Fellows
2007-2008 Fellows
Case loves being in the field, has interests cross many different fields, and works hard to be a top-notch educator. After a long search and many different undergrad majors, he found that under the auspices of Geography, all of his interests could be combined: from plants, medieval maps, and pop culture to landforms, epistemology, and theatre. And with Geography, even area studies are within reach. Case has first-hand experience in the Aegean, the Caribbean, Europe, and Latin America—plus, as a keen traveler, he also has a solid grasp of most other regions. Case’s mantra for both himself and his students is what Aristotle told Alexander: “Go and see…”
Becki Bert Campanaro
I am pursuing a PhD in Biochemistry in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry. I received a Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry in May of 2003. I began working on my current research while I was still an undergraduate at Susquehanna University, a small liberal arts college located in central Pennsylvania. During the summer of 2002 I received an NSF-REU Fellowship award to work with Dr. Ronald Nieman on his research involving a disease called Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA), and upon returning to ASU in the summer of 2004, I chose to continue that work. SMA is an inherited disorder that is characterized by the death of motor neurons which leads to the loss of voluntary muscle function and is currently the leading genetic cause of death in children under the age of two with an incidence of approximately 1 in every 6,000 live births. The goal of my research is to characterize the post-translational modifications of several isoforms of the Survival of Motor Neuron (SMN) protein and understand how they are associated with the disease state. In addition to my research activities, I have also participated in the Preparing Future Faculty Program offered at ASU. In my free time I coach a high school girls’ volleyball team, play in a co-recreational softball league, and avidly support the ASU football and baseball teams.
Charles Brown
I am a doctoral student in the Science & Engineering of Materials program, an interdisciplinary program of the School of Materials in the Division of Graduate Studies. I hold the BS degree in chemistry and the MS degree in macromolecular science. I have returned to graduate study after many years working as a engineer in the aerospace and semiconductor industries. I have also obtained a teaching credential and worked with high school students in California. I currently study MEM’s applications of electro deposited meso and nano scale particles. I applaud GK-12 programs and I am proud to help students learn scientific methods through inquiry based curriculums (I always liked labs more than lectures!).
Amy Farnbach, M.A
Amy studies the biology and history of tuberculosis (TB); her dissertation focuses on nineteenth-century Scotland, where deaths from the disease were more than four times as common than in any region of the world today. She earned her Bachelor’s degree from Princeton University in molecular biology, where she researched the immune response to influenza in mice. Her Master’s thesis in the Department of Anthropology at the University of Colorado at Boulder explored research methods combining genetic and skeletal data to study TB in past human groups. She has also investigated the genetics of egg cell formation in fruit flies and worked on archaeological digs in Ireland and New Mexico.
Lisa Bobich
I am a doctoral student in the Harrington Department of Bioengineering. I received my Bachelor’s degree in Biomedical Engineering from the University of Rochester in 2004. My research at ASU focuses on eliciting touch sensations using electrical stimulation for applications in sensory substitution as well as investigating the pathways involved in cutaneous reflexes of the hand. In my spare time I like to bake, learn foreign languages, and collaborate on research projects with anthropologists.
Stephanie Meredith
Stephanie Meredith is a graduate student in the School of Human Evolution and Social Change. She studies the development of social behavior in non-human primates, and her dissertation research will be conducted on ring-tail and brown lemurs in Madagascar. Fortunately, she likes tent-living and rice and beans, because her research in Madagascar will necessitate two years of both. Her previous time in Madagascar has taught her the importance of being able to contextualize and communicate scientific research in ways that are relevant to non-scientists. Most lemur species are endangered, and the forest where Stephanie researched brown lemurs (which only live in trees) right after she graduated from college is already gone—it has all been cut down for firewood. She plans to dedicate her time in the GK-12 program to discovering and improving her skills at converting non-scientists into science-lovers in the hopes that these skills will transfer to conservation situations she will face in her future research as a primatologist.
