Christine Mirzayan Science and Technology Policy Fellows
Winter 2009 Fellow Biographies

Joel Baumgart (CEE/NAE) received his PhD in neuroscience from the University of Virginia in 2008 and holds a BS in biochemistry and BA in psychology from the University of Missouri.  His doctoral research focused on the biophysical properties of voltage-gated calcium channels and was supported by an Epilespy Foundation predoctoral fellowship and a Sigma Xi Grant-In-Aid of Research.  Joel is seeking to expand his perspective by observing and participating in the process of science policy and analysis. In his free time, Joel enjoys reading, cooking, and playing soccer.  Contact via email  (Updated 4/09)

Stephanie Bogle (BMED/DEPS) is currently completing her PhD in materials science and engineering at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.  Her doctoral research involves determining the nanoscale structure of various amorphous materials via statistical analysis of nanodiffraction images (a technique known as Fluctuation Electron Microscopy).  Stephanie's undergraduate studies were completed at North Carolina State University.  She received degrees in both materials science and engineering, and science, technology, and society with a concentration in sustainable development in Latin America.  In the long-term, she plans to stay in academia. Stephanie loves to travel and learn new languages.  While in graduate school, she has served as project manager on two Engineers Without Borders projects, one in India and one in Guatemala.  In her spare time, Stephanie enjoys training Capoeira (Brazilian martial arts), baking and convincing the University of Illinois to be more sustainable.  Contact via email.  (Updated 4/09)

Lauren Brown (PRB/DELS) is currently completing her MS in marine studies with a concentration in physical ocean science and engineering at the University of Delaware.  Her research involves the analysis of tidal currents, velocity structure and ocean physics off the coast of northwestern Greenland to determine their influence on the larger regional dynamics.  She holds a BA from the University of Delaware in physics and astronomy.  As an undergraduate, she participated in a research expedition to Baffin Bay and Nares Strait, which was part of a multi-year study to investigate the impact of freshwater flux through the Canadian Archipelago on Arctic circulation.  Her career goals include the fusion of science and policy at the national or international levels, especially with issues involving high-latitude regions. She is particularly interested in the role of the polar regions in global climate change.  In her free time, Lauren enjoys reading, running and attending baseball and hockey games.  Contact via email.  (Updated 4/09)

Susan (Casper) Anenberg (BASC/DELS) is currently working towards a PhD in environmental sciences and engineering at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where she recently completed her MS in the same field.  Her graduate research has focused on quantifying the global burden of anthropogenic air pollution on premature human mortality and more recently the impacts of intercontinental source-receptor relationships for ozone pollution on mortality.  She holds bachelor's degrees in biology and environmental science from Northwestern University.  Before returning to graduate school, Susan worked for the U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board as a recommendations specialist, which sparked her interest in science and policy integration.  She plans to focus her career on linking climate change and air quality science with policy, whether it is from within the government, academic, or non-profit sector. In her spare time,  Susan can be found running, hiking, traveling, watching Tar Heel basketball, and planning for her wedding.  Contact by email.  (Updated 6/09)

Michelle Crosby-Nagy (GUIRR/PGA) is pursuing a masters' degree in international science and technology policy with concentration in applied economics at the George Washington University.  She holds a BA in international studies with emphasis in international economic relations in Europe from the American University.  She is co-founder and former executive director of two non-profit organizations dealing with issues such as the value of skilled foreign nationals in the United States, industrial organization and science for statecraft.  During her Mirzayan Fellowship, she assisted GUIRR with projects relating to international research collaborations, the science and engineering workforce and industry-university partnerships.  She hopes to pursue a Ph.D. in economic sociology.  In addition to her academic and professional pursuits, Michelle is an accomplished professional violinist with past solo performances at several area venues.  Contact by email.  (Updated 9/09)

Ryan Davison (CASEE/NAE) is an adjunct professor at George Washington University.  He is doing postdoctoral work at Georgetown University and interning with the Federation of American Scientists.  Ryan earned his PhD in behavioral neuroscience from the University of Alabama at Birmingham in May 2007.  For his dissertation research he solved a landmark question about the visual system by demonstrating that our eyes receive neural inputs from different oculomotor subsystems during different types of eye movements.  Ryan's graduate research implemented a sophisticated form of electrophysiology which allowed for the activity patterns of single neurons in non- anesthetized, behaving primates to be measured.  As a post-doctoral Fellow at the Smith-Kettlewell Eye Research Institute, Ryan further characterized the visual system by implanting strain gauges and muscle force transducers in extraocular muscles in order to better understand the relationship between motor neuron firing rates and muscle contractile forces.  Ryan is most passionate outside the laboratory sharing his knowledge and enthusiasm for science with others.  Contact by email.  (Updated 10/09)

