Patricia Burchat is the Gabilan Professor in the Physics Department at Stanford University. Her research focuses on studies of the Universe at both the smallest and the largest scales, to probe two questions: What is the Universe made of? What are the laws of physics that govern the constituents of the Universe? She has held a number of leadership positions in experiments at accelerators that probe the elementary particles and the fundamental interactions. She is now part of a large international team of scientists preparing for analysis of data from the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope, which will provide the most extensive census of the Universe to date. She and her collaborators will use these data to investigate the nature of dark matter and dark energy, and the cosmological evolution of the Universe.

Patricia Burchat is a “first-gen” high school graduate. She received her Bachelors degree in Engineering Science at University of Toronto in 1981, and her PhD in Physics from Stanford in 1986. She was a postdoc and faculty member at UC Santa Cruz before returning to Stanford as a faculty member in 1995. At Stanford, she has served as Chair of the Physics Department and has been very active in introducing research-based pedagogy in the teaching of physics. She has received the Dean’s Award for Distinguished Teaching and the Walter J. Gores Award for excellence in teaching, and was elected as Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and the American Physical Society. Patricia Burchat has played a leading role in the growth of the APS Conferences for Undergraduate Women in Physics.

Geraldine (Geri) Richmond is the Presidential Chair in Science and Professor of Chemistry at the University of Oregon. Her research using laser spectroscopy and computational methods focuses on understanding environmentally and technologically important processes that occur at water, semiconductor and mineral surfaces. The studies have relevance to current issues in energy production, environmental remediation and atmospheric chemistry. Over 200 publications have resulted from the studies conducted in her laboratory with undergraduate, graduate students and postdoctoral associates. Her teaching activities in the classroom and beyond focus on science literacy, science policy and building a strong and diverse science and engineering workforce in the U.S. and globally. Throughout her career she has been actively involved in efforts to increase the number and success of women in science and engineering.

Dr. Mary James, the Dean for Institutional Diversity at Reed College in Portland, OR, is the chief diversity officer of the college. The dean reports to the president and works closely with the dean of faculty, Reed’s chief academic officer. The dean for institutional diversity oversees the functions of the office for institutional diversity. Mary is also a Professor in the Department of Physics. She has taught courses in electrodynamics, quantum mechanics, statistical mechanics and electronics at the upper-division level and courses on waves/math methods, "modern physics", and intermediate laboratory at the sophomore level. She has taught introductory physics courses (with laboratory components) for both science and non-science majors. She has completed major curriculum development projects for introductory laboratory-based courses for both science and non-science majors. She specializes in accelerator physics, classical electrodynamics, and physics outreach.

Jennifer Dionne is an associate professor of Materials Science and Engineering at Stanford. Jen received her Ph. D. in Applied Physics at the California Institute of Technology, advised by Harry Atwater, and B.S. degrees in Physics and Systems & Electrical Engineering from Washington University in St. Louis. Prior to joining Stanford, she served as a postdoctoral researcher in Chemistry at Berkeley, advised by Paul Alivisatos. Jen’s research develops new optical materials and microscopies to observe chemical and biological processes as they unfold with nanometer scale resolution. She then uses these observations to improve energy-relevant processes (such as photocatalysis and energy storage) and medical diagnostics and therapeutics. Her work has been recognized with the Materials Research Society Young Investigator Award (2017), Adolph Lomb Medal (2016), Sloan Foundation Fellowship (2015), and the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (2014), and was recently featured on Oprah’s list of “50 Things that will make you say ‘Wow’!”.

Alison is the Director of Virtual Prototyping at Zemax, where she leads a cross-functional, global team of product managers, engineers, content, and community professionals. She is responsible for delivering on the promise of faster time to market for customers through modern virtual prototyping.

Alison holds an MS in Electro-optics from the University of Dayton, a BS in Physics from Wright State University, and a yoga teaching certificate. She has also cycled in five countries!