Teomara (Teya) Rutherford
Assistant professor at the University of Delaware
Dr. Teomara (Teya) Rutherford is an assistant professor in the University of Delaware School of Education affiliated with the Learning Sciences and Educational Statistics and Research Methods specializations. She received her Ph.D. in Learning, Cognition, and Development from the University of California, Irvine, her JD from Boston University School of Law, and her bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education with a concentration in Computers in the Classroom from Florida International University. Dr. Rutherford’s expertise is in student learning and motivation within digital environments, including how to best design these environments to support students, and how data produced by interactions with digital environments can increase our understanding of student capabilities, needs, and experiences.
Dr. Rutherford has been awarded over 5M in federal grants as PI or Co-PI and has published in outlets such as Contemporary Educational Psychology, Learning and Instruction, and Computers and Education. Her most recent National Science Foundation-funded project examines students’ in-the-moment motivations and emotions as they work within a digital mathematics learning tool. View her lab website, her Google Scholar profile, and follow her on Twitter at @DrTeyaR.
Terri O’Neil
Educator at Middletown school district
Educator at Middletown Area School District for 30 years. As Science & Health (S&H) Pathway Chair, she is responsible for connecting students interested in S&H careers with opportunities to support future endeavors. Her professional development in the area of epidemiology has brought the formation of an Epidemiology Enrichment program at MASD. Students involved complete a yearlong EPI study and share their results in project format for judging at CASEF (Capital Area Science & Engineering Fair). Her passion for growth in this area began with attending a Teach Epidemiology Professional Development Workshop in Atlanta, GA at the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). Funded through the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation in an effort to bring public health to the forefront of education. From this experience, her participation continued and the Epidemiology Challenge (“Epi Challenge”) evolved – sponsored by the Penn State Early Preparation and Inspiration for Careers in the Biomedical Sciences (EPIC) program. She continues her commitment with involvement in the Technology-Linked Epidemiology Education Network (TEEN), partnership with Zynect. Professionally, she achieved my National Board Teacher Certification and contribute my success to involvement with these programs. She is passionate about helping students find their future direction, STEM and Public Health have awesome possibilities!
Stephen M. Ostroff, MD
Former Commissioner of the US Food and Drug Administration
Dr. Stephen Ostroff retired from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in early 2019. He joined the FDA in 2013 and served as the agency’s Acting Commissioner on two occasions (April 2015-February 2016 and January 2017-May 2017), as the Deputy Commissioner for Foods and Veterinary Medicine and as FDA’s Chief Scientist.
Before joining the FDA, Dr. Ostroff worked at the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta for more than 20 years on infectious disease surveillance and outbreak investigations, especially management and coordination of complex emerging infectious disease threats such as anthrax, Ebola, West Nile virus, SARS, and avian influenza. During much of that time, he was the Associate Director for Epidemiologic Science in the National Center for Infectious Diseases (NCID) and he also served as the Deputy Director of NCID. He was in the US Public Health Service Commissioned Corps, attaining the rank of Assistant Surgeon General. After leaving the CDC in 2005, Dr. Ostroff performed similar work at the Pennsylvania Department of Health running the Bureau of Epidemiology and serving as the Commonwealth’s Acting Physician General.
Dr. Ostroff received his medical degree in 1981 from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine in Philadelphia and did residency training in internal medicine at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center in Denver and preventive medicine at the CDC. He has served on numerous advisory boards and panels, holds adjunct faculty appointments at Penn State School of Medicine and the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health, and has authored more than 100 publications and book chapters on emerging infectious diseases and outbreak investigations.
John Cordier
CEO and Co-founder of Epistemix Inc.
John Cordier is the CEO and Co-Founder of Epistemix Inc. He is a graduate of the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health and Joseph M. Katz Graduate School of Business where he received his MBA and MHA degrees. As a graduate student, he was brought into the team at the Public Health Dynamics Lab (PHDL) to work on FRED (Framework for Reconstructing Epidemiological Dynamics), and agent-based modeling platform for modeling epidemics. He has led the effort to commercialize FRED into a global SaaS platform to improve population health and the understanding of social dynamics to enhance policy decision-making for public health, smart city, energy, insurance, climate, and additional public good applications. A native of Erie, PA, he received BS and BA degrees from the University of Pittsburgh while on a collegiate athletic scholarship and pursued a career in professional soccer. John also founded a nonprofit to improve community health and co-developed and founded another startup based on a platform that addresses local health disparities. He is an Adjunct Professor in Health Policy and Management and is an advisory consultant for other health and wellness startups.
