School and has participated in Science Bowl for seven years. When she’s not struggling through thick biology textbooks or lectures at 2x speed, she can be seen eating, cooking, baking, delivering baked goods to seniors, or generally spending time in the best part of the house, the kitchen. She also enjoys playing the piano and trumpet and sincerely apologizes to her neighbors for the cacophony she creates. She can be seen hiking on trails through the woods or cracking jokes with her friends, which are frequently met with the same poor reception as cell service in the woods. Though she laments missing out on the 4-H Center pie this year, she looks forward to a great competition and is massively grateful for the journey Science Bowl has provided her. She plans to study neuroscience in college with hopes of being a neurosurgeon and memory researcher.
Venkat Ranjan is a current high school junior. He enjoys studying many subject areas, such as chemistry, earth science, astronomy, and geography. In his free time, he can be found doodling, halfheartedly attempting to sleep, wholeheartedly attempting to sleep, half-asleep and/or sleeping, listening to music, pondering life, and occasionally playing the piano. His ultimate life goal is to master the production of clean and sustainable thunderstorms. He considers his greatest achievement to be passing the Fitness Gram in eighth grade, which serves as an indication of his overall physical health. While he will miss the opportunity to experience the delicious taste of the 4-H Center’s soft-serve, he is looking forward to a fun and fulfilling virtual competition at Science Bowl this year!
Mason Fang is a junior at Dougherty Valley High School and enjoys studying math and physics. Since middle school, he has been participating in math and physics competitions and has also been leading problem sessions to help local students succeed in their target competitions. In his free time, he likes to work on math problems with friends, solve twisty puzzles, and play quick online games such as Skribbl and Geoguessr. In college, Mason plans to continue his study of math and physics and hopes to become a professor.
Prayrak Bajaj is a sophomore, participating in Science Bowl since the seventh-grade. His favorite subject is science, obviously, and specifically likes to devote his time to learning more about biology. When he isn’t running away from his math homework, Prayrak enjoys going camping with his Boy Scout troop, where he currently is a Life Scout. He also enjoys playing the Euphonium, which is apparently an uncommon instrument. In addition, he enjoys working out and practicing Taekwondo, where he currently is a third degree black belt. In the future, Prayrak intends to study medicine and hopes to become a trauma surgeon.
