The STEM Ambassador Program began in 2016 as a training program for a small cohort of University of Utah scientists. Since then, we have grown to work with over 170 graduate students, post-docs, faculty, staff, and undergraduate students. Scroll down to learn about the scientists who have participated. Contact us if you would like to reach out to a STEM Ambassador.
Note that many Ambassador bios were uploaded when the Ambassador joined the program and may not be current.
Kevin works with Dr. Andrey Rogachev at the University of Utah, where he studies condensed matter physics. His primary line of research is focused on understanding electronic transport mechanisms present in organic materials that will be used in the next iteration of today’s electronic devices. Specifically, Kevin uses a technique known as noise spectroscopy to extract information about the processes that occur in devices made from these materials, such as organic light-emitting diodes, organic transistors, and photovoltaic cells.
This information is critical in understanding how these devices function so that they can eventually be scaled up for industrial production. Kevin’s other research interests include nano-fabrication techniques and 1-dimensional superconductivity in nanoscale wires, both important for small-scale, supercooled computing applications.
Kevin is very involved in student government. He also loves collecting and reading books, creating and playing games, and playing the piano.
Eddy Dawson has a passion for connecting people with the importance of plants in all aspects of life. His life’s mantra is “everyone loves plants, not everyone knows it.” He has spent nearly 20 years working at Red Butte Garden in a variety of roles, including Curator of Plant Records, Director of Information Technology, and currently serves as the Director of Programs. He strives to continue learning and making new connections with plants and people as part of the mission at Red Butte Garden. He has degrees in Horticulture and Botanical Informatics from Texas A&M University. He has entered the Stem Ambassador program to learn new skills and to form new partnerships that will extend the mission of the Garden and support others on extending the outreach of STEM programs across Utah.
Tara Deans directs the Applied Synthetic Biology Laboratory at the University of Utah. Her research group focuses on building novel genetic tools to study the mechanisms of stem cell differentiation for the purpose of directing their cell fate decisions to be used for therapeutic applications.
Dr. Dilupama Divaratne joined the department of PGET at Northern Kentucky University as the first faculty advisor in July 2019. Dr. Divaratne earned her bachelor’s degree in Physics and Mathematics from University of Peradeniya in Sri Lanka. She completed her two master’s degrees in Material Science & Engineering and Condensed Matter Physics in 2006 and 2008, respectively. She did her PhD in Experimental Nuclear Physics at Ohio University, Athens, OH, and graduated in April 2014.
Dr. Divaratne was nominated to receive the 2017 Mallory-Wilson Faculty Recognition Award in outstanding dedication and commitment for undergraduate pre-health training at Miami University and nominated for the outstanding academic advisor 2021 for her commitment and outstanding work and leadership as the lead advisor for the department of PEGT.
She is currently chairing the social committee and the Women in Physics and Engineering Club (WIPE) at NKU. She is highly motivated in promoting more women and other underrepresented communities into STEM education and is interested in working as an ambassador for them.
Maggie Doolin works in the Dearing Lab at the University of Utah where she studies parasite-microbiome interactions. She is interested in whether hosts and parasites have differential success during infection in the presence of different gut microbial communities, and how this might translate to understanding human and animal reactions to parasitism in different environments. Maggie has worked extensively with undergraduates studying Biology and has presented her research to academic and general audiences. Through the STEM Ambassador Program, she is looking forward to learning more about connecting with audiences across the spectrum of interest and training in Biology. Outside of her work, Maggie enjoys exploring the Utah outdoors as a hiker, camper, and beginner fisherwoman and snowboarder, and she also enjoys consuming lots of podcast episodes while exploring Salt Lake City on foot.
Paige Eberle is a member of the Leffler Lab in the department of Human Genetics at the University of Utah. Her research uses computational approaches to study the DNA of human and non-human primate species. In doing so, she hopes to provide insight into how genetic ancestry affects malaria susceptibility and resistance in populations found in regions where malaria once was or still is endemic, and perhaps further insight into the origins of these adaptations. In addition to her research, Paige has previously participated in outreach events focused on getting younger students interested in STEM through programs such as STEMCAP and Letters to a Pre-Scientist. Through STEMAP, she wants to continuing learning how to talk about science in a way that is exciting to young students and members of the community. Outside of research and outreach, Paige loves hiking and backpacking as well as baking, doing puzzles, and rowing on the Great Salt Lake.
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Kendall FitzGerald works with Dr. Kip Solomon at the University of Utah. Her research involves using environmental tracers to age-date groundwater from seeps and springs in order to better understand the shallow aquifer in the Salt Lake Valley. This work has brought Kendall into the backyards of numerous Salt Lake residents who have springs on their property, leading to her interest in engaging with the public about groundwater resources.
Kendall graduated with a B.A. in Geological Sciences from the State University of New York at Geneseo, where she also studied English literature. |
Bartosz Fornal is a theoretical elementary particle physicist working as a postdoctoral scholar at the University of Utah. He is interested in understanding how the world around us works at the fundamental level.
Bart’s current research is focused on dark matter, the mysterious invisible 85% of the matter in the universe inferred to exist only from indirect observations. His other research areas include new physics at the Large Hadron Collider, the matter-antimatter asymmetry of the universe, neutrino physics and gravitational waves as probes of the early universe.
In his free time, Bart enjoys swimming, hiking and playing tennis.
Dale Forrister works with Dr. Phyllis (Lissy) Coley, in the School of Biological Sciences and studies the ecology of tropical rainforest. Specifically, he works in Yasuni, Ecuador the most diverse forest in the world studying the ecology and evolution of interactions between plants and the insect herbivores that feed on them.
