Board of Directors, Staff, Advisory Board, & Alumni

Kenneth L. Hess, Founder and Board Chair

Ken successfully wears a lot of hats in his life: educator, entrepreneur, engineer, and author. And no matter which of those hats he's wearing it's his nature to create and build something new, be it an original product, solution, or organization. When he saw how much his daughter learned doing her own science projects, it was only a matter of time before he founded Science Buddies in an effort to create the same positive learning experience for students everywhere. Closely observing how students and teachers do science projects, Ken developed our Topic Selection Wizard specifically because of the problems students had picking a project that interests them.

In recognition of his work in the field of science education, in 2008 Ken was appointed to the Statewide Advisory Board of the California State Summer School for Mathematics & Science (COSMOS), a program of the University of California for students in grades 8-12. Ken served on the board for ten years, serving as its chairperson for much of that time.

Prior to turning toward education, Ken founded Banner Blue Software and developed a specialized business graphics program, Org Plus, which is still actively upgraded and sold today. During the 1990's he created the modern genealogy industry by designing, developing, and selling the Family Tree Maker product line, which has sold millions of copies and fostered the creation of some of the most popular sites on the Internet.

Ken recently authored the book, Bootstrap: Lessons Learned Building a Successful Company from Scratch, recounting his experiences founding and managing a startup organization. He has also lectured about the startup experience at Stanford University and the University of Edinburgh in Scotland. Ken graduated from Stanford with a B.S. in Engineering with Distinction and received a Masters in Business Administration from Harvard.

Contact Ken: ken@sciencebuddies.org

Gemma Lenowitz

Gemma Lenowitz works in venture philanthropy as the Program Director of Social Enterprise at Samvid Ventures, supporting founders who are using technology to drive economic mobility and improve the lives of low- and moderate-income Americans.

Previously, she sourced and managed a portfolio of STEM education grant investments at Two Sigma and Overdeck Family Foundation, a venture philanthropy focused on education. The portfolio's programs and research aim to build the next generation of creative problem-solvers by expanding access to engaging STEM learning experiences, leveraging the 80% of time that children spend outside of school.

She has also played founding roles in a middle school and high school in Brooklyn as a STEM teacher and administrator. Gemma holds a Bachelor's degree in Cognitive Science from the University of Pennsylvania and a Masters in Teaching from Fordham University.

She mentors students navigating college and career pathways, and previously served on boards of the STEM Education Coalition Policy Forum and Breakthrough New York.

Lynn Brewer

Lynn Brewer has been a consultant, investor, and board member of several companies, including multi-national integrated silicon manufacturer Mitsubishi/Sumitomo and Banner Blue. Prior to independent consulting, Lynn was CEO and co-founder of Gemini Research, a semiconductor capital equipment supplier focusing on chemical vapor deposition processes. Lynn has worked for General Electric, Fairchild Semiconductor, Applied Materials, and Intel Corporation. He holds a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from UC Berkeley.

Constance Irish Hess

Connie has extensive experience in project design management, payroll, and financial administration. Previous clients include a wide variety of Silicon Valley firms, with specialized projects in Technical, Commercial, and Medical Facilities. She holds a B.S. with Great Distinction from San Jose State University in architectural Interior Design and is one of the earliest designers to be Certified in the State of California.

Tina Lanese, President

For over 15 years Tina has worked closely with educators to develop educational products that make learning fun for students of all ages. In her previous senior level positions with Broderbund Software, Mattel, and LEGO, Tina developed innovative products that utilized technology to promote learning through play-based activities. Her products not only led their categories in sales, but also won praise among educators and reviewers. Tina appreciates that students have a natural desire to learn, and believes that materials presented in the right way support and encourage the learning process. In continuing her work with educators, Tina is excited about developing new materials and tools that empower students to learn. Tina graduated Phi Beta Kappa with a B.A. in Economics with Distinction from the University of Virginia, and has a Masters in Business Administration from the Wharton School.

