STEM to the Sky
Showcasing diverse pathways and people in STEM one interview at a time
Meet Dr. Kate Tully
Dr. Kate Tully is an agroecologist at the University of Maryland. She works with farmers to design and manage agricultural ecosystems that are effective and sustainable in producing food for us and for future generations to come.
Meet Mr. Shuai Liu
Mr. Shuai Liu is a software engineer at one of the world’s largest developers in the video game industry, Blizzard Entertainment. He works on many aspects of game development including AI, gameplay, and platform.
Meet Ms. Beth Weinstein
Ms. Beth Weinstein is an observatory manager at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. She manages the space-craft portion of the Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, ocean Ecosystem (PACE) satellite mission projected to launch in 2022.
Meet Dr. Korie Grayson
Dr. Korie Grayson received her Ph.D. in biomedical engineering and is now a postdoc research fellow at the University of Michigan. On top of laboratory research, she also uses #TeamKorie to advocate for minorities in STEM.
Meet Dr. Craig Packer
Dr. Craig Packer is a behavioral ecologist and is considered one of the world’s foremost experts on African lions. He is the founder and director of the world’s first research center dedicated to the study of lions at the University of Minnesota.
Meet Dr. Kandis Boyd
Dr. Kandis Boyd is the Deputy Divisional Director of the Division of Grants and Agreements at the National Science Foundation. With her strong meteorology background, she has led several weather-related projects in the federal government.
Meet Dr. Samit Dasgupta
Dr. Samit Dasgupta is a math professor studying algebraic number theory at Duke University. Fascinated by number theory ever since age 12, he went on to place in the Westinghouse Science Talent Search with a project on Schinzel’s Hypothesis.
Meet Dr. Cinda Scott
Dr. Cinda Scott is a marine biologist currently working in Panama, where she leads a study abroad program, taking students out snorkeling among mangroves or hiking through lush rainforests to conduct hands-on biodiversity studies.
Meet Dr. Nicole Hindman
Dr. Nicole Hindman is a diagnostic academic radiologist at NYU. As an academic radiologist, she gives talks at national meetings, publishes papers, and works with residents as well as medical students to solve clinical puzzles.
Meet Danni Washington
Danni Washington is a science communicator and the first African American woman to host her own science show. An avid ocean advocate, she co-founded Big Blue & You, a non-profit dedicated to promoting ocean conservation through art and media.
Meet Dr. Aaron Andalman
Dr. Aaron Andalman is a computational neuroscientist turned entrepreneur with a deep understanding of neural networks. He is the Chief Science Officer at Cognitiv, a company that helps marketers place ads using artificial intelligence algorithms.
Meet Diana Iracheta
Diana Iracheta is a first-generation Mexican immigrant who is now a manufacturing and mechanical engineer. She is the founder of “Latina Engineer”, an organization devoted to empowering women and minorities that anyone is capable of becoming an engineer.
Meet Dr. Yana Zorina
Dr. Yana Zorina is a neurobiologist by day and an artist by night. Through “NeuroBead”, she meshes her love for brain microscopy with her artistic side to create scientifically-inspired 3D beadwork to encourage a wider audience to appreciate the beauty of scientific research.
Meet Dr. Jennifer Perusini
Dr. Jennifer Perusini is the founder and CEO of Neurovation Labs, a New York-based biotech startup. Neurovation Labs is currently developing the first objective diagnostic and treatment for post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), aiming to revolutionize the treatment of mental health disorders.
Meet Dr. Osvaldo Gutierrez
Dr. Osvaldo Gutierrez is an Assistant Professor of Chemistry at the University of Maryland. His research group utilizes both computational and experimental chemistry to advance our understanding of organic reaction mechanisms, accelerating the development of new medicines.
Meet Susan Boyne
Susan Boyne is a pilot for United Airlines with 25+ years of flying experience. Boyne graduated from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and currently flies the Boeing 787. She mainly does international flights and visits major cities such as Tokyo, Frankfurt, and Rome.
