Meet the Organizing Committee

O R G A N I Z I N G • C O M M I T T E E

Stony Brook University

Kim Horvat is a sophmore at Stony Brook University majoring in mathematics. She is interested in pursuing a career in astrophysics to study exoplanets and galaxies and hopes to work at NASA one day. 

In the past, Kim has taken part in many STEM extracurricular activities including volunteering for tutoring other students in mathematics, an Electrical Engineering workshop at Stony Brook University, is part of Stony Brook’s Women in Science and Engineering Honors Program, a Scientific Computer Coding program held by Brookhaven National Laboratory, part of her college’s Society of Asian Scientists and Engineers Chapter, Society of Physics Students organization, has taken part in her high school’s mathematics and robotics club, and most recently has completed two (2020 and 2021) High School Research Program held through Brookhaven National Laboratory. During this research, she worked with accelerator physicists on the National Synchrotron Light Source-II and studied neutrinos along with categorizing them by their interactive byproducts from data conducted at Fermi National Laboratory.

University of New Haven

Dr. Kristine Horvat is an Assistant Professor and Program Coordinator of Chemical Engineering at the University of New Haven in West Haven, CT, where she teaches laboratory, materials science, and sustainable energy courses and works on gas hydrate and algal biofuel research projects with students. She is very passionate about engaging and teaching up-and-coming students about engineering, especially topics related to cleaner, low carbon energy. Dr. Horvat earned a bachelor’s degree in Chemical and Molecular Engineering and a masters & PhD in Materials Science and Engineering from Stony Brook University. While in graduate school, she performed research at Brookhaven National Laboratory to investigate gas hydrates as an alternative energy source.  

Stony Brook University

Dr. Shruti Sharma is Portfolio Manager for Clean Energy Business Incubator Program (CEBIP). Dr. Sharma has more than 10 years of technical experience in advanced nanomaterials synthesis, microscopy, spectroscopy, and data analytics and more than 5 years of business development experience including early-stage energy startup incubation. Drawing on her materials science and engineering background combined with her business development experience, Dr. Sharma is committed to help stakeholders from industries, start-ups, research institutes, governmental agencies and nonprofits by enabling relevant networking connections, one-on-one mentorship as well as driving industry-university translational research collaboration development.

Her education includes B.Tech. with Honors in Metallurgical Engineering and Materials Science from the Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay (IITB), India and a M.S. and Ph.D. in Materials Science and Engineering from Stony Brook University.

Brookhaven National Laboratory

Vivian Stojanoff is a Physicist at the National Synchrotron Light Source II (NSLS II) at Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL) over seeing the User, Training and Outreach Program of the Center of Biomolecular Structure (CBMS). She has a broad multi-disciplinary background, with specific training in physics, material sciences, and x-ray crystallography. She has long standing experience with synchrotron light applications more specifically with methods and techniques that allow macromolecular structure determination. Before coming to BNL she was a beam line scientist at the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility in Grenoble France. She earned her  PhD in Physics from the University of Sao Paulo, Brazil. Vivian has mentored almost 100 students throughout her career. She actively collaborates with Dr. Aleida Perez,  supporting the SPARK program, a research program for high school teachers and student teams.