Contact Tina: tina@sciencebuddies.org

Hugo Paz, Chief Software Architect

Hugo has over 20 years of experience in the software industry, having held management and engineering positions at companies including Eike Interactive, The Learning Company, Mattel Interactive, Creative Wonders, and Banner Blue Software. While at Eike Interactive, Hugo took the lead on architecting and developing software projects. He focused on the Sony Computer Entertainment America franchise sites, as well as the Content Management System that underpins their entire web presence. He architected and was lead developer for the Sony Play Station 3 portal and game sites. Prior to that, Hugo was Vice President of Engineering for The Learning Company, where he managed a team of engineers in the development of all of their educational products. Hugo has a M.S. in Industrial Engineering from Stanford University.

Contact Hugo: hugo@sciencebuddies.org

Janna Privette, STEM Content Managing Editor
Janna is a scientist and educator whose goal is to create engaging, relevant, and future-focused science education content that challenges students to ask good questions and equips them with the tools they need to solve our world's most challenging problems. Janna holds a B.A. in Geology from Whitman College and an M.S. in Geology from Boise State University, where her research focused on using remote sensing and geophysical techniques to understand sand dune dynamics. Upon completing her graduate studies, Janna transitioned to teaching high school science, first in rural Idaho and then in a virtual setting, where she developed a STEM research course in which students conducted and presented original research at science fairs. During her eight years as an educator, Janna mentored three ISEF finalists and integrated hands-on research into a variety of science classes. Now, as Science Buddies' STEM Content Managing Editor, she leads the development of engaging science and engineering projects in diverse, cutting-edge fields.

Contact Janna: janna@sciencebuddies.org

Amy Cowen, Online Community Manager

Amy holds an MA in English Literature and did doctoral work at the University of Maryland, College Park. Amy has wide-ranging freelance experience in technical writing and online content production, website design and implementation, user-interface design, and project management for companies including Hewlett-Packard, Sun Microsystems, and CNET.

Contact Amy: amy@sciencebuddies.org

Debbie Stimpson, Website Editor/Programmer

Debbie is a graduate of San Francisco State University with a B.S. in Computer Science and has a strong background in website design, graphics, ecommerce, and traditional programming, including serving as systems supervisor at Southern Pacific Transportation Company.

Contact Debbie: debbie@sciencebuddies.org

Dr. Benjamin M. Finio, Senior Staff Scientist

Ben has a B.S. in mechanical engineering from Bucknell University and Ph.D. in Engineering Sciences from Harvard University, where he completed his thesis on the "Robobee" project about tiny flying robotic bees. He got involved in K-12 science education as a graduate student by doing outreach events at schools and museums. After graduate school he did research in postdoctoral positions at Tufts University and Cornell University related to robotics education in schools. He has a passion for providing free STEM education resources that anyone can use. At Science Buddies, he has written hundreds of projects about physics, electronics, robotics, and engineering, and designed most of Science Buddies' robotics and electronics kits. He also teaches Mechatronics, a junior-level mechanical engineering course, at Cornell University.

Contact Ben: ben@sciencebuddies.org

Dr. Svenja Lohner, Senior Staff Scientist

Svenja is an interdisciplinary scientist who is passionate about solving problems in the fields of water, energy, and the environment. After completing a bachelor's degree in chemistry and a master’s degree in environmental science, she continued her studies to complete a PhD in environmental biotechnology at the Water Technology Center in Germany. Her thesis focused on the cleanup of contaminated groundwater and soil using a combination of microbial and electrochemical processes. After her PhD, Svenja moved to California where she did research in molecular biology and biofuels as a Postdoctoral Fellow at Stanford University. Svenja is enthusiastic about sharing her passion for science, and has enjoyed mentoring and guiding many students through their scientific projects, as well as tutoring high school students in math and chemistry. She also has been involved in judging at local science fairs and loves getting inspired by other makers, problem solvers, scientists, and engineers.

