Name: Hilary Anderson Title: President Organization: Leeward Concepts LLC Background:When in high school there was no such thing as the personal computer, the internet, the mouse or the app. So in college I majored in Business (i.e. I had no clue what I wanted to do, just knew that I needed to get a college degree). When I graduated in 1988, the country was in a recession and jobs were hard to find. So I went into Real Estate (told you I had no clue). When that didn't pan out, I ended up doing office admin/management work. Part of this work included using a computer which I took an interest in. One thing led to another and I ended up going back to college at night and getting my Computer Science degree. I have been a software developer for over 20 years and there has never been a time when I was bored or found myself unemployed for long (2 weeks once). The world of technology is growing in leaps and bounds, so you are constantly learning. If you are a person who likes to solve puzzles and needs an outlet for your creativity...this might be the world for you. Each year there are more and more women in the field, but we need more!
Name: Courtney Forsythe Title: Network and Telecommunications Administrator Organization: Governor’s Office of Information Technology Background: I support the Department of Natural Resources, and the Department of Local Affairs. I’m very passionate about the outdoors and wildlife education which makes my job a match made in heaven! It is such a privilege to be able to go out to the mountains and help support the people that protect and maintain our beautiful state parks. In my free time I like to go hiking; and I also spend a lot of time cooking and reading. I’ve been in IT for about five years now, and I have a Bachelors of Science in IT: Telecommunications and Network.
Organization: Society of Women Engineers of Colorado School of Mines Background: SWE stimulates women to achieve full potential in careers as engineers and leaders, expand the image of the engineering profession as a positive force in improving the quality of life, and demonstrate the value of diversity. With over 700 members, SWE at Mines is the largest collegiate section in the U.S. and the largest professional student organization on campus. Members participate in personal and professional development such as networking with employers, outreach, and recruitment events for girls, all with the goal of establishing a strong and empowering professional community.
Name: Marielle Pellegrino Title: PhD student Organization: University of Colorado Boulder Background: Marielle studies astrodynamics (the movement of objects in space). Her focus is on moving space junk out of the way of functioning satellites, like GPS. Her focuses include solar radiation pressure or how the sun's light moves an object, and chaos.
Name: Abigail Feuka Title: I am a second-year Master's student and graduate research assistant Organization: Department of Fish, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology at Colorado State University. Background: I am from Maine originally, grew up in Michigan, and returned to the University of Maine where I earned my Bachelor of Science degree in Wildlife Ecology. After my undergrad, I worked as a seasonal wildlife field technician around the country working with salamanders, frogs, sparrows, woodpeckers, Monarch butterflies, deer, and wolves. I am particularly interested in animal movement (especially of reptiles and amphibians!), and my current Master's research involves tracking invasive Brown Treesnakes on Guam. I also love math and statistics and am interested in developing better mathematical models to describe how animals move through different landscapes.N
Name: Erica Jenson Title: PhD student studying spacecraft dynamics and control Organization: CU Boulder Aerospace Engineering Sciences Department Background: I've always loved the idea of space exploration, but I found it difficult to pinpoint what field would suit me best. While getting my undergrad degrees at the University of Florida (in aerospace and mechanical engineering), I tried out many design projects and internships before I discovered my perfect fit, from designing remote-controlled aircraft to doing research on board the Vomit Comet. I'd love to talk about opportunities in the aerospace field, life as a PhD student, and my experience as a woman in engineering!
Name: Dr. Jillian Lang Title: Director of Strategic Partnerships Organization: College of Agricultural Sciences, CSU Background: Dr. Lang earned a B.S. in Biology from SUNY Fredonia, then a M.S. in Plant Pathology and a PhD in Cell and Molecular Biology from Colorado State University. She provides stewardship of external relationships with corporate, academic, government and non-profit entities. She oversees partnerships that promote advanced research and student success in alignment with the college mission. Prior to this position, she was a senior scientist at an algae biofuel start-up company and then spent seven years managing a large molecular plant pathology lab at CSU. She continues to conduct her own research in the development of genomics-based diagnostic tools for plant pathogens, the evolution of bacterial pathogenicity, host adaptation and molecular mechanisms of host resistance in rice and corn. She has worked in Africa and Asia as a molecular plant pathologist and was awarded a Chateaubriand Fellowship from the French Embassy. She lived in Montpellier, France to work at the Institut de Recherche pour le Développement. She is passionate about engaging women in science. When not doing or talking about science, Jillian is most happy going on adventures with her 10 year old son, skiing and working in her garden.
