Christine Mirzayan Science and Technology Policy Graduate Fellows

Fall 2009 Biographical Sketches

Helena Antoun (OSB/DELS) graduated from the University of Puerto Rico-Mayagüez with a master’s degree in marine sciences.  As part of her graduate research, she participated in oceanographic expeditions in the Caribbean, studying the impacts of the Orinoco River plume and mesoscale eddies on phytoplankton dynamics.  She holds bachelor’s degrees in environmental science and chemistry from the University of Puerto Rico-Río Piedras and has been involved in different projects ranging from environmental pollution to impact assessment of climate change in the Caribbean and ocean acidification.  Over the years Helena has taken a strong interest in ocean policy and marine management.  She looks forward to her Mirzayan Fellowship at the National Academies and sees it as an opportunity to learn about the policies that govern and regulate the oceans and marine resources.  Her career goal is to work with local and regional environmental resource management programs.  In her free time, Helena enjoys long walks with her dogs, swimming, scuba diving, reading and relaxed evenings with friends.  Contact by email.

Lisa Boyette (HCS/IOM) completed an MD at the University of Virginia in 2007 and is now working on a PhD in molecular physiology and biological physics at the National Institutes of Health.  Her research at NIH focuses on stem cell reprogramming techniques and how reprogramming technology can be applied to cell-based therapies and tissue engineering.  Lisa studied biomedical engineering and physics as an undergraduate at Virginia Commonwealth University and the Medical College of Virginia.  Following completion of her PhD, she plans to complete residency training in neurosurgery.  She is excited about her Mirzayan Fellowship with the National Cancer Policy Forum and hopes to learn a lot about crafting policy that promotes research which will effectively advance the standard of care provided to patients.  When she's not in the lab, Lisa enjoys Ashtanga yoga, swimming, baking, and reading spy novels.  Contact by email.

Carrie Brubaker (CWSEM/PGA and DEW/NAE) is a PhD candidate in biomedical engineering at Northwestern, where she recently completed her MS in the same field.  Her doctoral research focuses on the synthesis and characterization of marine mussel-inspired adhesive hydrogel materials, and their use in wound healing and surgical/biomedical applications.  In recognition of her research program and graduate student leadership activities, Carrie received the “50 for the Future” award from the Illinois Technology Foundation in April 2009.  Prior to establishing herself at Northwestern, Carrie was employed by the Ministère de l’Education Nationale (France) as an English language teaching assistant.  She graduated Phi Beta Kappa from UCLA with a BS degree in biochemistry and a BA degree in French and Francophone studies.  As a former teacher, as a graduate student, and as a woman in engineering, she is very interested in the processes by which S&T policy decisions impact various groups, both within the United States and internationally.  She anticipates that involvement in the Mirzayan Fellowship will provide significant insight into this topic, and many, many others.  Carrie is actively evaluating a career in academia et alia, and enjoys swimming, travel, French lit, and unique dining experiences.  Contact by email.

Ethan Chiang (CSCANS/PGA) graduated from Cornell University with a PhD in chemistry & chemical biology in August 2009, just before starting his Mirzayan Fellowship.  In his graduate research, he studied the molecular mechanisms that drive the redistribution of proteins at the plasma membrane during immune cell activation.  Through a Cornell/Rockefeller/Sloan Kettering Tri-Institutional Chemical Biology Fellowship, he enjoyed participating in interdisciplinary collaborative research projects including organic drug synthesis, protein crystallography and nano-fabrication.  Ethan holds a BA in chemistry from Whitman College, where his undergraduate research utilized inverse gas chromatography to study the chemical surface modification of mineral particles.  As a graduate student, his involvement in science education and outreach programs taught him the challenges and importance of communicating science with the non-scientific community.  As a Mirzayan Fellow, he looks forward to learning the most effective ways in which he can utilize his scientific background to interpret and construct science/technology policy into a larger social context.  Born and raised in Hawaii, Ethan has a lifelong appreciation for warm weather and a good game of beach volleyball.  In his free time, he enjoys playing the viola, cooking without recipes, discussing politics, and singly loudly to the radio.  Contact by email.

