Christine Mirzayan Science & Technology Policy

Summer 2000 Fellow Biographies

		Lawrence DAVID Bruggeman (PD/COSEPUP) is currently a Public Policy Analyst with the Association for Computing Machinery. Following his fellowship, David continued working in the Policy and Global Affairs Division for the Government-University-Industry Research Roundtable (GUIRR) and the Forum on Information Technology and Research Universities. Working in these units he assisted program staff with various projects geared toward supporting the national research infrastructure. He provides program and logistical support for GUIRR meetings and contributed to the Information Technology and The Future of the Research University project. It's report, Preparing for the Revolution, was published in 2002. During David's fellowship at COSEPUP (which was converted into regular employment through December 2000) he worked on two projects: Science and Technology in the Public Interest: the Presidential Appointments Process and Implementing the Government Performance and Results Act: A Status Report. David completed his M.A. in Science, Technology and Public Policy at the George Washington University in May 2001, and is currently all but dissertation in his Ph.D. in Science and Technology Studies from Virginia Tech's Northern Capital Region. Prior to joining the Academies David worked for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. A native of the Pacific Northwest, David is more than happy to extol the virtues of the 'other' Washington and surroundings. Contact by email (Updated 06/06)
		Vera JOANNA Burton (CBSSE/BCYF) is pursuing a joint MD (Neurology) and Phd (Speech-Language Pathology) at the University of Illinois where she is enrolled in the Medical Scholars Program. Before deciding on her current course of study, Joanna joined the program Teach For America. She continued to teach bilingual special education for four years, working primarily with students with learning disabilities, mental retardation, and behavior disorders in grades two through six in basic living and academic skills. During this time she also coordinated an afterschool program for at risk children and was chairperson of the Special Education Department. Joanna plans to focus her medical practice and academic teaching on pediatric neurology and her research on language ability and disability. Joanna hopes to work primarily with under-resourced urban and immigrant populations. Her interest in policy stems from her participation in a health policy discussion group over the past year. She hopes to combine her experience at the Board on Children, Youth and Families with her medical interests to further develop skills in policy advising. Contact by email
		Kevin Crosby (IOM/BGH), who is currently completing coursework in microbiology, immunology, cell biology, and molecular biology at Virginia Tech University, has recently held internships at the Institute of Medicine’s Board on Global Health (BGH) and the Fogarty International Center of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). At BGH, he contributed to studies focused on birth outcomes and nervous system disorders in developing countries. At NIH, he researched the relationships between biomedical science and international health policy. Kevin holds a BA in History from Mary Washington College and is working towards an MA in International Relations from Syracuse University. Contact by email.
		Sheri Denslow (BANR) is a PhD candidate in Crop Science at North Carolina State University. Her doctoral research, funded by USDA, NSF and DOE, focuses on plant defense mechanisms at the molecular level. She holds a BS from Emory University where she graduated with highest honors in biology. Her scientific background includes using protein immunolocalization techniques in rat neurons to study Alzheimer’s disease. From August 1997 through August 1998 she held a position as Hybridizer at Green Hill Farm, Inc. in Chapel Hill, N.C, where she directed the Hosta hybridizing program. Prior to that, she was a Laboratory Assistant for the Cell Biology Department at Emory University. Contact by email.
		Josephine JO Ferrigno-Stack (PD/STEP/GUIRR) is a PhD candidate in communication at the University of Pennsylvania/Annenberg School for Communication. She received her MA in Communication, Culture and Technology and a BA in Government and French from Georgetown University. She studies the interaction of communications technology, and economic, political and societal institutions, especially as these institutions are affected by the shift to the "Internet Age." She provided Internet design and maintenance services at Halcyon Consulting, a small company she founded, and was communications manager for The Institute for Reproductive Health where she was responsible for in-house computer training and maintenance, as well as coordinating the distance learning program. Over the past year, Josephine has researched Internet policy issues and online political behavior at the Annenberg Public Policy Center at the University of Pennsylvania, where she will return in the fall. Contact by email
		Katharine KATIE Gramling (NAE/PO) works for Diamax Information Systems, a D.C. consulting firm that specializes in helping knowledge organizations use technology to do more with information. Diamax builds websites and business applications and provides advice on process analysis and strategic planning. Most Diamax clients are policy and international development organizations like the National Academies, the World Bank, and the United Nations. Katie received an MS in Environmental Science (Water Resources & Applied Ecology) from Indiana University, and a BS in Business Economics and Policy Analysis from Indiana-Purdue University at Fort Wayne. During her graduate studies, Katie worked on environmental issues such as the investigation of historical wetland sites and ecological history of a riparian wetland system where she applied her knowledge of science to public policy issues. Katie joined the staff of NAE after her fellowship and has had professional experience in consulting and public relations. Contact by email. (Updated 10/04)
		Karen Harwell (CETS/ASEB) earned both PhD and MS degrees in Aerospace Engineering from North Carolina State University, recently graduating in May 2000. She received a BS in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Alabama. She was a NASA Graduate Student Researchers Program (GSRP) participant at NASA Langley Research Center, an Amelia Earhart Fellow with Zonta International Foundation, and a Tau Beta Pi Stark Fellow. She held an engineering internship at the Center for Space Transportation and Applied Research in Tullahoma, Tennessee, where she performed satellite communications research and CFD grid generation. She also performed undergraduate research in aerodynamics at both the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center and the University of Alabama. Karen was President of both the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics student chapter and the Tau Beta Pi Engineering Honorary at the University of Alabama. She was awarded Sigma Gamma Tau's Southeast Region Honor Undergraduate Award for academic achievement and leadership. Karen recently accepted a position as a program officer with the Aeronautics and Space Engineering Board (ASEB) where she will be directing a study assessing NASA's Space Solar Power Investment Strategy and working with the Aerospace Research and Technology Roundtable. Contact by email.