Contact Svenja: svenja@sciencebuddies.org

Renee Sample, Special Projects Coordinator

Renee is passionate about making STEM exciting and available to all students. Renee has a PhD in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Dayton, where she completed her dissertation work in Biomechanical Engineering through the examination of postural control and gait assessment to determine fall risk in older adults. As an engineering student Renee frequently volunteered and presented in K-12 classrooms to share her excitement for the Engineering Design Process as she guided students through the process. During graduate school she continued her passion for inspiring youth to pursue interests in STEM. She took on a leadership position as a lab instructor, adjunct professor for the University of Dayton's award-nominated "Engineering Innovation" course and led a NSF Research Experience for Teachers (RET). Alongside her role on the Science Buddies team, she teaches Mathematics courses at Saint Martin's University.

Contact Renee: renee@sciencebuddies.org

Catherine Lector, Bookkeeper

Catherine is a graduate from Wayland Baptist University with a Bachelors in Business Administration. She also has over 10 years of accounting experience in both non-profit and for profit companies.

Contact Catherine: catherine@sciencebuddies.org

Amanda Day Alonzo

Amanda Day Alonzo currently serves as Science Curriculum Lead at Fremont Union High School District. While at Lynbrook, a public high school located in San Jose, California, she taught biology and human physiology. Amanda earned her B.A. in Human Biology from Pitzer College in Claremont, California. Thereafter, Amanda entered the Stanford Teacher Education Program (STEP), where she earned her teaching credential and M.A. in Science Education. In 2003 as a full time science teacher at Lynbrook, Amanda applied for and received a grant from Intel to establish a STEM research program at her school. Because of the program and the efforts of collaborating teachers and community members, students were able to engage in the scientific process in an authentic way. Moreover, Lynbrook became a powerhouse nationally in STEM research, continuously sending the most students from Silicon Valley to the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) and having many students each year recognized in the Intel Science Talent Search (including two finalists in 2010, with one student finishing second).

Heidi Strahm Black

Heidi Strahm Black, currently retired, worked as the Science Fair Coordinator for East Side Union High School District (ESUHSD). Heidi also ran the district fair that serves over 1400 students. During that same time period she was a Director of the Santa Clara Valley Science and Engineering Fair Association. In addition, Heidi worked as the teacher liaison with the Synopsys Outreach Foundation developing support systems and doing teacher trainings related to science fairs. Heidi holds high school teaching credentials in both Biology and Physics and taught in ESUHSD in San Jose, California for 16 years. During her year as a Teacher-in-Residence at San Francisco's Exploratorium, Heidi contributed curriculum to their Teacher Institute Program. She has also published articles in the Physics Teacher.

Courtney Corda

Courtney Corda, former Science Buddies Vice President/Executive Director, has more than a decade of experience in the computer software industry, having held various management positions at companies including Banner Blue Software, Broderbund Software, and The Learning Company. From her private sector employment, Courtney brings a wealth of knowledge and skills in all facets of marketing to Science Buddies. While at Broderbund Software, as a divisional Vice President of Marketing, Courtney was instrumental in broadening the market for their highly profitable genealogy products while building leadership positions in market share, customer satisfaction, critical acclaim, and product performance in a highly competitive climate.

Dana Ditmore

Dana Ditmore has over 25 years of senior management experience in high technology environments, including: general management, engineering, quality, procurement and human resources. Professional experience has been dominated by opportunities to grow and develop profitable, well-managed business units providing vision and leadership, while managing the balance between strong customer focus and responsible financial performance. Senior Management experiences have included global responsibility for operations throughout Asia, Europe and North America.

In 1979 Dana joined Applied Materials as VP of Engineering following 17 years of experience in engineering and engineering management positions at General Electric Nuclear Energy Division. After 17 years of senior management experience at Applied Materials, in 1997 Dana began a new career as a business consultant, which over the past 13 years has included executive management contracts, executive coaching and mentoring and business strategy development, review and coaching.

Dana continues to be active in both business and non-profit endeavors. His experience includes past roles as a member of the board of directors for two public companies. He currently sits on the board of one employee-owned for-profit company and 6 non-profit corporations. In addition to his role as President of Oak Valley Consulting, he has for the past 4 years been the President of the International Science & Engineering Fair 2010 Association, Inc. He obtained his BS and MS in Mechanical Engineering from University of California, Berkeley.

