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STEM Ambassadors

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.

Photo of Chisom Nwoye

Chisom Nwoye

Chisom Nwoye is a Molecular Biology research Ph.D. student at the University of Utah. Her project in Wes Sundquist’s lab seeks to elucidate the role of HIV-1 viral capsid at different stages of the viral life cycle, including reverse transcription, integration, and viral egress. Her studies will help improve therapeutic designs to combat HIV, and learning from the viral intelligence will help inform the recreation of the other mechanistic approaches, i.e., viral vectors and synthetic capsid constructs to enhance gene delivery/therapies and other cellular manipulations using molecular techniques.…

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Chisom Nwoye is a Molecular Biology research Ph.D. student at the University of Utah. Her project in Wes Sundquist’s lab seeks to elucidate the role of HIV-1 viral capsid at different stages of the viral life cycle, including reverse transcription, integration, and viral egress. Her studies will help improve therapeutic designs to combat HIV, and learning from the viral intelligence will help inform the recreation of the other mechanistic approaches, i.e., viral vectors and synthetic capsid constructs to enhance gene delivery/therapies and other cellular manipulations using molecular techniques. Chisom hopes to use her knowledge in viral studies in the long term to solve the problem of HIV latency and develop strategies for permanently eradicating HIV.

Photo of Onyeka Obidi

Onyeka Obidi

Onyeka is a Ph.D. student working with the Brasch Lab at the University of Utah’s Department of Biochemistry. His research focuses on understanding the structural organization of proteins in the brain and how changes in these organizations lead to neurological disorders. In his free time, Onyeka loves movies, mentoring, and sightseeing. He is keen on promoting access to science for people from all backgrounds, especially people from low-income backgrounds.…Read More

Onyeka is a Ph.D. student working with the Brasch Lab at the University of Utah’s Department of Biochemistry. His research focuses on understanding the structural organization of proteins in the brain and how changes in these organizations lead to neurological disorders. In his free time, Onyeka loves movies, mentoring, and sightseeing. He is keen on promoting access to science for people from all backgrounds, especially people from low-income backgrounds. Onyeka believes that more effort should be taken to communicate science to non-scientist to create public awareness of the importance of science. He hopes the STEM Ambassador Program will teach him useful ways to interact with the non-science community, as he is excited to show the world the beauty of science.

Photo of Judy Ou

Judy Ou

Judy Ou received her PhD from Boston University School of Public Health and BS and MPH from Brigham Young University. She is currently a postdoctoral fellow in epidemiology at the University of Utah, where she works on a variety of studies in the cancer field. Her projects include identifying the late health effects of pediatric cancer treatments, examining patterns and trends in environmental exposure and cancers among adults, and identifying barriers to adherence in cancer screenings among Latinos.…Read More

Judy Ou received her PhD from Boston University School of Public Health and BS and MPH from Brigham Young University. She is currently a postdoctoral fellow in epidemiology at the University of Utah, where she works on a variety of studies in the cancer field. Her projects include identifying the late health effects of pediatric cancer treatments, examining patterns and trends in environmental exposure and cancers among adults, and identifying barriers to adherence in cancer screenings among Latinos.

She enjoys climbing, gardening, hiking, and eating desserts.

Photo of David Parrot

David Parrot

David Parrott studies a tiny mutant of the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana (Thale Cress; discovered in Leslie Sieburth’s laboratory at the University of Utah). Using a combination of genetics, genomics, and plant physiology, David is investigating how an as-of-yet unknown signaling molecule made in the root of the mutant plant (but present in all plants) might alert the shoot and slow growth when there is too much salt or not enough water in the soil.…Read More

David Parrott studies a tiny mutant of the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana (Thale Cress; discovered in Leslie Sieburth’s laboratory at the University of Utah). Using a combination of genetics, genomics, and plant physiology, David is investigating how an as-of-yet unknown signaling molecule made in the root of the mutant plant (but present in all plants) might alert the shoot and slow growth when there is too much salt or not enough water in the soil. This research could be important in understanding how plants cope with drought.

David loves to telemark ski, mountain bike, and work in his garden.

Photo of Brandon Patterson

Brandon Patterson

Brandon Patterson is the Technology Engagement Librarian at the University of Utah’s Eccles Health Sciences Library. His role connects students, staff and faculty to digital tools and emerging technologies to support teaching and learning. His research interests include increasing information literacy in the health sciences and creating simulation tools in extended reality (VR/MR/XR) platforms for health sciences learners.…Read More

Brandon Patterson is the Technology Engagement Librarian at the University of Utah’s Eccles Health Sciences Library. His role connects students, staff and faculty to digital tools and emerging technologies to support teaching and learning. His research interests include increasing information literacy in the health sciences and creating simulation tools in extended reality (VR/MR/XR) platforms for health sciences learners.
Brandon enjoys quality time in the great outdoors, cooking good food, cycling up canyon roads, and hanging out with family.