Name: Laura Rip Title: Energy Project Manager Organization: National Western Center Background: Laura is a mechanical engineer who focuses on building energy systems. Her career started as a Test Engineer doing structural tests on large wind turbine blades: pull on them until they break! Then she spent several years working as a Facilities Engineer in Antarctica to keep the buildings at all three of the U.S. stations running smoothly and the people inside warm and toasty. This turned into an Energy Manager position: monitoring and optimizing the electricity and heating of buildings so that any fuel shipped to the stations is used sparingly and efficiently. Now Laura works as the Energy Project Manager with the team at the National Western Center that is finding ways to power, heat and cool the future buildings using renewable sources like heat recovery from the sewer lines and solar power.
Name: Dr. Alyssa Whitcraft Title: Associate Research Professor Organization: Department of Geographical Sciences at the University of Maryland. She is also the Associate Director of the NASA Harvest Consortium Background: NASA's new program focused on utilizing satellite data to support global food security and better agricultural practices. Through her service as Program Scientist for the Group of 20's Global Agricultural Monitoring (GEOGLAM) Secretariat (www.geoglam.org), she has extensive expertise in developing scientific and usership requirements for satellite data, has worked on multiple satellite mission planning teams, and currently directs a regional network in the Americas to improve agricultural decision making (www.agamericas.org). She currently resides in Boulder County, CO with her husband and young son.
Name: Teena Bergstrand Title: Marketing and Communication Director Organization: Saunders Background: Teena Bergstrand has in-depth experience working in technical environments creating streamlined communications. Her experience includes developing communications and public relations campaign plans for large construction projects. Bergstrand is a strategic thinker with the ability to assure messages are clearly integrated to the public. Her strategic thinking goes beyond just creating outputs, Bergstrand is an expert with building relationships that lead to the bottom line value. She holds a masters of science in Integrated Marketing from the University of Denver Daniels College of Business, and a bachelor of arts in Political Science and Business Administration from the University of Colorado Boulder. In 2017, Bergstrand was recognized by Engineering News-Record Magazine as a Top Young Professional. Additionally, she is a proud alum of Northglenn High School, class of 2000!
Name: Meredith Goertz Title: Senior Associate Scientific Director Organization: The Lockwood Group Background: Meredith received her PhD in cancer biology from University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, TX, and a BS in biochemistry and cell biology from Rice University in Houston, TX.
Meredith has extensive experience in oncology and developing high-quality scientific content targeted to a range of audiences. After receiving her PhD, Meredith was an oncology clinical trial liaison working on multiple, large industry-sponsored studies. Prior to joining Lockwood in 2016, she led content development on a patient-directed health website, covering a variety of disease states, and also worked as a freelance medical editor for academic manuscripts, primarily in the field of cancer research.
At Lockwood, Meredith is responsible for leading scientific content development and provides strategic recommendations for a wide range of oncology products and disease states, including lung cancer, bladder cancer, lymphomas, and leukemias.
Name: Dr. Patel Title: Co-Director of Preventive Cardiology and the Director Organization: Children’s Hospital Colorado and University of Colorado School of Medicine Background: Dr. Patel is a board certified pediatric cardiologist who joined the staff at Children's Hospital Colorado in August 2013. She is the Co-Director of Preventive Cardiology and the Director of the Hypertension Program at Children’s Hospital Colorado and University of Colorado School of Medicine. Her clinical interests include hypertension and hyperlipidemia, as well as congenital heart disease. Her research interests include the epidemiology of blood pressure and cholesterol disorders and their role in development of adult cardiovascular disease. She is also the Director of the Pediatric Cardiology Fellowship Program.
Dr. Patel earned her undergraduate degree at the University of Iowa and her medical degree at the University of Iowa, College of Medicine. She completed her residency and fellowship in Pediatric Cardiology at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics. Dr. Patel also received a doctoral degree in Epidemiology from the University of Iowa.
Name: Dr. Caitlin Looby Title: Postdoctoral Research Associate and Science Writer Organization: University of Denver and Colorado State University Background: I am a New Jersey Native who received her PhD at the University of California, Irvine and is currently working at the University of Denver and Colorado State University. I am interested in how climate change is affecting tropical cloud forests. I look at how soil microbes and decomposition are changing due to warmer, drier conditions in these vulnerable forests. Over the course of my academic career, I have done fieldwork in Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Washington State, and Alaska.
On top of research, I am avid science communicator. I have written over 35 clips that includes an op-ed for The New York Times, feature articles for magazines, environmental news stories, and scripts for radio. I specifically strive to increase representation of women and underrepresented groups in popular science writing.
Name: Denise Henry Title: STEM outreach manager Organization: Ball Aerospace Background: Denise Henry has served as the STEM outreach manager at Ball Aerospace for 18 years. She manages Ball’s outreach on NASA missions such as the James Webb Space Telescope and NOAA missions such as the Joint Polar Satellite System-1. This role involves collaborating with other aerospace companies, local school districts, universities, and organizations such as the Goddard Space Flight Center and the Space Telescope Science Institute.