Keri Chiodo (Koshland/NAS) earned her PhD in neuroscience from Wake Forest University in May 2009 and holds a BS in biological psychology from the College of William & Mary.  Keri studied the neurobiological and behavioral aspects of drug addiction for her doctoral research.  More specifically, she evaluated d-amphetamine as a potential pharmacotherapy for cocaine dependence by examining its effects on cocaine self-administration in rats.  Throughout graduate school, Keri looked for opportunities to share her excitement for science with non-scientists.  In addition to lecturing at the university level, she participated in several science outreach endeavors in her community.  As a founding member of the Brain Awareness Council at WFU, she particularly enjoyed creating informal lessons and hands-on activities to teach K-12 students about the brain.  Keri views her Mirzayan Fellowship as an incredible opportunity to explore science communication and education on a larger scale.  Ultimately, she hopes to make a substantial contribution to the public understanding of science through the exhibits and public programs she will develop for the Koshland Science Museum.  In her free time, Keri enjoys playing soccer, completing Sudoku puzzles in pen, and watching her favorite television shows from the ‘80s on DVD.  Contact by email.

Jon Dolle (DBASSE/DBASSE/EO) is currently completing his PhD in philosophy of education at Stanford University.  His dissertation research focuses on the philosophy of social science, especially the role of moral argument in educational research.  He has a BS in engineering, a BA in philosophy, and an MA in educational policy studies from the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign.  Jon will be a Mirzayan Fellow with the DBASSE Executive Office where he is especially excited to work with the Standing Committee for Social Science Evidence for Use.  His career goals are to work on educational policy at the state and federal levels and to join the faculty of a school of education.  In his free time he loves to rock climb, cook, and follow politics.  Most recently he’s been trying to meditate on a regular basis, though he’s beginning to wonder whether this is really the best complement to the solitude of dissertation writing.  Contact by email.

Yeetey Enuameh (BCYF/IOM) is a DrPH candidate at the Drexel University School of Public Health, Department of Community Health and Prevention in Philadelphia.  His dissertation will examine adolescent friendly health service delivery within healthcare facilities in his home country, Ghana.  Acknowledging the role of policy in facilitating progressive change in human endeavors, Yeetey is excited about the fellowship hoping to enhance his knowledge of policy making and implementation processes.  His career goal is to be a professor in a public health educational facility actively engaged in research, evidence generation, policy formulation and advocacy on issues of relevance to the well-being of adolescent populations, whilst transferring knowledge to upcoming public health practitioners.  Yeetey is a physician with an MSc in health service planning and management.  He practiced as a physician in health institutions in Ghana and was a clinical research fellow with a team of researchers on malaria vaccine and drug trials at the Kintampo Health Research Center (KHRC) in Ghana.  He is the convener of the KHRC’s Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) Evidence Synthesis Group.  Yeetey likes music, hiking, driving, cycling, excursions and being with his family when on break from work.  Contact by email.

Sherrie Forrest (CHDGC/DBASSE) graduated from the Institute of Marine and Coastal Sciences at Rutgers University with a MS in oceanography in October 2008.  Her graduate work employed molecular techniques to examine the iron requirements of the nitrogen fixing marine cyanobacterium Trichodesmium.  The purpose was to explore oceanic nitrogen and iron budgets using quantitative analysis of an essential physiological structure.  Sherrie has a BA in English from Pepperdine University, which has helped her to pursue her other passion, making science accessible to everybody through effective writing and communication.  As a Mirzayan Fellow, she is looking forward to gaining hands-on experience in how scientific research is translated into public policies, particularly with the issue of climate change.  Going forward, she plans to pursue a career in science policy and hopes that working within The National Academies will give her invaluable insight into the challenges now facing the environment and global community.  In her free time, Sherrie enjoys cooking, farmers markets, restaurants and reading, and is looking forward to weekend exploring in D.C.  Contact by email.

