Meet Amy Gensemer. Amy has 20 years of educational experience in Science, Technology, and Engineering in the classroom and now serves as the Senior Director for K-12 Digital Instruction at Discovery Education.

Amy has 20 years of educational experience in Science, Technology, and Engineering as a high school classroom teacher, department chair, district curriculum specialist and most recently K-12 Supervisor for Science, Technology, and Engineering for the largest school system in Maryland. Prior to her supervisor position, she designed and delivered Professional Development at the national level and has authored national STEM curriculum products. Currently, Amy serves as the Senior Director for K-12 Digital Instruction at Discovery Education.

Meet Dr. Ali. Dr. Ali is a Corporate Scientist in 3M’s Film & Materials Science Division, having achieved the highest ranking among scientific roles at the company. She is a world-renowned technology leader and has been invited to speak across the globe.

She invented and developed a novel Quaternary Ammonium Materials Technology Platform that has generated several highly successful commercialized products for 3M, including antistatic polarizer films used for laptops and TVs, ink-receptive films used for printing durable, brighter images, antimicrobial coatings, and paint blocking masking tapes.

Dr. Ali joined 3M after graduating with a Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry from the University of Kentucky and a fellowship at the University of Colorado in Boulder. She has co-authored over 60 patents that cover a large variety of commercialized products in multiple markets and across business units. Dr. Ali has received many prestigious national awards and honors, including being inducted into the 3M Carlton Society in 2020. The Carlton Society is reserved for the top scientists at 3M, based on scientific prowess, real life applications, and a commitment to mentoring. She was also recently selected as North America’s top Industrial Chemist for 2020 by the American Chemical Society, the world’s largest scientific community.

In addition to her day-to-day work in the lab, Dr. Ali enjoys teaching science classes to high school students in 3M’s Science Training Encouragement Program and offering enrichment science classes at a local elementary school in Minnesota. She has served on the board of directors of the Schubert Club organization and as a volunteer council member of the Salon Se Leve Musical Organization. Dr. Ali has been invited to judge the national Distinguished Young Women of America program and continues to mentor many young scientists worldwide.

Meet Dr. Caruso Dailey.  Meet Dr. Caruso Dailey. From cellphones to vehicles, the science of Dr. Mary Caruso Dailey can be experienced, although you may not be able to see it. As an Advanced Product Development Specialist for the Industrial Adhesives and Tapes Division at 3M, Dr. Caruso Dailey is currently leading a team that develops liquid adhesives for new electronics applications. Previously, she developed the film material called Crystal Silk, a durable film composite embedded with tiny glass beads that create a smooth tactile experience and easy-cleaning surface for a variety of touchpad-powered products. Before that, she worked in the Industrial Business Group on epoxy-based structural adhesives that have been brought to life in automotive, aerospace and industrial applications.

Mary has a passion for positively influencing our next generation of scientists. She is currently the Chair of 3M’s Technical Women’s Leadership Forum, working to accelerate the inclusion and advancement of technical women globally to reflect our customers and markets and grow our business. She is actively involved in a number of mentoring opportunities with high school and college students, and has been a Mentor for the Young Scientist Challenge for 6 years. Mary has also served as a science fair judge at both the state and regional levels, volunteered at the Regional Science Bowls, and inspired high-school students through speaking engagements as part of the 3M’s Technical Teams Encouraging Career Horizons (TECH) program. She has also been featured in a 3M’s Science at Home video series, which are experiments that can be done with common household materials with a target audience of school-age children.

Mary earned her Ph.D. in Chemistry from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 2010 and her B.S. in Chemistry from Elon University in 2006.

Meet Dr. Alireza Kashef-Asgari. As the new product development leader for 3M’s Powered and Supplied Air (P&SA) commercialization team, Dr. Kashef-Asgari understands that a customer’s biggest asset is their workforce. Ali leads a multidisciplinary team that brings together experts within electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, product design, and respiratory science, to create new and innovative Powered Air Purifying Respiratory (PAPR) devices designed to improve the health and safety of workers.

With a background in computational material science, and alongside a talented team of engineers and designers, Ali is dedicated to providing innovative solutions to solve customers' respiratory protection challenges.

Ali earned his doctorate in engineering from Deakin University in Australia in 2009. He joined the Personal Safety Division of 3M in 2018, after five years working in and leading multiscale modeling and computational modeling in 3M corporate laboratories.

Meet Michael O'Toole. Michael has been immersed in education and coaching for more than two decades. His love of learning has led to a BS in Geography with a concentration in Environmental Analysis, followed by a Masters of Arts in teaching degree. His work in the classroom focuses on the areas of both physical and cultural geography as well as Earth system science.

Throughout his career as an educator and curriculum developer, he has had the opportunity to work with students and teachers around the world and with such organizations as National Geographic, NASA, UCAR, the National Science Foundation, The GLOBE Program, Discovery Education and the University of Colorado.

Michael spent 2 years as the STEM Coordinator for St. Vrain Valley Schools before moving to his current position of Coordinator of Science Curriculum for St. Vrain Valley Schools. He is very interested in increasing geographic and scientific knowledge as well as promoting STEM Education and the use of technology in the classroom.

Michael is an avid outdoorsman and can be found regularly on the trails and frequently summits Mount Kilimanjaro.

Meet LeAnn Simmerman. As an educator, LeAnn serves students and educators in grades K-12. LeAnn is Co-President of the Tennessee Association for the Gifted, an affiliate of the National Association for Gifted Children.

She is recognized as a LEGO Master Educator and was a part of the inaugural class of Master Educators. LeAnn is a member of the Discovery Education Network Leadership Council and an ambassador for Ignite My Future in School. She is passionate about equitable learning opportunities for all students.

In recent years, LeAnn has dedicated time and focus to STEM opportunities for all students. She served as Team Lead for developing her district’s STEM Expo which celebrated the STEM learning of students throughout the district and attracted over 1,000 visitors. LeAnn is a frequent presenter having shared at local, state, national and international professional development conferences.

LeAnn graduated from East Tennessee State University with degrees in Special Education and History.

She and her husband, David, live in TN with their 4 children.

Meet Dr. Tonya Woolfolk. Dr. Tonya Woolfolk is a passionate science educator with many exploratory experiences that began in elementary school, which nurtured her passion for science. Consequently, she went on to receive her undergraduate degree in chemistry and graduate degrees and certificates in math and science education, leadership, and curriculum and instruction up to the doctorate level.

Tonya has previously served as a high school science teacher, department chair, and assistant principal. As the Coordinator of Science for grades K-5 in Houston County Schools, she organizes the science curriculum for 24 elementary schools while providing professional learning for over 500 elementary teachers. Additionally, she is an instructor for the K-5 science endorsement with Middle Georgia Regional Educational Service Agency and an adjunct professor at Mercer University.

Tonya previously served as the Georgia Science Supervisors Association president and currently serves on the National Science Teaching Association’s Committee on Coordination and Supervision of Science Teaching.