Dr. Richard Popp

Dr. Richard Popp is Professor of Medicine (Emeritus 2005) at Stanford University. He received his undergraduate and medical degrees from Johns Hopkins University where he performed his internship and residency. He has been a clinical cardiologist for over 25 years. Dr. Popp began his career as an "invasive" cardiologist but focused his research on developing non-invasive methods for medical diagnosis and therapy. In addition, he served as President of the American College of Cardiology (ACC) 1997-98 and has been a trustee of the ACC for many years. He has been President of the American Society of Echocardiography and the Association of University Cardiologists. He is the previous Chairman of the American Board of Internal Medicine's (ABIM) Cardiovascular Diseases Subspecialty Board and has been on the Executive Committee and the Board of Governors of the ABIM. He is a member of several honorary scientific associations including the American Society for Clinical Investigation and the Association of American Physicians. Dr. Popp also serves on a number of corporate boards. Dr. Popp maintains a continuing interest in technology development for improved patient care. He has made significant contributions to the continuous improvement of ultrasonic diagnostic methods in areas including two-dimensional and three-dimensional echocardiography, Doppler ultrasound, color flow imaging, transesophageal and contrast echocardiography. He was one of the first to employ intravascular ultrasonic imaging. The diffusion of technology and new information into clinical practice is a special area of interest of Dr. Popp's.

Dr. Craig Sander

Dr. Craig Sander recently retired after a long and successful career in the semiconductor industry, including over 28 years of research and development of semiconductor process technologies at Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. (AMD) and it's "spin-off," GlobalFoundries. At AMD, Craig worked on or managed technology development projects in the areas of DRAM, SRAM and CMOS logic. He helped develop AMD's first CMOS technologies and was Director of AMD's logic technology group. In that role, he took charge of technologies used in AMD's microprocessors, starting with the AMD Am486® Processor. He became Operations Director of AMD's Submicron Development Center in 1994. Craig was promoted to the position of Vice President, Technology Development in 1998 and to Corporate Vice President in 2004. He served as Senior Vice President for Technology Development at GlobalFoundries during its startup. Until his retirement, Craig served on the boards of directors for Sematech and the Semiconductor Research Corporation (SRC). Craig received his bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering at the University of New Mexico and master's and doctorate degrees in Electrical Engineering from Stanford University.

Dr. Steven Vogt

Dr. Steven Vogt is Professor of Astronomy and Astrophysics at Lick Observatory, UC Santa Cruz. Steve has been at Lick Observatory for the past 21 years. He built both the Hamilton spectrometer at Lick (with which most of the first extrasolar planets were discovered) and HIRES, the world's most powerful spectrometer on the Keck Ten-meter telescope in Hawaii. Steve received his A.B., Physics and A.B., Astronomy at University of California, Berkeley, a M.S. of Astronomy at University of Texas at Austin in 1976, and a Ph.D. in Astronomy from University of Texas at Austin in 1978. Dr. Vogt is currently a member of the California-Carnegie Planet Search Team. This preeminent extrasolar planet search team is building a new telescope in the Lick Observatory that will be the most powerful in the world, able to track planets to a precision of 1 meter per second.

Elaine Wherry

Elaine Wherry is Co-founder and Vice President of Products at Meebo. After growing up on a goat farm in southwest Missouri, Elaine migrated west to Stanford University where she earned a degree in Symbolic Systems with a concentration in Human-Computer Interaction. After graduating, she became the Manager of Usability and Design at Synaptics. Elaine co-founded Meebo.com in 2005 with two good friends, Seth Sternberg and Sandy Jen. Initially, she authored Meebo's JavaScript framework and went on to build and oversee Meebo's web, user experience, and product management teams. Today, Meebo has approximately 40 million unique users in the United States and over 125 million unique users worldwide.

Dr. Sandra S. Slutz

Dr. Sandra Slutz was Vice President of STEM Education at Science Buddies. Sandra graduated from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst with a bachelor's degree in Biology and a minor in Psychology. She went on to complete a PhD in Genetics at Stanford University in the laboratory of Dr. Man-Wah Tan. While in the Tan laboratory, Sandra's research focused on how bacterial pathogens are detected by the immune system of Caenorhabditis elegans. During her time at Stanford, Sandra enjoyed working on undergraduate curriculum development for a new suite of introductory biology laboratory courses.