Janet Fraser (TAD/TRB) is currently completing her MS in technology management with an emphasis on intelligent transportation systems at Marshall University.  She has a BA in economics and political science from Chatham University.  Her graduate capstone project intends to evaluate different methods of allocating emergency medical services in rural, yet highly traveled, areas.  She views her Mirzayan Fellowship as an opportunity to gain first-hand experience into the different elements involved in developing transportation policy and awareness.  After completing the Fellowship and her MS, she intends to complete her PhD in transportation, focusing on transportation safety.  She dreams of an advisory role with a state or provincial department of transportation.  Janet has embraced transportation as a lifestyle, and when not on campus or in the area defined as "work", she can be found kayaking and canoeing the lakes and rivers of West Virginia, collecting road maps, volunteering as an EMT, watching trains roll by (sometimes operating and often riding them), geocaching, and exploring the terrain in her beloved Chevy.  Contact by email.

Sarah Gaillot (BSP/IOM) is a doctoral fellow in policy analysis at the Pardee RAND Graduate School (PRGS) and is completing a dissertation on racial-ethnic and gender disparities in trauma and mental health service use.  Sarah is also an assistant policy analyst at RAND, and for recent projects she analyzed interviews with traumatic injury survivors, developed post-deployment health educational materials, reviewed literature on sexual assault prevention and response, identified best practices for promoting resilience, and evaluated an out-of-school time intervention.  Prior to joining PRGS and RAND, Sarah taught English in South Korea on a Fulbright teaching grant.  She holds an honors BS in human development/family studies and psychology from Penn State and spent semesters at the University of Ghana and the National University of Singapore.  Sarah is passionate about the dissemination of high quality health research and evidence-based policy analysis, and she hopes her Mirzayan Fellowship will help her learn more about how policy research and analysis is used at the national level. She plans to pursue a career as a policy analyst in the federal government.  In her free time she enjoys travel, hiking, dancing, and singing.  Contact by email.

Stephanie K. Goodwin (FNB/IOM) is working towards her PhD in the Department of Human, Nutrition, Foods and Exercise (HNFE) at Virginia Tech.  She is a graduate of the University of New Hampshire, having received her bachelor’s degree in nutritional sciences, and served in a Virginia Tech Dietetic Internship in 2003.  Before graduate school she worked as a clinical dietitian with Carilion Health System.  Her volunteer leadership experience with the Virginia Dietetic Association and her interests played a major role in her decision to pursue graduate work that combines nutrition science with public policy.  Her academic opportunities allowed her to combine science and policy in the classroom at Virginia Tech’s Center for Public Administration and Policy (CPAP).  She hopes that her Mirzayan Fellowship at the Institute of Medicine will allow her to gain the real-world experience of bringing science and policy together.  In the future she hopes to find a position with a leading organization in epidemiology and public health.  She anticipates that her Fellowship experience will continue to develop her skills so that she may become a leader in nutrition and public health policy.  In Stephanie’s free time she enjoys biking, kayaking, playing the cello and spending time with her husband and dogs.  Contact by email.

Aaron Greco (BEES/DEPS) recently completed his PhD in mechanical engineering at Northwestern.  His area of specialty is in the field of tribology, where he has focused on the development of surface engineering of mechanical bearings for friction reduction leading to improved energy efficiency.  Aaron received his BS in mechanical engineering at Iowa State.  Between his undergraduate and graduate programs, Aaron participated in a yearlong internship program at Argonne National Laboratories doing research in support of the FreedomCAR and Vehicle Technologies program at the U.S. Department of Energy.  Beyond his laboratory research, Aaron has been active in the group Engineers for a Sustainable World where he has led projects both internationally, developing energy and water facilities in rural communities in Panama; and locally, with the development of a campus bio-fuel project.  Aaron is very interested in energy policy, particularly the development and implementation of new energy technology.  Through his Mirzayan Fellowship at The National Academies, Aaron is eager to gain valuable insight into how science policy influences and drives new exploration in the field.  He plans to use this policy experience, along with his technical expertise, to build a career in the transitioning of new energy technology into application.  In his spare time, Aaron is an avid cyclist who enjoys rebuilding bicycles.  He likes almost all other outdoor activities, including hiking, camping, gardening, and photography.  Contact by email.

