Sandy Castellano has a B.S. Earth Sciences with a Concentration in Environmental Science (graduated 2018) and an M.S. Sustainability Science (anticipated graduation Dec 2022). Currently, Castellano is a graduate student at Montclair State University and working as a teaching assistant leading two labs classes for introduction level geology. Castellano is a Latina in STEM and proudly represents Ecuador. Her family immigrated to the United States, and Castellano is proud to have had the opportunity to grow up in this country and be able to seek out and pursue her dreams of being a scientist. She recently completed a summer internship in Cameroon that was funded by the National Science Foundation- IRES focused on geochemistry analysis of an urbanized estuary located in Douala, Cameroon. Castellano is also presenting her research at this year’s GSA conference in Denver.

Dr. Maddie Smith is an Assistant Scientist in the Applied Ocean Physics & Engineering Department at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. Motivated by the loss of sea ice in a rapidly changing climate, her research uses observations and modeling approaches to understand how sea ice interacts with the ocean. Her fieldwork has taken her to the oceans at both ends of the earth, including participation in the summer leg of the year-long MOSAiC expedition. Maddie completed her PhD in Civil & Environmental Engineering at the University of Washington, exploring the role of surface waves and turbulence in the autumn Arctic Ocean. She received her B.A. in Earth & Oceanographic Studies and Environmental Science from Bowdoin College in Brunswick, Maine, where she first dreamed of exploring the Arctic while learning about the transpolar drift of Fridtjof Nansen.

Dr. Francesca De Domenico is an Assistant Professor in Novel Aircraft Propulsion at the faculty of Aerospace Engineering at TU Delft. She has a passion for flames and sustainability and her research goal is to disruptively change the way in which we power aircrafts, to make them greener and more sustainable. Specifically, she is interested in developing airplane engines which safely and efficiently use hydrogen as green alternative to kerosene-based jet fuels. She obtained her BSc and MSc in Aerospace Engineering (summa cum laude) from the University of Padova (Italy). Subsequently, she obtained her PhD in Engineering at the University of Cambridge, with her research investigating the sound generated by the flames in combustion chambers (thermo-acoustics). Subsequently, she became a Junior Research Fellow in Engineering at Gonville and Caius College (University of Cambridge), where she worked on developing advanced diagnostic tools for flames (laser-based measurement techniques) and for humans (novel sensors for measuring blood pressure). For her research, Francesca was awarded several prices and fellowships, such as the Amelia Earhart Fellowship (for the 30 best female PhD researchers in Aerospace Engineers worldwide), the APS DFD award, the ASME SACTA award, the Acoustics Society Award, and she was invited to speak at national and international conferences. Francesca is also an active STEM ambassador. She enjoys outreach activities with school pupils and she actively contributes to initiative to promote gender-inclusivity in the education system. In her free time, Francesca enjoys all kinds of outdoor sport and activity, especially running, cycling and hiking. She loves travelling around the world, discovering new places, experiencing new cultures, and admiring the amazing beauty of nature.

Phebe Bonilla is a Mexican environmental engineer. She did her undergrad in Puebla, her home city, where she worked for CAISEH, a consultancy company dedicated to doing environmental impact assessments. After finishing her degree, Phebe worked at MAV Integral Engineering and helped design wastewater treatment plants. The following year, she undertook her postgraduate studies at the University of Sheffield, in the UK. After completing her MSc in Environmental and Energy Engineering, she did a PhD in Chemical Engineering, specializing in CO2 capture. She is currently in Denmark, working remotely at Research Retold as a research communicator where she helps researchers to communicate their findings in accessible ways.

Constance Schéré is a PhD candidate at King's College London in the Department of Geography. Her research focusses on the effectiveness of Irish Sea marine protected areas as a sustainable biological conservation tool. Constance has a MSc in Biodiversity, Territory, and Environment (BIOTERRE) from the Sorbonne (Université de Paris 1: Panthéon-Sorbonne, 2017) and a MSc in Environmental Policy from SciencesPo Paris (2013). She completed environmental and research internships at Clean Water Action (2012), Dassault Systèmes (2013-2014), and Harvard University (2014). From 2014 to 2015, she was a sustainability specialist for Sodexo, where she worked in partnership with the Gulf of Maine Research Institute (United States) and the Marine Stewardship Council to promote the sustainable harvest of seafood and marine conservation. She is currently undergoing a doctoral internship with the LPO (French partner of BirdLife International) on the governance, management, and monitoring of the Sept-Îles marine reserve in Brittany, France. In addition to her doctoral research, Constance is part of a number of citizen science projects, including Seasearch and Coastwatch. She is also co-coordinator of Divers Action Group Northern Ireland, which responds to public consultations, proposes new sites for MPA designation, and highlights harmful activities in Northern Irish waters.