EYH Chicago was started in the spring of 2013 by a group of women from the Chicago STEM practitioner, educator and activist communities. This year’s EYH is our sixth event, and we are thrilled to be introducing young women to the diverse STEM opportunities the Chicago area has to offer.
EYH 2019 Organizing Committee
Directors| Workshops|Parent Program|Recruitment and Registration|Programming|Volunteers|Fundraising|Marketing
Directors
Alanna Condren| Co-Director
Alanna Condren is a Florida native with a B.S. in Biochemistry from Florida State University. As a 3rd year graduate student Alanna’s research focuses on understanding the chemical communication of pathogenic bacteria and the mechanisms they use to become antibiotic drug resistant. She enjoys mentoring undergraduate students and spending time organizing outreach activities with the goal of improving science communication and inspiring people of all ages to love science, be curious, and not to be afraid to ask questions! When she is not researching she loves to play volleyball, read, cook, and host picnics and is really looking forward to being part of the EYH team!Supriya K | Co-Director
Supriya is a PhD candidate at the University of Chicago. She studies interactions between birds and ants at low and mid-elevations in eastern Himalayas. She likes to think about ways to communicate and teach science and EYH gives her an opportunity to learn about that and promote diversity and inclusion in science.Workshops
Brian Guo | Workshop Co-Chair
Brian Guo is a Ph.D. candidate in Pharmacognosy (the study of natural products for medicinal and other purposes) at the University of Illinois at Chicago. His research focuses on new drug discovery from botanical sources, especially derived from ethnomedical knowledge. Brian supports the importance of scientific research, promotion of education, and the Chicago Cubs. He also coaches UIC’s club Ultimate Frisbee team.
Holly Seiler | Workshop Co-Chair
Holly is a bachelor’s candidate in Architectural Engineering at Illinois Institute of Technology. She is specializing in electrical and illumination. Holly works on the electrical systems and lighting design of buildings at Ghafari Associates in Chicago. In her free time, Holly enjoys reading, writing, and exploring
Parents Program
Rosalind (Roz) Norkett | Parent Program Chair
Hi everyone. I’m Roz, a post doc in Cell and Molecular Biology at the Feinberg Medical school, Northwestern University. My research focus is on development of the nervous system using Drosophila (Fruit flies) as a model organism. I first got involved with EYH as a conference day volunteer to improve my science communication and learn more ways to make science exciting beyond the classroom. This year I am very happy to be helping organize the parent program.
Lisa Nash | Parent Program Chair
Lisa Nash is a Data Scientist at IDEO in Chicago. She recently completed a PhD in Physics at the University of Chicago. In her free time, Lisa rock climbs, makes ceramics, and tries to learn to play various instruments.
Facilities
Anmol Lamichhane | Facilities Co-Chair
Anmol is a second year grad student in the physics department at UIC. Three of his elder sisters are women in STEM. After graduating from college, in the summer of 2018, he received a grant from his college that allowed him to co-organize summer camps for high school girls interested in STEM from two schools in Nepal. The conference connected the girls to resources in the country and abroad and was one of the first summer camps of its kind in the country. Anmol is excited to join the EYH organizing team and contribute in an effort that helps the future women in STEM discover their academic path. Anmol enjoys playing soccer, cooking, taking walks in the night and playing the drum-set with his band on Fridays.
Mi Nguyen | Facilities Co-Chair
Mi Nguyen is a Ph.D. candidate in the Chemistry Department at the University of Illinois at Chicago. Her current work focuses on studying the phosphorylation of ion channels and their roles in neurodegenerative diseases. Outside of the lab, Mi enjoys reading books, creating art, writing, and exploring new places and food.
Student Recruitment
Alexis Goggin | Recruitment Co-Chair
Lexi is a senior pre-pharmacy student, majoring in Biochemistry at the University of Illinois at Chicago. She works as pharmacy technician for CVS pharmacy and recently worked as an undergraduate research assistant at the UIC College of Medicine. Her career focus is aimed toward becoming a pharmacologist where she could study pharmacology and become involved in drug discovery. In her free time, she embraces her nerdiness by reading and watching documentaries about the latest topics in science.
Hyerim Yang | Recruitment Co-Chair
Hyerim (Hye) is a research technician at the Glover lab. She is currently investigating neurobiological basis in the context of alcohol use. After work, she attempts to skateboard, play the ukulele, and paint.
