ESAL chats with Karen Gardner, economist, researcher, and policy analyst for better healthy retail public health policy.

ESAL chatted with Cindy Hua, board member of Downwinders at Risk and chair of the Particulate Matter Education Committee, about her work on empowering residents to engage with the civic process and her journey into local activism.

Julie Palakovich Carr is the only biologist with an advanced degree in the Maryland General Assembly, where she has been a representative since 2019. Learn more about the high-impact role of an elected official and the advantages that a scientific background affords policy makers.

ESAL spoke with Christine Task, a senior research scientist at Knexus Research Corporation and contracted technical lead of the Collaborative Research Cycle (CRC) hosted by the National Institute of Standards and Technology’s Privacy Engineering Program. Learn more about how Christine is mobilizing the privacy research community to solve pressing problems facing the federal government.

Michael Hendricks, an assistant professor in the Department of Politics and Government at Illinois State University, is an advocate for civic engagement who particularly emphasizes integrating STEM into the legislative process. Learn about how he approaches research, teaching, and mentorship to center civic engagement.

Cynthia Prieto-Diaz, a biomedical engineer by training, actively contributes to scientific discourse by volunteering, engaging with city governments, and advocating for STEMM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics, and Medicine) involvement and consideration in local governance.Prieto-Diaz currently holds a position on the leadership team for 500 Women Scientists and serves as a member of the Board of Directors for the Cal Poly Pomona-Latin Alumni Network.

ESAL chats with Molita Sloan, who has spent much of her career in the engineering and tech sector supporting organizational effectiveness and as a life coach for Women in STEM.

Tyler Pew puts his design and build skills to use rebuilding his hometown. The experienced designer, advocate, and civic enthusiast gained attention for his assistance and leadership in the rebuilding of rural Greenville, CA, following the devastation caused by the Dixie Fire in 2021.

ESAL chats with Brandie Dessauer, the manager of an engineering team within Hewlett Packard Enterprise. Her unique upbringing as a first-generation college graduate has had a lasting impact on her professional career. Learn more about how she provides STEM opportunities designed to bridge the educational divide.

Learn about how Arpit Soni uses his background in energy engineering to support efforts towards climate action in California and beyond.

Christopher Kan is a biologist by training and a biotech professional working at the intersection of biology, people, and business. Kan recently gained local attention for his leadership in a two-year campaign to create a safe parking program in the church lot. Learn about how Kan navigated the local approval process to make four spots available for unhoused people to stay in their cars overnight and how his science communication skills helped bring the project to fruition.

ESAL spoke with research scientist Kristine Pistone and how her studies the Earth’s radiative balance, air quality analysis experience in Chile, and interest in sustainability motivated her to serve for her city's local Sustainability Commission in Sunnyvale, CA.