Oliver Hyman
After spending two years in the Cloud Forests of Costa Rica, I became keenly interested in amphibians and their recent dramatic declines. According to the 2004 Global
Amphibian Assessment, 43 percent of all amphibian species are experiencing some form of population
decrease, 32.5 percent are threatened, and 122 species have possibly gone extinct since 1980. Recent research has centered on a chytrid fungus, Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis
(Bd) as one of the major contributors to these declines. This fungus has been found worldwide, and it has been hypothesized that climate change, host behavior, and life
histories may play important roles in its virulence. However, we currently lack sufficient knowledge of the prevalence of this fungus and its dynamics in
natural populations. This information is key to predicting the spread of Bd and the role that it may have played, if any, in past declines. This host-pathogen system may represent a significant opportunity to study how environment, host behavior, and pathogen virulence interact to create population declines and extinctions. It will also be important for
understanding the dynamics of Bd within local populations and devising strategies to prevent declines. My goal is not only to contribute important information on the dynamics of chytrids, but more importantly, to disseminate this information to students, policy makers, and locals through teaching and publication. Arizona State University’s GK12 Down to Earth Science program provides me with and excellent opportunity to meet these goals by presenting my research to a broader audience. I look forward to using my knowledge to educate and excite students about science, conservation, and, of course, amphibians. In 2004, I graduated from the University of Colorado at Boulder with a degree in environmental, organismal, and population biology. During my time in Colorado I gained a foundation in basic biology and field techniques. I also got pretty good at snowboarding and hiking. During my junior year, I was
fortunate enough to spend a semester abroad in Costa Rica. While there I gained a keen interest in tropical ecology and herpetology. After graduation I immediately returned to Costa Rica to work as a teaching assistant on an undergraduate study abroad program specializing in tropical field biology. This program developed my skills as a teacher and herpetologist. After two years living in the lush tropical forests of Costa Rica, it was time for a change, so I decided to attend ASU in pursuit of a degree in ecology.
2006-2007 Fellows
Aaron Fairchild
Hi, I'm Aaron Fairchild, a PhD student at the Harrington department of Bioengineering at ASU. My focus is on chemical sensors- specifically electroimpedance spectroscopy. I'm also interested in tissue engineering and SENS (strategies for engineered negligible senescence). I hail from Anchorage, Alaska. I received my B.S. in biology from Purdue, then did M.E. at University of Alaska Fairbanks before joining the program here.
Cyd Hamilton
I’m a doctoral student in the Biology Department’s
School of Life Sciences. Understanding interspecific interactions and how they
alter both the organisms intimately involved in the interaction and the
surrounding community is of particular interest to me. To date, I have explored
this interest via a fungal-plant interaction (symbiosis) that remains an
indefinable mystery. The system defies conventional wisdom and appears to
dynamically respond to a variety of biotic and abiotic factors. Teasing out the
pieces of this puzzle to obtain a clear picture is the objective of my doctoral
research. It is my ultimate goal to help develop research that will aid in the
conservation and management of delicate and threatened habitats.
Saba
When I started college at sixteen, I knew I wanted to study engineering, but was not sure which field of engineering. I got interested in electrical engineering after taking a Physics class and talking to other electrical engineers. So, I decided to get my bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering and that was what I did. Although I have always been intrigued by my undergraduate field of study and was involved in a number of research projects, bioengineering has always seemed like a final destination, or close, for my career goal. Thus, I started working towards my master’s degree in bioengineering. Since making the transition to a graduate student in bioengineering, I was introduced to the emerging field of biocomplexity and complex adaptive systems by my graduate advisor and became intrigued with the development of in silico computational methods that are currently being used to understand complex biological systems. I became particularly fascinated with the use of in silico methods to understand the behavior of the immune system, both for its obvious impact on health care and its delivery, as well as, for its even broader, bioinspired societal impact. The best way to know about my research is to look at the following website. I am using the same computer model provided in this website to study the behavior of immunological tolerance and other mysteries of our immune system. You can also do a web search on the immune system, Cellular Automaton models, and immunological tolerance if you would like to know more. http://www.iac.rm.cnr.it/~filippo/
Jeremy Brower
This is my first year as a graduate fellow with the Down to Earth Science GK-12 program from the National Science Foundation. I am working with Cathy Culver, a science teacher at Chandler High School. I am involved with a new class to the Chandler Unified School District, called Investigative Science. This year-long class covers a mix of topics from earth and space science to chemistry, physics, and biology. Eventually the course is intended to be required for all freshman in the district, but for now the demographics of the class include all grades from 9-12. I am currently working on my doctoral degree in the Harrington Department of Bioengineering at Arizona State University. My research involves the structural changes that occur at the level of endothelial cells in disease conditions such as diabetes. Endothelial cells are those that line all of the blood vessels in our bodies, and they are highly influenced by the mechanical environment in which they grow. The primary force that these cells experience is due to the flow of blood through our cardiovascular system. My research focuses on the hypothesis that diabetic conditions change the way in which these cells respond to the mechanical forces to which they are exposed. A thorough understanding of the changes that take place in the cell may lead to a new class of therapeutics to treat diabetic heart disease.
