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Meet our Past Everyday Superheroes!

STEMinist Host Directory

2020 - 2021 Hosts

Raven Baxter, Ph.D., aka Dr. Raven the Science Maven, is an internationally acclaimed American educator and molecular biologist known for effortlessly merging science with pop culture. Using her magnetic personality, she challenges the status quo to prove that science communicators aren’t all one and the same. 

Dr. Raven’s kicked off our STEMinist series in 2021 with this special video! 

Make an impact! Paula Garcia Todd grew up in Brazil knowing that she loved STEM and wanted to pursue engineering to create change and help people. With a background in chemical engineering, her career has focused on Pharmaceutical Sciences to help fight diseases. She believes that everyone working in a STEM field has a responsibility to educate our younger generation on the beneficial, real-life impact of STEM. In 2020, she was named "Woman of the Year in Engineering" by Women in Technology.

Paula Garcia Todd is an American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) IF/THEN Ambassador and featured in the #IfThenSheCan Exhibit. 

Make an impact! Paula Garcia Todd grew up in Brazil knowing that she loved STEM and wanted to pursue engineering to create change and help people. With a background in chemical engineering, her career has focused on Pharmaceutical Sciences to help fight diseases. She believes that everyone working in a STEM field has a responsibility to educate our younger generation on the beneficial, real-life impact of STEM. In 2020, she was named "Woman of the Year in Engineering" by Women in Technology.

Paula Garcia Todd is an American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) IF/THEN Ambassador and featured in the #IfThenSheCan Exhibit. 

Dr. Olivia Mullins is Founder and Executive Director of Science Delivered, a science education nonprofit which focuses on elementary science and educational equity. She also developed and implemented the STEM Trading Card project, where modern and diverse STEM professionals are featured in a trading card format, and created free resources for classroom and at-home science, which can be found at: https://www.stemtradingcards.org/.

Prior to her work at Science Delivered, Dr. Mullins was a neuroscientist working at the University of California, San Diego. She received her BA from Boston College in 2004 and her Ph.D. in Neuroscience from University of Virginia in 2012. She additionally wrote the kid’s science experiment book “Experimenting with Science,” published through the junior “For Dummies” series.

One of Dr. Mullins’ top interests is ensuring all elementary school students are provided with a foundational, hands-on, and high quality science education.

Erin Twamley is a writer, a researcher, an educator (M.Ed.), a Lifetime member of the Girl Scouts and a STEMinist. Her passion is working with kids of all ages and grade levels, with a focus on upper elementary (3rd-6th). Erin writes on the topics of women, diversity, science, technology, engineering and math or STEM. She is an award-winning nonfiction children book author. Erin brings interactive encounters to schools, libraries, and Girl Scout troops all around the world. She has lived on three continents.

Erin is also the co-creator and host of our USAGSO STEMinists: Adventures in STEM with Everyday Superheroes program series. 

Janice Lao  is both an Environmental Scientist and a Development Economist. Her life’s work is in making businesses a force for good. She has a rare combination of deep scientific and cross-discipline knowledge, and the ability to engage and communicate effectively. For over 20 years, she has been multi-awarded internationally for her work in sustainability, including being named in Forbes Magazine as one of the world’s most influential sustainability leaders, the only Asian, and one of the youngest, in the list.

Jasmine Cox serves as the director of textile technology programs and business innovation at Gaston College’s Textile Technology Center. In this position, she plays an instrumental role in giving students from rural, western North Carolina the opportunity to earn a degree in textile technology through the Gaston College of Textiles and the Wilson College of Textiles.

In addition to her day job, Cox serves as a member of the Dean’s Young Alumni Leadership Council (DYALC) within the Wilson College and chairs the DYALC’s event committee.

Learn more about Cox’s path to success in this Wilson College News update. 

Born and raised in Raleigh, North Carolina, Iris Caldwell jump-started her career in fashion and moved to NYC. There Iris obtained two out of three of her degrees and found her true love for mentoring. Throughout her career, Iris has had internships with companies like Donna Karen International, NBA Brooklyn Nets, NBA Charlotte Hornets but it all led her back to her passion of helping youth and preparing them for their futures.

While in school at Queens University for her master's in Communication Iris had her first job with Girl Scouts Hornet’s Nest Council. There she was able to hone in on mentoring and non-profit work. Now Iris is a middle school success coordinator for a non-profit and is helping the youth of today find their passion and purpose within themselves.

Does Iris look familiar? She’s appeared on countless runways, magazine covers, and television shows!

Dr. Kristen Lear loves bats! Dr. Lear currently works as Bat Conservation International's Agave Restoration Program Manager leading the organization's Agave Restoration Initiative to restore critical foraging habitat for endangered pollinating bats and support community livelihoods in the U.S. Southwest and northern Mexico.