Denise has conducted STEM outreach at national events such as the World Science Festival, the South by Southwest Festival, and the USA Science & Engineering Festival in Washington, DC. She earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in education and certification in technical writing. Prior to her outreach role, she was a technical writer at Ball and worked on new business proposals and procedural documents. Most of her volunteering efforts are devoted to ColoradoFIRST Robotics, a program that she believes can change students’ lives
Name: Heather Cronk Title: Satellite data analyst, scientific programmer, and project manager Organization: Cooperative Institute for Research Background: As a kid, I never planned to be a scientist. I actually went to college intending to major in Spanish and sociology, but the liberal arts college that I attended required a semester of math and a semester of science no matter what you majored in. Because I had taken physics and calculus in high school, I planned to retake these classes as a freshman to fulfill my requirements quickly and move on. However, I became very close with my lab group in my introductory physics class and continued signing up for classes with them over the course of my college education, eventually graduating with a double major in physics and math. I wasn't super interested in pure physics or pure math as a career track, so I made a point to explore lots of applications through classes and research opportunities, eventually finding my way to atmospheric science. After college, I went on to earn a Master's degree in atmospheric science, focusing on what we can learn from satellite data. Now I work at the Cooperative Institute for Research in the Atmosphere as a satellite data analyst, scientific programmer, and project manager. I'm interested in how different satellite data can be used together to make scientific discoveries and how to keep a long-term data record meaningful as new technology replaces old technology.
Name: Casey Setash Title: PhD student studying wildlife biology Organization: Colorado State University Background: Casey is a PhD student studying wildlife biology at Colorado State University. She studies ducks and the ways their populations change in relation to habitat management. Casey grew up in suburban Pennsylvania with a love of birds, but didn't find out that you could study ecology until college. She has since worked on various field projects, taking her from Alaska to Mongolia in pursuit of bird knowledge. She is interested in getting young women interested in hunting, conservation, and sustainability in the hopes of making our world a better place in the future.
Name: Kristen Ellis Title: PhD student in Fish, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology Organization: Colorado State University Background: I am from Utah and grew up near the Great Salt Lake where I watched millions of birds migrate through my backyard every year. I’ve always wanted to work with wildlife so I got an undergraduate degree in Zoology and Chemistry, then went on to study shorebirds as a Master’s student. Now I get to continue studying shorebirds as a PhD student and my research involves identifying the impacts of specific predators on shorebirds so that I can help develop conservation strategies for declining species.
Name: Mikaela Dobbin Title: Student, Aerospace Engineering with a minor in Computer Science Organization: University of Colorado-Boulder Background: I am a current student at the University of Colorado, Boulder in my second year studying Aerospace Engineering with a minor in Computer Science. I love science, space, technology, and problem solving, which is why I found that Aerospace Engineering was the right fit for me. In my free time, I enjoy skiing and hiking. Over the past year and a half at CU, I've worked on various projects such as launching a payload on a high altitude weather balloon and I am currently working on a NASA payload for a sounding rocket mission scheduled to launch this August. This past summer, I had the opportunity to intern at NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) where I worked on the close-out of the Cassini Mission which spent 13 years orbiting Saturn. This summer, I will be interning at The Aerospace Corporation working on the guidance and navigation of spacecraft.
Name: Katerina Yared Title: Geology/Petrophysics Organization: SM Energy Background: Katerina Yared holds the position as a Senior Petrophysicist at SM Energy in Denver. Her oil field career started as a field engineer focusing on formation evaluation with Baker Hughes after she received her master’ degree in geology from the RWTH Aachen University in Aachen, Germany. She advanced through various roles at Baker Hughes, ranging from applications engineer in the BHI Houston Technology Center to geoscience manager for the US Western Region. Katerina broadened her experience by working for NEOS GeoSolutions (Lakewood, CO) and later as petrophysicist at Apache Corporation as well as QEP Resources, before joining SM Energy.
Growing up in a family speaking three languages, Katerina, considers languages an enjoyable hobby and currently speaks five fluently. Through her career of embracing diverse cultures, she has been involved in many non-profit global and local organizations as well as involved in volunteer roles within her work organizations. While at Baker Hughes, Katerina was the president of the BHI Women’s Network Group for the Rockies region, focusing on spreading gender diversity awareness and helping teams achieve maximum potential.
Katerina is also an active member and officer of the Society of Petrophysicist and Well Log Analysts (SPWLA), holding currently the position of VP of Education. She is also is involved as a member of American Association of Petroleum Geologist (AAPG) and the Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE). With a family to raise consisting of three young boys, life is never boring, but she also believes the foundation of one’s belief systems form at an early age and she is determined to broaden social perspectives of social awareness towards various groups to ultimately increase the success of all people at work and in life.