		Christine Henderson (PGA/OIA) graduated with a Ph.D. in marine biology/ecology from Texas A&M University, with a minor in environmental management and policy. Her degrees conferred from California State University, Northridge, include an MS in marine biology/ecology and a BA in both biology and environmental studies. In addition, she holds an AA in Pre-veterinary Sciences and an AS in Animal Health Technology. And since moving to the Washington DC area she has taken a number of science and technology policy courses at the USDA Graduate School. She is presently employed as the Senior Reports Officer for the NRC Division on Earth and Life Studies Executive Office. From previous positions, Christine gained experience with fisheries management, and the caretaking of marine and terrestrial organisms. Her favorite outdoor activities are SCUBA diving, bicycling, hiking, and gardening. All of which are welcome respites from the mental aerobics she performs with her work. Christine's career interests centering on international environmental policy with emphasis on the ocean's diverse ecosystems were prompted by her personal attachment to the marine environment and the current state of mismanagement of fisheries and coastal ecosystems. Contact by email.
		Jill Johnston (CLS/BB) is a Ph.D. candidate in Botany at the University of Georgia. She is also enrolled in the Environmental Ethics certificate program there. She holds a B.S. from the University of California, Davis, with a major in Plant Biology and a minor in Nature and Culture. During 1996-97, she held a position as a postgraduate researcher at the University of California Bodega Marine Laboratory. During her employment, she investigated biological interactions within the soil community, directed other technicians, and cultured soil-dwelling organisms from several biological kingdoms. As an undergraduate, she worked with the California Public Interest Research Group (CALPIRG), holding many leadership positions including UC Davis chapter chairperson, treasurer of a campus ballot measure, and coordinator of campaigns which aimed to increase recycling on campus and encourage use of alternative transportation. Her dissertation research on the evolution of ecolphysiological traits in Louisiana Irises sparked questions for her about the role of science in our society. She sought an NAS fellowship to better understand how policy makers mediate the relationship between scientists and the public. Contact by email.
		Susan Laessig (CGER/OSB) is a Toxicologist at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency where she has worked in the Office of Research and Development for the past 2 years. She plans, administers, and tracks the progress of extramural research grants in the areas of Endocrine Disruptors and Biotechnology. Dr. Laessig completed a Ph.D. at the University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB) in Toxicology studying the effects of environmental contaminants on brain development. Following that, she spent three months in a research laboratory in Germany and completed a two-year ORISE postdoctoral fellowship at the National Center for Toxicological Research studying methods for developmental toxicity risk assessment relating to pesticide exposures. Dr. Laessig was previously employed at Sciences International, Inc. as an environmental health consultant in toxicology analyzing federal and state regulations and performing risk assessments and technical reviews. Outside of her work, she enjoys hiking, sailing, gardening, and music. Contact by email (Updated 06/06)
		Jennifer Nyman (CGER/BRWM) recently completed her BS in Chemical Engineering at Montana State University at Bozeman, with a minor in Music Performance. She plans to pursue a PhD in Environmental Engineering at Stanford University as a joint NSF/Phi Kappa Phi Fellow. As an undergraduate, she was involved with student government, the Honors Program, and peer mentoring/tutoring. Jennifer is a native of Montana and has long been concerned with land and water preservation as evidenced by her participation in various grass-roots environmental groups and her research in environmental science at the Center for Biofilm Engineering. Her research experience includes investigations into the microbial remediation of hexavalent chromium and methyl tertiary butyl ether. During summers, she has held internships at Conoco, Inc. in engineering and at Dow Chemical Company in research. From the fellowship with the National Academies, she hopes to gain a better understanding of science policy and national issues concerning radioactive waste. She has played the violin for 12 years as a soloist and member of various symphony orchestras, and plans to continue studying music. Contact by email.