She is also passionate about public outreach to raise awareness and appreciation of bats and their conservation. Engaging with the public, including local community groups, social media communities, and policy makers, is a vital part of conservation and is an aspect of her work that she strives to continually build upon and develop! Through her mentoring and youth activities, Dr. Lear hopes to encourage girls to pursue careers in STEM/STEAM, increase science literacy among the public, and support the next generation of scientists.

Dr. Kristen Lear is an American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) IF/THEN Ambassador and featured in the #IfThenSheCan Exhibit. 

Melissa Luker is an experienced program and training facilitator with a demonstrated history of working in the non-profit sector. She is skilled in outdoor education and ethics, training, mentoring, STEM research, and more! Melissa earned her master’s degree focused on Restoration Horticultural Science from Cornell University. Among her favorite past roles in the STEM field, are Master Educator with Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics, Restoration Specialist with the Delaware Riverkeeper Network, and Park Ranger at Cuyahoga Valley National Park.

In addition to being an Overseas Volunteer Partner, Melissa loves hosting USAGSO’s annual Girl Scouts Love State Parks programs. 

DaNel Hogan is the Director of The STEMAZing Project for the Office of the Pima County School Superintendent where she teaches teachers how to better engage students to make sense of the world using 3-dimensional science instruction. DaNel finds her creativity and imagination focused on #STEMontheCheap hacks – using inexpensive materials to teach STEM lessons. From programs serving early childhood educators to systemic, district-wide teacher leader programs and multi- and single-day professional development opportunities for teachers, DaNel enjoys helping teachers cultivate STEM minds and particularly enjoys working with STAR Fellows as they start their teaching careers.

Before returning to Tucson to lead The STEMAing Project, DaNel served as an Albert Einstein Distinguished Educator Fellow at the U.S. Department of Energy in Washington, DC. While in DC, DaNel was involved in national level STEM issues and particularly focused on K-Gray Energy Literacy. Prior to her Einstein Fellowship, DaNel Hogan was a physics teacher for nine years.

An International Human Rights Statistician and Human Trafficking Professor, Dr. Davina Durgana is a Report Co-Author and Senior Statistician on the Walk Free Foundation’s Global Slavery Index, and works for the Minderoo Foundation. ⁠

She is the American Statistical Association's 2016 Statistical Advocate of the Year, Vice Chair of Statistics without Borders, and a Forbes Top 30 Under 30 in Science for 2017 for her work on statistical modeling, human security theory, and human trafficking.

Dr. Davina Durgana is an American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) IF/THEN Ambassador and featured in the #IfThen SheCan Exhibit. 

Dr. Jessica Fagerstrom is a Medical Physicist who is passionate and committed to treating cancer patients with the highest quality healthcare. Through her current work at the Northwest Medical Physics Center, Dr. Fagerstrom ensures that radiation is delivered safely and effectively. Dr. Fagerstrom is board certified in Therapeutic Medical Physics through the American Board of Radiology and is an active member of the American Association of Physicists in Medicine.

Dr. Fagerstrom enjoys volunteering with young students, encouraging the next generation to pursue a career path in Medical Physics and other STEM professions. She also loves hiking, marathon running, and snorkeling with her husband, family, and friends.

Dr. Jessica Fagerstrom is an American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) IF/THEN Ambassador and featured in the #IfThenSheCan Exhibit. 

Isha M. Renta Lopez is a scientist that works in the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research (OAR) as an Analyst and Program Manager. In her current position she manages programs, leads people, is involved in the science policy process, and performs research and development analysis. Previous to this position, Isha was a meteorologist/forecaster for the NOAA’s National Weather Service Baltimore/Washington Forecast Office. In her duties Isha provided forecasts and briefings for their partners and the public, issued warnings, as well as data analysis. Before that, Isha worked as a Research Meteorologist for the Department of the Navy.

Before her work for the Navy, Isha worked as a Student Researcher at Howard University, and at various organizations including the National Science Foundation, NOAA’s Hurricane Research Division, and NOAA’s Marine Modeling and Analysis Branch. Isha was also part of a 30-day research cruise that took place in May 2007.

Isha founded and currently directs Semilla Cultural, a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting and preserving the Afro-Puerto Rican musical and dance genre of ‘bomba’. 

Patented inventor, Dr. Arlyne Simon, is a biomedical engineer and author of a children’s book series called Abby Invents. Recognized as a trailblazing female innovator by the United States Patent and Trademark Office, Arlyne invented a blood test that detects when cancer patients reject bone marrow transplants. Her passion for healthcare has led her to design syringes, train clinical lab technologists in Kenya, help build supercomputers and now design medical imaging equipment.