Name: Emily Freed Title: Scientist/Synthetic Biology & Metabolic Engineering Organization: University of Colorado Background: Emily earned her PhD in Genetics from Yale University. She currently works at the Renewable and Sustainable Energy Institute at CU Boulder as a both a project manager and scientist. Her research focuses on using CRISPR to engineer bacteria to make biofuel. Emily also participates in 500 Women Scientists, a grassroots movement that aims to build an inclusive scientific community dedicated to training a more diverse group of future leaders in science and to use the language of science to bridge divides and enhance global diplomacy.
Name: Sarah Doxon Title: Environmental Educator Organization: Bird Conservancy of the Rockies Background: Growing up as a free-range child in the wilds of rural Iowa, Sarah’s connection with nature was fostered from an early age. This connection prompted her to earn a Bachelor’s Degree in Animal Ecology from Iowa State University (2011) and then a Master’s Degree in Conservation Biology from Miami University (2017). Realizing that most children no longer have the opportunity to connect with nature in safe, meaningful ways, and that these early experiences help to shape conservation-minded adults, she has made it her mission to innovate ways to bring children and nature back together. When not teaching, Sarah can be found hiking, reading, or just hanging out with her husband, 2 cats and a pup.
Name: Dr. Nazanin H. Bahraini Title: PhD in Counseling Psychology Organization: Department of VA & University of Colorado School of Medicine Biography: Dr. Nazanin H. Bahraini obtained a PhD in Counseling Psychology from the University of Denver in 2008. Following completion of a Pre-Doctoral Internship at the Denver VA Medical Center Eastern Colorado Health Care System and a Post Doctoral Fellowship at the Rocky Mountain Mental Illness, Research, Education and Clinical Center (MIRECC), Dr. Bahraini became a licensed Psychologist in the state of Colorado in 2010.
Dr. Bahraini is a Clinical Research Psychologist and Director of Education at the Rocky Mountain MIRECC for Suicide Prevention. Her many contributions encompass: investigatory research (Principal Investigator and Co-PI for multiple projects), consulting (expert input for mental health and medical providers on Veteran’s issues), and assessment (psychological and neuropsychological screening for a diverse Veteran population). Additionally, Dr. Bahraini supplies training opportunities for new professionals, such as clinical supervision and other activities facilitating growth of Post Doctoral Fellows, Psychology interns, and other trainees. She is equally active in other educational activities, including the dissemination of suicide prevention resources, educational products and evidence-based practices to Veterans, providers, and the community. Finally, Dr. Bahraini shares her experience through a local academic appointment, as Associate Professor at the University Of Colorado School Of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry as well as the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation.
Clinical and Research Interests: Rehabilitation and recovery of Veterans with mild traumatic brain injury and co-occurring psychiatric disorders; clinical outcomes research in traumatic brain injury; dissemination and implementation of evidence-based suicide prevention interventions
Name: Lesley Smith Title: Scientist/Synthetic Biology & Metabolic Engineering Organization: University of Colorado Biography: Lesley’s passion for all things marine began with countless hours spent combing coastal tide pools as a child. She knew science would be her life’s work as she toiled during a 24-hour study of University of California Santa Barbara’s lagoon. Her professor encouraged a hands-on, inquiry-based approach to science, an approach that she’s incorporated into her work as an educator. After graduating from UCSB, she earned a Ph.D. at the University of Maryland. For one year, she spent three weeks every month living and working on a floating lab in the middle of the Brazilian Amazon. While writing her dissertation she had the honor to be the first woman aquanaut in NOAA’s underwater research habitat where she lived underwater and conducted research on coral reefs for a week as the only woman in her team.
Lesley’s 30-year career at the University of Colorado (CU) began with a Visiting Scientist Fellowship at CU Boulder’s Cooperative Institute for Research in the Environmental Sciences (CIRES). She continued her research on wetland ecosystems and taught in the Biology Department. The latter half of her career she was Associate Director of Education & Outreach for CIRES. She directed the Research Experience for Community College Students program that prepares students from across Colorado to be successful in four-year STEM degree programs.
Lesley has been an active public servant. She served on the school board of Boulder Valley School District; chairs the city of Boulder’s Water Resources Advisory Board; and was recently elected as CU Regent at-Large.
Lesley is grateful for the amazing research opportunities she had as scientist, and she is determined to get more women, minorities and non-traditional students engaged in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM)
Name: Jennifer Reeve Title: PhD student, Geological Sciences Organization: University of Colorado Boulder Biography: I grew up in the Seattle area with a lot of time out on the water and in the woods. I went to college at Haverford College and got my degree in Chemistry. I then moved to Canada to get my Masters in Chemical Oceanography at the University of Victoria. Eventually I wound up at the University of Colorado Boulder where I am working on my PhD. Now I'm a second-year PhD student in the Department of Geological Sciences. I study the co-evolution of life and Earth by observing how bacteria evolve in the lab. I love science, but also the outdoors, my dog, and cheesy movies.
