Priya Vontikommu

My name is Priya and I’m majoring in neuroscience with a minor in public health. Working with science alive was a really fun opportunity to see kids so interested in STEM. I enjoy sharing the wonders of science with others, especially through community activities and outreach programs. I'm working towards the goal of making a positive impact in healthcare through volunteering and continuous learning.

Ohm Patel 

Hi! My name is Ohm Patel and I am an Alumni with a major in Biology  and a minor in Honors Transdisciplinary studies. Science Alive is a great platform that has allowed me to connect with the local community here in Broward County to work with children at public schools to help grow their interest in science. Seeing the elementary students become more passionate and interested in science is what motivates me to keep giving back to my community. I am excited to keep growing Science Alive and encourage future generations to explore STEM!

Smrithi Mukund

​​Hi! My name is Smrithi Mukund and I am a Neuroscience and Biology major with a minor in Honors Transdisciplinary studies. Being a part of Science Alive has allowed me to grow my passion for working with children and also spread a love for science related topics. Outside of Science Alive, I am President of a club called Pediatric Heroes and a research assistant in Neuroscience. I am excited to continue pushing others to explore their love for science and pursue my future goal of becoming a Pediatrician.

Karim Faltas

Hello!! My name is Karim Faltas Majoring in Applied Professional Studies with a Concentration in Biological and Physical Sciences. I am a Pre-Dental Student and am currently in the application cycle for the class of 2028. I joined Science Alive in February of 2023 after it was recommended by one of my peers, and I am glad to say it was a life changer! Outside of school I enjoy playing hockey, hanging out with friends and seeing family!

Miranda Brohman

I am a Masters of Science in Marine Biology student. I enjoy seeing how excited the students are to see us each Friday and tell us how they shared what they learned the week before to family and friends. Seeing the kids connect what we are teaching to the activity is also amazing.

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Jovanni Gomez

I am alumni from the NSU Master of Science - Biological Sciences program with a Health Studies concentration. Currently I am a NSU DO medical school student. What I love most about Science Alive is the ability to connect our college students– who are driven and passionate– with the elementary students– who are always eager to learn and have fun. Bridging the seemingly distinct student populations reminds me of how far I've come and how much more I have to contribute to the community and future generations.

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Ashley Abad

Hi! My name is Ashley, and I'm an Alumni of Nova Southeastern University majoring in Biology and minoring in Human Nutrition and Honors Transdisciplinary Studies. Science Alive has given me an incredible outlet to share my love of science while also fulfilling my passion of working with children. My favorite part of working with Science Alive is seeing the kids' faces light up with excitement and curiosity when engaging in our science activities. It is truly so rewarding to be part of that experience with them, knowing that every new experiment may forever change how they view science - as exhilarating, adventuresome, and fun!

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Lohita Sunkara
NSU Alumni - Class of 2024
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My name is Lohita Sunkara and I majored in Biology at Nova Southeastern University. Science Alive has given me the opportunity to connect with my local community and elementary school students to enrich a fun learning experience in different science subjects. This experience is one that I will  cherish as it has allowed me to work with a diverse group of children involving them in exploring the vast field of science through interactive activities. I have enjoyed working towards providing a positive impact on the children’s educational experience and encouraging the future generation into exploring the vast field of STEM. 

Shashank Nutalapati
​NSU Alumni December 2021

​Hey there! My name is Shashank and I’m a Biology and Neuroscience Major. Since science can be a tough subject to get into due to its abstract nature, Science Alive serves to expose these younger students to a more interesting and fun side of science that they may not be familiar with. It’s always a pleasure to perform experiments with the kids and see their faces light up, and it’s just as fulfilling when they tell us that they didn’t know science could be so fun. When I was introduced to Science Alive, I was blown away by the sense of community and camaraderie among everyone involved in the program. I’m very humbled to be in a position to contribute to an initiative like Science Alive in a large way, and I hope to work with Dr. Schmitt, the Nova Blanche students, the teachers, and my peers to continue to grow the Science Alive community.   ​

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Neha Joshi
Medical Student - Class of 2026

Being a part of Science Alive/Nova Hydroculture Project was without a doubt the highlight of my undergraduate career as a Biology major. Not only did I gain invaluable skills, but I also made several meaningful connections with many amazing people. As an intern, I learned so much about what running a successful nonprofit looks like behind the scenes, and I'm beyond thankful to Dr. Schmitt for this opportunity. In addition to helping me grow professionally, this experience also helped me learn a lot more about myself and my goals for the future. Because of the time I have spent teaching and mentoring kids through Science Alive, I now realize how rewarding this type of service can be and how much I want to continue to be a part of an organization like this in the years to come. 

