Women in STEM Panel

Women In STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering & Math) Career Panel

Thursday, November 9th, room 401

Moderator

Maranda Miller

Maranda Miller
SUNY Maritime College
Assistant Director of Learning Support

Maranda Miller is the Assistant Director of Learning Support for SUNY Maritime College.  Maranda’s STEM education journey has encouraged her to earn a Bachelors and Masters in Computer Science, a Masters in Adult Education focused on Mathematics.  She worked as a software developer for two well-noted corporations before transitioning into the world of academia.  She is currently pursuing a doctorate in STEM Education (University of Kentucky) with a focus on how mathematics self-efficacy and mathematics anxiety affect adult learners.  Her desire to increase STEM participation and degree pursuance amongst people of color has led to her involvement with various STEM youth camps and organizations.   Maranda is a Kentucky native that enjoys being a mom to two daughters, running, and being out in nature.

Panelists

Jasmine Bayron

Jasmine Bayron
CUNY Graduate Center
PhD Student, Earth and Environmental Sciences

Jasmine Bayron is a Ph.D. student in Earth and Environmental Sciences at the CUNY Graduate Center. She conducts her research in partnership with the American Museum of Natural History. In addition to being a MAGNET Fellow, she is a science team collaborator on the OSIRIS-Rex Asteroid Sample Return Mission, which is part of NASA’s New Frontiers Program of Solar System exploration missions. Her dissertation research explores the relationships between meteorites that have not experienced any significant heating events since their formation and asteroids with highly absorptive surfaces.

Previously, she worked as a paid intern at the American Museum of Natural History’s Earth and Planetary Sciences Department, which entailed researching the petrology and chemistry of carbonaceous chondrite meteorites. Before that, she worked as a Research Assistant at Hunter College’s Climate lab and was responsible for recording weather phenomenon and radiative fluctuations on the 17th floor green roof on the Hunter North Building.

Denise Cruz

Denise Cruz, MA, CCC-SLP
Marymount Manhattan College
Director, Clinical Education and Clinical Services
Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders

Denise Cruz, is a bilingual speech-language pathologist and is currently the Director of Clinical Education and Clinical Services at Marymount Manhattan College’s Ruth Smadbeck Communication & Learning Center (speech and hearing clinic).  The center provides diagnostic and clinical services to adults/children with communication and related needs. She has been in practice since 2005 with experience in a variety of communication, voice, feeding and swallowing disorders in various settings and delivery models. Prior to her current position, Mrs. Cruz spent 10 years as a Senior Bilingual Speech-Language Pathologist at the New York Eye and Ear Infirmary of Mount Sinai as a voice and swallowing disorders specialist. Her clinical interests lie in the areas of rehabilitation of head and neck cancer patients, swallowing disorders, general voice disorders, transgender voice therapy, and care of the professional voice. Ms. Cruz received her BA and MA in Speech-Language Hearing Sciences from Herbert H, Lehman College of the City University of New York (CUNY). Mrs. Cruz is certified by the American Speech-Language Hearing Association (ASHA).

Laura Dhariwal

Laura Dhariwal, MD
Atlantic Health System
Fellow in Female Pelvic Medicine and Reconstructive Surgery

Laura Dhariwal is currently a fellow in Female Pelvic Medicine and Reconstructive Surgery, specializing in female incontinence and pelvic organ prolapse. She attended a 7-year accelerated BS/MD program at the Sophie Davis School of Biomedical Education and received her medical degree at SUNY Downstate Medical Center. She then went on to pursue residency in Obstetrics and Gynecology at Hofstra Northwell Health System. She has an interest in female reproductive health and female health advocacy.

Sherri L Smith

Sherri L. Smith
Tom’s Guide/Laptop Magazine
Editor

Sherri L. Smith is just a real-life girl living in a virtual world. As an editor at Tom’s Guide and Laptop Mag, you’ll find her exploring augmented, virtual and mixed reality, playing the hottest games, or testing the newest headphones. When Sherri’s not busy reviewing a myriad of gadgets, she’s espousing the joys of tech on CNN, Fox News and Cheddar, or moderating a panel.

In the past, she’s written about technology and gaming for a number of publications including Fast Company, Inc., BET and Black Web 2.0.

In her downtime, you can find her at home cooking with the latest kitchen tech or on the town looking for a few good scotches.

Beth Spektor

Beth Spektor
Program Director for CUNY Tech Career Readiness
Office of Workforce Partnerships, CUNY

Beth Spektor is the Program Director for CUNY Tech Career Readiness with the Office of Workforce Partnerships (OWP) in CUNY Central Office. Within this role, she is responsible for creating career readiness curriculum for students preparing for careers in tech and to support and assist the faculty and staff who will advise and mentor these students. She is also responsible for overseeing CUNY-wide recruitment initiatives for tech employers looking to hire CUNY students.

Prior to her work with OWP, Beth served as the Program Director for CUNY Internship Programs where she oversaw internships at New York City Human Resources Administration and Department of Education for over 250 CUNY students with tech related majors.

Before joining CUNY, Beth managed a portfolio of youth workforce development programs at Northern Manhattan Improvement Corporation in Washington Heights. She obtained a B.A. in Psychology and American Culture from University of Michigan–Ann Arbor, an M. Ed degree from Arizona State University-West, and an MSW degree from University of Michigan–Ann Arbor.