Chazeman Jackson (BPH/IOM) is completing her PhD in the Department of Microbiology at Howard University College of Medicine.  Her graduate research examines gene-environment interactions that influence the initiation and propagation of asthma.  Graduating with honors, Chazeman received a BA in humanities with an emphasis in philosophy from Tougaloo College and a MA in biology from American University.  For three years, she worked as a biologist in the Division of Molecular and Cellular Biosciences at the National Science Foundation.  In demonstration of her leadership and academic excellence, Chazeman has been the recipient of numerous honors and awards, among them the Gates Millennium Scholarship and the Wyeth/UNCF Corporate Scholarship.  Chazeman is elated about her Mirzayan Fellowship opportunity and hopes to understand the programmatic function of The National Academies to gain a better appreciation of the policy process and to become exposed to the current science policy agenda and discussion.  Her career goals are centered on the development of policies and plans that support both individual and community health and wellness.  Chazeman's personal interests include traveling, photography, creative writing, and acting as a mentor to high school and undergraduate students.  Contact by email.

Julie Kang (COHSI/DBASSE) is completing her PhD in cognitive psychology at the University of California, Riverside.  Her graduate research has focused identifying the attention and visual factors that can affect task performance such as driving.  For her dissertation, she has been examining the nature of representation for attentional processing.  She recognizes the importance in considering the abilities and limitations in the human operator for designing complex systems.  She hopes to gain insight as to how current research helps shape emerging policy issues by working as a Mirzayan Fellow with the Board on Behavioral, Cognitive, and Sensory Sciences.  She is very dedicated to the idea of using science to assist people in living better lives.  In her free time, she enjoys running, yoga, listening to National Public Radio, and playing sports.  Contact by email.

Abigail Kroch (HSP/IOM) is a postdoctoral fellow at University of California, San Francisco.  She works on the molecular mechanism of transcription.  She did her doctoral work on the biophysics of protein interactions at Johns Hopkins University, and obtained a bachelor’s degree from the University of Chicago.  While at UCSF, she has taught general biology courses at the University of San Francisco.  She also serves as director of postdoctoral education at UCSF, a part-time appointment in the dean’s office to act as a representative for postdoctoral fellows within the university administration.  She intends to use this experience to expand her interests in public policy and determine how she can better act as a science advocate in the political realm.  Abigail’s hobbies include indoor climbing, yoga, and she currently plays the bass in the Prometheus Symphony, a Bay Area-based community orchestra.  Contact by email.

Kevin Kuhn (BCST/DELS) completed his PhD in chemistry at the California Institute of Technology in July 2009 and holds a BS in chemistry and a BS in biochemistry from Miami University.  In his graduate research, Kevin focused on understanding and improving the efficiency of the ruthenium catalysts that mediate olefin metathesis reactions.  He is excited to be working with BCST and believes the Mirzayan Fellowship offers a unique opportunity to see how policy is formed, which will provide a strong foundation for him to contribute to the scientific policy debate for years to come.  Kevin plans to pursue a career in public service and would like to work on bridging the communication gap between the science and policy communities.  In his free time, he can be found backpacking, making espresso, talking politics, and playing with his giant dog.  Contact by email.

Sarah Lovell (AFSB/DELS) has spent the last year working in Iraq with Ideal Innovations Incorporated, supporting the Biometric Identification System for Access, using technology to help secure military bases across the country.  Prior to arriving in Baghdad, she read for a master’s degree in technology policy at the University of Cambridge, and completed her thesis on “Implications of Emergent Databases in a Surveillance Society.”  Her undergraduate days were spent at West Virginia University, earning degrees in computer engineering and biometric systems alongside a minor in political science.  Sarah has had previous stints in D.C. with the White House Office of Strategic Initiatives and the Department of Defense Biometrics Task Force, and past work experience with a biometrics research lab (WVU Biomedical Signal Analysis Laboratory), a biometrics start-up company (Videntity Systems Incorporated), and a technology non-profit (Noblis Incorporated).  She enjoys being an ambassador for smart technology especially as it pertains to identity management solutions, and looks forward to contributing her first-hand accounts of defense technologies in the field.  Reading memoirs, shooting hoops, country line dancing, or showing off the Mountain State are when Sarah is happiest.  Contact by email.