Name: Sarah Leary Title: Freshman Organization: Aerospace Engineering program at CU Boulder Background: I'm originally from Plymouth, Massachusetts and, although the beach was my first love, the mountains of Colorado were calling me. I love taking road trips, snowboarding, dancing, exploring, making sick Spotify playlists, and doing yoga anytime and all the time. I chose to be an aerospace major because I believe space holds the answer to so many questions about where the human race has come from and where the human race is going; I aim to make these answers more accessible with my ideas. Thanks and I can't wait to meet you!
Name: Caro Banuelos Title: Program Manager and Sociology PhD Student Organization: School of Advanced Materials Discovery at Colorado State University Background: Caro is the current program manager for Materials Science and Engineering graduate programs at Colorado State University. As the program manager, Caro focuses on recruiting a diverse population of students and advises current students through their degrees. For the last 4 years, Caro has been a part-time PhD student in sociology and is the co-principal investigator of a 4-year study on social network analysis. Caro is a first generation student (neither parent went to college) and this inspired her to research first generation college student networks. Caro has a BA in Sociology with a minor in Ethnic Studies, and a MS in Criminology with an emphasis on transnational crime.
Name: Dr. Erin Griggs Title: Senior Space Mission Designer Organization: PlanetiQ Background: PlanetiQis a Golden-based space start-up formed to build, launch, and operate a commercial constellation of weather satellites. She received her Ph.D. in Aerospace Engineering Sciences from University of Colorado and B.S. and M.S. degrees in Mathematics and Computer Science from Colorado School of Mines. Among her honors, she was a Colorado Space Business Roundtable ARCS scholar, an Aviation Week Top Twenty20’s recipient, and represented the University of Colorado and the United States in Russia at the International Space School in Samara, Russia in the summer of 2015. At PlanetiQ, she is responsible for the orbital design and launches of the satellite constellation.
Name: Meredith Goertz Title: Senior Associate Scientific Director Organization: The Lockwood Group Background: Meredith received her PhD in cancer biology from University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, TX, and a BS in biochemistry and cell biology from Rice University in Houston, TX. Meredith has extensive experience in oncology and developing high-quality scientific content targeted to a range of audiences. After receiving her PhD, Meredith was an oncology clinical trial liaison working on multiple, large industry-sponsored studies. Prior to joining Lockwood in 2016, she led content development on a patient-directed health website, covering a variety of disease states, and also worked as a freelance medical editor for academic manuscripts, primarily in the field of cancer research. At Lockwood, Meredith is responsible for leading scientific content development and provides strategic recommendations for a wide range of oncology products and disease states, including lung cancer, bladder cancer, lymphomas, and leukemias.
Name: Maggie Stanislawski Title: Research Associate Organization: University of Colorado’s School of Public Health Background: I grew up in Colorado Springs, Colorado, and then attended Pomona College in Southern California to study mathematics. Following my undergraduate studies, I taught high school math as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Tanzania. This experience reaffirmed my desire to have a career with broader societal impact, and I decided to pursue a graduate degree in statistics. I attended Colorado State University, where I was a fellow in the Program for Interdisciplinary Research in Mathematics, Ecology and Statistics through the National Science Foundation’s Integrative Graduate Education and Research Traineeship. I enjoyed the collaborative aspect of this program, and I completed a Master’s degree in statistics, but I felt increasingly drawn to health-related fields. I took a job with the Veterans Administration as a statistician doing cardiology-related health outcomes research, while also taking courses related to health, including nutrition and biomedical sciences. I was fortunate to have numerous mentors at the VA who helped me to explore graduate programs that would leverage my quantitative skills and satisfy my interest in health, which ultimately led me to learn more about the field of microbiome research. I immediately knew that this was the field for me; it was fascinating, it had the potential to fundamentally change how we approach health and disease, and it integrated my interest in nutrition with my experience in statistics, ecology, and quantitative research methods. I completed my PhD in Epidemiology at the University of Colorado’s School of Public Health, where I currently work as a Research Associate. My research examines the role of the microbiome in the cardiometabolic diseases.
Name: Dr. Danielle Ostendorf Title: postdoctoral fellow Organization: University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus Background: Dr. Ostendorf completed her Bachelor of Science and Master’s degrees at Indiana University of Pennsylvania in Exercise Science, and her PhD in Epidemiology at the Colorado School of Public Health. Dr. Ostendorf is interested in studying innovative strategies for increasing physical activity and decreasing sedentary behavior. Her ultimate career goal is to become an academic professor and inform ways to prevent and treat chronic diseases such as obesity, cancer, heart disease, and diabetes by improving lifestyle interventions (physical activity and diet).