Erin Fitzgerald (AFSB/DEPS) received her PhD in electrical and computer engineering from Johns Hopkins in January 2009, her MSE from Johns Hopkins in 2004, and her bachelor’s degree in electrical and computer engineering from Carnegie Mellon University in 2002.  Erin conducted her thesis research with NAE member Frederick Jelinek in the interdisciplinary Center for Language and Speech Processing where she worked to automatically reconstruct spontaneously-produced speech transcripts with disfluencies and speaker errors into fluent and content-preserved sentences given lexical, structural, and acoustic cues.  As an undergraduate, she studied music performance and engineering, and, as student body president, often made academic and campus policy recommendations to administrators.  In her free time, Erin enjoys theater, gardening, reading, and traveling.  Contact her via email.  (Updated 4/09)
 

Todd Haim (COSEPUP/PGA) is with the National Institutes of Health/National Cancer Institute as a 2009-2010 AAAS Fellow in the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Development Center.  He graduated from Albert Einstein College of Medicine with a PhD in biomedical research.  Todd’s graduate research focused on the cellular effects of familial hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and his work helped elucidate mutation-specific pathogenic mechanisms of disease.  Todd earned his BA in biology at Rutgers and his scholar’s thesis demonstrated the cardio-protective effects of ethanol.  Todd completed a postdoctoral fellowship at Pfizer on a project, in collaboration with Washington University School of Medicine, which illustrated a mechanism for altered cardiac contractility due to excess fatty acids.  This novel finding advanced the understanding of how diabetes results in cardiac disease.  Throughout his career, Todd has maintained a strong awareness of the “big picture”: the net effect of scientific research on society.  Todd served on the Biophysical Society’s public affairs council, a position in which was made aware of the need to make support for science as deep as it is wide.  Todd’s personal interests are varied and he never shies away from a great discussion.  Contact by email.  (Updated 6/09)

Pam Hassebroek (CSTB/DEPS) completed her PhD in public policy at Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech) in 2007.  She holds an MS in digital media from Georgia Tech, an MS in petroleum engineering from The University of Texas at Austin, and a BA in mathematics from Texas Christian University.  Her primary research interest is in non-technical dimensions of information security.  In her dissertation research, she studied the influence of institutionalized environments on management of information security and communication in a large, complex organization.  A native Texan, Pam has experience in a number of interdisciplinary IT areas, and includes ten years in engineering research and staff positions with major oil exploration and production companies.  Pam currently contributes to the work of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) in a coordinated project to develop cybercrime legislation that can assist in harmonizing the legal structures of the global community.  Her leisure interests include playing golf, watching movies, and traveling.  Contact by email.  (Updated 4/09)

Cheryl Logan (OSB/DELS) is completing her PhD in marine biology at Stanford University.  She holds a BA from the University of California, Berkeley where she double-majored in integrative biology and molecular and cell biology.  Her doctoral research examines how marine fish and invertebrates cope with changes in environmental temperature.  She is looking at a wide range of physiological parameters, including gene and protein expression, enzyme activity, lethal temperatures, and respirometry to examine how different species will or will not be able to withstand global warming.  Cheryl's doctoral work has been supported by an NSF Graduate Research Fellowship.  Her career goals include finding ways to integrate species-specific physiological coping strategies into modeling the effects of climate change in marine ecosystems.  In her free time, Cheryl enjoys snowboarding, hiking, camping, scuvba diving, and competing in triathlons.  Contact by email.  (Updated 4/09)
 

Melissa McCartney (CWSEM/PGA) has recently completed a postdoctoral position in the Department of Neurology at The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, where she examined network dynamics in the hippocampus; specifically with regards to seizure generation in epilepsy.  She completed her PhD in neuroscience from The George Washington University in 2006, where her research consisted of a pharmacological and biophysical characterization of the GABAA receptor epsilon subunit.  Outside of her research pursuits, Melissa was involved with an afterschool science and math program through the Philadelphia Public Schools.  Melissa’s goal is to use her scientific background to improve all levels science education, as well as to increase the promotion of science to the public, and is thrilled to be participating in this fellowship program.  She enjoys swimming, running, and camping and has a weakness for karaoke.  Contact by email.  (Updated 4/09)