Alexandra Nisenoff | Committee
Alexandra is an undergrad at the University of Chicago double majoring in Computer Science and Astrophysics. She is currently doing research related to computer security, privacy, and human-computer interaction with the SUPERgroup and on supernovae in Professor Dwarkadas’s group. In her free time Alexandra enjoys knitting, embroidery, crocheting, and digital/film photography.Student Registration
Maddie Field | Registration Co-Chair
Maddie works at Stripe, a technology company that builds financial tools and economic infrastructure for the internet. After graduating from Loyola University Chicago she served with City Year in a CPS 6th grade classroom and joined EYH for the opportunity to continue working with Chicago students. In her spare time Maddie likes picking up new hobbies, biking, and exploring new corners of Chicago.
Matt Caraher | Registration Co-Chair
Matt is a Chicago native and a Math major at Roosevelt University. In his off time from school he enjoys taking in movies, listening to podcasts, and attending random events in city. Also, he finds talking in the third person to always be a weird experience.
Programming
Reem Elorbany | Keynote Speaker Chair & Lunch Activities Co-Chair
Reem Elorbany is an MSTP student at the University of Chicago. Currently in the PhD section of her training, she studies human variation in gene regulation using induced pluripotent stem cells. Outside of science, Reem fosters cats, and enjoys traveling around the world with her family.
Charlie Lang | Lunch Activities Co-Chair
Charlie is a PhD student in Genetics and Systems Biology at the University of Chicago. His research focuses on how spatial patterns emerge in early embryonic development. Outside of lab, he likes outdoor activities like climbing, running, and hiking.
Daniel O’Brien | Food Chair
Dan is a professional musician, private instructor, and independent contractor. In his free time, he enjoys nature, reading science fiction/fantasy, learning new instruments, and writing. He also has an interest in improving the community around him through volunteer action.
Volunteers
Lucas Beaufore | Volunteer Co-Chair
Lucas is a PhD student in Physics at the University of Chicago with his B.S. in engineering from Ohio State. He studies cosmic rays and has previously worked in searches for the nature of dark energy. He was a longtime participant in the FRC high school robotics organization, including multiple years mentoring an amazing women and gender minority team during his undergrad. He is looking forward to continuing to work towards greater diversity in STEM with EYH.
Christa Martens | Volunteer Co-Chair
Christa Martens is from the Chicago-area and is a Research Project Manager in the Department of Medical Social Sciences at Northwestern University. Her work is rooted in healthcare and focuses on using scientifically valid ways to measure a patient’s physical, emotional, and social health. She got her Master’s in Public Health at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, but got back to Chicago as soon as she could (despite the weather). She likes running, yoga, and being outside as much as possible on sunny days!
Sarah Feid | Committee
Sarah is a PhD student at Loyola University Chicago in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology. She studies post-translational modifications that occur without the use of an enzyme in bacteria, with a particular focus on the ribosome. In addition to her lab work, she is part of the Loyola Women in Science executive board. Outside of STEM, Sarah is an avid Dungeons and Dragons player, dedicated cat parent, and self-taught hair colorist.
Sydney Jenkins | Committee
Sydney Jenkins is an undergraduate physics and computer science double-major at the University of Chicago. She is interested in astrophysics and is currently researching ultra-faint dwarf galaxies as a member of the Kavli Institute for Cosmological Physics. In her spare time, she enjoys reading and hiking.
Fundraising
Katie Rhodes | Fundraising Chair
Katie Rhodes is a PhD candidate in Human Genetics at the University of Chicago. She studies human variation in gene regulation using induced pluripotent stem cells. Katie also enjoys performing improv comedy and watching too much TV.
Leslie Proudfoot | Grants Coordinator
Leslie is the Philanthropy Operations Coordinator for GRID Alternatives, a national non-profit solar installer. She also loves hiking, camping, and playing piano.
Paméla Atade-Nanguit | Committee
My name is Paméla Atade-Nanguit. I graduated from North Park University with a BA in Biology and French Literature. Since then, I’ve served at North Shore University Health system as a technician in Surgical Pathology but I currently work as a Physical Therapy technician. In my spare time, I sketch and take photos of different parts of Chicago. EYH allows me to be more involved in the community while sharing the amazing opportunities in STEM and continue my lifelong learning journey about science and medicine.
Elizabeth Jefferson | Committee
Hi, my name is Elizabeth Jefferson, I’m a UX professional with three years of experience. I graduated in November of 2014 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Graphic Design, but during my first graphic design internship, I learned that UX was my calling. In March 2017. I graduated from the Human-Computer Interaction Master of Science grad program at DePaul University. I love technology and People. I want to give back and encourage women to get involved in STEM especially tech. I think that not enough women have a voice in technology and that we need more women and diversity contributing to the conversation.