Victoria A. Capo
Environmental Science Major

Hi everyone! I'm Victoria and I'm currently working on completing my major in Environmental Science and my minors in Anthropology, Studio Art, and Marine Biology! I love nature and everything about it, preservation and conservation are very important to me and that is why I love Science Alive! Science Alive is the perfect opportunity to introduce students to the important of the environment and how we treat it, and what better way to get students involved than with fun activities and labs! Not only this, but I want to see more students excited about STEM and build their knowledge of what it is. There is nothing more amazing than seeing someone's eyes light up from science, it is the closest thing we have to magic and I can't wait to see passion form in the students eyes!

Terin Philip
National Health Corps - Youth Engagement Coordinator

Hi there! My name is Terin Philip. I graduated NSU in 2021 and I'm also a Science Alive alumni! I'm currently serving in the National Health Corps as a Youth Engagement Coordinator for the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC). Science Alive has been such a great part of my undergraduate experience and truly something I can carry on after graduation. As I work with both children and adolescents in my new job, my previous experience with this program assisted me with blending the concepts of education, science, and health for this specific demographic. I'm so grateful for the previous training from my years in the program that will continue on as I continue on to the medical profession in the future. If there are any doubts about joining Science alive - don't worry! The connections that are made and the lives you can change by being a volunteer are second to none at NSU. I'm grateful everyday for this program and excited for what's to come.

Lauren Odom
Youth Services Librarian

Hello, my name is Lauren Odom and I am currently a Youth Services Librarian. I graduated from NSU in 2015 with a Bachelor of Applied Professional Studies in Biology and Psychology and minor in Spanish. I went on to earn my Master of Library Science degree from North Carolina Central University in 2018. Participating in Science Alive gave me the opportunity to explore working with children in a fun way that also challenged my own understanding of science. As a biology student, my classmates and I came up with some of the science experiments that we would go on to share at the Science Alive events. I had fun working with the youth and that has carried over into my work as librarian. I coordinate programs that engage and educate youth to get their minds thinking about what subjects they may be interested in exploring, especially science. One of my summer programs was much like a small-scale version of Science Alive in which each week I’d introduce a science concept and have the children do hands on experiments. I appreciate the experience and the way that it has helped me help others in my career. ​

Ajay Bhatia
Medical Student, MS III

Being a coordinator of Science Alive in 2017/2018 was a truly rewarding experience. I felt as though I was making real impact on the children, as there was genuine excitement as we walked into the classrooms on Fridays. The program tested me on concepts I previously thought I knew well (as I had to understand the topics well enough to teach the children), and introduced me to new science topics that I otherwise wouldn’t have had the opportunity to learn. ​

Alexander Martinek
Morehouse School of Medicine, Class of 2024

Science Alive gave me the opportunity to learn how to teach topics I had studied on a daily basis at an elementary level. I love the idea of exposing STEM topics to elementary school students because I never received such exposure at a young age. I believe it motivates and inspires the children to learn more about the topics they have participated in. Teaching chemistry to elementary school students through Science Alive has been one of my more impactful service experiences. It is always extremely rewarding to attend Science Alive events whether it is at a local elementary school, library, or another site. My time with Science Alive has taught me life-long lessons that I feel will help me as a future physician as well. I am looking forward to seeing the program continue to grow and positively impact the community.

Valentina Ramirez
Medical Student
Ensign, US Navy, Medical Corps

Volunteering with Science Alive was one of the greatest opportunities I had during undergrad. Dr. Schmitt's love for science is so incredibly contagious and it made me want to share my love for science with other kids too! Together, Dr. Schmitt and I started a spin-off program called the Supernovas where we partnered with Nova Elementary School and would do lots of different experiments every Friday afternoon to show the kids how awesome STEM can be! It was so inspiring to see the kids not only learn but enjoy the process of discovering and learning.