Name: Anna Jonsen Title: Aerospace Engineering Major at the CU Boulder Organization: University of Colorado Boulder Background: My name is Anna Jonsen. I am a first year Aerospace Engineering Major at the CU Boulder. I have always liked math, but I am also very creative and like to work with my hands. Becoming an engineer allows me to work with my hands(building machines), problem solve in creative ways and have math in my daily life. My high school was all girl's so I know how important it is to support other girls, I would never have even though about becoming an engineer without the support of my peers.
Name: Margaret Gruca Title: Computational Scientist Organization: CU Boulder, BioFrontier’s Institute Background: Growing up in the 90s, I watched my brother who was seven years older become fascinated in the rapidly growing world of video games and computer programming. Even just a few decades ago, however, I was told by members of my family and teachers that these things were only for boys. When I went to become the first female ice hockey player in Colorado Springs, I was told the same thing and kicked out of tryouts. Since leaving high school less than a decade ago, I have been a firefighter, clinical research assistant, college hockey player and coach, professional ski tech, biological anthropologist, biochemist, aspiring medical student, and graduate student/teacher to name a few. People that know me joke and say I have done everything, but in truth I just felt lost and bored which I now largely attribute to not being encouraged to pursue the things I really cared about (or being told I can’t). After quitting my second PhD program, I was extremely fortunate to have my last advisor reach out and offer me a job in my current field of bioinformatics. I still joke with the people at my work that I have no idea why she hired me – I came into the job with literally no prior computer programming skills. However, it has turned out to be the one job that I don’t get bored doing and that has finally given me a sense of direction in my career. Today, I am relieved to see a movement that is teaching the next generation of girls a sense of gender neutrality surrounding both social and professional activities and have myself become actively involved in girls’ advocate programs such as Girls Who Code and USA Hockey’s Girls Try Hockey
Name: Margaret Hollingsworth Title: Molecular Biology, Genetics Organization: CU Boulder Background: Although not a native of Colorado, I have nothing but fond memories of my time here as a graduate student in the Chemistry (now Chemistry and Biochemistry) Department at CU. After completing my Ph.D. at CU and a postdoc in Dallas, TX, I joined the faculty of the Department of Biological Sciences at the University at Buffalo. My research there concentrated on investigations into chloroplast function and my teaching was primarily in genetics courses. Given our love of Colorado, it was with cheerful anticipation that my husband Tim and I moved back here after retiring in 2016. One of the first outreach activities that I got involved in after moving here was to join the Science and Technology Committee at the Conference on World Affairs (CWA). I am currently the Program Chair for CWA's meeting that will happen April 8-12, 2019. I also serve as a volunteer in several other organizations in Boulder County, including 500 Women Scientists and Reading to End Racism.
Name: Nicole Ellison Title: Site Operations Planning, project Management, Engineering, and Construction Support (PMEC) Organization: National Renewable Energy Laboratory Background: Nicole recently joined NREL’s Site Operations Planning, project Management, Engineering, and Construction Support (PMEC) Group as the Lead Facility Engineer. Her experience includes Structural and Forensic Engineering with consulting firms including PIE Consulting, Martin/Martin, and Monroe and Newell. Nicole has a BSCE degree from Florida State University and both an MSCE and PhD from University of Colorado Denver. Nicole is a licensed Engineer in the State of Colorado and has been the author of numerous publications and presentations.
Name: Liz McMaster Title: Research Participant Organization: National Renewable Energy Lab (NREL) Background: Following her undergraduate graduation from the University of Florida in mechanical engineering in May 2018, Liz started working at the National Renewable Energy Lab’s (NREL) National Wind Technology Center (NWTC). At NREL, Liz has researched the technoeconomics of implementing an offshore wind farm to help develop an open-source water power cost tool. Liz has also taken all the training to be a wind energy field technician and has helped install sensors and take data on the effects of strong wind on solar tracker arrays. This project is funded by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) in the aim of designing more resilient photovoltaic (PV) systems to withstand the recent high wind destruction experienced by PV systems in Category 5 hurricanes in the Caribbean. Liz has been accepted to the European Wind Energy Master (EWEM) program and will begin graduate school at several universities in Denmark, Norway, and the Netherlands in the fall of 2019.