Michael McElwain (BPA/DEPS) is a Henry Norris Russell postdoctoral fellow in the department of Astrophysical Sciences at Princeton University.  Michael earned his PhD in astronomy and astrophysics from the University of California at Los Angeles in 2007, after completing an undergraduate degree in physics at the University of Pennsylvania in 2001.  Michael played a key role in the development of a facility-class infrared integral field spectrograph that operates behind the adaptive optics system at the W. M. Keck Observatory.  Michael is actively researching science and technology issues related to extrasolar planets, and he is simulating the effects of an anti-satellite weapons conflict on the near earth space debris environment. During his Mirzayan Fellowship, Michael worked on the Astro2010 decadal survey, and he hopes his fellowship experience has initiated a long-term career as conscientious scientist who contributes to the challenging policy decisions facing our country.  In his spare time, Michael enjoys playing soccer, building stuff, eating French food, listening to National Public Radio, and experiencing new cultures.  Contact by email.  (Updated 4/09)

Jessica Meisner (CISAC/PGA) recently graduated from Georgetown University with an MS in biohazardous threat agents and emerging infectious diseases.  She holds dual BA degrees from the University of Southern California in biological sciences and international relations, with a concentration in international politics and security studies.  Jessica also completed a Study Abroad program in war studies at King's College, London.  She has worked at a variety of organizations during her studies including the Defense Threat Reduction Agency in the Biological Threat Reduction Program and the U.S. Embassy in Manila.  She performed undergraduate research at Children's Hospital Los Angeles in the field of transplantation immunology, specifically looking at xenotransplantation, which is the use of pig organs for transplantation into humans.  Jessica is hoping to attend medical school by the fall of 2009 and eventually go into policy specifically in areas related to global health, underserved populations, or biological threat agents.  In her free time, she enjoys traveling, baking, and watching USC football.  Contact by email.  (Updated 4/09) 

David E. Myles (BCYF/DBASSE) is currently a medical student at Yale University School of Medicine.  He has also earned an MS in psychology at Yale.  His thesis work investigated the link between the provision of choice and the effectiveness of a social psychological intervention (self-affirmation) previously demonstrated to reduce the inter-ethnic academic achievement gap.  Prior to entering Yale, he graduated from Morehouse College with a BS in biology and a minor in Spanish.  While at both institutions he tried to determine how he could most effectively ensure that all children realize their full potential by working with them in various capacities in both educational and medical contexts.  At this point, he is looking forward to applying principles learned in both medicine and social psychology to better inform ongoing efforts to improve the lives of kids in the context of this fellowship.  Moving forward, he plans to continue working for the holistic betterment of children by working part-time as a pediatrician and spending a significant amount of energy shaping the policies that affect all youth.  When he is not actively addressing those issues, he enjoys spending time with the family and friends that have allowed him to make it this far in his ongoing journey.  He may be reached at this email or this email.  (Updated 4/09)

Leah Nichols (STEP/PGA) has a PhD in energy and resources from the University of California, Berkeley and a BS in environmental engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.  For her dissertation, Leah examined the processes that shape academic research agendas.  She is particularly interested in how non-academic actors (e.g. government, industry, and media) influence the research agendas of academic biologists.  Leah is exploring a possible career in science policy and she believed the Mirzayan Fellowship would give her valuable insight into the science policy world.  Eventually, she would like to obtain a faculty position as a Science Study scholar and develop ongoing collaborations with science policy makers.  In her free time, Leah is an avid hiker, backpacker, and rock climber.  She and her dog were also recently certified as a wilderness search-and-rescue K9 team and they now help search for lost people.  Contact by email.  (Updated 4/09)

Sandy Polu (HPDP/IOM) is a history PhD candidate at Harvard.  Her dissertation analyzes how perceptions of the economic, political, and epidemiological risks posed by malaria, cholera, plague and yellow fever influenced India’s public health policies from 1890 to 1940.  It analyzes how a variety of factors, including international public health diplomacy, epidemiology, new medical technologies, trade protection, and cultural norms, operated within a larger framework of risk to shape the Government of India’s infectious disease policies.  Prior to starting her doctoral program, Sandy was a Fulbright Scholar in Italy, where she assessed 19th-century government campaigns to promote adoption of the smallpox vaccine.  Sandy also has a BA in history from Stanford.  Sandy hopes to gain a hands-on understanding of which stakeholders are involved in public health policy decisions and how policy is framed.  After completing her PhD, Sandy would like to work in health policy, particularly in relation to disease prevention and control.  In her free time, she enjoys cooking Indian and Italian food and exploring the underwater world through scuba diving.  She may be contacted by email.  (Updated 4/09)

