About Me:

Hello! My name is Semyon Zharkov, but I usually go by Syoma. I am a first-year at Stanford University planning to study Mathematics and Computational Biology. Before that I went to Manhattan High School while concurrently enrolled in Kansas State University, where I was the President of the MHS Math Club and Vice President for the school's robotics team. In my free time I enjoy laser-cutting, sewing, backpacking, and playing tennis.

My email is syoma[at]stanford[dot]edu. Never hesitate to email me if you have any questions, queries, cries for help about my work or projects.



Projects

Some of my favorite projects.

FRC Turret Shooter

A vision-guided hooded turret for my FRC team's (5968) 2026 robot that I designed, built, wired, and programmed. It auto-aims from camera pose estimates and can shoot while the robot is driving. We qualified for Worlds two years in a row.

youtube.com

laser_slice

A tool that slices 3D models into layers and exports laser-cuttable SVGs, with automatic nesting and dowel holes for lining the layers up. I used it to make a layered statue of me and a friend.

GitHub.com

Digital Dartboard

A 3D dartboard in the browser where you can pin any text or image as the target. All the materials and sounds are generated procedurally, no external assets.

GitHub.io/digital-dartboard

WikiType

A typing practice app that turns any Wikipedia article into a typing test with live WPM and accuracy.

GitHub.io/WikiType

Deaflingo

An AI sign language learning app that uses sign recognition to provide feedback.

devpost.com

Math Explainers

A repository of Math explainers I created on various interesting mathematical concepts that I presented weekly at MHS Math Club.

GitHub.com

Schedules For Algernon

A web-based GUI for a digital annealing class Scheduling Algorithm specialized to simplify dual enrollment between Manhattan High School and Kansas State University.

GitHub.io/Schedules-for-Algernon

Graph Hacker

An interactive game meant for learning Algebra 2 concepts in a fun way. Playable in browser :)

itch.io

Snoopy Hoco Box 2024

A trifecta of my laser cutting, 3D printing, and animation experience. Made as a gift for our school's Homecoming dance.

Image Gallery

Piano Warlock

A voice activated assistant that can control LEDs above a piano keyboard to show what notes to play and help you learn different songs.

devpost.com

Beauty of Mathematics

A compilation of my favorite math visualizations that I've created for homeworks or just for fun.

link to PDF

DMV Wizard

A driving simulator setup using laser cut cardboard and an Arduino intended as a cheap way for people to learn driving.

devpost.com

MHS Charity Poker Tournament

Organized and Marketed a fundraiser Poker event on behalf of MHS Math Club. Participants would compete for various home-made prizes. All profits went to PiH to fight maternal Mortality.

instagram.com

Kiselev's Geometry, Translated

A collection of 400+ pages of Translated homework from the renowned Russian textbook "Kiselev's Geometry: Planimetry" that I created over time for my Tutees.

drive.google.com

Vote Boat

A web-app aimed to simplify voter research. Scrapes the web for information and voting records on a politician then uses LLMs to neatly summarize it.

devpost.com

Sewing

Not really a specific project but sewing is too big a part of my life to not mention it. I included my favorite garments that I've designed and made below

Garment Gallery

Coursework

These are in order, most recent first

Current Classes:

MATH 61CM - Modern Mathematics: Continuous Methods

A proof-based honors sequence covering linear algebra and multivariable calculus, including vector spaces, linear maps, differentiation and integration in several variables, and the inverse and implicit function theorems.

PHYSICS 61 - Mechanics and Special Relativity

Honors introductory physics covering Newtonian mechanics, conservation laws, rotational motion, oscillations, and special relativity.

CS 279 - Computational Biology: Structure and Organization of Biomolecules and Cells

Computational techniques for investigating and designing the three-dimensional structure and dynamics of biomolecules and cells, including molecular simulation, structure prediction, and image analysis.

Past Classes:

MATH 632 - Elementary Partial Differential Equations

Orthogonal functions, Fourier series, and boundary value problems, used to solve PDEs like the heat, wave, and Laplace equations by separation of variables.

PHYS 325 – Physics III: Relativity and Quantum Physics

Special relativity and quantum mechanics including time dilation, wave–particle duality, Schrödinger equation, and applications to atomic systems.

STAT 610 - Advanced Introduction to Statistics

Axiomatic probability, random variables, probability distributions, conditional distributions, transformation methods, and convergence theory.

