Laura Manning | Co-Director

Laura Manning is a Ph.D. candidate in Neurobiology at the University of Illinois at Chicago. She studies the genes and proteins that allow neurons to communicate. She loves sharing the joy and wonders of science, and EYH allows her to share this love with many different parts of her community.

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.

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.

Alanna Condren | Workshop Co-Chair

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!

 Katie Rhodes

Eliza Jacobs-Brichford is a PhD candidate in Behavioral Neuroscience at the University of Illinois at Chicago. She studies the effects of adolescent drug exposure on the development of the brain. Eliza loves hanging out with her dog, listening to podcasts, and traveling.

Reem Elorbany | Lunch Activities Coordinator

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.

Delphine Coursault | Facilities Coordinator

Delphine Coursault is a postdoc at the University of Chicago. She has a PhD from the University Pierre & Marie Curie in Paris. Her research is at the interface between soft matter and nano-optics. In her current project, she investigates the assembly and dynamics of nano and micro particles in structured optical traps. She loves mentoring young scientists to guide and help them to fully develop their potential.

Chloe Nash | Facilities Coordinator

Chloe is a Ph.D. student in evolutionary biology at the University of Chicago. Her research is focused on understanding why coral reef fishes are found where they are today, and using this information to predict they will be in the future. When not in the lab, she enjoys spending time at the Field Museum, playing the pipe organ, and scuba diving in tropical places.

Volunteers

Dimple Modi | Volunteer Chair

Dimple has a PhD in Cancer Biology from the University of Illinois at Chicago. She currently works as a Senior Scientist at AbbVie in their Translational Oncology and Precision Medicine Group. Apart from her day job, Dimple loves traveling, particularly exploring locations with rich history and culture across the globe.

Alyssa McRay |  Volunteer Chair

Alyssa is a neurobiology PhD candidate at the University of Illinois at Chicago.  She studies the way neuron in the mammalian brain communicate with one another. She holds a MEd in science education, and loves to teach biology to students of all ages. EYH gives Alyssa the opportunity to combine her passion for science education with the ability to give back to the Chicago community. In her free time, Alyssa enjoys spending time outdoors hiking, camping, and exploring with her husband and very large dog.

Fundraising

Diedre Reitz | Food/In-Kind Donations Coordinator

Diedre Reitz is a Ph.D. candidate on the Committee of Genetics, Genomics, and Systems Biology at the University of Chicago. Her research focuses on meiotic DNA repair and how reductional segregation of chromosomes is achieved during meiosis I. In her free time, Diedre likes to travel, cook, and spend time with her cat, Kabuki. http://voices.uchicago.edu/reitzdf/

Wendy Leonard | Grants Coordinator

Wendy works in Planning and GIS (Geographic Information Systems) with the Forest Preserve District of Will County. She is pursuing graduate studies at Governors State University and would like to attain her Master’s in Environmental Biology. She loves mountain biking, relaxing in her hammock, and exploring new places. Her current favorite animal is the thirteen-lined ground squirrel.

Rebecca Guthrie | Treasurer

Rebecca is pursuing an M.S. in Pure Mathematics at DePaul University, with a particular interest in number theory. She also works in the Mathematical Sciences department at DePaul as a teaching assistant and a grader. In her free time, she enjoys gardening, trying new recipes, and reading science fiction books.

Hannah Whitehurst

Hannah is a PhD student in Ecology and Evolution at the University of Chicago. She studies the heritability of the microbiome in host plants. When she’s not in the lab, Hannah enjoys biking around Chicago and walking with her dog, Izzy.

Julia Chael 

Julia is an undergraduate at the University of Chicago. She is pursuing a major in chemistry and is interested in medical school after graduation. She also works in a lab on campus studying the impacts of gene mutations on supporting cells in the bone marrow, and how these cells can impact behaviors of leukemia. In her free time, she enjoys knitting and reading new books.

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.