Name: Andrea M Griesinger Title: Senior Professional Research Assistant Organization: Children's Hospital Colorado Background: I am a Colorado native, born and raised in Colorado Springs. I have always loved math and science. I knew from my sophomore year in high school that I wanted to further my studies in those two subjects but I also wanted to pursue a career that would help others. I chose to attend Colorado School of Mines. There I earned an undergraduate degree in Chemical and Biochemical Engineering with a minor in biology. During my first biology class the Cell Biology professor put a picture on the board of “The Hallmarks of Cancer”, all of the common things that must occur for a person to have cancer. As I sat there, thinking about the diagram, I could understand why adults get cancer but I couldn’t wrap my head around why kids get cancer. The summer between my junior and senior year of college, I was accepted into a summer undergraduate research program at the University of Cincinnati. I was selected to train in a research lab that studied childhood leukemia. After 2 days in the lab, I called my parents and told them cancer research was what I was going to do. After graduating from Mines, I was accepted into the Cancer and Cell Biology graduate program at the University of Cincinnati. I received a Masters degree after completing a thesis on leukemia stem cells. In 2012, I joined Dr. Nicholas Foreman’s lab in the Morgan Adams Foundation Pediatric Brain Tumor Research program at University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus. My research focus in the Foreman lab has been exploring the interaction of brain tumor cells with immune cells and how we can target these interactions to improve the outcome of kids with brain tumors. I have also worked extensively to establish new experimental models of hard to treat childhood brain tumors. These models have been an important part of research that has been turned into clinical trials in children.
Name: Lissell Archer Title: Supervisor Organization: LabCorp Background: After attending college in San Francisco I moved down to Tucson to attend vet tech school. After one semester I decided it was not the correct fit. I knew I wanted to work in a lab, but was not sure of how to make it happen. Since I graduated from a Nevada school, I had a scholarship that I could utilize as an undergraduate and decided to attempt to get a chemistry degree at UNLV. I moved with my now husband to Las Vegas and began school. After attending a Clinical Laboratory Science informational talk, I finally found how I could work in the laboratory. I also was lucky enough to teach for the CLS program in both the lecture and laboratory setting. I found that teaching was my true passion.
I finished my post-bacc work and was employed at the hospital where I did my clinical rotation. After 5 years at the hospital, we moved here to Colorado. I have been the supervisor of the microbiology laboratory at LabCorp for the last 6 years. I have 12 employees with various educational backgrounds, process over 40,000 clinical specimens a month and always ensure quality and accuracy is our number one priority for our patients.
Name: Jill Bubenik Title: Saunders Construction Organization: Integrated Service Coordinator Background: Jill Bubenik is an Integrated Service Coordinator @ Saunders Construction. She coordinates and leads design and construction efforts by reviewing all 2D drawings and 3D models to ensure erection of a project is smooth and without delay or conflict. She manages schedule to guarantees deadlines are being met. She creates 3D models to produce 2D shop drawings that will support the self-performed concrete work in the field. She uses VR and HoloLens to bring real life visuals to the project team and clients. Her main focus is to foresee any issues that may occur before they reach the field. She has a strong background in structural design working on parking structures, schools, stadiums and power plants. She has a passion for working in a team environment and mentoring the ones around her.
Name: Annie Greenaway Title: Director's Postdoctoral Research Fellow Organization: National Renewable Energy Laboratory Background: A native of Westminster, Annie Greenaway is currently a Director's Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory working on the discovery of new, earth abundant and non-toxic semiconductors for LEDs and solar cells. She obtained her Ph.D. in 2017 at the University of Oregon, working on low-cost routes to the deposition of the most efficient solar cell materials. While at UO, Annie was also part of the Executive Board for Women in Graduate Sciences, an organization dedicated to the advancement of women in STEM. As a graduate of Thornton High School (class of 2008), Annie is happy to be back in Colorado and working with the next generation of women in the sciences.
Name: Dr. Jeni Cross Title: Director of Research for the Institute for the Built Environment, Associate Professor of Sociology at Colorado State University, and founder and co-Director of the Institute for Research in the Social Sciences Organization: Institute for Research in the Social Sciences Background: Dr. Jeni Cross is a community sociologist, doing research with and for community agencies and groups to solve local problems. Her current research includes studying “green” schools and their impact on students, exploring the effect of music on dementia patients and their caregivers, and understanding what makes scientific teams work.
Dr. Cross also teaches courses on applied social change, community development, and research methods. Each year, she engages her students in Community Based Research, where the students work with community partners to conduct sociological research that solves community problems, enhances organizational capacity, or develops programs for social change.
Dr. Cross’ titles include Director of Research for the Institute for the Built Environment, Associate Professor of Sociology at Colorado State University, and founder and co-Director of the Institute for Research in the Social Sciences
Name: Aspen King Title: PhD student in the Biological Education Organization: University of Northern Colorado Background: I am a PhD student in the Biological Education program at the University of Northern Colorado. In 2014, I was the first in my family to graduate from college when I received my B.S. degree in Microbiology from Colorado State University. After graduating from college, I spent my time utilizing my microbiology degree as a quality assurance technician at Coors brewery in Golden. I then realized my passion was in research, so I decided to go to graduate school. My current research focuses on environmental toxins and their effects on cells of the immune system. When I'm not doing science in the lab, I like to explore the outdoors by hiking, running, and skiing. As a future educator, I am thrilled to be working with students at GO STEM day!