Maily Rodríguez
Biology Teacher

I had the most wonderful experience volunteering for science alive. It made me appreciate and enjoy teaching students the wonders of science and how beautiful it is. I will forever cherish those moments and how amazing it was to see the faces of children mesmerized by seeing all the cool experiments Dr. Schmitt prepared. Science Alive was one of the best and coolest experiences I had during my four years at NOVA. ​

Whitney Van Arsdale MPH, CPH
Epidemiologist/Biostatistician

Volunteering with Science Alive allowed me the opportunity to give back in a way that is unique from other volunteer opportunities. It allows me to not only inspire future science nerds like me, but it also helped me to get more comfortable speaking to an audience and really honing the skills necessary for disseminating scientific information in a fun and engaging way. I always remember that quote from Albert Einstein: "If you can't explain it to a six-year old, you don't understand it yourself." ​

Cory Hoffman
Biology Teacher and Strength & Conditioning Coach

Hello, my name is Cory Hoffman and I am an alumni from the class of 2015. I graduated from NSU with a major in Biology and minor in Exercise Science. I also received my Master's Degree in Exercise Science from Montclair State University. Currently, I am a High School Teacher and Strength & Conditioning Coach where I teach Biology and our school's Exercise Science Pathway. Looking back, Science Alive earns full credit for exposing my passion for education. I initially volunteered because I wanted to become a pediatrician, and always had a blast working with children. What I did not expect was the impact that those two years of Science Alive would have on my mindset. Within the classroom, I saw how transformative a simple lab activity could be to a child's curiosity and passion. It made me think about how I could improve each week to make each child feel the same excitement I had towards the STEM field. Ultimately, this drive for inclusion and curiosity became my rationale to step away from pursuing my medical degree and become a teacher. It really is because of Science Alive that I recognized my passion for inspiring and preparing our next generations to make an impact. ​

Samantha Burgess
Marine Biologist

Hi, my name is Samantha! I am currently working as a Fisheries Biologist in the Bering Sea. I love Science Alive because I love teaching kids, it gives me hope that if a child can understand why the Ocean and environmental science is so important maybe the rest of the world can too. I believe that kids are the future and I want to help them find science interesting and fun.

Morgan Will
Marine Biologist

Hello, my name is Morgan and I attended NSU, pursuing a double major in Marine Biology and Environmental Science. Science Alive is an amazing program, giving me the opportunity to reach out and engage the community in science. I first became interested in marine science through the Mentoring Young Scientists Program, hosted at the Virginia Aquarium.  As I have continued to pursue my passion for marine sciences, it has been my pleasure to reach out to young students through the Science Alive program, offering more students a similar opportunity to the one I was lucky enough to experience. I look forward to continue working with the Science Alive program, sharing what I have learned so far and inspiring passion in the next group of students. ​

Hanna Stewart
Medical Student

Hi, my name is Hanna! I’m currently working on a dual Bachelor Degree of Biological Sciences and Behavioral Neuroscience at Nova Southeastern University, and I plan on entering medical school in the fall of 2020. Until my freshman year of high school, I had absolutely no interest in science. However, I was blessed with an incredible biology teacher and she completely changed my career path. Since then, I have been a huge advocate for science education, and have spent years tutoring high school and college aged students. I started volunteering with Science Alive during my sophomore year of college, it has been a blast ever since. I created the neuroscience subsection of the Science Alive program, and it is a great way to expose children to a unique niche of biology, and helps them learn the many ways that their brains communicate with their body. While some days it may be challenging, it is such a rewarding experience when you see the light bulbs go off while they are having fun. My favorite part about Science Alive is getting to act as a mentor for children who grew up like me, with a negative view of science, and showing them in a relaxed environment just how fun it can be.

Svilen Guenov
Biology Major

Hi, my name is Svilen. My vision is to help people become the healthiest and happiest version of themselves. Currently, I’m working on my Bachelor Degree of Biological Sciences at Nova Southeastern University and I plan on entering a healthcare profession. I started volunteering at Science Alive during my Sophomore year and what I’ve been able to take in from the organization is insurmountable. My Experience with Science Alive has taught me the importance of guiding children and bringing novelty into their education. I have an intent on helping them expand their creativity and creating experiences what will last with them forever. Science Alive has also changed my perspective as a student because when you teach something, you get to learn it twice; it’s truly amazing. I look forward to working with the team members and sharing our knowledge for years to come.
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