From interviews with professionals in the science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields to creating monthly magazine issues, SciSapience does it all.
Sophomores Heather Kim, Jieling Pua and Lisa Maruyama founded SciSapience in June of 2024 with the goal of igniting curiosity and raising awareness for science initiatives among students. The club does this through monthly magazine issues, with articles ranging from topics such as the effects of male validation to in-depth descriptions of kinesiology, the study of human movement.
Inspired by their grandparents who were affected by Parkinson’s disease, Pua and Maruyama started SciSapience. While the group eventually pivoted from this topic, Pua said she still believes that Parkinson’s is a relevant issue that deserves a place in today’s society.
According to the founders, along with their monthly issues, the group is currently focused on their interviews with professionals, who they hope can provide helpful advice for their readers.
“We’re interviewing professionals, and we’re getting their advice for high schoolers, whether that’s normal life advice or professional advice,” Pua said. “[We’re trying] to get them to meet with our club members, so that they can actually talk rather than just reading an interview.”
According to Maruyama, the interviews themselves have been some of the best moments for the three founders.
“I did an interview recently with Dr. Ira Helen, and he wants to add nuclear warmth. I think that interview is pretty impactful, I think all people can learn a lot from,” Murayama said.
The three sophomores met in their freshman year. Pua said they have struck a great balance between being good friends while still being able to remain productive with regards to their club.
“We work together quite well. If there’s an argument we obviously talk it out; we have a little group chat where we discuss our future plans,” Kim said. “We get along well because we’ve been friends for pretty long.”
The founders said they are also able to successfully delegate their work, ensuring that every aspect of their product is handled with care.
“We all have different sorts of strengths and we all definitely use those a lot. So, for example, Lisa works on the articles, and I do more of the interviews and outreach,” Pua said.
As SciSapience continues to pursue their goals, funding is something that would greatly aid them in achieving them.
“Our goal is to publish the magazines and distribute it to the schools,” Kim said. “Maybe if we have enough funding, we can give it to the kids who have their work published.”
