Subcommittee Teams

Recruitment and Outreach Team

The recruitment and outreach team works to establish high school and volunteer connections.

Aria Afsharian

Director of Recruitment and Outreach

Viruses infect cells by injecting them with their DNA/RNA. The cell turns on signaling mechanisms that can detect this viral genome within the cell, which leads to a protein phosphorylation cascade. Aria is trying to understand how these signaling proteins become activated and phosphorylated in response to viral genomic material inside the cell. He is excited to share his passion for science education and engagement with schools and students! During his free time, Aria enjoys kayaking!

**Ahmed Saber,**
***Recruitment and Outreach Associate***

Finance and Marketing Teams

The finance team handles grant applications and reimbursements.

**Jittanan “Meg” Nakpu,**
***Marketing Associate***

Meg’s project is focused on developing an ex vivo perfusion system for the mouse uterus to study embryonic developmental events. Currently, she is working on optimizing the culture media to ensure organ survival ex vivo. She is excited to see high school students exploring the campus and solving fun puzzles. Meg hopes this opportunity gives insight into their future and ignites their passion for research. She was able to pick a butternut squash from her garden this Thanksgiving, and her family cooked it up for dinner.

Phuong’s research compares drug responses between different spondyloarthritis conditions to predict the success rate in patient outcomes. She is working on this topic in Dr. Nigil Haroon’s lab. She is very excited to share her love and passion for scientific research with the next generation of scientists. Additionally, she loves the Amazing Race show and am excited in being a part of an organization that makes science into a fun and accessible game for high school students.

Activities and Logistics Team

The activities and logistics team create the event activities and decides on the keynote speaker.

Clara Sun

Director of Activities and Logistics

Clara’s research focuses on exploring patient and caregiver experiences in hospital-based inpatient palliative care units. Her lab is evaluating and validating a survey that assesses satisfaction with care to ensure the tool is reliable for use in research and clinical settings, and ultimately, to enable better quality of care for patients and their families. She is excited to see high school students work together and engage in some friendly competition, all while learning about medical science and most importantly, having fun!