As an author, Arlyne crafts stories about a girl inventor who creates things that do not exist – like unbreakable crayons, folding machines, and more! Eager to inspire more girls to become inventors, Arlyne founded a multicultural children’s products company named Abby Invents - a one-stop shop for future inventors. To date, Abby Invents has reached more than 5,000 future inventors.

Dr. Arlyne Simon is an American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) IF/THEN Ambassador and featured in the #IfThenSheCan Exhibit. 

2022 Hosts

Melissa Márquez is a marine science education expert, currently finishing her doctoral degree at Curtin University. Born in Puerto Rico and raised in Mexico, Melissa has worked at the forefront of marine science education and communication for over a decade, hard at work combatting the misinformation that's rampant in ecological fields — and paving the way for Latina women like her in science.

When the ocean conservationist isn’t at sea filming for various TV shows, she has been instrumental leading the DEI charge in marine science, fighting for and advancing inclusive science communication efforts, and challenging the status quo for women in STEM. Through her advisory roles in Women in Ocean Science, Beneath The Waves, Minorities in Shark Sciences (MISS), and PangeaSeed, she hopes to leave a wake of opportunities for generations to come.

Her first children book series,  Wild Survival, was published in 2021-2022 by Scholastic to rave reviews.

Sonya Hassan-Carey is an Animation Technology Specialist and is recognized for leading the creation of The Princess and the Frog, a milestone in animation history for featuring the first African American Disney princess. Today, Hassan-Carey runs The Animation Lounge which she founded. Here she runs workshops on animation and consults.

Hassan-Carey strives to inspire diversity in the field of animation, saying “I'd love to find a way to encourage and mentor younger Black women.”

Genesis Velazquez is a chemist with a passion for beauty product innovation. Genesis has several years of experience launching skincare, personal care, hair care, and other consumer goods. She is a scientist with a passion for beauty product innovation, inspired by her love of creating pretty things and the science that brings them to life.

Genesis is also the founder of Elitegen Innovation, a turn-key product development company. She works with beauty brand owners to provide R&D and product management support to help independent beauty brands launch successful products. She hopes to grow this service to build successful brands for beauty entrepreneurs big and small.

Be sure to check out her podcast, The Glam Chemist to hear more from Genesis! 

Biologist Samantha Wynns has always been a nature geek. Growing up on the outskirts of Yellowstone National Park, she spent her summers hiking mountains, rafting rivers, and observing the wild. Sam knew from an early age that she wanted to study and protect these beautiful places and the creatures that live in them. She is a conservation biologist that both does science and communicates science.

Sam now proudly works with the National Park Service at Cabrillo National Monument where she wears many hats: gathering data as a field biologist, educating youth and the public as a science educator, and bringing the Parks-to-the-People with community outreach. During any given day she can be found wrangling snakes (gently and respectfully, of course), leading a STEM summer camp for underserved girls, or giving scientific lectures out in the community. In every role, Sam’s goal is to illuminate and inspire a passion for STEM and a commitment to environmental stewardship. She, her husband, two rescue cats, and a very friendly parrot live in beautiful San Diego, California.

Samantha Wynns is an American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) IF/THEN Ambassador and featured in the #IfThenSheCan Exhibit.

Elizabeth-The-Scientist Mendes , a first-generation Latina, is currently a Pharmacology and Cancer Biology PhD Student at Duke University, Duke University School of Medicine. Her interests are translational research, the biotechnology start-up industry, and patent law. Elizabeth brings awareness to mental health through her social media platforms .

Dr. Birthe Kjellerup is an Associate Professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at University of Maryland. Kjellerup's research activity is in the biofilm area. Biofilms are a trending topic in microbiology today - a biofilm is made up of microorganisms and the "glue" that links them together, enabling them to do their job.

In her research, Kjellerup is utilizing a way to harvest the energy from wastewater via bacterial biofilms. This innovative process has the potential to supply 1-2 percent of our national power consumption every year, meaning less dependency on "the grid" for our increasing power needs. Simultaneously, it would reduce carbon dioxide emissions, which impact climate change. 

Sarah Wilson is a robotics engineer at Tortuga AgTech in Denver, Colorado. She uses her green thumb and her engineering skills alongside farmers and engineers to build technologies that are revolutionizing the way we grow food. Through smarter farming, she is able to address social, economic, and environmental sustainability issues in global food systems.

Prior to her work in agriculture, Sarah leveraged her experience as an extreme skier in her role as a biomechanical research engineer in Vail, Colorado. At the Steadman Philippon Research Institute, she developed technology and methodology to measure athlete motion for research in injury prevention and recovery. She also led an on-snow research series focused on ski equipment safety and injury prevention.