David Lukofsky (STS/PGA & NAE) earned a PhD in engineering physics from the Thayer School of Engineering at Dartmouth.  As part of his dissertation, David collaborated with the Naval Research Laboratory in Washington, D.C. to develop a wireless, all-optical communication link in water.  This experience built on his undergraduate degree in electrical engineering and biomedical instrumentation, which he earned in his native Canada at Dalhousie University.  David enjoys communicating science.  For this reason, he spent last summer reporting on science and technology issues at an NPR-member station as part of an AAAS Mass Media fellowship.  In the coming years he intends to continue communicating science issues to a broader audience — hopefully while encouraging the development of green energy resources on both sides of the US-Canada border.  He is fluent in English and French, and sustains a competent level of Spanish.  In his spare time, he likes to be with a snowboard and friends while enjoying fresh New England and Canadian powder.  He is a fan of David Suzuki, David Attenborough, and Oprah Winfrey.  Contact by email.

Merlina Manocaran (STEP/PGA) graduated from Harvard Business School with a doctorate in business administration in June 2009.  Her dissertation examined the strategies and outcomes of generic and branded pharmaceutical firms in making patent challenges to enter the market before patents expire.  Prior to this work, she conducted field research in India on the effects of intellectual property law changes.  She has also taught emerging markets business strategy, a topic which she enjoys, to undergraduates at the Harvard economics department.  Merlina completed her undergraduate studies in law at Oxford University, U.K., and worked in corporate and investment banking before attending graduate school.  Her interests include the intersection of business and policy (both in the U.S. and in emerging markets) and the delivery of global health care.  She hopes that this fellowship will give her insight into the formulation and role of policy in science and technology industries.  After her Mirzayan Fellowship, she plans to join the New York consulting firm McKinsey & Co.  In her free time, Merlina enjoys movies, dancing, reading and volunteer work with after-school programs.  Contact by email.

Zachary Pirtle (CEES/NAE) is completing his MS in environmental engineering and holds a BSE in mechanical engineering and a BA in philosophy from Arizona State University.  His MS has a concentration in earth systems engineering and management and his research developed a robustness analysis framework for evaluating multi-model ensembles.  Zach spent the 2008-09 academic year in Mexico as a Fulbright-Garcia Robles scholar studying the potential role of nanotechnology in aiding Mexico’s development goals and in reducing inequities.  As an undergraduate, he had diverse experiences interning with the Consortium for Science, Policy and Outcomes and with Honeywell Aerospace.  Zach is excited to work for the Center for Engineering, Ethics and Society as an opportunity to apply and unify his interests in engineering, philosophy and science policy.  Zach hopes to work as an engineer and to eventually earn a PhD in the philosophy of science.  He is proud to be a fourth generation Arizonan and enjoys racquetball and travel.  Contact by email.

Edrin Rouse (CNSTAT/DBASSE) is currently completing his PhD in business quantitative methods at North Central University.  His doctoral thesis will examine the relationships among test-related factors and candidate pass rates across professional certification exams.  His research will provide information to assist credentialing agencies optimize their test development, administration, and quality control processes.  On the professional side, Edrin has more than 17 years of experience spearheading business process improvement efforts in various manufacturing and service industries.  He is looking forward to the Mirzayan Fellowship at The National Academies and sees it as an opportunity to use his quality expertise to help improve the 2010 Census process and other activities with CNSTAT.  Overall, he hopes to learn how CNSTAT uses statistical methodologies to inform public policymaking.  Long term, he plans to pursue a multidisciplinary research career that will allow him to use his graduate study competencies and practical work experiences as the base to improve societal issues at local, state, and national levels.  Edrin holds a BS in industrial technology from North Carolina A&T State University and an MS in quality systems from Eastern Michigan University.  He enjoys singing in a quartet at his church, and playing and coaching basketball.  Contact by email.

Abigail Sheffer (SSB/DEPS) earned a PhD in planetary science from the Lunar and Planetary Laboratory at the University of Arizona and a BA in geosciences from Princeton University.  Her doctoral research explored the relationship between the high pressures and temperatures caused by meteorite impacts and the extremely reduced chemistry of impact glasses.  Abigail previously spent time in Washington as a summer intern at the Carnegie Institution’s Geophysical Laboratory where she studied minerals in Martian meteorites.  During her Mirzayan Fellowship, Abigail will be working on the Planetary Science Decadal Survey and is excited to participate in shaping the future of space science.  In her spare time, Abigail enjoys making jewelry, helping raise Arabian horses, adding to her rock collection, and stargazing.  Contact by email.

