2019 Annual Report

OPPORTUNITY IMPACT MEETS Women in Science In 2019, we were proud to shine a spotlight on a number of women alumnae who received recognition for their contributions to advancing science and innovation.

Connecting Alumni While recognizing that individual success is both exciting and important, building lasting relation- ships among alumni is our mission. We continued to engage past participants through networking and regional events held across the country in 2019.

JEN PELKA STS 2000; ISEF 1997–1999 Jen Pelka, Magnum PR Founder & CEO and owner of the Riddler Champagne Bar in San Francis- co and New York, jumped in to share her space for a happy hour in San Francisco where multiple alum- ni connected with us for the first time.

Amplifying Our Message Through Action Our alumni go beyond attending and speaking at our competitions. In 2019 alone, more than 100 alumni volunteered and judged projects at Regeneron STS, Intel ISEF, and Broadcom MASTERS. They also served as STEM leaders for the next generation by speaking in local classrooms on their alumni and professional experiences. STEVE BERRY AND CAROL LITTLEJOHN HERZENBERG STS 1948 (STEVE); STS 1949 (CAROL) Science Talent Search alumnus and MacArthur Fellow Richard “Steve” Berry, Professor of Chemistry at the Univer- sity of Chicago, rendezvoused in a melding of the minds with alumna Caroline “Carol” Littlejohn Herzenberg, retired from the Argonne National Laboratory, at an alumni event at the University of Chicago in February 2019. MAKING A DIFFERENCE Alumni participated as Intel ISEF 2019 volunteer judges (top right). The Society’s National Leadership Council members and alumni Scott Kominers and Divya Nag (lower right) met in person for the first time at Intel ISEF 2019 to discuss further engagement for the alumni com- munity with their fellow council members.

SHARING CAREER ADVICE Back in Washington, D.C., local alumni lent their voices to this year’s Broadcom MASTERS Alumni Career Panel, offering life advice. Panelist Emil King (ISEF 1992–1995) summed up the event nicely by encourag- ing the young alumni to balance their commitment to homework and science fairs with the fun of extracurricular activities.

KATIE BOUMAN ISEF 2005

ROSINA BIERBAUM STS 1970; ISEF 1970

ERIN SMITH STS 2018; ISEF 2017–2018

Katie Bouman became a face of young women in science when her reaction to the first image of a black hole made headlines. She was subsequently named a co-recipient of the Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics for her role in developing an algorithm that aided in the creation of the history-making image.

Rosina Bierbaum was inducted into the National Academy of Science for her work advancing policy in STEM education, antibiotic resistance and agriculture. She was joined by Caltech professor Dianne Newman (ISEF 1987–1988), a Society Board of Trustees member, inducted for her con- tributions to microbial metabolism.

In 2019, up-and-coming innovator Erin Smith was lauded by Forbes 30 Under 30 and received the Thiel Fellowship for developing FacePrint, a machine learning tool that could identify Parkinson’s symp- toms earlier than previously possible.

Introducing the Society Alumni Network It has been a great joy for us to launch the Society Alumni Network, an online community for Society alumni that topped 1,500 members at the close of 2019. No longer limited by location, alumni now have the opportunity to reminisce and build new relationships that tran- scend borders, generations and industries, with access to mentors, jobs and other opportunities. Visit the Society’s alumni page to learn more and join.

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