2004-2005 Fellows
Kip Conwell
Kip Conwell is a graduate student from Chicago, IL. He studies how viruses infect people, in an effort to make better vaccines. Kip enjoys working with kids and takes pride in participating in the GK-12 Science Down To Earth program. As the oldest of six children and a former teacher he understands the importance of being able to present complex subjects in simple, thorough, and appreciable terms. In addition to his interests in communicating with people he is also an avid adventurer, athlete, and artist. Related to adventure, he works high in the mountains as a member of the National Ski Patrol. As an athlete Kip trains with a team of competitive road and mountain bikers for endurance competitions such as the 109 mile bike race El tour de Tucson, and the mountain challenge 24 Hours of Adrenalin. He also serves as co-director of AMEBA Acrobatic and Aerial Dance, a Chicago based not for profit dance company dedicated to inspiring audiences to move more in life.
Paula Stice
Harrington Department of Bioengineering at Arizona State University (ASU). I graduated with my BSE (Bachelor of Science in Engineering) in bioengineering in May of 2002 from ASU. I have a unique bond to the state of Arizona in that I am a 6th generation Arizonan from my mother’s side. My research experience began in 1997 when I was hired as an undergraduate employee working in an ASU Neural Engineering Lab. It was this early experience and exposure to Neuroscience and Engineering which began my passion for research. I have research experience in fabricating, designing, and implanting micro-neural-electrodes. These electrodes are used to record from neurons within the central nervous system. Although my research focus has always centered on the brain, my current research project centers on using these micro-electrodes to study stroke. The goal of my research project is to understand and define the micro-electrical environment of the tissue affected by stroke both in the short and long term. This understanding of how the tissue is healing and/or degrading will lead to better treatment options for stroke victims in the future.
Thierra Nalley
Hello, my name is Thierra Nalley and I am a paleoanthropology doctoral student at Arizona State University. My research mainly concerns how function relates to form and vise versa. I apply these concepts to the study of fossils and human evolution. I received my bachelors degree at the University of Missouri-Columbia in anthropology. I am also active in field research. I spent the last summer in northern Spain digging in a cave dating back 25,000 years. My interests also include science education (obviously!) and in the past I have had opportunities with the educational programs at the Phoenix Zoo. My free time is either spent reading a good book or outdoors with my dog, Griffon.
Angela Picco
I am currently in the Biology PhD program in the School of Life Sciences. My interests include conservation, amphibian ecology, emerging infectious diseases, and genetics. Currently, I study the interaction between an iridovirus and tiger salamanders. One aspect of my study centers on understanding the effect of this virus on different species/subspecies of tiger salamander, including threatened and endangered species in Arizona and California. I am also interested in different life history strategies that tiger salamanders possess, and how these strategies, such as neoteny, influence disease transmission and resistance. My studies incorporate questions about the effects of global climate change on amphibians and the increasingly important issue of amphibian declines. I received my B.S. from UC Davis and majored in Evolution and Ecology.
Kasey Yturralde
I have been interested in the natural world since I was a child. My interest in Biology can probably be traced back to David Attenborough, PBS and all of the butterflies I was able to catch in my backyard along the Santa Ana River. I began my formal education in 1991 at University of California at Santa Cruz where I received a BA in Biology 4 ½ years later. After two years working for CA State Parks, I started the Masters program in Biology at Sonoma State University. I graduated in 2000 and worked with the National Park Service and US Forest Service for a year. I began the Ph.D. program in Biology (now SoLS) at Arizona State University. Here at ASU, I study the evolution of mating systems in the orange sulphur butterfly, Colias eurytheme.
Erik Misner
I am currently pursuing a Master’s Degree in the Harrington Department of Bioengineering at ASU. My research focuses on examining the effects of environmental stress on the photosynthetic bacterium Chloroflexus aurantiacus. I have a B.S. and M.S. in Molecular and Cellular Biology from the University of Arizona. For four years, I taught biology courses and oversaw the introductory biology laboratories at the U of A. During that time, I collaborated with secondary school teachers to increase learner-centered curriculum in lab exercises. My future goals include pursuing a career in science writing.
