Author: Ana Tognasoli
Scientist Profile – Dr. Alicia Aarnio
Dr. Alicia Aarnio is an astrophysicist and Assistant Professor at The University of North Carolina at Greensboro. She graduated from Smith College, a women’s college, in 2005 double majoring in astronomy and physics. She then attended Vanderbilt where she earned her Ph.D. in Physics in 2010, a year in which only 20% of Physics PhDs were conferred to women. Since beginning with a Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) project, Dr. Aarnio has been in the field for 19 years, and when not teaching and conducting research, she loves to make, repair, and grow things.
Scientist Profile – Dr. Nadja Cech
Dr. Nadja B. Cech is a Patricia A. Sullivan Distinguished Professor of Chemistry at UNC Greensboro, where she has been on the faculty since 2001. She received her BS degree in chemistry from Southern Oregon University, and her PhD in chemistry from the University of New Mexico. Dr. Cech is a Principal Investigator for the Center for High Content Functional Annotation of Natural Products, Co-Director of the Analytical Core for the Center of Excellence for Natural Product Drug Interaction, and Co-Director of the Medicinal Chemistry Collaborative.