Join EarthEcho International as we highlight relatable voices in STEM careers! With STEMExplore, we invite female professionals to share their STEM journey with a live audience during dynamic virtual events.

The conversation will focus on women in STEM and the STEMExplore Mentor will share her personal journey and the positive influences that helped her to realize her professional capabilities.

During this 30-45 minute session, the participants will:
- Learn about environmental forensics and ecology as a career in general;
- Observe the day to day tasks of an environmental ecologist;
- Gain insight into a STEM career and learn the steps it takes to become a professional in this area;
- Ask interview questions of the STEMExplore expert.

Date: December 15, 2020 at 4:00 PM EASTERN

Topic/Career: Environmental Forensics, Ecology, Conservation

STEMExplore Mentor: Dr. Tiara Moore, Environmental Ecologist and Postdoctoral Scholar at The Nature Conservancy in Seattle, WA.

Originally from Greenwood, South Carolina, Dr. Tiara Moore completed her B.S. in Biology in 2011 at Winthrop University in Rock Hill, South Carolina, where she developed an interest in marine science during a research trip in Costa Rica. She received her M.S. in Biology with a concentration in Environmental Science in 2013 from Hampton University in Hampton, Virginia, where she conducted research on the water quality of the Chesapeake Bay linking sediment oxygen demand and nutrient cycling to the eutrophication of the Bay.

After completing her M.S., she spent 2 months in Bali, Indonesia identifying the diversity and abundance of meiofauna in marine sediments across the coral triangle. Dr. Moore earned her PhD in Biology from UCLA, where she conducted research in Mo’orea, French Polynesia, Carpinteria Salt Marsh, and Upper Newport Bay. In Mo’orea, she observed the effects sedimentation and nutrient pollution have on the proliferation of coral reef macroalgae. In Carpinteria and Newport, she explored the effects of macroalgal decomposition on sediment biogeochemistry and the microbial community using environmental DNA (eDNA) to assess the biodiversity of entire ecosystems with only a soil sample. Dr. Moore is currently a postdoctoral scholar at the University of Washington and The Nature Conservancy using soil eDNA to develop a biodiversity census of Ellsworth Forest to compare species diversity across management treatments over the past 10 years.

Inside and outside of the lab, Dr. Moore hopes her research in biodiversity will translate to increasing the overall diversity in science. She dedicates her time to mentoring minority women in the lab and in afterschool programs. Founder of A WOC SPACE, Dr. Moore aspires to make a safe and inclusive workplace for all women of color (WOC) through WOCShops and individual personal trainings. To round things off Dr. Moore combines her experiences as a WOC Scientist with her upbeat personality in her Academic Standup Shows, both communicating science and the struggles of being a minority in STEM.

Join EarthEcho International as we highlight relatable voices in STEM careers! With STEMExplore, we invite female professionals to share their STEM journey with a live audience during dynamic virtual events.

The conversation will focus on women in STEM and the STEMExplore Mentor will share her personal journey and the positive influences that helped her to realize her professional capabilities.

During this 30-45 minute session, the participants will:
- Learn about agricultural and biological engineering as a career in general;
- Observe the day to day tasks of a postharvest scientist;
- Gain insight into a STEM career and learn the steps it takes to become a professional in this area;
- Ask interview questions of the STEMExplore expert.

Date: October 13, 2020 at 4:00 PM EASTERN

Topic/Career: Agricultural Science and Engineering, Food Science, Conservation

STEMExplore Mentor: Ratna Suthar, Postharvest Scientist and PhD Student at University of Florida in Gainesville, FL.

Ratna was born and raised in New Jersey. Growing up she had a love for learning the science behind everyday things including food and medicine. She was studying chemistry as an undergrad at University of South Florida where she got involved in research on food quality and shelf life of fresh produce. They looked at things like how Vitamin C levels change in strawberries as they go through supply chain conditions from harvest to market. It was fascinating that one could quantify quality – a subjective measure of consumer acceptability. Inspired to continue research, she applied to graduate program at UF Agricultural and Biological Engineering where she did a masters and now finishing her PhD.

According to FAO, by the year 2050 our population is going to reach 9 billion, and we will have to increase food availability to meet the demand. One way is to increase food production but another way by is reducing the amount of food loss/waste. Technologies such as controlled atmosphere packaging, edible coatings and finding optimal storage conditions can help alleviate this issue. The problem of food loss/waste has only been exacerbated due to COVID. It is imperative that we continue developing technologies to protect our food from going to waste.

Join EarthEcho International as we highlight relatable voices in STEM careers! With STEMExplore, we invite female professionals to share their STEM journey with a live audience during dynamic virtual events.

The conversation will focus on women in STEM and the STEMExplore Mentor will share her personal journey and the positive influences that helped her to realize her professional capabilities.

During this 30-45 minute session, the participants will:
- Learn about water conservation and water biogeochemistry as a career in general;
- Observe the day to day tasks of a water biogeochemist;
- Gain insight into a STEM career and learn the steps it takes to become a professional in this area;
- Ask interview questions of the STEMExplore expert.

