| Print |

alumni network committee

Formed in 2004, the Alumni Network Committee provides leadership for Let's Talk Science alumni and represents alumni viewpoints in Let's Talk Science decisions. The committee provides guidance to Let's Talk Science staff in matters related not only to alumni and their programs, but also to other Let's Talk Science programs and services. Members provide ideas on recruitment and science outreach opportunities for alumni, and encourage Let's Talk Science alumni to stay connected and engage in alumni activities. 

Stacey Brydges, Chair

Stacey is a lecturer and research scientist in the Department of Chemistry at Columbia University in New York City. Her position has been specifically designed to have a strong focus on teaching and education issues and initiatives spanning the K-12 continuum and intersecting traditional scholarship domains. She served as one of the founding Let's Talk Science Partnership Program coordinators (1997-'99) and volunteers (1997-2001) at McMaster University, while completing her doctoral research in inorganic chemistry. She has been a member of the Let's Talk Science Alumni Network and its Committee since January 2005, and greatly appreciates the opportunity to stay connected and contribute to science culture and education in Canada, even while she is living and working in another country.

Alicia Davis

Alicia is Administrator of the History Department at The University of British Columbia where she handles the financial, HR, and administrative responsibilities for the department. After spending a few years at a local biotech company, she is happy to be back in the university setting, and is still active with the local Let’s Talk Science Partnership Program. Although the switch from Science and Biotech to History and Humanities has been a real eye-opener, her interest in science is partially fulfilled through the goings-on of the large History of Science group at UBC. Her involvement with Let's Talk Science began at Dalhousie University (2001) where she was a Partnership Program coordinator for 2+ years before moving to UBC (2004) for another year. In addition to the coordinating side of the program, she has been involved with countless classroom and community activities, and is excited to continue as part of the alumni committee.

David Kent

David originally hails from St. John's, Newfoundland. He completed his doctoral studies at The University of British Columbia, and is currently completing postdoctoral training at the University of Cambridge. His research is in the field of stem cell biology where he is interested in understanding blood stem cells and their role in human diseases. David was coordinator of the UBC LTS Partnership Program from 2004-2007 and remained a volunteer with the program until 2009.

Hana Kucera

Hana started the University of New Brunswick site of the Let's Talk Science Partnership Program in October 2004. By the time Hana passed the torch to new coordinators in 2008, the site had grown to over 60 volunteers, reaching approximately 1,500 youth each year. Even though she is no longer a coordinator, Hana continues to be an active volunteer at the UNB LTSPP site. Hana is a PhD student in Biology at UNB and her research is focused on seaweed systematics. She has broad interests in outreach and teaching at all levels from kindergarten up to university.

Cathy Orlando-Mathur

While in graduate school in 1991 at The University of Western Ontario, Cathy was one of the founding members of the organization that became Let's Talk Science in 1993. After graduate school, Cathy eventually became a high school teacher but she yearned to be either an environmentalist or missionary. In  a sense she realized that dream in 2005 when she made the leap from high school teaching to coordinating science outreach for the Dean of Science and Engineering at Laurentian University in Sudbury, ON. In April 2008, she was selected by an international team to be trained by Al Gore and The Climate Project to give presentations on climate change. She has given over 30 Climate Project presentations as of September 1, 2009. She is also a mother of three girls, born in 1996, 1997 and 2007. Her partner since 1986, Dr. Sanjiv Mathur is a Let's Talk Science alumnus as well.  

Marianne Stanford

Marianne is a postdoctoral fellow at the Ottawa Health Research Institute (OHRI) working on oncolytic viruses, or using viruses as a new and innovative cancer treatment. She started working with Let's Talk Science in 1997 as a volunteer at Memorial University of Newfoundland during her MSc training, and helped start the LTS Partnership Program site at Dalhousie University during her time there as a PhD student (2000-2004). Marianne reconnected with Let's Talk Science during a postdoctoral fellowship at the Robarts Research Institute in London, ON, and is excited about staying involved now that she’s in Ottawa! 

Brea Williams is a Project Engineer at Halsall Associates Ltd. in Ottawa. Halsall are consultants for structural engineering, building science, restoration, facility audits, and more, with offices in Toronto, Burlington, Sudbury, Ottawa, Calgary, Vancouver and Dubai. This year Halsall was named one of The Best Workplaces in Canada by Canadian Business Magazine. While attending grad school at Queen’s University, she was involved in the Let's Talk Science Partnership Program. Brea is the proud mother of an 18 month old daughter.

Glenda Casimir

Glenda is Coordinator, Alumni & Community Partnerships, for Let’s Talk Science. Her role is to administer all aspects of this initiative including: identifying and locating alumni, sending invitations, communication, creating opportunities (for advocacy, social events, networking), funding, identifying science outreach opportunities and providing support for alumni volunteers. She began volunteering with Let’s Talk Science in 1996 and became an employee in May 1999. She has held several positions during the past eight years, including National Partnership Program Coordinator, providing her with the opportunity to get to know many past volunteers. 

Linda Turner

Linda is Let’s Talk Science's Development Officer. Her role is to research, cultivate, acquire funding from, develop reports for and provide stewardship to individuals, businesses and foundations in support of all Let's Talk Science programs and administration. She has development, marketing, communications and administration experience in the non-profit and private sectors, including University of Guelph, Digital Wizards (multimedia publisher) and Nature Conservancy of Canada. Her education includes: diploma, Broadcast Television, Fanshawe College and BA, The University of Western Ontario.