Krish Shah ’22 and Michael Parent ’22 take conscientious, inquisitive, and driven to new levels. They’re the founders of Xaverian’s newest club for 2020-2021, X-Ploring the World of Modern Science. It’s an amalgamation of all things science, whether that’s learning from existing research and sharing their findings in scientific articles, encouraging their fellow students to embrace the COVID-19 vaccine, or tackling design and build projects. Krish and Michael have shown no lack of creativity, enthusiasm, or organization, as they’ve piloted their fledgling club through its first year, and they’ve brought Mr. Ryan Howard along with them for the journey. Afterall, he’s a large part of the reason they’re so interested in science. Krish explains, “Michael is a really good friend of mine. We were in Mr. Howard’s AP Chemistry class last year and we sat next to each other. We had a shared interest in science and I thought he was the right person to co-found this club with me. He wants to go into ecology and I want to go into biochemistry, so we thought that it would be the perfect way to start that off.”

It all began with COVID-19. As the world raced for a vaccine, it became clear to Krish that science is important, and that professionals across scientific fields are doing research and making contributions to the world that can improve and save lives. He wanted to talk about it, and he wanted other students to talk about it, too. So he approached Michael about creating a club to share their love of science and to highlight (for both club members and the student population as a whole) the contributions of scientists around the worId. Michael jumped on board and they knew they needed a club moderator. At the same time, they heard about the X-Ploration Center that would be opening, and that Mr. Howard had been named the director. It all came together – a new club called X-Ploring the World of Modern Science, moderated by Mr. Howard, operating out of the X-Ploration Center.

“It was the perfect coincidence,” says Michael. “It also shaped our idea of the club, because having these resources in the X-Ploration Center allows us to do so much more than if we had just been in a classroom.”

Hybrid learning made meetings for their new club complicated. Rather than the hands-on experiments and model building they were anxious to get into, they settled for some solid scientific research to get their year under way. Each member of the club researched a specific topic and the group published their first scholarly journal. Whether it was “The Ethical Concerns of CRISPR Cas9'' or “The Inferno Dilemma,” students took on the role of science reporters and shared their articles in an online publication. With the return of full in-person learning, the club was able to meet collectively and start some more hands-on projects, such as creating a 3-D design for a water dam that could combat rising sea levels and building a solar panel. Now they’re looking ahead to next year and beyond. Krish and Michael want to ensure their club continues after they’ve graduated, so they’re grooming new leadership to be ready to take the reins upon their graduation. But it’s not just about their club; they really want Xaverian students to be as excited about science as they are, and to take advantage of all the X-Ploration Center has to offer.

“Krish and Michael have shown a true passion for science,” says Mr. Howard. “But more importantly, they have also worked as enthusiastic ambassadors teaching the younger students that science can be both interesting and fun. I look forward to seeing what they come up with next year as their club continues to grow.”