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To nominate an alumnus to be featured, please send an E-mail to the Foundation office at office@nysf.com. Please provide abbreviated biographical notes and contact information for the nominee.
Dr. Joel Herskowitz, M.D., NYSC MO 1963Joel Herskowitz was a Missouri delegate to the NYSC in 1963. He then came back on staph for two summers 1967 and 1974 as the camp counselor and camp physician. Joel attended Princeton majoring in music and then continuing his education at Chicago Medical School and graduated from the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in 1971. He has completed training in pediatrics, child psychiatry, and pediatric neurology in different areas with in Boston from 1971 through 1979. Interested in the interface between medicine and psychiatry Joel co-authored a book with N. Paul Rosman, MD titled: “Pediatrics, Neurology, and Psychiatry: Common Ground”.
Joel is married to Roya Sayadi and they have four children. He ran the Rhode Island Marathon in 1991 in 3:42 and the St. Louis Marathon in 2005 in 5 hours -- the latter as a fund-raiser for a teaching award for his high school (University City High School in Missouri) which was established by Joel and his twin brother, Ira. He is still very active and is now pursing tennis and playwriting.
Dr. Melanie Kitzan Haindfield, Ph.D., NYSC ND 1991Melanie Kitzan Haindfield was a delegate to the National Youth Science Camp from North Dakota in 1991. She attended the University of Minnesota to obtain her B.S. in Biology and then continued on to get a Ph.D. in Genetics and Cell Biology from the University of Nebraska Medical Center. Melanie then continued on and received a J.D. from the Lewis and Clark Law School. Melanie currently works as a Patent Attorney in Seattle Washington. From a Graduate Fellow to becoming a guest lecturer at various meetings, Melanie has been a great support to the National Youth Science Foundation and the National Youth Science Camp Alumni Association. Melanie helped organize the very first Regional Science Symposium in Seattle, thank you Melanie!
Melanie enjoys spending time with her three daughters. When time allows she may be running or hiking with her family and two dogs!
Ms. Mary Caswell 'Cassie' Stoddard, NYSC VA 2004Cassie is an Ecology and Evolutionary Biology major at Yale University and a recipient of the Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship as well as the Marshall Scholarship. Through her research in the evolution of bird vision Cassie has developed a computer program that helps analyze bird colors as other birds see them. Cassie has been able to spend 10 weeks at Shoal Marine Laboratory on Appledore Island researching gull behavior and ecology through a National Science Foundation REU Fellowship. Cassie will be using the Marshall Scholarship next year to research ornithology at the University of Cambridge in the Department of Zoology.
In her spare time Cassie enjoys playing the violin in the Yale Symphony Orchestra and giving tours at the Yale Peabody Museum of Natural History.
Geoff graduated with a B.S. in Biology from the University of Wisconsin in 2004. He then traveled to Sri Lanka for three months to substitute teach. While there he also contributed to many volunteer projects, including bathing elephants. Geoff will complete medical school at the University of Michigan in the spring of 2008. Upon completing medical school, Geoff then plans to pursue a specialty in ophthalmology.
Geoff was a Wisconsin delegate to the National Youth Science Camp in 1999. Since then he has returned as a staff member (2000-04, 2007) holding various positions including rock climbing coordinator, audio-visual specialist, and medical assistant. During Geoff’s junior year of college he participated in the Trans-Atlantic Science Student Exchange (TASSEP) in Lancaster, England. As well as studying abroad, Geoff also played basketball for the Lancaster University’s team. When his schedule allows Geoff enjoys all sorts of outdoor activities such as climbing, skiing, and paddling.
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