Name: Rachel Bayles Title: Information Security Analyst Organization: Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics Background: Rachel Bayles is an information security analyst at the Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics. The lab designs, builds, and operates unmanned spacecraft. Her primary job responsibility is to coordinate cybersecurity for the computer systems. She is originally from New York City, and has an educational background in information technology and defense policy.
Name: Erin Youngberg Title: Community and Outreach Biologist Organization: Bird Conservancy of the Rockies Background: Erin is the Community and Outreach Biologist for the Bird Conservancy of the Rockies. She first found her way to the Bird Conservancy as a volunteer intern for the Bald Eagle Watch Program in 2010. Since then she has been the Project Manager of the Mountains to Plains project, conducting surveys for the City Fort Collins on their grassland properties in northern Colorado to aid in the conservation and management of those areas. Focusing on conserving grassland birds and their habitats, she works with a team of Biologists to better understand survival, migratory pathways, and habitat needs for our disappearing grassland songbirds. She has recently added community outreach to her job description, focusing on our urban birds and helping connect community members to nature through our love of birds. Originally from Jackson, Wyoming, Erin graduated with her Degree in Wildlife Biology from Colorado State University in 2009 and is proud to call Fort Collins and Bird Conservancy home.
Name: Jennifer (Jenny) Washabaugh Title: PhD Candidate Organization: University of Colorado Boulder Background: Jenny received her BS in Evolutionary Anthropology and Women’s Studies Gender & Health in 2015 from the University of Michigan and her MA in Biological Anthropology in 2017 from CU Boulder. She has experience in numerous areas of research, including functional anatomy, reproductive health, livestock production and genetics, microbiology, food science, and maternal-infant nutrition. In her current work as a PhD student at CU, she researches the complex physiological connections between mother and offspring, with a particular focus on human breast milk macronutrient composition and development of the infant gut microbiome. She is passionate about working with children, teaching, and exploring her everchanging academic curiosities.
Name: May Merkle-Tan Title: Applied AI Research Scientist Organization: Comcast Cable Communications - Philadelphia, PA Biography: May trained as a neuroimaging scientist and studied brain functions in health and disease. She earned her Ph.D. (Cognitive Neuroimaging) and M.A. (Experimental Psychology) from the University of Edinburgh, Scotland, and received her M.Sc. (Behavioural and Neural Sciences) from the International Max Planck Research School at the University of Tübingen, Germany. Her love for the interdisciplinary process of discovery and translating findings into data stories paved a natural transition to applying data science in a broader context. Throughout her experience working with different kinds of data (e.g. brain signals, human behaviour, geo- spatial, or unstructured text), May finds joy in weaving her research experience in integrating multi-dimensional information analysis with machine learning and statistical tools to discover insights. As an Applied-AI Research Scientist at Comcast Labs, she is contributing to the development, integration, and deployment of data-driven products and services that transform how people are entertained and informed. May’s interests in using technology, data, and science in meaningful ways has seen her participating in community events such as the #GivingTuesday DataDive (a collaboration involving DataKind and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation), as well as the BBC 100 Women Challenge. May grew up in Singapore, is educated in the UK and Germany, and now lives with her husband in Colorado. When not coding, styling pixels, or catching up on the arts and sciences, you can find her hillwalking, riding her vintage bicycle, or discovering new places to enjoy a cuppa.
Name: Dr. Jessica Prenni Title: Analytical Chemistry Organization: Colorado State University Biography: Dr. Prenni earned her Ph.D. in Analytical Chemistry from the University of Colorado in Boulder in 2002 and has been working in the field of biological mass spectrometry for over 15 years. She is currently an Associate Professor in the Department of Horticulture at Colorado State Universiyt. Her research group focuses on the use of analytical instrumentation to study chemistry in agriculture. Dr. Prenni is also a mother of three awesome kids and an avid downhill skier and runner.
Name: Lee Stanish Title: Microbiology, Global Change biology, Antarctic Ecology Organization: National Ecological Observatory Network Biography: Lee Stanish earned her PhD from the Environmental Studies Program at the University of Colorado, Boulder, where she focused on understanding microbial responses to climate change in polar environments. Later, as a post-doctoral researcher, she studied how management strategies influence the microbes found in engineered systems such as drinking water pipes. Lee currently works as a Research Scientist at NEON - a non-profit organization aimed at enabling the public to understand how the nation’s ecosystems respond to long-term changes - where she oversees the microbial sampling program.