COSI 2021 STEM STARS
A #COSISTEMStar is a champion of science in their community that will serve as a Grand Marshal for the COSI Science Festival.
Amanda Fountain
Upper ArlingtonEducator at Upper Arlington Highschool
Amanda Fountain is a Communications teacher and advisor for the WARL - Upper Arlington High School’s television broadcast station. During the COVID-19 pandemic, she provided her students an authentic service-learning opportunity that is benefitting the UA community. Amanda submitted a grant request to the Upper Arlington Education Foundation to purchase live streaming equipment; those students learned to operate the new equipment, and acquired technical, communication and problem solving skills along the way
Meghan Federer
Heath
Director of STEM Education at The Works
Meghan Federer is the Director of STEM Education at The Works: Ohio Center for History, Art & Technology (Newark, Ohio). Meghan was previously a part of The Ohio State University’s Center for Life Science Education and Department of Teaching and Learning where she taught introductory biology and worked with pre-service teachers in math and science. Originally an arachnologist and cave ecologist, she has her BS in Biology and Psychology from Alma College and her MS in Evolution, Ecology, and Organismal Biology from The Oh
Grace Brown
Reigning Miss Franklin County and a Biology pre-health student at The Ohio State University
Grace Brown is the reigning Miss Franklin County and a Biology pre-med student at The Ohio State University. She is the Founder/CEO of Girl2Girl, a non-profit organization that promotes uniting and inspiring girls and women to “CHOOSE, PERSIST, and SUCCEED in STEM.”
Kati Serbu
Worthington
Director of Programs and Engagement at Peggy R. McConnell Arts Center of Worthington
Kati Serbu is the Director of Programs & Engagement at the Peggy R. McConnell Arts Center (MAC) of Worthington. At MAC, Kati serves as the primary contact for education, community engagement, and all programming including the performing arts series.
Winifred Simpson
Whitehall
Lead Coordinator for Afterschool Enrichment for Whitehall City Schools
Winifred Simpson is the Lead Coordinator for Afterschool Enrichment for Whitehall City Schools. Winifred goes out of her way to ensure that the kids she works with have a solid foundation in science and does at least one new science experiment a week with the youth in the YMCA.
Elisabeth Eddy
Westerville
Retired Science Teacher & Westerville Volunteer
Elizabeth (Beth) Eddy has recently retired from Westerville City Schools as a Chemistry & Materials Science teacher, and is an active tutor and volunteer within Westerville. Her contributions to Westerville City Schools includes, but is not limited to: organizing a Science Partners program for Westerville South’s Interact Club; facilitating the American Society for Material Science "Teacher Tuesday”; organizing a long-running STEM Club at Westerville South HS; and forming "Family Science Nights" for el
Rob Niedermeyer
Reynoldsburg
Innovation Lab Teacher (engineering and design), Hannah Ashton Middle School, Reynoldsburg City Schools
Rob Niedermeyer is the Innovation Lab Teacher (engineering and design) at Hannah Ashton Middle School, Reynoldsburg City Schools. Recently, Mr. Niedermeyer launched a new STEM elective at Hannah Ashton Middle School (HMS): the Innovation Lab engineering class. In this class, students use the design cycle and the maker tools in the lab to solve problems they see around them. Even in the pandemic, Mr. Niedermeyer's students have been collaborating both
Amanda Ferguson
Gahanna
Ohio Herb Center Coordinator
Amanda Ferguson is the Ohio Herb Center Coordinator and is an instructor for its DIY Series. The Ohio Herb Center is an educational facility dedicated to the study and use of herbs. Amanda has been studying plants and their uses for over 20 years and is a Certified Ohio Pollinator Advocate.
Jonathan Meier
Franklinton
Owner & Operator of Rain Brothers, LLC
Jonathan Meier is the owner of Rain Brothers, which was started in Franklinton and still has their offices there today. They provide rain barrels to help people harvest rainwater that can do everything from simply being available to water a garden, to something complex in scope that can provide water to do laundry, flush toilets, etc., to conserve that most precious resource. Rain Brothers also does large commercial jobs that help large developments harvest and conserve water as well.
Varun Chiviteli
New Albany
Student at New Albany High School and Member of New Albany Robotics Team
Varun Chiviteli is a student at New Albany High School and has spent several years both learning and teaching STEM skills in FIRST Robotics. He has participated in FIRST Lego League, FIRST Tech Challenge and FIRST Robotics Competition. He has taught himself to use SolidWorks CAD software and has also learned to design and program robots. He has also shared these skills with other students on FIRST teams, as well as in summer camps and workshops.
Ed Sandoz
Marysville
Honda - Senior Engineer, Upperbody Design Group
Ed Sandoz is a Senior Engineer - Upperbody Design Group at Honda Development & Manufacturing of America in Marysville, Ohio. Sandoz was involved in a motorcycle accident 24 years ago that left him paralyzed from the chest down. At the time, he was working as a mechanic and racing motorcycles as a hobby in his home state of Massachusetts. After the accident, Sandoz went back to school to get a degree in mechanical engineering, and he eventually took a job at Honda in Ohio to continue his passion for cars. At
Elizabeth Landingham
London
7th grade English Language Arts and Social Studies teacher at London Middle School
Elizabeth Landingham is a 7th grade English Language Arts and Social Studies teacher at London Middle School. She is dedicated to creating engaging classroom lessons and STEM opportunities for her students, which includes leading those students in programs like Future Problem Solvers of America; OHIO STEM Learning Network Design Challenge; Lab hour “Genius Hour”; Jason Learning; and ROTO Design Tour.
James Lester
Grove City
Former Chemistry I and Advanced Chemistry teacher at Grove City High School
James Lester has given a lifetime to the science education of Grove City high school students. For over 40 years, Jim taught Chemistry I and Advanced Chemistry to an untold number of students at Grove City High School. Inspiring countless students to enter science careers, he showed his students how to evaluate ideas based upon the scientific method and the logic of problem solving.
Courtney Porter
Dublin
RN Clinical Leader, Nationwide Children’s Hospital, Dublin Urgent Care
Courtney Porter is the Nurse Lead at the Dublin Urgent Care location. During the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, Courtney has been Dublin Urgent Care’s resource to keep staff up-to-date on proper personal protective equipment (PPE), infection control, and equipment cleaning protocols to keep our environment safe in the urgent care for all.
Jonathan Davis
Circleville
Superintendent of Circleville City Schools
Previously he was the district's assistant superintendent for three years and assistant principal at Circleville High School from 2011-2013. He started in education as a social studies teacher at Pickaway-Ross in 2004.
Bryana Ross, AFO, CPRP, CPO
Columbus
Health & Wellness Manager, Columbus Recs & Parks
Bryana Ross manages the health and wellness programs for Columbus Recreation & Parks Department, which includes aquatics and fitness programs. She’s adapted wellness programming to meet the community’s needs by leveraging her experience in athletics administration. With her leadership, the department was able to keep residents safe and healthy via virtual and social distant programming.
Haley Kuproski
Bexley
Founder of Gateway to Technology
Haley Kuproski is the President and Founder of Gateway to Technology, which works with businesses and partners to repurpose their End of Life technology, such as desktops, laptops and iPads. She is a graduate of the Columbus School for Girls and is currently a student at The University of Miami.