		Michael Reilly (IOM/BHCS) is currently enrolled in medical school at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he also earned his BS degree in Environmental Science. During the summer of 1998, he held a position at the Washington Hospital Center in Washington, D.C. as a Medical Assistant and Patient Care Coordinator for a team of hospital physicians. He spent the previous summer as a Research Fellow at the National Cancer Institute at NIEHS in North Carolina. Michael’s research experience is augmented by a year-long internship with Novartis Biotechnology, where he contributed to several projects focusing on genetic enhancement. He is excited about being able to participate in the policy aspect of health care and hopes to eventually serve in a leadership capacity in American health reform. Outside of his academics, Michael spends his spare time as a performer for the University of North Carolina’s improvisational comedy troupe. He also serves on the editorial board for iris: UNC’s journal of medicine, literature, and visual art, and is a Spanish translator for the free medical clinic in Chapel Hill. Finally, Michael loves to eat. To offset his uncanny ability to do so, he plays a lot of soccer and works as a cycling and kickboxing instructor for the student gym at Carolina. Contact by email.
		Gregory Sherr (IOM/BHSP) is enrolled in the joint MD/MPH program at New York Medical College. His master's level work is focused on the area of Medical Informatics which involves integrating computer science with both clinical and research medicine. Fluent in French and Spanish, he holds both a BA in French and Romance Philology and a certificate in Pre-medical Science from Columbia University. He is leaving his joint full-time appointment as Webmaster at New York Medical College and Instructor of Medical Informatics at St. Vincents Hospital to begin medical school this summer. At NYMC, he manages a website that serves a community of about 6,000. The site features on-line gene sequencing applications, database-driven examination systems, and distance learning applications. Greg's previous position at Columbia University involved supervising the daily operations of an academic administrative computer network. Contact by email.
		Susan Trapp (OSEP/CWSE) is currently a postdoctoral research associate at the Institute of Biological Chemistry (IBC) at Washington State University (WSU), with a research focus in plant-fungal molecular genetics and functional genomics. She has initiated several projects at WSU in the area of plant genomics including genomic organization, metabolic pathway gene clustering, promotor analysis, and molecular origins of terpene synthases. (Terpenoids comprise one of the largest classes of natural products in plants). Most recently, she co-authored a review on the "Defensive Resin Biosynthesis in Conifers" to be published in Annual reviews of Plant Physiology and Plant Molecular Biology in 2001. In addition to her research at WSU, she founded a forum (Women in Science at the IBC) that discusses issues pertaining to women in sciences, which is still on-going. Susan also started her own yoga studio in 1999 and is an instructor of Hawtha Iyengar Yoga. She received her Ph.D. in Biochemistry from the University at College Park and her BA with a double major in Molecular Cellular Developmental Biology and History from the University of Colorado at Boulder. Susan gained research experience through research assistantships at both the National Institute of Health (NIH) and Marine Biological Laboratory (MBL) where she participated in the human genome initiative, the former, and the biochemical studies of (in)vertebrate rhodopsin, the later. Contact by email.
		Stanley Trepetin (CPSMA/CSTB) is a MS/PhD candidate in the Technology and Policy Program at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He received his MA in Liberal Studies (Technology and Society) from Duke University. He received his BA degree in Mathematics and Computer Science from Cornell University. Stanley has over ten years’ experience in information technology and has held positions at IBM as a Project Manager and Software Developer and at Duke University as a Consultant. He has diverse interests. He has conducted a choir for several years, helped immigrants to assimilate to American life, and has given speeches in public. Contact by email.
		Kevin Whittaker (PD/STL) Kevin Whittaker (PD/STL) is working towards a JD at the Syracuse University College of Law. As a first year student, Kevin was chosen to serve on the "Labor Lawyer" journal's editorial staff, the country's leading legal publication on labor issues. He holds a BA in Philosophy from the University of Iowa. Kevin's career goal is to work in the areas of public policy decision-making and public interest. He is interested in drug policy and population and land use fostered by coursework and extensive foreign travel. As a philosophy major and currently as a law student, he has done both legal and academic research in the areas of case and statutory law, jurisprudence, and metaphysics. Also during undergrad, Kevin worked as an agent for Allstate Insurance in Iowa. At the National Academies, Kevin looks to gain insight on the interactions between the scientific and legal communities in the area of policy decision- making. Contact by email
		Maria Witmer-Rich (CGER/BASC) received an MS in Chemistry from the University of Michigan and a BA in Chemistry from Goshen College. As a graduate researcher, Maria worked at the Program for Research on Oxidants: Photochemistry, Emissions, and Transport (PROPHET), a multi-university collaborative research effort which monitors tropospheric air pollution as it flows from mid-west urban centers such as Chicago and Detroit. She is presently employed as an environmental chemist at Matrix Environmental Group, Inc. in Ann Arbor, Michigan where she analyzes contaminated soil and groundwater. As an undergraduate, Maria gained research experience as an intern at the Institut Nationale de Sante Et de Recherche Medicale (INSERM) in Paris, France; and as a Pew Fellow at Northwestern University. In her spare time, Maria enjoys running, reading classics and growing plants. Contact by email.