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 2018 Organizing Committee
Directors| Workshops|Parent Program|Recruitment and Registration|Programming|Volunteers|Fundraising|Marketing
Directors
Laura Manning | Co-Director

Supriya K | Co-Director

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.
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
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.
Priya Deshpande
Priya Deshpande is a Ph.D candidate at College of Computing and Digital Media (CDM) at DePaul University. Her Major is in Computer Science and specialization in database systems. Her expertise are in the Big data analytics and Hadoop systems. Her current research focus on Medical Informatics Radiological Teaching file systems. Apart from studies she volunteers for EYH and enjoys traveling and listening music.
Holly Seiler
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
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.
Sami Corwin| Parent Program Chair
Sami is a PhD candidate in Neuroscience at University of Illinois at Chicago. She studies how adolescent alcohol use alters decision making in adulthood and the neural activity underlying those decisions. In her free time, Sami enjoys listening to podcasts, exploring the city, and fostering dogs.
Student Recruitment and Registration
Erin Boyle Anderson | Secretary, Student Registration Chair

Sineadh Conway | Recruitment Chair

Ashlynn Gerth | Recruitment Chair

Liga Eihentale
Liga Eihentale is a senior Psychology student at the University of Illinois in Chicago. She is an undergraduate research assistant at the UIC Department of Psychology working for Ellen Herbener, Ph.D. on a study exploring Schizotypy and its effects on social emotional functioning. In her free time, she enjoys practicing yoga and watching documentaries.
Programming
Eliza Jacobs-Brichford | Keynote Speaker Coordinator
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.
Marketing
Kathleen Proudfoot | Social Media Coordinator

Lesya Horyn | Webmaster, Student Registration Committee

Ana Beiriger | Newsletter Coordinator

Jane Birman | Social Media Coordinator

Maureen Rojsutivat | Press Kit Coordinator

Carolyn Rojsutivat
Carolyn Rojsutivat is a graduate student in Human-Computer Interaction at DePaul University. She studies how to make systems and interfaces usable by focusing on the users, their needs and requirements, and by applying human factors, ergonomics and usability knowledge and techniques. She is also a senior designer at a Fortune 500 company. Her interests include obstacle course races, documentaries, traveling and making the world a better place for everyone.
Bethanie-Michelle Statler
Bethanie is a Ph.D. student in molecular biology at the University of Illinois at Chicago. She studies the mechanism that allows eukaryotic cells to sense direction in response to external stimuli. Aside from conducting research, Beth also loves to travel, thrift shop, and play volleyball. She is especially passionate about inspiring young people to pursue STEM.
Committee Members
Ashley Rich
Ashley Rich is a PhD candidate in Cell & Molecular Biology at the University of Chicago. She studies how cells and tissues change their shapes during development. Outside of the lab, she enjoys long distance running, reading by Lake Michigan, and baking all kinds of sweets.
See past organizing committees here: 2015 Organizing Committee, 2016 Organizing Committee, 2017 Organizing Committee
Evann Hilt
Evann Hilt is a PhD student at Loyola University Chicago in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology. Her work involves studying the bacteria that live in and on our bodies. In her free time, she loves to go hiking and exploring Chicago with her friends.
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

Young-Kee Kim

Susan Levison

Caitlyn Mulherin

Karina Szymulanska-Ramamurthy, PharmD / PhD

Rabiah Mayas