MATH 515 - Advanced Introduction to Linear Algebra

Provides a rigorous introduction to the fundamental concepts of linear algebra. Topics include vector spaces, linear operators, matrix representations, systems of linear equations, determinants, spectral theory, and inner product spaces. Emphasis is placed on mathematical reasoning and proof writing, blending abstract theory with concrete computational techniques.

PHYS 214 - Engineering Physics II

Fundamentals of electricity and magnetism, electromagnetic waves, and optics, following Halliday, Resnick, and Walker (6th ed.). Topics include electric fields, circuits, magnetism, EM waves, and wave optics, with an introduction to quantum physics.

MATH 633 - Advanced Calculus I

Functions of one variable; limits, continuity, differentiability, Riemann-Stieltjes integral, sequences, series, power series, improper integrals.

CIS 301 - Logical Foundations of Programming

Logical formalisms used to model and reason about computer systems. Propositional and predicate logic, syntax, semantics, and proof theory; soundness and completeness issues. Mathematical induction. Program verification: invariants and program logics.

CIS 300 - Data and Program Structures

A study of common data and program structures together with associated algorithms. Topics include interfaces, design patterns, arrays, stacks, queues, lists, trees, hash tables, recursion, binary search, and tree traversals. Experience with both use and implementation of these structures and algorithms using a modern programming language. Discussion of tradeoffs involving performance and software maintainability.

MATH 510 - Discrete Mathematics

Combinatorics and graph theory. Topics selected from counting principles, permutations and combinations, the inclusion-exclusion principle, recurrence relations, trees, graph coloring, Eulerian and Hamiltonian circuits, block designs, and Ramsey Theory.

MATH 351 - Mathematical Scholars Calculus 4

Provides the second semester of an integrated approach to linear ordinary differential equations, Picard’s Theorem, limits and continuity in many variables, partial derivatives, optimization problems, integration of functions of several variables, Fubini’s Theorem, integration of differential forms and Generalized Stokes’ Theorem.

MATH 350 - Mathematical Scholars Calculus 3

Provides the first semester of an integrated approach to linear algebra, multivariable calculus, and ordinary differential equations with specific topics including vector spaces, linear transformations, solutions to matrix equations, dimension, rank, eigenvalues, inner products, Sylvester’s Theorem, multi-linear algebra, vector valued functions, vector fields and general ordinary differential equations.

PFP 101 - Money 101

An introduction to the resources and tools for building basic personal finance skills that last a lifetime.


More

This is all the miscellaneous stuff that didn't fit into any of the sections but I still wanted to include.

click here to see my GitHub which has the code for most of my projects, including this website.

click here to see my YouTube

click here to see some of the silly games I made a long time ago. These were some of my first ever large programming projects

click here to read a random article from a list of Wikipedia articles that I found interesting

I believe a person's camera roll says a lot about them so below is my "Favorites" folder

Winter Hike up Mont Jovet

Winter Hike up Mont Jovet

Me in my Blond Haired Youth

Me in my Blond Haired Youth

The West Coast of America

The West Coast of America

Pondering the Fjords of Norway

Pondering the Fjords of Norway

The Moscow Metro

The Moscow Metro

High Exposure Photography in the Alpes

High Exposure Photography in the Alpes

Golden Fall Outside my Moscow Residence

Golden Fall Outside my Moscow Residence

Winter Outside my School in Moscow

Winter Outside my School in Moscow

Festivities in St. Petersburg

Festivities in St. Petersburg

The Rolling Hills of Abkhazia, Georgia

The Rolling Hills of Abkhazia, Georgia

Celebrating Pi Day

Celebrating Pi Day

Mogging the Ports of Copenhagen

Mogging the Ports of Copenhagen

Explaining The HyperLogLog Algorithm

Explaining The HyperLogLog Algorithm

Some Pretty Rocky Mountains

Some Pretty Rocky Mountains

Me and My Brother Styopa

Me and My Brother Styopa

San Francisco

San Francisco

My Majestic Friend Rowan

My Majestic Friend Rowan

An Evening Walk from School in Kansas

An Evening Walk from School in Kansas

Colorado Sugar Powdered Forests

Colorado Sugar Powdered Forests

Back When I was Cool

Back When I was Cool (9 years ago)

The Silent Skies of Turkey

The Silent Skies of Turkey