Gyami Shrestha (BASC/DELS) is a PhD candidate in the environmental systems program at the University of California, Merced (UCM).  She is investigating soil black carbon and its relation to the carbon budget and air quality.  As a UCM Graduate Student Association officer for Public Relations and Academic Affairs, she served on committees such as the new Chancellor Search Committee and the Academic Planning Committee.  For her MS in soil science and water resources at the University of Wyoming, she studied soil carbon and surface coal mine land reclamation impacts.  Prior to graduate school, she explored rainwater harvesting technologies in rural Nepal. Working for the Center for Rural Technology, she helped initiate and coordinate a United Nations Environmental Program and International Center for Integrated Mountain Development supported project on appropriate technologies for rural women.  She helped to establish the first ENERGIA Network (for Gender and Sustainable Energy) of Nepalese organizations involved in energy and water technologies.  She hopes her Mirzayan Fellowship will equip her with the insights to fulfill her career interests in academic and non-academic organizations.  She plans to integrate scientific research with policy analyses to aid decision makers in formulating sustainable environmental policies worldwide.  After excessive exposure to her dissertation, her mind heals with entertaining company, movies, travelling, reading and writing.  Contact by email.

Mary C. Thomas (COSEPUP/PGA) earned her PhD in biochemistry from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 2006.  Her graduate research focused on how transcription factors orchestrate responses in genes – the complex biochemical phenomenon, involving many different components interacting with each other and with DNA, which underpins much of biology.  She greatly enjoyed the challenge of dissecting this complicated process and making sense of how its actions spontaneously lead to structure and function in cells and tissues.  As a postdoctoral fellow at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, she explored the molecular basis of cancer through the study of tumor suppressor genes.  Although gratifying to see the potential impact of cancer research at a teaching hospital, working at the bench left her hungry for better understanding of how science works as a cooperative endeavor: who establishes science policy, how, and why.  Working with COSEPUP, she is especially interested in understanding how specific policies promote the highest ethical conduct in various scientific disciplines.  Mary is passionate about educating the lay public, about promotion and retention of underrepresented minorities in scientific research, and about encouraging scientific integrity at all levels.  Outside of the laboratory setting, she enjoys yoga, hiking, and participating in multicultural activities.  Contact by email.

Brian Tse (Koshland/NAS) graduated from Harvard with a PhD in chemistry in June 2008, with support from a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship.  He also holds a BS in chemistry/medicinal chemistry from the University at Buffalo.  His graduate research focused on an evolution-inspired approach to drug discovery called DNA-templated synthesis.  As a graduate student, Brian assisted the faculty with the design and implementation of a new introductory life sciences course.  In his spare time, he volunteered at the Boston Museum of Science, serving as an exhibit interpreter for the Human Body Connections wing.  Upon completion of his thesis, he joined Harvard’s teaching staff as a preceptor, where he developed educational material for a general education course titled “Molecules of Life.”  His work primarily focused on the design of new, hands-on laboratory activities.  Brian looks forward to experiencing the process of exhibit design at the Koshland Science Museum.  He hopes to continue his career in the administration of a science museum or university.  In his free time, Brian enjoys playing guitar, riding his motorcycle, watching baseball, and volunteering.  Contact by email.

Joyce Wondolowski (BLS/DELS) is currently completing her PhD in neuroscience at Oregon Health & Science University.  She holds a BS in psychology from the University of North Carolina.  Her research experience has spanned a range of topics from aggression in juvenile sex offenders to the neural substrates of addiction, and, presently, the biophysical properties of neurotransmitter receptors in the hippocampus.  Throughout her research Joyce has been active with a number of community organizations, including Big Brothers/Big Sisters and the Komen Foundation.  She is excited about the prospect of being a Mirzayan Fellow at The National Academies because science policy is at the intersection of her two passions, basic science research and public service.  After completing her graduate work, Joyce will go on to work as a postdoctoral fellow at UCLA.  In her free time, Joyce likes to run, hike, and paddle on a competitive dragon boat racing team.  Contact by email.