Sarah Wilson is an American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) IF/THEN Ambassador and featured in the #IfThenSheCan Exhibit

Dr. Ashley Podhradsky is the Vice President of Research and Economic Development at Dakota State University. Ashley also applies her digital forensic skills in industry as a member of the First Bank and Trust Board of Directors. Her research teams have received over $5.6 M in competitive grants and contracts.

In addition to her academic and professional work, she has a strong passion for increasing gender diversity in cybersecurity. She is the co-Founder of CybHER, a program to introduce middle school girls to cybersecurity. Ashley was the recipient of the EmBe 2017 “Young Woman of Achievement”, The 2017 Merrill Hunter Award for Excellence in Research, and 2017 and 2018 New America Cybersecurity Fellow.

Dr. Ashley Podhradsky is an American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) IF/THEN Ambassador and featured in the #IfThenSheCan Exhibit.

Daisy Huang  is a mechanical engineer with a strong background in materials, design for manufacturing, applied math, applied physics, ice and snow physics, and sustainable energy. Daisy is currently the Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering and Energy at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. 

STEM advocate, Aisha Lawrey, has 20 years of experience on this journey. Working in industry, government, nonprofits, and education she knows how to engage many different stakeholders, at all levels. Her focus is on increasing the number of women and minorities in engineering.

Aisha recently joined the National Action Council for Minorities in Engineering (NACME), Inc. as the Senior Director, Programs and Scholarships. She is responsible for planning, directing and executing all scholarships and program activities. Prior to joining NACME, Aisha was the Director of Engineering Education with the American Society of Mechanical Engineering (ASME). She directed and guided the work of ASME in helping to shape the future of mechanical engineering and engineering technology.

Aisha Lawrey is an American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) IF/THEN Ambassador and featured in the #IfThenSheCan Exhibit.

Melanie Lang , FormAlloy  Co-Founder and CEO, is motivated by developing a disruptive technology to deliver geometrically complex components made from exotic materials, at cost-effective prices, and with reasonable lead times. In addition to her role at FormAlloy, Melanie currently serves as the Vice President of Legislative Affairs for Navy League San Diego, America Makes executive committee, and is a Women in 3D Printing Ambassador.

Heather Chandler makes games. During her 23-year career in video game development, including 3 years as a Senoir Producer on Fortnite, she’s led teams at Epic Games, Electronic Arts, Ubisoft, and Activision. She’s published several books and articles on making games and has lectured about it around the world.

In 2019, Heather combined her love of games, passion for team-building, and entrepreneurial dreams to launch Whole Brain Escape, an escape room in Apex, NC. With four real-life adventure games in a 3,000 square foot facility, it provides immersive, interactive fun for everyone.

Heather is a strong advocate of STEM education, and is committed to providing opportunities for students of all ages to get excited and engaged with technology.

Heather Chandler is an American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) IF/THEN Ambassador and featured in the #IfThenSheCan Exhibit.

Michele Waters  is a communications specialist with a love for science. Michele is a USA Girl Scouts Overseas alumna! She earned her Girl Scout Gold Award in Alconbury, England, and has carried her passion for making science accessible for all into her professional life. 

2023 Hosts

STEMinist Terri Powell started her career in chemistry doing plant quality assurance. After about 18 months in that role, an opportunity opened up in a Microscopy group in the Analytical department. The first time she sat down at a scanning electron microscope was like coming home. She has spent nearly three decades as a materials microscopist, closely examining the structure of the microverse. A few years later, she discovered polymer clay and also spent decades honing her skills and developing her voice with this very versatile material. The designs of her handcrafted jewelry would be strongly influenced by the structures and patterns that she sees in the microscope. ArtSci designs  is where the joy she finds in microscopy and the artistic thrill found in polymer clay intersect. In other words, the space where art meets science!
How do we make maps? STEMinist Kelsey Chavers  took a class in high school on digital map making and fell in love! She studied Geography and GIS (a fancy way to say mapmaking). Today, she works at Apex Clean Energy making maps of solar and wind farms.
Ann  and Maddy Baum  (sisters!) moved home to live with their mom during COVID-19 and were cooking almost every night. These STEMinists were exchanging online recipes with friends over e-mail chains, text message and carrier pigeon (jk). The antiquated tools for sharing and saving online recipes inspired them to start Spillt  , a social recipe collection app. Throughout the journey, they’ve been committed to building something that is valuable to both bloggers and consumers. They’re excited for you to test it out!

Meet Dr. Sherilyn Williams-Stroud, a musician turned headphone-wearing geologist in Illinois. At Oberlin College, this STEMinist discovered her love of earth science thanks to a geology class that combined her love of research and hiking outside.