Ali is a postdoc in the University of Utah’s Geography Department, where she works with Dr. Summer Rupper and Dr. Rick Forster. She studies how glaciers in (and, thus, water supply from) the high mountains of Asia including the Himalaya have been changing in the 21st century through energy modeling and satellite data analysis. Ali likes to run, hike, practice yoga, and make creative use of her sourdough discards.
She has a Bachelors in Earth and Planetary Sciences from Harvard and a PhD in Earth Sciences from Dartmouth.
Austin’s a Ph.D. candidate in the Biodiversity and Conservation Ecology Lab at the University of Utah. He studies how human influence affects mammalian distribution and behavior, especially along wildland-urban interfaces, where humans and wildlife interact most frequently. Much of his work is focused within areas that have direct application to on-the-ground conservation initiatives that can lead to increased human-wildlife coexistence. Austin fully endorse the ideal of “work hard, play hard,” and he enjoys playing and watching sports, hiking, camping, traveling, and spending time with his wife, Rachelle, and their friends and family as much as possible.
Noortje Grijseels works in Diane Pataki’s lab at the University of Utah. She received her MS in Aquatic Biology at the University of Amsterdam and moved to the arid West to study urban landscapes. She studies water use of parks and residential yards, with on-site measurements and remote sensing data. Her work focuses on turf grass lawns and water-wise alternatives. While she misses the abundance of water in the Netherlands, Noortje can’t get enough of the Wasatch Range and the south desert. She loves the mountains for rock climbing and skiing, and she loves riding bikes around town or on trails. At home she can usually be found cooking or baking bread.
Salvador Gutierrez-Portocarrero works in the White Research Group at the University of Utah where he studies organic synthetic electrochemistry at a three-phase interface. His major interests are understanding electron transfer, phase-transfer, the reaction mechanisms, and the efficiency of product extraction-catalyst separation at this interface. He is a strong supporter of public engagement and discussion around sciences since for him knowledge only is better transmitted in these two exercises, and it is really important to communicate cutting-knowledge technology and theories to avoid myths around them. He enjoys reading, learning, cycling and day-to-day discussions since in his opinion learning is an active process. Take your time, learning takes time!
Brittany Haas works with Dr. Matthew Sigman in the Chemistry Department at the University of Utah. She uses statistical modeling to relate experimental data to computationally-derived molecular descriptors in order to explain reaction mechanism and predict novel reactions. Brittany grew up in Wisconsin and received her BS in Chemistry at the University of St. Thomas (St. Paul, MN). Brittany will always be a Midwesterner, but she has fallen in love with all the mountains of Utah have to offer. She enjoys hiking, backpacking, skiing, cooking, and trying new restaurants with friends.
Gregory Handy works in the Computational Neuroscience Group led by Dr. Alla Borisyuk at the University of Utah. His current project focuses on investigating the role astrocytes, cells that make up approximately 50% of human brain volume, have in the brain and in certain disease states, such as epilepsy. He works closely with experimentalists to ensure that his mathematical models can be used to guide future experiments.
Greg enjoys all things outdoors, from hiking to biking, as well as skiing during the winter season.
Carly Hansen works in the Urban Water Research Group with Dr. Steven Burian at the University of Utah. Her research is at the intersection of water resource planning/management and data science/modeling. She is currently working on several projects which explore water supply and water quality under urban growth and changing climate conditions.
Carly enjoys finding new places (or experimenting with new dishes) to indulge her inner-foodie or running off the calories.
Connor Healy is a computational biologist, a huge nerd, and a proud advocate for the LGBTQ+ community. He uses image analysis and simulation to study cellular patterning in order to better understand the form and function of human tissue. In his spare time, he uses the same computational techniques to improve his Dungeons and Dragons campaigns and to design his next cosplay. He actively seeks to improve LGBTQ+ representation in STEM and fights for the rights of sexually marginalized groups in Utah.
Jordan Herman works in the Clayton-Bush Lab at the University of Utah where she studies the interactions between avian hosts and and their nest parasites. She is interested in how different bird “personalities” influence their fitness, or reproductive success, in different predator and parasite environments.
In her research, Jordan emphasizes projects in avian ecology that will improve our understanding of how birds interact with changing biotic and abiotic environments and inform our approach to conservation practices. She is also a strong proponent of public engagement in science-related fields and is excited to improve her science communication skills through the STEM Ambassadors program.
Jordan enjoys the many adventures that the wild world offers through camping, backpacking, hiking, birding, snowboarding, climbing and beyond!
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Nicole Herzog is an evolutionary ecologist at the University of Utah who studies the links between diet, fire, and human evolution. Her recent work focuses on the behavioral responses of nonhuman primates to fire. She conducts this work with savanna chimpanzees in Senegal and vervet monkeys in South Africa. She also conducts archaeobotanical research in the American Great Basin investigating past diets using plant microfossils.
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David Hill is a postdoctoral scholar in the Reisman lab at the California Institute of Technology where he investigates electroreductive chromium catalyzed methodologies. The goals of his research are to discover new reactivity and to improve efficiency of current chromium-based synthetic methodologies through utilizing fundamental physical organic understanding. When David is not working in the lab, he enjoys reading and watching manga and anime, downing a nice hot bowl of vegan ramen with a side of tempura veggies, reading the latest in science news via the Twitter/Reddit/ACS apps on his phone, and sailing.
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