Ashton Powell (CSTL/PGA) received his PhD in neurobiology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in December 2007.  His research was on the molecular mechanisms underlying development of thalamocortical connectivity inside the embryonic brain.  In particular, he researched how neurons establish long range connections, and how molecular cues located inside intermediate pathways guide growing neurons to their final destination -- in other words, how does the brain wire itself from point A to point B?  In the last year of his research, Ashton became interested in studying how scientific advances are incorporated into our society and system of laws.  To pursue this, he accepted a fellowship at the Duke Center for Genome Ethics, Law & Policy, where he studied how intellectual property law affects the availability of genetic testing to patients.  After his brief stint as a Blue Devil, Ashton returned to his Tar Heel roots (and better basketball team), accepting a position at the Carolina Center for Genome Sciences as an ELSI fellow.  Back at UNC, he studied the legal framework surrounding biobanking in the US.  Specifically, he researched what methods are commonly used by biobanks to protect the well-being and privacy of donors while enabling research to progress most effectively. As a Mirzayan Fellow, he looked to continue his interest in the junction of science, policy, and law by pursuing this interaction at its most dynamic phase.  Ashton looks to experience how scientists, lawyers, and policy makers negotiate the integration of novel technologies into society while maintaining the spirit of our laws and culture.  Ashton is not a complete policy wonk, but he has been known to record C-SPAN on his TiVo.  Contact via email.  (Updated 4/09)

Miriam Quintal (BOSE/DBASSE) is a PhD candidate in organic chemistry at Harvard University.  Her doctoral research, supported by a National Science Foundation Graduate Fellowship, is focused on developing a synthesis of daphniglaucin C, a tetracyclic molecule that inhibits tubulin polymerization, a crucial process in cell division, and kills cancer cells.  Prior to graduate school, Miriam spent a year in Israel at the Weizmann Institute of Science studying computational chemistry on a Fulbright Fellowship.  Her undergraduate studies were completed at Smith College, where she earned an AB in chemistry with a self designed minor in issues of church and state.  Miriam would like to pursue a career in science policy at the state or federal level.  Miriam is the chair of the Harvard Women in Chemistry, a group dedicated to the personal, academic, and professional development of women in the Harvard chemistry department.  She is an avid consumer of political news, and enjoys playing volleyball and juggling.  Contact by email.  (Updated 4/09).

Kate Saylor (BLS/DELS) is working toward her PhD at the neuroscience graduate program at Oregon Health & Sciences University.  Her research is on structural proteins in the stereocilia of inner ear receptor cells, and she is interested in sensory systems, perception and cognition.  She is an ARCS Scholar (Achievement Rewards for College Scientists), and received predoctoral funding from two NIH multidisciplinary training grants.  As an undergraduate, she studied biology, neurobiology, psychology and music at Macalester College in St. Paul, Minn.  She then studied inner ear development as a postbaccalaureate fellow at the NIH/NIDCD before entering graduate school.  Kate is interested in science writing, bioethics, science literacy, and research advocacy.  She plans to apply to master's degree programs  in public policy after completion of her neuroscience degree, and eventually pursue a career in science policy.  Kate is a violinist and enjoys playing bluegrass, Irish, and classical music; she also likes baking, hiking, swimming, reading, singing and exploring new places.  Contact by email.  (Updated 4/09)

Adam Schickedanz (HCS/IOM) is a senior medical student at the University of California, San Francisco, a graduate of Washington University in St. Louis (BA, 2003), and a native of Boston.  At UCSF Adam has developed a clinical focus in urban underserved patient care, while also advancing research interests in professionalism and cultural competency in medical education, novel approaches to clinician-patient communication in medical decision making (particularly at the end of life), and the intersections of education and health, the latter carried over from years teaching science to St. Louis city middle-schoolers through after school programs he helped found.  Thoroughly convinced that physicians need a strong understanding of health policy to substantively improve health care, Adam is thrilled to be immersed in policy with the Board on Health Care Services and he looks forward to gaining indispensable knowledge and skills to benefit future patients.  He is also an aspiring slam poet, a proud dog homemaker, a jazz enthusiast, and is always looking for people to play ping-pong or throw a lacrosse ball with.  Contact by email.  (Updated 4/09)

Erin Sorrell (ILAR/DELS) graduated from the University of Maryland, College Park with a PhD in December 2008, just prior to starting the Mirzayan fellowship.  In her graduate research Erin focused on identifying markers of influenza A viruses that lead to interspecies transmission.  In particular Erin studied H2N2 and H9N2 avian influenza viruses and their role in transmission from avian to mammalian animal models.  She also received her MS from Maryland and a BS in animal sciences from Cornell University.  Erin is excited to learn how science and policy can be linked to help those on and off the bench.  Erin is planning to continue in a traditional post-doc position after her Mirzayan Fellowship.  Her career goals include finding methods to integrate animal and human health.  In her free time, Erin enjoys recreational sports, hiking, and traveling.  Contact her by email.  (Updated 4/09)

