
Workshops 2020-2021
Why do birds have feathers? Why is her hair brown?
Where do we get new gene content from?
Can we make changes to our own genes?
The answer to all of these questions lies inside of us: DNA. Join us to understand more about DNA, its counterparts genes and genomes, and how we can use them to understand the basis of life.
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For All Registered Participants: Please check your email for instructions on how to receive the Zoom information. Thank you!

Adriana Diaz
Teaching Fellow
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Adriana Diaz is a 3rd-year Behavioral Neuroscience major from Northeastern University with a minor in Public Health. For a little over a year, Adriana has been assisting with motivation research in the medial preoptic area of the hypothalamus at a lab at Harvard Medical School. In her free time, Adriana loves talking about movies and is an avid Marvel fan!

Mriganka Nerkar
Teaching Fellow
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Mriganka Nerkar is a junior in the College of Agriculture & Life Sciences majoring in the Biological Sciences with a concentration in Molecular and Cellular Biology. She currently conducts research on Transposable Elements at the Feschotte Lab. In addition, she tutors Organic Chemistry. Outside of academics, she volunteers for Asha for Education to promote education for underprivileged children in India. She enjoys knitting and rollerskating!

Ariana Del Moral
Teaching Fellow
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Ariana Del Moral is a junior in the College of Arts & Sciences studying Biological Sciences with an emphasis on Plant Biology. After graduation, she hopes to pursue a Masters in Biological and Environmental Engineering. Outside of school, she enjoys baking, learning new languages, and hiking in nature.

Karina Ohri
Teaching Fellow
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Karina Ohri is a sophomore majoring in Biological Sciences with a concentration in Cellular and Molecular Biology. She enjoys volunteering at her local hospital and is currently a COVID-19 contact tracer. She hopes to attend medical school and pursue a degree in pediatrics.
Have you ever looked up at the night sky and wondered how humans will use engineering and astronomy to get to Mars?
Join us as we travel from Earth to Mars, including observing space from Earth, fueling more powerful rockets, exploring the “Red Planet,” and conducting experiments from hundreds of millions of miles away.
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For All Registered Participants: Please check your email for instructions on how to receive the Zoom information. Thank you!

Nikki Hart
Teaching Fellow
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Nikki Hart is a sophomore in the College of Engineering at Cornell University pursuing a double major in Mechanical Engineering and Electrical & Computer Engineering hailing from Houston, TX. She is a member of the Cornell University Autonomous Underwater Vehicle team and is super passionate about robots! In high school, she competed on the FIRST Robotics Competition team and organized multiple coding camps.

Perri Thaler
Teaching Fellow
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Perri Thaler is a junior in the College of Arts & Sciences at Cornell and is majoring in Astronomy and Economics. She loves every single thing about space, and works on Cornell Mars Rover and research for the Carl Sagan Institute. She also loves comedy and can quote any stand-up.

Tiffany Chou
Teaching Fellow
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Tiffany Chou (she/her) is a sophomore in the College of Engineering studying Electrical and Computer Engineering with minors in Policy Analysis & Management and Spanish. She is a McMullen Dean's Scholar, and on campus, she is involved with IEEE, Engineers Without Borders, and the Cornell International Affairs Society. In her free time, she enjoys crocheting, reading, and listening to music.

Ariel Baksh
Teaching Fellow
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Ariel Baksh is a Freshman in the College of Arts and Sciences studying Physics with a minor in Astronomy and Mathematics. Outside of school, she enjoys spending time with her family, reading, and writing.
The disease caused by the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) has significantly impacted all of our lives throughout the world. Have you wondered specifically how viruses cause diseases and how our bodies fight these diseases? Are you curious as to how we can prevent these viral outbreaks? Join us as we discuss how viruses work, how our bodies react, and what we can do to protect ourselves.
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For All Registered Participants: Please check your email for instructions on how to receive the Zoom information. Thank you!

Karnavaal Al-Rubayie
Teaching Fellow
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Karnavaal Al-Rubayie is a freshman in the College of Engineering studying Biomedical Engineering with a concentration of biomaterials and drug delivery systems. At Cornell she is a part of MECA, Global Tea club, and the Biomedical Engineering Society. Outside of classes, She loves making art(especially painting), volunteering in her community, reading, and finding new restaurants to try.

Zac DeCurtis
Teaching Fellow
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Zac DeCurtis is a second-year bioengineering and biochemistry combined major at Northeastern University in Boston. He is also on a pre-Medicine track and hopes to go into Orthopedics. Zac is involved with Engineers Without Borders and has worked with others in designing a water distribution system for La Pedregosa, Panama. As an engineer, he enjoys randomly typing things into a calculator until the numbers work. Zac likes playing the trumpet in NU’s pep-band and watching the Yankees beat the Red Sox in front of his Massachusetts friends.

Sean McCabe
Teaching Fellow
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Sean McCabe is a sophomore in the College of Human Ecology at Cornell University studying Human Biology, Health and Society with hopes of one day becoming a physician. He is currently working as a Resident Advisor for freshmen on North Campus and loves getting the chance to lead new members of the Cornell community. Outside of classes, Sean likes spending time with friends and family, taking long walks around campus, and listening to music.