While at Science Buddies, Sandra continuously pushed the boundaries of what types of science students have access to. Under her leadership Science Buddies developed an engaging array of popular K-12 projects in rapidly evolving scientific areas including biomedical sciences, nanotechnology, and robotics. Sandra also built an Academic Outreach Partnership program which facilitates the transfer of cutting edge research in academic institutes into hands-on inquiry projects for the Science Buddies Project Idea library.

Jayme Burke

Jayme Burke was Vice President of Development at Science Buddies for over 4 years. Jayme worked closely with Science Buddies' education and content teams to provide funding so that all young people around the country have free access to our fun and inspirational science learning tools. Jayme's background combines experience in on-air and online media with a strong commitment to kids and education. Prior to joining Science Buddies, she was the VP of Foundations at Common Sense Media, a national organization dedicated to improving the lives of kids and families by providing the trustworthy information, education, and independent voice they need to thrive in the changing world of media and technology. She was also the Director of Foundations for KQED Public Broadcasting in San Francisco, where she led the cultivation of grants from private/corporate foundations and government agencies for TV programs such as Jean-Michel Cousteau: Ocean Adventures and PBS NewsHour, as well as radio projects such as Forum with Michael Krasny and The California Report.

Dr. Andrew Olson

Dr. Andrew Olson was Senior Scientist at Science Buddies for two years, during which time he authored and edited hundreds of project ideas for the website. Andrew is a neuroscientist by training, with a Ph.D. in Neuroscience from the University of Pennsylvania, and an A.B. in Classics-Latin from Harvard College. He is now the director of the imaging core facility for the Neuroscience Institute at Stanford University. He would like to take this opportunity to dedicate his Science Buddies web publications to the teachers of the public schools in Duluth, Minnesota, who gave him a solid start on a path of lifelong learning.

Dr. Sara J. Agee

Dr. Sara J. Agee was a Staff Scientist at Science Buddies. Sara completed her Ph.D. in Molecular and Cell Biology from the University of California at Berkeley in the laboratory of David Weisblat. Her scientific research is focused on mechanisms of embryonic patterning and body plan evolution, integrating the fields of Molecular Evolution and Developmental Biology. Sara uses new molecular biology techniques to study the function of homologous genes involved in segmentation and early development of Annelid Worms. Before moving to Berkeley to attend graduate school, Sara and her family lived in Denver, Colorado, where she received her B.S. degree in Biology from the University of Denver. There, Sara worked with a tri-district initiative to mentor elementary school teachers in the Denver metropolitan area using inquiry based and hands-on science teaching methods. Sara's passion for improving elementary science education was evident in her work developing Project Ideas at Science Buddies.

Amber Hess

Amber Hess has been involved in Science Buddies since high school. She was a Mentor in the Science Buddies Online Mentoring Program for three years and has contributed articles about advanced science competitions. A passionate science student, she won awards at many prestigious science competitions in middle school and high school.

As a full-time volunteer, Amber designed and developed new sections of the Science Buddies website. Amber graduated from MIT in June 2009 with a self-designed major in chemical engineering (with an emphasis in electronics and computer science). After taking a few electronics and computer science classes at MIT, Amber realized that she was more interested in computers than chemical engineering. To gain more software experience, she decided to volunteer at Science Buddies for a year. She now works in Silicon Valley as a software developer.

Kristian Ljungkvist

Kristian Ljungkvist was a Sr. Software Engineer for Science Buddies. Prior to joining Science Buddies, Kristian was a Senior Software Engineer at ReleaseNow.com, now part of GlobalWare Solutions, building highly scalable eCommerce infrastructures for digital goods. Prior to that, he was a Lead Software Engineer at Broderbund Software, specializing in internet search technologies. Kristian has a B.A. in Computer Science from U.C. Berkeley.