Tonya Van Luevan-Smith
I am working on my masters in the Department of Anthropology at ASU and am a graduate fellow at the Institute of Human Origins. I did my undergraduate at University of California at Berkeley and there found that the study of human evolution combined my interests in anthropology and earth sciences – I have been hooked ever since! While working on my masters I have also continued to pursue my other interests, such as art (stained glass window and jewelry making), sports (surfing, backpacking, diving and volleyball), travel, and environmental outreach. Currently most of my non-masters time is spent as a member of the ASU chapter of Engineers Without Borders. I am also very much enjoying gaining teaching experience and working with children in the GK-12 program!
Kasha Neil
I am a doctoral candidate in the Department of Plant Biology (now known as the School of Life Sciences). My interest is in ecology, particularly urban ecology at this time. I grew up in southern California and here in Arizona. I have a B.S. in Biology from Arizona State University.
2001 - 2002 Fellows
Elena Ortiz-Barney
I’m currently a doctoral candidate in the department of Plant Biology. My research interests include science and environmental education, plant population biology, plant community ecology and ecosystem restoration. For my dissertation, I’m studying an endangered ecosystem called the desert grassland. These grasslands are found in Arizona, Texas, New Mexico and Mexico. I’ve been studying the grassland’s potential for recovery after overgrazing, by quantifying the soil seed bank. I’m also interested in the effects of fire management on this seed bank. I have a Master of Science in Biology from the University of Puerto Rico at Rio Piedras, and a Bachelor of Arts in Biology from the University of California at Santa Cruz.
Lydia Pane
My name is Lydia Pyne and I am an undergraduate at Arizona State University. My major is anthropology, and my specific areas of interest are paleoanthropology and archaeology. Paleoanthropologists are interested in studying human evolution through a study of fossil hominids. (A hominid is a bipedal primate mammal æ hominids include recent humans as well as extinct ancestral and related forms.) I am particularly interested in the amount of variation between hominid fossils. The research I am conducting for my honors thesis addresses questions of hominid species variability at Sterkfontein and Makapansgat which are two fossil sites in South Africa. The picture was taken this past summer (2001) at Limeworks Cave in the Makapansgat valley; I am looking for fossils in the beccia rock.
Esther Ellsworth
I am a senior at ASU, completing a Bachelor's degree in Biology & Society and beginning a Master's degree in Biology. I came to ASU interested in medicine and science education. Now, I also study ecology and science policy. How do all these subjects together? A good question! Most of my work is in two areas: science education and environmental health. I ask questions about what kind of science people want and need to know, and how they can best learn it. I also ask questions about how environmental regulations affect community health.
Senay Yasar
I am a master’s student in Curriculum and Instruction with a concentration in Science Education at Arizona State University. I believe that GK-12 Outreach is a very valuable program that will amplify students’ sympathy towards science and understanding of scientific method along with science concepts. Moreover, it is really fun working with young scientists.
Katheine Foland
I graduated in from Western Washington University in 2000 with a B.S. in chemistry and moved to Arizona to continue my education in the field of chemistry education. I am now 2nd year graduate student at Arizona State University and will be finishing a M.S. in chemistry this summer before pursuing a masters degree in education. My research as part of Dr. James P. Birk’s group is to create dynamic visualizations that help students understand chemistry on a molecular level. We hope that the animations will help students make a connection between the concrete macroscopic world, visible phenomena, and the abstract would of atoms and molecules. As a teaching assistant in a 7th and 8th grade science classroom I am able to share my excitement for science with the kids and get them curious about the world around them.