Emilie Tekely
Biology teacher at Dauphin County Technical School (DCTS)
Emilie Tekely has been a Biology Teacher at Dauphin County Technical School (DCTS) for 15 years. She has obtained her Masters of Science in both Biology and STEM Education. During her time at DCTS, she has been able to get students involved in science investigations. Her students have competed in various levels of science fairs and the Science Olympiad. Emilie has also assisted with the FIRST Robotics team at DCTS; Normality Zero. She has had the opportunity to be a participant in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Science Ambassador Program, which provides professional development to middle and high school teachers in the areas of epidemiology and public health. Emilie was also selected to attend Leadership Training with the Air Force and FIRST Robotics. She has presented at the National Science Teaching Association Regional Conference several times and participated as an International Science and Engineering Fair judge. She believes that doing science is the key to understanding and enjoying science. Emilie is always striving to learn more and find ways to make science fun and more accessible to her students.
Sunada Roberts
Instructional coach in the School District of Harrisburg
Mrs. Sunada Roberts is currently an instructional coach in the School District of Harrisburg PA. She is a former Biology teacher for over 17 years. Her teaching career began at the Coalition School for Social Change in New York. She attended Stony Brook University where she earned an undergraduate degree in Biology and a Master’s degree in Liberal Arts with a concentration in science education. She has been a student-teacher mentor for surrounding local colleges. She has served as an academic advisor for NSBE (National Society for Black Engineers) and developed partnerships with the Penn State Agricultural Department, the Hershey Company, Office of Multicultural Recruitment and Community Affairs of Penn State Harrisburg, Messiah College, and other resources, to expose students to a variety of careers in S.T.E.M fields. She has been a part of various leadership teams such as the Teacher Leadership Academy, Building Leadership Team, Science Department co-chair, Vision Committee, and the Cultural Equity Design team. She champions blended learning, differentiated instruction, and project-based learning lessons that offer rigor and relevance for both her teachers and students.
Audrey Plassio
Biology teacher and science department chairperson at Cedar Cliff High School
Mrs. Plassio is a biology teacher and science department chairperson at Cedar Cliff High School in Camp Hill Pennsylvania. Cedar Cliff is part of the West Shore School District; the second largest District in south-central Pennsylvania. Mrs. Plassio started with the District in 2003 after completing coursework through Wilson College’s Teacher Intern Program. Mrs. Plassio also coaches the Cedar Cliff Brainbuster’s Team. In her professional role with the District, Mrs. Plassio has served on curriculum planning committees, academic forums, operational committees and has mentored several first-year teachers. Mrs. Plassio currently serves on the following committees: Science mini-curriculum, Distance Learning Committee, COVID Health and Safety Planning, and TSI (Targeted Support and Improvement) Planning Team
In her educational role, Mrs. Plassio has taught all levels of first-year biology; from intensive learning support to advanced biology. Mrs. Plassio became involved with epidemiology in the fall of 2013 after serving on the EPIC steering committee. She mentored three cohorts of student teams under the direction of the Penn State Department of Public Health. Education: Wilson College, BS Physical and Life Sciences 1984; Wilson College Teacher Intern Program 2003; Lebanon Valley College, Master’s of Science Education 2013; West Shore School District Professional Employee of the Year 2017
Dawn Koons
Biology Teacher at Lower Dauphin High School
Mrs. Koons is a biology teacher at Lower Dauphin High School in Hummelstown Pennsylvania. She started with the district in 2001 after completing a teacher certification program at Millersville University and earning her Masters’s in Biology from Shippensburg University. Mrs. Koons has taught all levels of biology from General to Advanced Placement. During her time at Lower Dauphin, she started a chapter of the Science National Honor Society in 2008 and has been an advisor for the organization since that time. She is also a coach for the school’s National Ocean Science Bowl team. Professionally, she achieved National Board Teacher Certification. Mrs. Koons became involved with epidemiology in the fall of 2013 after serving on the EPIC steering committee. Since then she has started a semester course at Lower Dauphin called Disease Detectives. This class introduces students to the field of epidemiology and gives them the opportunity to work with a team of students to conduct an authentic research project.