Today, Dr. Williams-Stroud works for the Illinois State Geological Survey, where she leads a research team on carbon capture and sequestration. Dr. Williams-Stroud’s team is helping solve the climate crisis by finding places deep inside Earth where we could store millions of tons of carbon dioxide. Her team’s goal is to inject 50 million tons of liquid carbon dioxide underground. They have already injected over three million tons. Her work takes her from her computer desk in the lab to field locations where she collects samples.

As a geologist, her favorite place to explore in the United States is the Grand Canyon.

STEMinist Claudia Garcia  is in pursuit of a more inclusive clean energy future by increasing actions that benefit the environment and society while promoting equitable representation of women in STEM, particularly in energy, and aligning efforts with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals.
STEMinist Reena Agrawal  is deeply passionate about fostering the next generation of innovators and problem solvers. As an entrepreneur, mentor and volunteer in the tech education space, she facilitates workshops and mentorship programs aimed at nurturing creative thinking and STEM education among children. She believes in empowering young minds with the tools they need to thrive in today's digital landscape.

2023-2024 Hosts

A former teacher and biological engineer, Amanda Polematidis is now an Energy Services Engineer at TLC Engineering Solutions. This STEMinist focuses on the design and construction of green or LEED-certified buildings. Her superpower of curiosity was sparked with a visit to a sandwich shop in a LEED building.

Polematidis combines her engineering background and teaching skills to help building owners solve energy problems. Using her superpower of communication, she helps builders and designers find the best technologies for their green buildings. Polematidis uses special computer software to analyze the data collected by her team’s energy audits. The program helps her predict total energy usage and savings in a building over a year.

Polematidis often works at building construction sites. She wears a hard hat, steel-toed boots and safety goggles while meeting with construction workers.

In her free time, you will find Polematidis practicing piano and playing tennis with her friends.

STEMinist Sarah Davis is a Power Systems Engineer. Her work at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) focuses on modernizing the power grid. Her interest in electricity was sparked at a science fair as a kid. She learned that electricity is powerful, and all communities need it to succeed. She explored this interest by getting a degree in electrical engineering from the University of Washington.

At PNNL, Davis works on a team that analyzes data and designs to make recommendations for improving the grid. One of their big goals is protecting the grid from online attacks. Another goal is building a grid that is prepared for climate change. This could mean adding new transmission lines and power plants to bring electricity to places like the Navajo nation. Or it could mean finding connection points for a wind farm to bring electricity to a rural community.

After Hurricane Maria, which destroyed 98 percent of the grid in Puerto Rico, Davis was one of the women who helped rebuild the grid to restore power.

She likes to play the flute and eat chocolate cake, and she loves cats. One of her greatest superpowers is giving back to the community through STEM outreach and communication.

Advisers and activists like STEMinist Eduarda Zoghbi use their superpower of communication to share their vision of a world powered by renewables. Zoghbi worked for Sustainable Energy for All, the United Nations and the Inter-American Development Bank in Brazil.

She began using her superpower of communication as a fifth grader when she addressed the Brazilian National Congress on the importance of protecting the environment. In college, she helped organize other youth to become climate leaders. Today, Zoghbi leads a project to support Brazilian women entering the energy sector. She is helping to write policies to support the Green New Deal for Brazil. This program would protect forests, use more clean energy and make agriculture more sustainable. Zoghbi uses her superpower of communication to shape national and international energy policies to help end climate change.

She is a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu enthusiast who loves reading Harry Potter and walking her dog, Coffee.

Dr. Maggie Teliska is a STEMinist and battery scientist at Enel Green Power. In fact, she has a battery inside of her heart called a pacemaker. As a child, she was fascinated with math and chemistry. Her love of chemistry started in the kitchen as her family did experiments to create their favorite drinks and food. Did you know that cooking is chemistry?

Her passion for chemistry led her to study it in college. She got her PhD in physical chemistry from George Washington University. Today Dr. Teliska works to solve the problem of storing renewable energy from solar and wind farms in a battery. Her goal is to store renewable energy for 10-15 hours in batteries. Her superpowers of imagination and curiosity have led her to research all types of batteries- from car batteries to the lithium-ion batteries that power our electronics.

One of her passion projects is a program called Browning the Green Space, which aims to increase racial diversity in clean energy fields.

Dr. Teliska loves to craft and to write and tell stories with her niece and nephew that start with “Once upon a time . . .”.

Lydia Ringquist is a USA Girl Scouts Overseas alumna, Girl Scout Gold Award recipient and Lifetime Member of Girl Scouts. She is a Forensic Scientist currently working crime scene investigation from ‘scene secured’ through conviction.