Photo of Apoorva Pedgaonkar

Apoorva Pedgaonkar

Apoorva works in Dr. Jamesina Simpson's Computational Electromagnetics lab, where she uses numerical techniques to implement three-dimensional (3-D) Maxwell's equations FDTD models of global electromagnetic wave propagation within the Earth-ionosphere waveguide. Some applications are remote-sensing of oil fields, scintillation, hypothesized electromagnetic earthquake precursors, remote-sensing of localized ionospheric anomalies, and space weather effects on the operation of electric power grids.…Read More

Apoorva works in Dr. Jamesina Simpson’s Computational Electromagnetics lab, where she uses numerical techniques to implement three-dimensional (3-D) Maxwell’s equations FDTD models of global electromagnetic wave propagation within the Earth-ionosphere waveguide. Some applications are remote-sensing of oil fields, scintillation, hypothesized electromagnetic earthquake precursors, remote-sensing of localized ionospheric anomalies, and space weather effects on the operation of electric power grids. Her work is to characterize coupling of unintentional EM interference into the atmosphere. She develops large-scale global models using supercomputers to achieve this. In her free time, she enjoys hiking, biking, badminton, and snowboarding

Photo of Ariadne Penalva

Ariadne Penalva

Ariadne Penalva works at the University of Utah where she studies neural development, as well as the origins of neurodevelopmental disorders. She has a background in biochemistry and psychology.Read More

Ariadne Penalva works at the University of Utah where she studies neural development, as well as the origins of neurodevelopmental disorders. She has a background in biochemistry and psychology.

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Kathryn Petrozzo

Kathryn Petrozzo is a Ph.D. candidate in Philosophy at the University of Utah under the direction of Dr. Natalia Washington. Her research lies at the intersection of the philosophy of psychiatry, neuroscience, law, and clinical ethics. She is primarily interested in how the act of diagnosing psychiatric disorders creates particularly negative characterizations of individuals with mental illnesses, which has detrimental effects both within and outside of the clinician's office.…Read More

Kathryn Petrozzo is a Ph.D. candidate in Philosophy at the University of Utah under the direction of Dr. Natalia Washington. Her research lies at the intersection of the philosophy of psychiatry, neuroscience, law, and clinical ethics. She is primarily interested in how the act of diagnosing psychiatric disorders creates particularly negative characterizations of individuals with mental illnesses, which has detrimental effects both within and outside of the clinician’s office. Kathryn is a strong proponent of interdisciplinary work and public engagement with the sciences and is looking forward to strengthening her scientific communication skills. When not working on her research, she enjoys spending as much time in nature, be it hiking up mountains, skiing down them, or biking through them.

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Cecilia Prator

Cecilia Prator is an NSF Postdoctoral Fellow in Biology and works in Dr. William Brazelton’s lab at the University of Utah. Her research focuses on examining the role of viruses in the Lost City hydrothermal field chimneys. Cecilia completed her PhD at UC Berkeley and has also worked on plant and human viruses. Her scientific interests include virus transmission biology, virus diversity, and host-virus interactions.…Read More

Cecilia Prator is an NSF Postdoctoral Fellow in Biology and works in Dr. William Brazelton’s lab at the University of Utah. Her research focuses on examining the role of viruses in the Lost City hydrothermal field chimneys. Cecilia completed her PhD at UC Berkeley and has also worked on plant and human viruses. Her scientific interests include virus transmission biology, virus diversity, and host-virus interactions. She enjoys horseback riding, camping, skiing, and cooking.

Photo of Bo Price

Bo Price

Bo Price is a graduate student in the Hughes Lab at the University of Utah Biochemistry Department. The Hughes lab studies organelle homeostasis in response to metabolic stresses. Bo’s focus is understanding a newly described morphological adaptation that occurs on the surface of mitochondria called Mitochondrial Derived Compartment (MDC) formation. He is determining the metabolic signaling pathway required for MDC formation to elucidate their role in the mitochondrial stress response.…Read More

Bo Price is a graduate student in the Hughes Lab at the University of Utah Biochemistry Department. The Hughes lab studies organelle homeostasis in response to metabolic stresses. Bo’s focus is understanding a newly described morphological adaptation that occurs on the surface of mitochondria called Mitochondrial Derived Compartment (MDC) formation. He is determining the metabolic signaling pathway required for MDC formation to elucidate their role in the mitochondrial stress response. Bo has always been an advocate for programs that aim to educate and encourage involvement with STEM. He hopes to use his new skills from the STEM Ambassador Program to conduct and lead outreach and recruitment activities in his future scientific career. Bo’s hobbies with his family include hiking, snowboarding, stargazing, road trips, museums, and strategy games.