Kristin M. Strong

Kristin M. Strong was a staff scientist at Science Buddies for two and a half years. Kristin studied electrical engineering and bioengineering, and worked in the aerospace industry before joining Science Buddies to develop science project ideas and career profiles. Kristin would like to thank the dedicated teachers of the Logan City and Cache County School Districts for giving her such a great start in her education, especially the Edith Bowen Laboratory School, science teachers Mike Salvesen and Lynn Archibald, physiology teacher Gerald Allen, physics teacher Richard Bradford, mathematics teacher Carletta Elich, and English teacher Pat Stoddart.

Dr. David Whyte

Dr. David Whyte was a Staff Scientist at Science Buddies. A science fair "veteran," having helped his two daughters with their projects in the San Francisco Bay area schools, David believes that science fairs play a critical role in increasing the scientific literacy of our children. He has a PhD in Molecular Biology from the University of California, San Francisco, and a BS in Chemistry from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. He is currently senior director at Argus Biosciences, a personal genomics company. Dr. Whyte was director of Molecular Technologies at Sugen, Inc, until 2004. Prior to joining Sugen, he was a principal scientist in the Tumor Biology Department at the Schering-Plough Research Institute in New Jersey.

Claire Hubbard

Claire Hubbard was a Product Design Engineer at Science Buddies. Claire graduated from Stanford University in 2010 with a B.S. in Engineering-Product Design. At Stanford, Claire discovered her interest in creating and designing for children.

Dr. Michelle Maranowski

Dr. Michelle Maranowski was a staff scientist for Science Buddies for five years. Michelle completed her PhD in Electrical Engineering from Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana. There she studied silicon carbide oxide reliability in the laboratory of Dr. James A. Cooper. After graduating from Purdue, Michelle worked at Hewlett Packard Optoelectronics Division (HP OED) in San Jose, CA, where she was a Manufacturing Development Engineer. After years in the semiconductor industry, Michelle moved to the biotechnology field and joined Agilent Technologies BioScience Research Unit, which manufactures DNA micro arrays. As an after-school robotics coach at her children's school Michelle enjoys helping budding engineers discover the fun of robotics.

Dr. Teisha J. Rowland

Teisha was a staff scientist for Science Buddies for three years. While at Science Buddies, Teisha created numerous hands-on projects allowing students to explore high-tech areas like genomics, stem cells, and biochemistry with little more than an internet connection and every-day household items. Teisha also spearheaded Science Buddies' partnership with Scientific American authoring DIY science activities for the Bring Science Home initiative.

Prior to coming to Science Buddies Teisha earned a bachelor's degree in Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology (MCDB) and Humanities, and a minor in Environment, Population, and Organism from the University of Colorado Boulder. She also completed a PhD in MCDB from the University of California, Santa Barbara, in the laboratory of Dr. Dennis O. Clegg. In the Clegg laboratory, Teisha studied how stem cells (adult, human embryonic, and induced pluripotent) can be turned into retinal cells that could be used to treat a common retinal disease that causes blindness, age-related macular degeneration. During her time at UCSB, Teisha pursued her passion for communicating science to the general public by writing science articles for laymen in newspaper, blog, and other digital formats.

Currently Teisha is a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus where she is researching the genetic mechanisms of cardiomyopathies in the laboratory of Drs. Luisa Mestroni and Matthew Taylow. In her spare time, Teisha has recently published two scientific books, Biology Bytes: Digestible Essays on Stem Cells and Modern Medicine and Biology Bytes: Digestible Essays on Animals Both Commonplace and Bizarre, aimed at engaging the general public in the wonders of biology.

Rebecca Steelman

Rebecca Steelman was an Editor at Science Buddies. She graduated from Ohio University with an English degree and went on to work at the major textbook publisher The McGraw-Hill Companies in Columbus, Ohio. There, she worked as a Production Editor for the high school science department, as well as a Project Manager for middle and high school science supplementary materials. Rebecca also worked as a Technical Editor for the Capital One Auto Finance creative team in Dallas, Texas.

Dan Mizuba

Dan was the Quality Assurance Manager for Science Buddies for four years.