Managing money is more than just a skill – it can be a career. Meet Finance Manager Nadia Akkawi who works at an energy company. Nadia helps to manage the money needed to build and operate large energy projects like solar and wind farms.

Nadia, combined her love for math and business to study finance at DePaul University. Today, she's all about financing the energy projects that'll change how we power our planet. She is the one crunching numbers to figure out how much energy the project will make, how much it'll cost to build and run and if it'll make a profit. 

STEMinist Charmayne Lonergan is a materials scientist at PNNL. She is always problem-solving and loves chemistry and math. In college, her superpower of observation led her to focus on new and innovative uses for glass. Dr. Lonergan received her PhD in materials science and engineering from Missouri University of Science and Technology.

At PNNL, she makes “recipes” to turn different types of nuclear waste into glass. Each recipe is entered into a database. Her work will be used to convert into glass the 55 million gallons of nuclear waste at the Hanford Site in Richland, Washington. This project began in 2022 and will take nearly 40 years to complete.

Dr. Lonergan is the mom of two daughters, two pet huskies, a fish and a tortoise. She loves taking photos, especially while four-wheeling and overlanding with her family. Dr. Lonergan’s advice to readers is to use your interests to build your superpower of problem-solving!

Lourdes Spurlock served six years in the Navy (operating nuclear reactors) with two Mediterranean deployments during Operation Enduring Freedom. After her military service, this STEMinist worked nine years building nuclear submarines and aircraft carriers for the Navy. As a Lead Engineer, she created and implemented safety programs, developed test programs to support key milestones, organized and performed mission critical testing (over 10,000 line items of testing), wrote engineering procedures and provided training to engineers, construction foremen and military personnel. The position she held was a certified qualification and she was one of less than 50 women to serve in this role (out of ~30,000 employees).

She now gets to work in renewable energy building wind turbine and solar projects in multiple states!

STEMinst Molly McGarity is a lifetime Girl Scout and college student studying environmental education and interpretation! Inspired by her summers at Girl Scout camp and her Girl Scout Gold Award, which focused on nature education, she is pursuing a career in environmental communication and education.

She has worked as a camp nature specialist at a Girl Scout camp in New York, Camp Addisone Boyce, starting in 2022 and is a camp counselor for USAGSO. After her undergraduate degree is complete in 2026, Molly plans to pursue a master's degree in education or environmental studies so that she can have a career in non-formal, environmental education.

STEMinist Nicole Kelner is the founder of Arts and Climate Change, an organization that uses art as a tool for climate communication.

She uses watercolors to help visualize the world we want to live in. Her custom infographics translate complex topics into playful visuals. She creates educational content for all ages and just published a coloring book about clean energy called Electrify Everything. Her clients include the U.S. Department of Energy, Harvard, The Guardian and Sunrun.

Before working in climate, Nicole co-founded and sold an afterschool program to teach kids how to code. After her time working in education, she was the Chief of Staff at Climate Finance Solutions and Head of Operations at Dashboard.Earth. Most recently, she was an Artist-in-Resident at My Climate Journey.

Find her on Instagram here!

2024-2025 Hosts

STEMinist Amanda Chacón is a Girl Scout alum and a librarian who loves bringing books and STEM together. She loves nature, reading and helping students get excited about learning! 


She has been an educator for 20 years and a librarian for 14 years. She is a NISE STEM-certified Future Ready Librarian® and has earned special titles like LEGO Education Teacher Ambassador, Ozobot Certified Educator and Amazon Future Engineer Teacher Ambassador. In 2024, She was honored as the School Library Journal Librarian of the Year and a Library Journal Mover & Shaker!


She believes the library is a place where everyone is welcome to explore, create and discover new ideas. #MyLibraryIsNotQuiet! She especially loves finding ways to connect books with STEM (science, technology, engineering, art and math) to help students learn in fun and creative ways.