Date: December 2, 2020 at 6:30 PM EASTERN

Topic/Career: Watershed Ecology, Biogeochemistry, Marine Science, Conservation

STEMExplore Mentor: Diana Oviedo Vargas, Watershed Biogeochemist at Stroud Water Research Center in Avondale, PA.

Diana's research seeks to improve our knowledge about the elemental cycles in streams, rivers, and estuaries and how they are linked to each other, to the water cycle, and to the terrestrial ecosystem at the surface and the subsurface level. Some of her current research interests include the nitrogen and phosphorus transport and transformation in fluvial systems and how human activities such as agriculture and urbanization can affect these processes; the quantification and characterization of the multiple carbon pools and fluxes in aquatic ecosystems and their role in global climate change; and the effects of emerging contaminants, like pharmaceutical products and microplastics, on the health of streams and rivers. Diana's expertise includes aquatic ecosystems in temperate and tropical zones and along the full river continuum, from headwaters, to large rivers, to estuaries and the coastal ocean.

Join EarthEcho International as we highlight relatable voices in STEM careers! With STEMExplore, we invite female professionals to share their STEM journey with a live audience during dynamic virtual events.

The conversation will focus on women in STEM and the STEMExplore Mentor will share her personal journey and the positive influences that helped her to realize her professional capabilities.

During this 30-45 minute session, the participants will:
- Learn about fisheries biology and marine biology as a career in general;
- Observe the day to day tasks of a fisheries biologist;
- Gain insight into a STEM career and learn the steps it takes to become a professional in this area;
- Ask interview questions of the STEMExplore expert.

Date: November 18, 2020 at 6:30 PM EASTERN

Topic/Career: Fisheries Biology, Ecology, Marine Science, Conservation

STEMExplore Mentor: Dr. Julie Vecchio, Fisheries Biologist at the University of South Florida in St. Petersburg, FL.

Julie is a marine biologist who has worked in Florida fisheries for over 15 years. She has experience in all aspects of fisheries data collection and analysis as well as being an experienced outdoor educator and scuba dive instructor. Most recently, she used stable isotopes (chemistry) in the eye-lenses of fish to track their diets and movements over the entire lifetime. All data collections and analysis that Julie has contributed to are directly related to the management of fisheries in the state of Florida and the Gulf of Mexico.

Join EarthEcho International as we highlight relatable voices in STEM careers! With STEMExplore, we invite female professionals to share their STEM journey with a live audience during dynamic virtual events.

The conversation will focus on women in STEM and the STEMExplore Mentor will share her personal journey and the positive influences that helped her to realize her professional capabilities.

During this 30-45 minute session, the participants will:
- Learn about conservation criminology and public policy as a career in general;
- Observe the day to day tasks of a conservation criminologist;
- Gain insight into a STEM career and learn the steps it takes to become a professional in this area;
- Ask interview questions of the STEMExplore expert.

Date: November 10, 2020 at 4:00 PM EASTERN

Topic/Career: Conservation Criminology, Ecology, Conservation, Public Policy

STEMExplore Mentor: Aalayna Green, Conservation Criminology Student at Michigan State University

Aalayna Green is pursuing a Bachelor's of Science in Zoology with a focus in Conservation Criminology & Public Policy, and a minor in Women's & Gender Studies at Michigan State University. Aalayna intends on pursuing a graduate degree in global conservation policy and environmental criminology. She has interest in wildlife conservation, indigenous rights, natural resource policy, wildlife crime, feminist political ecology, water sanitation, community conservation and environmental sustainability. In her free time, Aalayna enjoys vegan baking, canoeing, playing with her cats, and traveling.

Join EarthEcho International as we highlight relatable voices in STEM careers! With STEMExplore, we invite female professionals to share their STEM journey with a live audience during dynamic virtual events.

The conversation will focus on women in STEM and the STEMExplore Mentors will share their personal journeys and the positive influences that helped them to realize their professional capabilities. Minorities in Shark Science (MISS), is an organization dedicated to promoting diversity and inclusion in shark science. MISS encourages women of color to push through barriers and contribute knowledge to marine science.

During this 30-45 minute session, the participants will:
- Learn about marine science as a career in general;
- Observe the day to day tasks of a marine scientist;
- Gain insight into a STEM career and learn the steps it takes to become a professional in this area;
- Ask interview questions of the STEMExplore expert.

Date: October 28, 2020 at 6:30 PM EASTERN

Topic/Career: Marine Science, Elasmobranch Ecology, Conservation

STEMExplore Mentors: Jaida Elcock, Carlee Jackson, Amani Webber-Schultz, and Jasmin Graham - Founders of Minorities in Shark Science (MISS)

MISS was founded by four Black female shark researchers. We strive to be seen and take up space in a discipline that has been largely inaccessible for women like us. We strive to be positive role models for the next generation. We seek to promote diversity and inclusion in shark science and encourage women of color to push through barriers and contribute knowledge in marine science. Finally, we hope to topple the system that has historically excluded women like us and create an equitable path to shark science. We believe diversity in scientists creates diversity in thought, which leads to innovation.