Meet Kyle Retterer
Kyle Retterer is the Chief Technology Officer at GeneDx, a genetic diagnostics company. Retterer has been with GeneDx for 11 years and has helped build the technological platform that enables geneticists to go from sequencing individual genes to performing whole genome sequencing.
Lauren Jozwiak
Dr. Lauren Jozwiak is a planetary volcanologist studying lava and magma interactions of various planets in the solar system. At the JHU Applied Physics Laboratory, she is a part of a variety of projects, including the future VERITAS mission, which will use radar to study volcanism on Venus.
Meet Deanna Hood
Deanna Hood is an electrical engineer whose work focuses on humanitarian applications of engineering and robotics, with projects spanning accessibility, education and healthcare. Some of the projects she has worked on include a 3D bioprinter that produces skin cells and an educational robot.
Meet Dr. Maria Makarova
Dr. Maria Makarova is the Founder and President of Mentoralia, a nonprofit organization in Mexico that teaches girls how to code and design mobile apps. She also runs a local chapter of Technovation Girls, an international program for young girls to apply computer science to solving social issues.
Meet Dr. Colleen Wilson-Hodge
Dr. Colleen Wilson-Hodge is an astrophysicist at the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. She is the principal investigator of the Fermi Gamma Ray Burst Monitor, an instrument that detects gamma ray bursts, which are powerful explosions in the universe.
Meet Dr. Jason Ernst
Dr. Jason Ernst is an Associate Professor of Biological Chemistry, Computer Science, and Computational Medicine at UCLA. His research group’s interdisciplinary work focuses on using computational methods for understanding the human genome and interpreting epigenomic data.
Meet Dr. Ani Manichaikul
Dr. Ani Manichaikul is an associate professor in the Center for Public Health Genomics at the University of Virginia. Her group identifies regions of the genome that would predispose people to disease risk. In particular, she works to improve genetic risk prediction models for people of diverse ancestry.
Meet Sam Wen
Sam Wen is an engineer and entrepreneur turned investor. He is the co-founder of Square, where he built apps, hardware, and infrastructure to empower commerce. Today, he is a venture partner at Green Visor Capital, a venture capital firm that invests in financial technology companies at early stages.
Meet Dr. Alice Cocoros
Dr. Alice Cocoros is a physicist in the Space Exploration Sector at the John Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory. She obtained her Ph.D. in particle physics researching elementary particles at CERN, and her current work involves systems design engineering for instruments used in NASA missions such as the Dragonfly mission.
Meet Dr. Nadine Caron
Dr. Nadine Caron is a general surgeon, researcher, and professor at the University of British Columbia. A mother and outdoor-enthusiast, Dr. Caron is also the first female First Nations general surgeon in Canada. Her current work centers around advocating for Indigenous populations and addressing inequity in healthcare.
Meet Camilo Rebelo
Camilo Rebelo is an award-winning architect. After completing his studies at the Porto School of Architecture in Portugal, Rebelo went on to teach at many institutions worldwide. His hundreds of projects explore the connected relationship between urban architecture and protected natural landscapes.
Meet Sabrina Thompson
Sabrina Thompson is an aerospace engineer at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center with an education in atmospheric physics as well. As a flight and dynamics engineer, Thompson designs orbits and trajectories for space missions. She also develops technologies for spacecraft and small satellites and has been patented. With her love for art, she built GIRL IN SPACE CLUB, a platform for young and creative minds in STEM.
Meet Dr. Cameron McIntyre
Dr. Cameron McIntyre is a professor of biomedical engineering at Duke University. He studies deep brain stimulation (DBS), a neurosurgical procedure during which implanted electrodes assist brain activity. Connecting elements of neuroscience, entrepreneurship, and innovation, Dr. McIntyre works to develop novel DBS devices for clinical treatment of neurological disorders.
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