As a designer, STEMinist Lauren Domio has built a reputation for providing “last-minute miracles”. She has worked with celebrities and top-name designers to provide alternations and designs for the runway, theater, bridal and red carpet. She has over 10 years of experience collaborating with Production, Product Development and Design teams to manage projects, develop junior talent and spearhead the design process. This STEMinist's fascination with fashion started with her grandmother, who used design and sewing as her creative outlet.
Dr. Taylor Kesecker is a STEMinist who works in a doctor's office with doctors and nurses. She helps patients control their blood pressure, sugar levels, nutrition and more. She also ensures the medications your doctors want you to take are safe.
I am a roofer and own my own roofing business, Topline Construction. I started working in the industry because of my bilingual skills in Spanish and English. I studied Linguistics and have a TRIN certificate in judicial interpreting/ translating Spanish/ English. I started my own roofing business after acquiring my General Contracting license. I focus on using eco-friendlier products whenever possible and supporting other women in the industry.
As a STEMinist, Caeley Looney is the CEO and Founder of Reinvented Inc., a nonprofit that has served STEM educational materials to over 400,000 students worldwide since its inception in 2019. Caeley earned her B.S. in Aerospace Engineering from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and her M.S. in Space Systems Engineering from Johns Hopkins University. She worked in the aerospace industry on everything from small satellites to lunar landers for the past seven years, but recently left the industry to focus on building hands-on STEM programming for students and empower young girls to pursue STEM fields through Reinvented full-time.
Naomi Racenet's job as an architect allows her to design buildings like schools, offices, parts of hospitals and places for sports. She learned how to do this in high school and then went to college to get special degrees in Architecture. Her main job is to listen to what people want and help make their ideas come to life. She loves her job because she gets to learn new things every day!

STEMinist Casey Rimland is a physician scientist, which means she has been learning for a very long time! When she was in college, she discovered that she really liked science and research, but she also wanted to become a doctor to help people. So, she decided to do both! She got her Medical Degree (MD) from UNC Chapel Hill in North Carolina and her research degree (PhD) from the University of Cambridge in England.

After that, she trained to become a doctor for adults in a program called residency. During this time, she found that she really enjoyed helping patients with problems with their immune systems. This is called autoimmune disease. Normally, our immune system helps fight off germs, but in autoimmune diseases, the immune system gets confused and starts attacking the body instead. Rheumatologists are doctors who help these patients feel better, so she decided she wanted to become one!

Even though she has been in school and training for many years, she's still not done. Right now, she's finishing her training to become a rheumatologist at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, MA. She sees patients with autoimmune diseases and takes care of them. She is also a research scientist, using her PhD degree to work in a lab. In the lab, she is studying how genetics and DNA might cause autoimmune diseases in her patients.

STEMinist Yamilée Toussaint is the Founder & CEO of STEM From Dance, which empowers girls with the skills, experiences and confidence to pursue careers in STEM through the transformative power of dance.Combining her background in engineering, education and a lifelong passion for dance, she started the program in 2012 to inspire girls of color to pursue STEM careers.

Yamilée holds a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from MIT and a M.S. in Teaching from Pace University. She has earned numerous accolades, including the MIT MLK Leadership Award, Teach For America's Social Innovation Award, AnitaB.org's Educational Innovation Award, Falling Walls Foundation Science Engagement Breakthrough of the Year and was named a 2024 CNN Hero.

STEMinist Arthi Vasudevan is a technology leader and cybersecurity professional, mom, author and speaker. This STEMinist has educated over 3,500 students, parents and educators on Internet safety and social media awareness, through her first book Cyberama, its accompanying online game and related interactive workshops. She lives in Texas with her husband and her two children. 

2025-2026 Hosts

Erry is the creator and owner of She Yelled, Madera!, a bright and bustling woodworking shop where plain pieces of wood are transformed into something special. “Madera” means wood in Spanish, and that’s perfect, because wood is the material Erry loves most. She works with it every single day, sanding, carving, shaping and designing projects that people can use and enjoy.

But Erry isn’t just a woodworker- she’s a builder, a designer, a planner and a problem-solver. And she uses STEM, (science, technology, engineering and math) every step of the way.

She uses science to understand how different types of wood behave. Some woods bend, some crack and some stay sturdy in heat or cold. Knowing how wood changes with water, air and temperature helps her choose the right materials for every project.

She uses technology to bring her ideas to life. Lasers that can etch tiny details, power sanders that smooth rough edges and digital tools that help her sketch designs are all part of her everyday toolkit.

She uses engineering to make sure every piece she builds is strong and safe. Whether she’s designing a shelf, a cutting board or a piece of furniture, she thinks about how weight, force and structure all work together.

And of course, she uses math to measure, cut and fit pieces together with precision. Even the most creative idea needs numbers to make it real!

Erry loves woodworking because it combines creativity with hands-on building. She gets to imagine something new- and then make it with her own two hands.

But her favorite part of all? Showing kids, especially girls, that STEM is everywhere. It’s in art, tools, nature and even in a beautifully crafted piece of wood. Erry believes that once kids see how fun and powerful STEM can be, they can create anything they dream of.

Danea Buschkoetter is a welder extrordinaire. She connects pieces of metal to make things from machines to art. She works with robots, lasers and torches on a daily basis. She loves to weld and loves teaching others how to weld. She also  helped to build a car, the Iron Maven, on display at the World of Volvo in Gothenburg, Sweden. This car was created by an all woman's team known as the Girl Gang Garage. 