Mike Kraft
I was born in the small town of Warren, Pennsylvania. There I was raised, graduating from Warren Area High School in 1990. That fall I attended the State University of New York at Buffalo with the intention of majoring in architecture. During my sophomore year, I began to loose interest in architecture and began developing an interest in environmental issues and science. For the remainder of my undergraduate days, I studied a diverse selection of science-related topics, concentrating on geology. I graduated in 1995 with a B. A. in Geological Sciences and a B. S. in Interdisciplinary Social Sciences—Environmental Studies. Under the fine advice of my geology mentor, Dr. John King, I applied for graduate study at Arizona State University. After a year's hiatus in my education, I arrived at ASU in the fall of 1996. I began my studies under the instruction of Dr. Ronald Greeley, working first on exciting new image data of Jupiter's moon, Europa. In 1997, Dr. Greeley invited me to assist him with his work on the Mars Pathfinder mission, which was a great opportunity and a fascinating experience. Derived from my work with Pathfinder, I concentrated on wind abrasion and rock coatings for my thesis work. I earned my M. S. in 1999 and continued on as a staff researcher with Dr. Greeley into 2000. I stayed at ASU to pursue a Ph.D. and I am currently working with Dr. Thomas Sharp in the Department of Gesciences. I am investigating low-temperature weathering on Mars and the alteration of Martian dust. During my time at ASU, I have engaged in several science education activities: I have mentored high school students in research activities, participated in the Service Learning program, performed outreach activities within my department, and now I am a fellow in the NSF GK-12 program. In addition to my love of work in geology and science, I am avid baseball enthusiast (Go Diamondbacks!), football fanatic (poor Steelers), and 3-time-a-year hacker on the golf course. I am recently married to my wonderful wife, Kaatje. To pass my non-academic hours by, I play electric bass and guitar, attempting to write songs when the mood strikes me, I brew and consume frothy, malt-based beverages, and I hike. Also, I engage in sometimes-heated debates about politics and social wellbeing, I cook rather low-quality gourmet meals, and I'm in the process of building skills in carpentry and woodworking.
Arlisa Labrie
I am a Louisiana native! I hold a BS degree in Physics from Grambling State University in Louisiana, and a MS in Physics from the University of Texas at Dallas. I have worked in the semiconductor industry at Texas Instruments, National Semiconductor and KLA-Tencor as a process, product engineer and applications engineer before returning to graduate school to pursue a PhD in Materials Science & Engineering, with the goal of teaching at a University.I am currently doing research in advanced metallization for microelectronic devices. This includes characterization of the reliability of silver metallization, electromigration and low power applications.
Annalisa Alvrus
I completed my bachelor's degree in Anthropology at the University of Tennessee in 1991. I graduated summa cum laude, and was the top graduating senior in the College of Liberal Arts, Division of Social Sciences. I began graduate work at ASU and completed a Master's degree in Bioarchaeology in 1996. My Master's thesis examined healed skeletal trauma in a collection of Nubian human remains and the social implications of those fractures. I am presently a doctoral candidate in Physical Anthropology. My dissertation will examine skeletal evidence of anemia and its correlation with parasitic disease in the same Nubian skeletal collection. My main area interests are paleopathology and the influence of environment and culture on disease.
April Henry
I was born in Prescott, Arizona but for the last 10 years I have made Phoenix and the surrounding Sonoran Desert my home. I have BA in Anthropology from ASU, where I am currently pursuing a MS in Plant Biology. I have always been fascinated by the human species' interaction with the natural world. My interests broadly include Science and Natural History and I have a special affinity for ecology, ethnobotany and science education. For my MS thesis I am researching a fossil plant relative of Witch hazel (Hamamelis). Witch hazels have ballistic seed dispersal (their fruit explode to spread their seeds!) and they bloom in the fall after most deciduous trees have lost their leaves. These unusual characters make Witch hazel an interesting plant to study. When I am not busy and I have time to myself I enjoy gardening and developing my talents in the fiber arts.
Matthew Lungren
I am an undergrad fellow and I work in the Roosevelt school district at Southwest Elementary. I am pursuing dual degrees in English literature and Biology at ASU. My area of research is chemistry. Currently, I work in the photochemistry laboratory of Dr. Ian Gould where my research involves the photochemical nicking of plasmid DNA. I have managed to integrate as many chemistry related topics as possible during my work with the fifth and sixth graders who participate in the Gk-12 science club. I enjoy teaching very much: I like relating so-called "hard" material to young kids (who, often times, grasp the concepts better than I managed to at a college level...), I enjoy preparing lessons, and most of all, as a bit of a kid myself, I just like to have some fun while teaching.
Amber Townsend
I am an undergraduate at ASU. I am completing a bachelor's degree in Chemical Engineering. I plan on working in the field of polymers when I get out of school. Right now, I am helping a program called Science is Fun, where we go into the Phoenix valley schools and try to get the students, kindergarten through eighth grade, more excited about science and learning. We have a forty-five minute demonstration that involves many different aspects of physical science. Our three main areas are light, pressure and heat. I work on recruiting the ASU interns into the program and then I help Dr. Mike McKelvy and David Wright in training the interns to be able to perform the demonstration on their own. After the 4-week long training is complete, I get to handle the administrative part of the program, such as scheduling of the schools, following through on the feedback I receive from the schools, and helping make sure the equipment is in working order for the interns. I really