FAST is a program in which Stanford University graduate students mentor Future Advancers of Science and Technology (FAST) toward achieving their goals of answering open questions in science and engineering clever solutions to problems in their society. Students from Andrew P. Hill, James Lick, and Independence high schools in East San Jose meet with Stanford students every other Saturday during the academic year. Between September and April, they design and execute original scientific research spanning topics in chemistry, biology, physics, engineering, and data science. Every spring, FAST students present their work at local and state science fairs and also at an annual symposium at Stanford University.

Feel free to contact us with any questions, comments, or concerns!

  • For general questions, email Shahadat (shahadat[at]stanford.edu) or Nathalie (nhong98[at]stanford.edu).
  • For questions about joining FAST, email Caroline (cesc[at]stanford.edu) or Andre (andregu[at]stanford.edu).
  • For questions about the website, email Jessica (jessluu[at]stanford.edu).

Note: FAST is currently only open to students enrolled in the East San Jose High School District. If you attend an ESUHSD school that is not Andrew Hill, James Lick, or Independence, and would like to join FAST, please email Shahadat. We are unable to accommdate any students outside of ESUHSD, sorry!

Stanford Mentors 2025-26

Shahadat Rahman
Developmental Biology

President, Chief Party Officer, Student Opportunity Specialist

Nathalie Hong
Chemistry

Chief Operations Officer

Cindy Shi
Material Science and Engineering

Chief Compliance Officer, Financial Officer

Jessica Luu
Chemistry

Andrew Hill Chief Program Officer, Communications and Website Officer

Oliver Wu
Chemistry

Andrew Hill Chief Program Officer

Cade Napier
Environmental Engineering

James Lick Chief Program Officer

Daniel Howell
Chemistry

James Lick Chief Program Officer, Workshops Coordinator

Sai Gautham Ravipati
Electrical Engineering

Andrew Hill Deputy Program Officer, Symposium Chair

Caroline Scheuing
Molecular and Cellular Physiology

Mentor Recruitment Director, Student Recruitment Officer

Sai Varanasi
Chemical Engineering

Deputy Financial Officer, Workshops Coordinator

Leslie Chan
Immunology

Development Officer

Andre Gu
Bioengineering

Mentor Recruitment Director

Lucy Wang
Material Science and Engineering

Outcomes Officer

Julia Dressel
Chemistry

Outcomes Officer

Sarah Wu
Psychology

Outcomes Officer

Luke Zhao
Biology

Science Fair Coordinator

Dom Pizzarella
Bioengineering

Mentor

Punya Gupta
Cancer Biology

Mentor