Meet Our Fabulous New Board!

The Chapter of the Scientista Foundation announces the selection of five members to its 2019-2020 Executive Board. The E-Board, led by Sarah Schaffel, consists of Sarah, Sydney Edwards, Angie Miller, Rhea Rajani, and Sherry Li. "All of our Board members are committed to the founders' mission of building a community that empowers college and graduate women innovating science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and medicine here at our university. Each of them bring deep wells of expertise and I know their perspectives will make our Chapter stronger. I can't wait to see all of the amazing things they accomplish as we continue to grow and develop a robust community here at Michigan," Leena Shah '16, Board of Trustees member and Founding Director. The Chapter is so fortunate to have these five accomplished and committed Scientistas lead the organization to greater heights:

SARAH SCHAFFEL, DIRECTOR

​SARAH SCHAFFEL is a sophomore intending to concentrate in Computer Science. On campus, she has served as a MLEAD Academy Leader, through which she participated in a leadership training program, welcomed other students and provided help with residence hall move-ins. Through the philanthropic arm of the University of Michigan chapter of Alpha Phi, she plans and executes events to support women's heart health, including an annual charity gala. Sarah hails from Deerfield, Illinois, where she held various positions on her high school's student council, organizing and participating in activities that raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for area charities. There she also helped to provide a warm, friendly environment ensuring positive experiences for dining members and guests of a country club community. A volunteer with the city of Chicago's chapter of a nationwide nonprofit, The Birthday Party Project, Sarah brought joy to local children, organizing themed birthday parties for those experiencing homelessness. 

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SHERRY LI, DEPARTMENT AFFAIRS CHAIR

SHERRY LI is a senior studying Industrial and Operations Engineering. As External Vice President of the University of Michigan's Institute of Industrial and Systems Engineers (IISE), Sherry manages an executive board for a chapter of the largest professional society dedicated solely to the support of the industrial engineering profession and individuals involved with improving quality and productivity. Versed in both high-level programming and database management languages, she has assisted multiple university research experiences including a project on drug shortages for which she identified patterns in shortage factors and created models in Python to demonstrate trends between various drug types. The College of Engineering selected Sherry as an Instructional Aide to lead a laboratory section and help all students studying linear statistical models improve their understanding. Through chairing one of the best student-run pan-Asian cultural programs in our country, Sherry has also helped to coordinate the largest Asian American culture show here in the Midwest. ​

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ANGIE MILLER, MANAGING EDITOR AND PUBLISHER

ANGIE MILLER, a 2017 alumna of the College of Literature, Science, and the Arts (LSA), is a graduate student in the School of Public Health where she is currently pursuing a Master's of Public Health (MPH) degree in Global Health Management and Policy. She has multiple years of involvement with Scientista. As a blog contributor with the Lit Team in 2014-15, Angie researched and produced interesting posts on an array of STEMM careers, introducing members to their broad-ranging and diverse topics and helping to grow overall readership of Chapter publications. In 2016-17, she joined the E-Board as Outreach Chair, working to raise the visibility of our Chapter and supporting events on campus in alignment with Scientista's mission. Outside of Scientista, Angie has worked on research related to chronic disease prevention and management, contributing to the development of interventions to transform policy and practice. She currently works as a Graduate Student Instructor in the College of LSA's Women's Studies department, where she teaches the critical and historical study of women, sexuality, and gender and lectures on domestic violence policy and global women's health.

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RHEA RAJANI, EVENTS CHAIR

RHEA RAJANI is a freshman intending to concentrate in Biology. She hails from Holland, Michigan, where she gave presentations about mental health to high school, middle school, and elementary classes with Be Nice, an initiative aimed to erase stigma and make schools more open, caring environments. While in high school, she participated in an Ambassador Leadership Summit at Harvard University, where she engaged with an exclusive curriculum targeted towards students recognized for leadership potential by their communities. Across the world in Mumbai, India, Rhea interned with The Welfare of Stray Dogs, a local organization committed to controlling the city's street dog population in humane, scientific ways. As a high school student, she advanced her knowledge of animal care through pursuing a course in veterinary conservation through the top-ranked College of Veterinary Medicine at Cornell University. By the time of her graduation from high school, the Michigan Department of Education awarded Rhea a Seal of Biliteracy in recognition of her abilities to speak and write English and Spanish.

SYDNEY EDWARDS, PUBLIC RELATIONS CHAIR

SYDNEY EDWARDS is a junior intending to concentrate in Neuroscience. On campus, she serves on the Executive Committee of Mu Epsilon Delta, a national health science, honor, and service pre-professional organization. As a Research Assistant in the Anantharam Lab, she has helped to investigate the molecular mechanisms of neurotransmitter/hormone sorting and secretion. Through the Michigan Pre-Med Advising Community (MPAC), Sydney provides resources and mentorship to underclassmen, helping to alleviate anxieties of adjusting to college life, especially for those who are the first in their immediate families to attend college. As a Peer Advisor through Pre-Med Hub, which provides a peer-to-peer pre-med resource for University of Michigan students, she additionally fields questions about classes, research, and organizations. Sydney completed the hEARt Listens Supporter Training Program, which has allowed her to provide peer support services to those encountering mental health challenges.

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