Ari Joseph Firester
New York

High School: Hunter College High School
College: I will be attending Harvard College, Cambridge after a gap year in Israel
Major: Mechanical, electrical, or environmental engineering
Professional Plans: Roboticist

Honors: National Merit Commended Student Regeneron STS 2020 Finalist , See https://www.nysacademy.org/societyforscience. org/regeneron-sts/, , 2019 IEEE Foundation Presidents’ Scholarship Award of $10,000 (awarded at ISEF) https://spectrum.ieee.org/the-institute/ieee-news/earthworminspired-robot-wins-10000-student- scholarship -andhttps:// and www.societyforscience.org/content/press-release/intel-isef-2019-special- awards-ceremony, , 2019 NYCSEF First Award in Engineering and ISEF Finalist https://k16.cuny. edu/nycsef/wpcontent/, uploads/sites/11/2019/03/NYCSEF-ISEF-Finalist-2019.pdf, , 2018 NYCSEF First Awards in Engineering and 2018 ISEF Finalist; https://k16.cuny.edu/nycsef/wpcontent/, uploads/sites/11/2019/01/2018-NYCSEF-Awards.pdf, , 2017 NYCSEF First Awards in Engineering Note: NYCSEF 2017 awards are no longer online;, , NYCSEF 2020 Top Scorer in the Category of Engineering (Finals were canceled due to coronavirus), , 2019 Yale Science and Engineering Association Award for “11th grade students who present the most outstanding, exhibits in Computer Science, Engineering, Physics, or Chemistry.” (awarded at NYCSEF). See, https://k16.cuny.edu/nycsef/wp- content/uploads/sites/11/2019/03/NYCSEF-ISEF-Finalist-2019.pdf -andhttp://, groupspaces. com/YSEA/pages/ysea-science-fair-award, , 2019 NASA Honorable Mention (awarded at ISEF) https: //www.societyforscience.org/content/press-release/intelisef-2019-special-awards-ceremony, , 2019 Stahl Memorial Award for Technical Excellence (awarded at NYCSEF; see above link), , 2019 Mann Memorial Award (awarded at NYCSEF; see above link), , 2019 Wiesenthal Foundation Science Award (awarded at NYCSEF; see above link), , , 2018 Mann Memorial Award (awarded at NYCSEF; see above link), , 2018 Wiesenthal Foundation Science Awards (awarded at NYCSEF, see above link), , 2018 U.S. Stockholm Junior Water Prize Regional Award (awarded at NYCSEF; see above link), , 2018 Brooklyn Friends of Clearwater Award (awarded at NYCSEF; see above link), , , 2017 Office of Naval Research Naval Science Award (awarded at NYCEF). , , 2017 Stahl Memorial Award for Technical Excellence (awarded at NYCSEF)., , 2017 Brooklyn Friends of Clearwater Award (awarded at NYCSEF), , 2017 Wiesenthal Foundation Science Awards (awarded at NYCSEF)

Activities: OrchestraIndependent Science Research: “Kitchen Scientist”, I developed novel capacitive desalination apparatuses & earthworm-inspired robots to help with search and rescue operations, , YIVO-Bard Program:Yiddish Language, Literature, and Culture, An international intensive Yiddish as a living language program; students include scholars, klezmer musicians & graduate students., See https://www.nysacademy.org/ yivo.org/Summer-Program, , Mannes College The New School for Music, Preparatory Division, Conservatory weekend studies: Classical Violin, Music Theory, Ear, Training, Orchestra, Chamber Music, Digital Composition; 2006-2020, , Klezmer violinist: KlezKanada/Yiddish NY festivals, I jam and perform traditional & evolving contemporary klezmer repertoire, study with leading musicians, and immerse in Yiddish culture., See https://www.nysacademy.org/yiddishnewyork.com/ and https://klezkanada.org/, , HCHS Concertmaster of Senior String and selective Chamber Orchestra and a part of the selective chamber ensemble program, , HCHS Advanced Science Research Seminar (ASRS), A selective seminar to promote original research, including sharing members’ presentations, guest speakers, and reviewing current literature, , HCHS Jewish Cultural Awareness Club/Klezmer Violin, We discuss Jewish arts & culture and produce an annual show with music, dance, skits, humor, and pointed commentary, , HCHS Spanish Tutor & Science Research Mentor, Spanish tutor to 8th/9th Grade students and Advanced Science Research Seminar research mentor to 11th Grade students

Interests: Music, Reading, Cards, Chess, Hiking, CampingI enjoy building historical plastic models