Wonji Shin
Teaching Fellow
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Wonji Shin is a second-year pharmacy student majoring in pharmacy in the PharmD program at Northeastern University. She is a member of some of the pharmacy student organizations on campus, and volunteers for the Red Cross. She works on the NU Employer Engagement & Career Design team, and has been involved with NU Place (Professional Leadership and Career Engagement). Outside of school, she plays the flute and violin, and she enjoys skiing, hiking, and exploring new places with her friends (especially for food)!

Have you ever wondered what goes on thousands of meters below the surface of the ocean? Join us for our hands-on virtual workshop to learn why some fish glow in the dark, how human factors affect coral reefs, and how you can be the next innovator who helps save the body of water that covers 70% of the earth’s surface.
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For All Registered Participants: Please check your email for instructions on how to receive the Zoom information. Thank you!

Nikki Hart
Programming Director + Teaching Fellow
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Nikki Hart is a sophomore in the College of Engineering at Cornell University pursuing a double major in Mechanical Engineering and Electrical & Computer Engineering hailing from Houston, TX. She is a member of the Cornell University Autonomous Underwater Vehicle team and is super passionate about robots! In high school, she competed on the FIRST Robotics Competition team and helped organize and instruct an all-girls coding camp in Thailand.

Viraj Govani
Teaching Fellow
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Viraj Govani is a sophomore in the College of Arts and Sciences at Cornell University studying Biological Sciences, French, and Psychology. He has passions for French culture, research, and teaching. After graduation, he plans to enroll in a MD program to study pediatric cardiology. Outside of school, he enjoys art and dancing along with playing cricket.

Alexis Rooney
Teaching Fellow
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Alexis Rooney is a sophomore in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Cornell University studying Biological Sciences from Long Island, NY. On campus, she is part of Y.O.U.R.S.- a mentorship program for the youth, a General Chemistry TA, and a General Chemistry Tutor. Off campus, she loves going on walks with her dog and exploring!

Matthew Chen
Teaching Fellow
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Matthew Chen is a junior in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Cornell University studying neurobiology. He is very involved in the Cornell research community and currently has a pending publication about treating specific protein pathways causing Alzheimers. After graduation, he plans to pursue an MD and continue his research about the brain and its diseases. Outside of school, he enjoys playing basketball and gardening.

Tanya Kasyanchuk
Teaching Fellow
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Tanya Kasyanchuk is a sophomore in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Cornell University studying Environment & Sustainability from California. She is passionate about climate justice and volunteers for 350 Sacramento. Tanya enjoys long boarding, rock climbing, reading, exploring new places, and playing piano for fun.

When you sit down to eat dinner, you become part of a fascinating system that begins on a farm or in a laboratory and ends with you. This interactive workshop focuses on the biological component of GMOs, energy considerations behind food transportation and storage, kitchen tools and cooking, and the intricacies of our digestive system.

Antonia Pellegrini
Programming Director + Teaching Fellow
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Antonia Pellegrini is a sophomore in the College of Arts & Sciences studying Biological Sciences with a concentration in Neurobiology and Behavior. She is a Cornell Tradition Fellow and loves being involved in her community. Outside of school, she enjoys spending time with her family (including her dog), making memories being spontaneous with her friends, and exploring nature.

Jae Bucknor
Teaching Fellow
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Jae Bucknor is a senior in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS) studying Biological Sciences with minors in Inequality Studies and Science Communication and Public Engagement. She is a McNair and LSAMP Scholar who does drug delivery therapeutic research with Dr. Christopher Alabi. She loves playing guitar and singing and plans on being a college professor.

Perri Thaler
Teaching Fellow
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Perri Thaler is a junior in the College of Arts & Sciences at Cornell and is majoring in Astronomy and Economics. She loves every single thing about space, and works on Cornell Mars Rover and research for the Carl Sagan Institute. She also loves comedy and can quote any stand-up.

Ann Metzloff
Teaching Fellow
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Ann Metzloff is a senior in the College of Engineering studying chemical and biomolecular engineering. She has a passion for lab research, and has been named a Rawlings Cornell Presidential Research Scholar. After graduation, she plans to enroll in a PhD program to study immuno-oncology. Outside of school, she enjoys cooking and walking her two dogs.

Rachel Havriliak
Teaching Fellow
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Rachel Havriliak is a sophomore in the College of Arts & Sciences studying Physics with a concentration in biology. She is passionate about the intersection between different sciences, and what we can learn from interdisciplinary studies. Outside of school she enjoys dancing and doing DIY projects.

Cindy Pan
Teaching Fellow
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Cindy Pan is a senior in the College of Engineering studying computer science and minoring in business. She is interested in machine learning and passionate about discovering new ways to use computer science to make a meaningful impact in the world. She also absolutely loves reading and being a part of book clubs.

Anna Cliche
Teaching Fellow
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Anna Cliche is a sophomore in the College of Engineering. She is an environmental engineering major and is interested in renewable energy and sustainable urban design. She also loves trying new foods, reading, and crocheting.

Anna Sprouse
Teaching Fellow
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Anna Sprouse is a sophomore in CALS studying Food Science with a science emphasis. She is passionate about eliminating food insecurity and works with the Food Recovery Network in the local Ithaca community. When she’s not studying or cooking, you can catch her performing taiko at events around campus with Yamatai.