KayLeigh McCall is a truck driver who helps show the world that women can do amazing things behind the wheel! Today, KayLeigh is also the Driver Ambassador for an organization called Women In Trucking. That means she travels, talks to people and shares her story to inspire more girls and women to join the trucking world. She teaches others about how trucks keep our communities running and how anyone can have a career in transportation.

Before becoming a driver, KayLeigh was a pastry chef who baked sweet treats, but she wanted a new adventure, so she learned how to drive trucks in 2017. KayLeigh is also a mom of four, and she loves balancing family life with the excitement of being on the road. She’s proof that you can chase your dreams- no matter what!

Hi! I’m Caroline. I help scientists and communities work together to answer big questions. At the Human Computation Institute, I support Stall Catchers, a game where you look at short videos of tiny brain blood vessels to help Alzheimer’s research. I studied how to share science with people and how people can do science together. I was a Girl Scout, and I love showing how anyone- kids, families and classrooms- can make real discoveries that help the world.

I'm Maggie!  When I was a kid, I loved learning about science, but I never thought I could be involved. Flash forward to today and I work at the Human Computation Institute where we have projects like Stall Catchers. I also help with figuring out which games we should make next so I’d love to hear your ideas!

My name is Gretė. When I was a kid, I had the best dog in the world and lived near a forest. I spent every free moment exploring the woods with her, so it was no surprise that, when I grew up, I decided to become a biologist. I started studying at university with no doubt that nature was fascinating, but only then did I realize how little I actually knew and how truly amazing it was! Education gave me a lot of knowledge, but it still didn't feel like enough. So, I began volunteering in citizen science projects on the side. Now, as part of HCI, I have the chance to share this opportunity and privilege with even more curious souls!

Danielle Schroeder is an civil engineer who helps make bridges safer and stronger! She works in Philadelphia fixing and inspecting big bridges like ones that can lift up to let boats go under. She studied super hard at Drexel University and earned both her bachelor's and master's degrees in just five years.

Dani is eager to have more girls imagine themselves building things too. Come build with Dani and remember that anyone can help build the world!

Nicole Sesko lives in Michigan with her faithful dog Burt. From a young age, she was fascinated by building: as a kid she loved playing with LEGOs, sketching dream houses and imagining what homes and buildings could become. Even though math was sometimes challenging, her love for creating- and building-  never faded.

In high school, she started working as a construction estimator to earn money and discovered that she really loved the work: turning drawings and ideas into real-world budgets and plans. Over time, she built a strong foundation: she studied architecture and interior architecture, went on to earn a master’s in business administration and added a certificate in customer experience.

Today, as a construction estimator, Nicole uses her training and her imagination every day to help architects, engineers and builders bring projects to life. She reads blueprints, figures out materials and labor needed forecasts costs and helps shape budgets. Her work ensures buildings not only stand tall, but also stay on track financially. 

But perhaps the most important part of her job isn’t the math or the budgets- it’s teaching. Nicole has a passion for showing girls and young women that building and construction can be for them too. She encourages them to explore the world of estimating, design and construction, proving that even if math feels hard now, curiosity, creativity and determination can lead to real impact.

Nicole’s story shows that with passion and perseverance, you can build more than houses- you can build dreams, careers and confidence.

Eniola Shokunbi is a STEM Superhero from Connecticut who believes everyone deserves clean, healthy air- especially kids in school. At just 12 years old, she noticed something many people overlooked: when her classroom windows stayed shut, the air felt stuffy, her friends got sick more often and learning didn’t feel as fun or comfortable. Instead of ignoring the problem, Eniola got curious. She wondered, What’s really in the air we breathe? And how could she help make it better?

Her curiosity led to a discovery about air filters used inside the White House. That sparked a big idea. Eniola reached out to Marina Creed, a scientist at UConn, to ask for the blueprints to build a special kind of air cleaner. What happened next was amazing: scientists visited her school, her class rolled up their sleeves and a full STEM project took flight. Together, Eniola and her classmates built the Corsi-Rosenthal Box, a do-it-yourself air filter made from materials you can find at a hardware store. It costs about $60, takes around 30 minutes to assemble and works incredibly well- the EPA certified it for removing more than 99% of airborne viruses in just one hour!

But Eniola didn’t stop there. Her project inspired the entire state of Connecticut to invest $11.5 million so more schools could get clean air. Today, she visits classrooms across the state, helping other students understand air quality and build their own filters. She shows kids that STEM isn’t just something you learn-it’s something you use to make the world better.

Eniola dreams big. One day, she hopes to become the first Black woman President of the United States. Until then, she’s already a leader, proving that one idea- and one determined kid- can spark change for thousands of people.

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