Dan has over 16 years in the software quality assurance industry, as a manager, engineer, and tester. He has worked for various educational and entertainment software companies, including The Learning Company, Mattel Interactive, Riverdeep, and Eike Interactive. While at Eike Interactive, Dan led the QA group in their efforts with Sony Computer Entertainment of America to produce various instrumental services and systems to produce many PlayStation 3 franchise sites. Previously, Dan managed The Learning Company's software quality assurance group and their role in domestic and internal product development for both retail and institutional venues. Dan has a B.S. in Electronic Engineering from California Polytechnic University at San Luis Obispo.

Nicole Washburn

Nicole Washburn was Science Buddies' Prospect Researcher. She graduated from the University of Alabama at Birmingham with a B.S. in Biochemistry, specializing in Molecular Genetics. Afterwards, she completed an M.B.A. with Industrial Systems Engineering and Engineering Management focus from the University of Alabama in Huntsville. Nicole has a long history of working with kids and young adults in education, from teaching and tutoring in Statistics studies at a collegiate level, to volunteering and mentoring underprivileged children and their families.

Howard Eglowstein

Howard was a Contributing Scientist at Science Buddies. He graduated from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology with a bachelor of science in Architecture. While at MIT, Howard spent time working at the Architecture Machine Group (now known as the MIT Media Lab) on a number of speech and facial recognition software projects. Since then Howard has accumulated over 30 years of engineering experience in designing electronic toys and other consumer electronic devices, computer input devices, and alternative heating systems. Howard is a long time tinkerer and has enjoyed inspiring others to tinker through Science Buddies, a stint as an editor of BYTE magazine, and his experiences teaching programming, robotics, and electronic project design to middle school and high school students.

Lauren Killingsworth

Lauren provided Community Outreach and Online Communications Support at Science Buddies. She graduated from Stanford University with a B.S. in Cellular, Molecular, & Developmental Biology Class in 2018. Lauren was a top science student, a winner of Bio-Rad's annual essay contest, and implemented an impressive science outreach program while at Tamalpais High School in Mill Valley. You can learn more about Lauren (and read her essay about the importance of hands-on science) on the blog: Eye on Science.

Sabine Dukes

Sabine Dukes was Controller for Science Buddies. As a CPA, Sabine has over 20 years of accounting experience. She has worked in management and controllership roles in both private and publicly traded companies. With a unique blend of organizational abilities and creative thinking, Sabine excels at looking for and designing process innovations that help companies to work smarter. Sabine also founded her own thriving non-profit and understands the unique business needs of the non-profit organization. Her non-profit work earned her the 2007 First Ascent Award from the Outdoor Industries Women's Coalition, awarded annually to women who demonstrate strong leadership. Sabine graduated with a B.S. in Business Administration from San Jose State University.

Dr. Megan Arnett

Dr. Megan Arnett was Grant Manager for Science Buddies. Megan shared her passion for using technology to facilitate STEM education at Science Buddies, working as a project manager, content developer and grant writer. In each role, Megan enjoyed sharing her love of science with the makers and creators of the next generation. Megan received a B.S. in Behavioral Neuroscience from Northeastern University, and a PhD in Neuroscience from University of Southern California, where she studied the biological processes that regulate perceptual learning and memory. While pursuing her PhD, Megan dedicated three days each week to working in a Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) classroom as part of a National Science Foundation fellowship. In this role she created weekly lesson plans drawing on her expertise in social and biological sciences. Once the fellowship was complete Megan continued to work with LAUSD teachers as a curriculum consultant and classroom speaker.

Dr. Sabine De Brabandere

Dr. Sabine De Brabandere was a Contributing Scientist for Science Buddies. Sabine received her PhD in Physics from the University of Antwerp in Belgium where she was involved in an international collaboration for particle physics research out of Genevia's CERN. During her time at the University of Antwerp she also completed courses for a teaching certificate. After her PhD, Sabine went on to work as an analyst in conjunction with a number of science entities including the European Chemistry Council and Johnson & Johnson Pharmaceutical Research and Development. Sabine enjoyed finding new ways to explain science to students and has six years of experience serving as a math and physics tutor for middle school through college-age students. She also spent time volunteering at the Tech Museum of Innovation in San Jose, California as both a floor guide to ongoing exhibits and an assistant to museum laboratory classes for 4th-8th graders.