Marketing
Holly Seiler | Secretary, Annual Report
Holly Seiler is an Electrical and Lighting Designer at Ghafari Associates in Chicago. She brings her passion for art and engineering on projects around the world. She received her Bachelor of Science in Architectural Engineering from the Illinois Institute of Technology. Her wanderlust takes her to new cafes to write, exotic places in fiction, and on as many planes as her PTO allows.
Bethanie-Michelle Statler | Social Media Coordinator
Bethanie is a faculty fellow at Harper College in the department of biology. In her graduate studies, she studied the molecular mechanism that allows eukaryotic cells to sense direction and polarize their growth in response to external chemical stimuli. Aside from teaching biology, Beth also loves to travel, thrift shop, play volleyball, and learn new languages. She is especially passionate about inspiring young people to pursue STEM.
Ana Beiriger | Graphics
Ana Beiriger is a PhD candidate in developmental biology at the University of Chicago. She studies collective cell migration and is interested in how it contributes to the formation of neural circuits during early development. In her free time, she enjoys painting, backpacking, and spending time with her adorable cats.Tamanna Gulati | Website Chair & Graphics
Tamanna Gulati works in internal Product Support and Analysis at a Chicago tech company. She regrets that she grew up believing she had no aptitude for STEM and hopes EYH will help the next generation of young women understand their true potential.
Committee Members
Andrea Thompson
Andrea Thompson is a research technologist at Northwestern University. Her research involves engineering biosensors that can detect pollution in water and soil.
Since Andrea grew up on the south side of Chicago, she understands why programs like EYH means so much to parents and students who would not have the opportunity to learn about scientific research without programs like this. She hopes to further EYH’s reach on the south and west sides of the city and educate more girls about the many careers in STEM that they can achieve.
Tina Zhao
Tina is a consultant who provides technological solutions and in-depth data analyses for her pharmaceutical and biotech clients. She has a bachelor’s degree in Economics from Northwestern University. In her free time she likes to dance, rock climb, and explore used book stores.
See past organizing committees here: 2015 Organizing Committee, 2016 Organizing Committee, 2017 Organizing Committee, 2018 Organizing Committee
Board Members
Tiffany Bumpers
Tiffany is the Recruitment Coordinator for the Urban Health Program at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC)-College of Pharmacy. The purpose of the Urban Health Program is to recruit, retain and help to graduate traditionally underrepresented minority students into the health profession. She secured her Bachelors of Science in Psychology and Bachelors of Arts in African American Studies at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) and hopes to start a PhD program in the coming Fall with a focus in higher education administration.
Trisha Degg
Trisha Degg is the Director of Talent Programs for Illinois Technology Association – a business services organization focused on helping tech companies scale. With almost 10 years of corporate recruiting, campus recruitment, and HR experience, Trisha excels at finding new ways to locate talent, and is passionate about networking.Young-Kee Kim
Young-Kee Kim is a Louis Block Distinguished Service Professor and Chair of the Department of Physics at the University of Chicago. She devoted much of her research to understanding the origin of mass by studying top quarks, W bosons, and Higgs bosons. Kim was born in Korea and moved to US in 1986 for her Ph.D. program at the University of Rochester. Her honors include Ho-Am Prize, Sloan Fellow, Fellow of the American Physical Society, Fellow of American Association for the Advancement of Science, Korea’s Science and Education Service Medal, Rochester’s Distinguished Scholar Medal, and Korea University’s Alumni Award.Susan Levison
Caitlyn Mulherin
Caitlyn is very enthusiastic about the power of STEM accessibility for girls in Chicago communities. She studied chemistry for many years and is now pursuing a career in financial derivatives. Math and science have always been huge loves for Caitlyn and she loves sharing that with others through EYH.Karina Szymulanska-Ramamurthy, PharmD / PhD
Karina is a Research Scientist, currently working with the Global Product Stability Team at Baxter Healthcare. She has received her PhD in Natural Products Chemistry from the University of Illinois at Chicago and her PharmD from Jagiellonian University, Cracow, Poland. Karina is an avid health and fitness enthusiast, when she is not working, she enjoys spending time outdoors and playing sports, she also loves traveling and exploring foreign cultures.Rabiah Mayas
Rabiah Mayas is the Associate Director of Science in Society at Northwestern University, supporting STEM education programs and partnerships in Chicago and Evanston. Rabiah completed her Ph.D. in biochemistry and molecular biology at the University of Chicago, then spent nine years exploring her passion for science education and public engagement at Museum of Science and Industry, Chicago. Rabiah is a certified Emergency Medical Technician and loves hopping on a plane to almost anywhere, running (albeit slowly) and visiting family on the East and West coasts.