Introducing the 2nd Annual STEMpeders WHO INSPIRE Awards!

Allison Bronson is a fish evolutionary anatomist, who is particularly interested in chondrichthyans (sharks, rays, and their relatives). Allison is now a lecturer at HSU, where her research program combines traditional anatomy techniques with new CT scanning methods to study the morphology of both living and fossil fishes.

Sydney Floryanzia is a Ph.D. student at the University of Washington where her research uses chemical engineering to develop and improve medicine for the brain. She currently investigates the blood-brain barrier, drug delivery to the brain, and therapies for age-related brain diseases.

Alice Yang is a multi-disciplinary creative based in San Francisco who has spent the past few years illustrating and art directing in tech. In an earlier life, she made the rounds as a software engineer and then as a product designer. Art and learning have always been a big part of her life, and she is now enjoying the best of both worlds as Head of Art at Brilliant.

Alissa Bans is a science team member of Disk Detective, a NASA-lead citizen science project designed to find young star systems across the sky. Dr. Bans's primary passion is education and outreach. Alissa completed her PhD in Astronomy and Astrophysics at the University of Chicago in 2013.

Maria Miranda is a Research Specialist at 3M, where she works on the development and scale-up of new adhesives for use in 3M products. In her research, she focuses on understanding how renewable plastics are made at the molecular level, as well as developing new routes to making chemical building blocks from renewable resources.

Flor Serna is a a musician-turned-audio engineer-turned-entrepreneur-turned-operations leader. In 2014, Flor founded Electric Girls with the mission of building girls' confidence and capabilities by engaging them through STEM.

Nieca Goldberg is the Senior Advisor of Women’s Health Strategy at NYU Langone, and the Founder and Former Medical Director at the Joan H. Tisch Center for Women’s Health at the NYU Langone Medical Center.

Alex Wolfe is an Engineering Manager at Coinbase interested in the intersection of art, code, and the internet. She currently leads a team of fifteen engineers focused on introducing new users to the crypto ecosystem from a dreamy boho loft in Oakland California.

Samantha Thuilot is an Account Manager at Kobo Products, a raw material supplier. She was born and raised in NYC and had a passion for science from an early age. Samantha started as a skincare and haircare formulator with different brands and for Mana Products. Now, she applies her knowledge in the Personal Care industry.

Vlada Bortnik is co-founder and CEO of Marco Polo, the popular video communication app that is changing the paradigm for millions of people about how we stay in touch. Her path to Silicon Valley is one of determination and steadfast passion for building something that could make the world a happier one.

Pooja Rane is an engineering manager at Google with 12+ years of experience leading teams and delivering products in the financial services industry. Pooja is an active member of Women in Engineering and is passionate about mentoring women to build their engineering careers.

Nancy Choi joined Natural Systems Utilities (NSU) in 2020 as a Project Director, managing projects from the development of prospects through the completion of design and construction with a focus on water reuse projects involving Design, Build and/or Operations.

Jordyn Chuhaloff is a Senior Frontend Engineer at Stellar Development Foundation. Nearly half of her time in tech has been spent in crypto because she believes it holds great untapped potential. She is drawn to projects that provide social good, as well as creative endeavors with a good aesthetic.

Olga Batygin is the Co-Founder and CEO of Lucinetic. She is a longtime member of Caltech’s community and is a member of several Boards. Olga’s interest lies in the intersection of technology and social impacts in unique ecosystems. She loves to build from the ground up and design mission-driven programs that enable exponential growth.

Lauren Williams graduated from Rutgers University with a degree in Electrical and Computer Engineering. While at Rutgers, Williams interned at Goldman Sachs and was involved in the Society of Women Engineers. Upon graduating, Williams began working full-time at Goldman Sachs as a software engineering associate.

Kimberley Chapelle is a vertebrate paleontologist from South Africa, currently doing a postdoctoral fellowship at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City. Her research has mainly focused on basal sauropodomorphs, the ancestors to well-loved giants like Diplodocus, which she studies using a multidisciplinary approach that includes CT-scanning, osteohistology, functional and comparative anatomy, statistics, and more.