Pleasanton Middle School

Pleasanton Middle School

Andy Su, Coach
Coach Andy Su is in his sixth year teaching science at Pleasanton Middle School and fifth year coaching Science Bowl. He went to the University of California:  Berkeley where he majored in integrated biology and did research at the exercise physiology lab with renowned physiologist Dr. George Brooks. When not coaching Science Bowl, he enjoys watching sports, playing Settlers of Catan, playing his violin, and collecting Pokemon in Pokemon Go. He has caught over 700 different species of Pokemon and wants to catch them all.

Gaurav Gupta
Gaurav Gupta is an eighth-grader who is passionate about chemistry, math, and physics. In the field of physical science, Gaurav likes learning about quantum mechanics, electronics, and the periodic table. In school, Gaurav’s favorite subject is math, and he especially enjoys learning about geometry and logic. In his free time, Gaurav loves playing chess both online and in-person with his friends. He frequently plays in chess tournaments and finds fun in doing brain teasers and puzzles. Furthermore, he enjoys playing strategic board games, such as Risk and Splendor. Gaurav always looks forward to spending time at the beach each summer and visiting museums with his family. Gaurav has been a part of the Science Bowl team at his school for more than two years, and he is glad that he has been provided with such an amazing opportunity to learn more science.

Arthur Tang
Arthur Tang is a member of the Science bowl team at Pleasanton Middle School. He focuses on life science and energy, and also enjoys playing his violin during his spare time. He hopes to attend Stanford University and become an entrepreneur in robotics. Aside from Science Bowl, he also enjoys reading, playing his violin, and spending time with his family.

Aanya Guthula
Aanya Guthula is an eighth-grader at Pleasanton Middle School. She is an accomplished musician studying music theory and guitar at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music for the last six years, and winning many awards. Aanya enjoys snowboarding, surfing and exploring the outdoors. She is also obsessed with astronomy and physics. She is especially interested in the next frontiers of space travel, like Mars exploration. Just something cool: When she was nine she managed to get her name sent up on the InSight Mars Lander.

Preeti Polavarapu
Preeti Polavarapu is an eighth-grader from Pleasanton Middle School. Her hobbies include playing competitive soccer, playing eight-ball with her friends, and competing with her Science Bowl team! She aspires to attend Stanford University and eventually become a neurosurgeon. Her favorite school subjects are math and science, for she enjoys learning various new topics in both areas. She loves listening to music by her favorite artists, Ariana Grande and Taylor Swift. In her free time, Preeti also enjoys spending time with her dog, Oreo.

Ritwik Aeka
Ritwik Aeka. With this name, many things come to mind, “sigma male”, “chad”, “legendary”, “best at science”, and “I wish I was him”. Ritwik was recruited forcibly to the Science Bowl team after dominating a game of Buzzin during science class. As a part of the team, Ritwik specializes in life science, math, and being amazing. To this day, it is unclear whether Ritwik is actually real or if he is a figment of our imagination, but he is clearly loved by all. Ritwik’s skills include forgetting stuff he just learned, missing basic tossups, and second-guessing himself. An eighth-grader, Ritwik enjoys playing basketball, playing the flute, participating in Boy Scouts, and taekwondo. As his primary stalker, it is my job to know these kinds of things. Ritwik is currently analyzing as he attempts to reach exactly one-hundred and sixty words on this paragraph through extending sentences with unnecessary details, words, and other similar synonyms that do not really add to his story.