Photo of Rodolfo Probst

Rodolfo Probst

Rodolfo Probst works in Dr. Jack Longino’s Lab at the University of Utah where he investigates the evolution of ant-plan mutualistic interactions. Specifically, he studies how fast (evolutionary speaking) does it take for arboreal ants to evolve a “true friendship” with their plant hosts. Roodolfo received his B.S. and Master’s from The State University of São Paulo and the Zoology Museum of the University of São Paulo respectively.…Read More

Rodolfo Probst works in Dr. Jack Longino’s Lab at the University of Utah where he investigates the evolution of ant-plan mutualistic interactions. Specifically, he studies how fast (evolutionary speaking) does it take for arboreal ants to evolve a “true friendship” with their plant hosts. Roodolfo received his B.S. and Master’s from The State University of São Paulo and the Zoology Museum of the University of São Paulo respectively. He is led by his interest in ant evolution, as well as his passion for tropical fieldwork, teaching the public about bugs and conservation, and exploring the outdoors – or complex mallard reactions in his kitchen.

Photo of Shrinivasan Raghuraman

Shrinivasan Raghuraman

Shrinivasan (Cheenu) works with Dr. Toto Olivera at the University of Utah where he investigates different types of brain cells found in rodent nervous system and tracks how these cells change their properties under chronic pain conditions. Cheenu uses microscopy and fluorescence imaging techniques to study these brain cells and to search for novel pharmacological interventions that could alleviate chronic pain.…Read More

Shrinivasan (Cheenu) works with Dr. Toto Olivera at the University of Utah where he investigates different types of brain cells found in rodent nervous system and tracks how these cells change their properties under chronic pain conditions. Cheenu uses microscopy and fluorescence imaging techniques to study these brain cells and to search for novel pharmacological interventions that could alleviate chronic pain.

Cheenu likes to experiment with different cuisines that he shares with his hiking and trail running friends.

Photo of Kathleen Ritterbush

Kathleen Ritterbush

Kathleen Ritterbush is a paleontologist at the University of Utah. She studies what ocean life was like during and before the time of the dinosaurs. Recent projects include modeling sea shells of extinct squid-like ammonite fossils to test if the animals could swim, and hunting for fossil sea sponges in ancient rocks. Because these ancient rocks are pushed into mountains by the Earth's shifting surface, fossil hunting takes her across deserts of the American West and up into the Peruvian Andes.…Read More

Kathleen Ritterbush is a paleontologist at the University of Utah. She studies what ocean life was like during and before the time of the dinosaurs. Recent projects include modeling sea shells of extinct squid-like ammonite fossils to test if the animals could swim, and hunting for fossil sea sponges in ancient rocks. Because these ancient rocks are pushed into mountains by the Earth’s shifting surface, fossil hunting takes her across deserts of the American West and up into the Peruvian Andes. She is most interested in what animals flourish after global mass extinction events, and how this is related to world-wide environmental changes.

Photo of Victoria Russell

Victoria Russell

Victoria Russell works at the University of Utah where she studies biological fuel cells, which use catalysts derived from biological components to convert chemical energy into electrical energy. These catalysts include components from living cells (enzymatic fuel cells), or even entire cells (microbial fuel cells). Her research involves using genetic engineering to develop and improve upon biological catalysts used in enzymatic fuel cells.…Read More

Victoria Russell works at the University of Utah where she studies biological fuel cells, which use catalysts derived from biological components to convert chemical energy into electrical energy. These catalysts include components from living cells (enzymatic fuel cells), or even entire cells (microbial fuel cells). Her research involves using genetic engineering to develop and improve upon biological catalysts used in enzymatic fuel cells.

A native of New York City, Victoria dove enthusiastically into all that Utah’s outdoors have to offer. She can often be found hiking, snowshoeing, backpacking, or canyoneering. She also enjoys reading and traveling, and is always up for planning her next adventure.

Photo of Maggie Scholle

Maggie Scholle

Maggie Scholle is a first-year master’s student in the Environmental Humanities graduate program at the U. She is interested in the intersection of mapping and memory of erosion, coastal processes, and slow landscape change, particularly cases where that change is poorly documented. She is originally from Chicago and has previously studied sediment transport along the Lake Michigan shore.…Read More

Maggie Scholle is a first-year master’s student in the Environmental Humanities graduate program at the U. She is interested in the intersection of mapping and memory of erosion, coastal processes, and slow landscape change, particularly cases where that change is poorly documented. She is originally from Chicago and has previously studied sediment transport along the Lake Michigan shore. She is interested in pursuing careers in both formal and informal environmental education and is excited to develop community engagement skills with STEMAP. When not reading for class, she can be found running on the Jordan River and hiking with her cat, Sterling.