Matthew Stepp (TRB Studies/TRB) is currently completing his MS in science, technology, and public policy at the Rochester Institute of Technology.  He holds a BS in meteorology from Millersville University.  His NSF-funded graduate research is creating a systems dynamics model of the light duty vehicle population in an effort to analyze the synergistic effects of portfolios of greenhouse gas reduction policies.  Matthew chose to ground himself in both traditional research science and public policy in an effort to bridge the gap between both and present a unique perspective on important issues, such as climate change.  He viewed the Mirzayan Fellowship as a capstone experience to gain first-hand insight into federal science policy making.  In the future, he hopes to enter the public sector and provide both the executive and legislative branches of government a more robust and multi disciplined understanding of science related issues.  When not working on his thesis, Matthew enjoys working on state and local campaigns, reading, forecasting the weather, traveling on road trips, and spending time at the gym.  Reach him by email.  (Updated 4/09)

Clare Stroud (HSP/IOM) is an associate program officer with the Board on Health Sciences Policy at the Institute of Medicine, where she works primarily with the Forum on Medical and Public Health Preparedness for Catastrophic Events.  Dr. Stroud first joined the IOM as a Christine Mirzayan Science and Technology Policy Graduate Fellow.  She received her Ph.D. from the University of Maryland in 2008, with research focused on the cognitive neuroscience of language and face perception.  During her doctoral program, she spent a year as an intern in the congressional office of Rahm Emanuel.  Dr. Stroud is also a member of the Associate Network at AmericaSpeaks, a non-profit organization that designs and runs large town hall meetings for citizens to participate in decision-making on important public policy issues.  She received her bachelor's degree from Queen's University in Kingston, Canada, and also spent a year at the University of Salamanca in Spain.  Contact by email.  (Updated 8/09)

Stephanie Wolahan (BEES/DEPS) is completing her PhD in physical chemistry at UCLA.  Her graduate research focuses on enhancing contrast in magnetic resonance imaging, or MRI. In particular,  Stephanie’s research aims to sensitively detect possible indicators of cancer, such as changes in tissue pH, by taking advantage of nonlinear magnetic fields.  Upon finishing her doctorate, she plans to return to the policy world, informed by the brief introduction afforded her through her Mirzayan Fellowship.  She enjoys watching all types of movies, eating all types of food, and traveling in her free time.  Contact by email.
 

Anna Woloszynska-Read (NCPF/IOM) is currently completing her PhD in molecular pharmacology at Roswell Park Cancer Institute in Buffalo, with the support of an NIH pre-doctoral training grant.  She holds an MS in human biology from Adam Mickiewicz University in Poland.  Her dissertation work involves translational research relating to the epigenetics of ovarian cancer, in the hopes of developing early diagnostic tools and novel treatments for the disease.  During her time as a graduate student she has worked with the Scientific Review Committee and the Institutional Review Board at Roswell Park.  This experience has made her aware of the importance of science policy and the institutional oversight of scientific research.  Anna's long term goal is to combine her interests in basic science and policy in whatever way possible, with a particular interest in translational research and issues of health disparities.  In her spare time, Anna enjoys traveling, cooking, and wine tasting.  Contact by email. (Updated 4/09) 

Lucie Yang (BRDI/PGA) completed her MD-PhD at University of California, San Francisco in 2004.  Her graduate research focused on determining the molecules and mechanisms regulating neuronal migration and cell fate determination in the model organism Caenorhabditis elegans.  Following further clinical training in surgery and radiology, she performed neuroimaging research on how caffeine-induced differences in physiology affect imaging measures of neural activity as a postdoctoral fellow at Wake Forest University Medical Center in North Carolina.  Ever since she was an intern with Senator Barbara Mikulski (D-Md.) after college, Lucie has yearned to come full circle back to policy.  Her long-term goal is to effectively combine her newly-gained policy knowledge with her passion for science to improve human health worldwide.  Pursuit of this goal may take her into the public sector, private (including non-profit) sector, or a combination of these.  She is currently a medical officer at the Food and Drug Administration.  In her free time, Lucie enjoys traveling, hiking, discussing politics, tasting innovatively prepared foods, baking, and attending theater/music performances/film festivals.  Contact via email.  (Updated 4/09)