David Reiley, President David is a Principal Scientist at Pandora Media in California, where he uses controlled experiments to measure the effects of advertising on purchases and other consumer behavior. He previously was a professor at Vanderbilt University and at the University of Arizona. A member of the PGSS class of 1986, he subsequently served as a physics TA in 1989 and 1991. He holds a bachelor's degree in astrophysical sciences from Princeton and a PhD in economics from MIT. He is passionate about PGSS because it is the only educational institution he's ever been associated with where all the students wanted to learn and all the teachers wanted to teach. He lives in Berkeley with his wife Jill Sazama. Ben Campbell, Vice President Ben is an Assistant Professor of Engineering at Robert Morris University, near Pittsburgh. Prior to that, he was a laser engineer at the Penn State Electro-Optics Center, specializing in manufacturing applications and fundamental studies of laser-material interaction using ultrashort pulse lasers. In 2013, the Penn State Department of Electrical Engineering awared Ben their Early Career Recognition Alumni Award. One award is given out annually to a PSU graduate from the EE department who within 10 years of graduation has "demonstrated outstanding technical excellence as an individual resulting in significant accomplishments (and) shown great potential for continued success in their field." Ben was also recognized by Pittsburgh Magazine in their November 2013 issue as one of the 40 under 40 in western Pennsylvania for their "passion, commitment, visibility, diversity and overall impact on the region." In 2014, The Spectroscopy Society of Pittsburgh awarded Ben the J. Kevin Scanlon Award for "Dedication in Enhancing Science Education" due to his numerous local efforts supporting STEM education. Ben was a member of the 1997 class of PGSS and returned as a TA for four summer (2000-2003). In 2005, he joined the PGSS faculty ranks, teaching the Laser Technology and the Science of Music electives, and also running team projects. He continued to serve on the faculty until the program was canceled in 2009 and returned with the program in 2013. Ben works to sustain PGSS because he knows the profound impact it had on his life and has seen its effect on countless students he has met through the program. Janet Hurwitz, Secretary Janet is a recently retired teacher of gifted students and students with learning disabilities at the South Williamsport Area Jr.-Sr. High School in South Williamsport, PA. She is the mother of Jeremy Hurwitz, a PGSS govvie from 2003. After earning a Bachelor of Science from the University of Rhode Island in Child Development and Family Relations with a minor in Early Childhood Education and a Master of Education in Special Education from Rhode Island College, she went on to teach every grade level from preschool to 12, as well as parenting classes. In 2013, she received the Outstanding Educator Award presented by the Pennsylvania Association of Gifted Education (PAGE). Janet is married to Ken Weiss and has another son Jason and one grandson. She is dedicated to sustaining PGSS so that other students can have the same opportunity her son had. It is her belief that PGSS is invaluable due to the academic rigor, the advisory access to colleges and majors through TA’s and professors, and the many social benefits it provides. Alfred Schnabel, Treasurer Alfred grew up in New Castle, PA and attended PGSS in 1994. He earned a BS in Astronomy at Case Western Reserve University in 1999 and now works as a business analyst at Dick's Sporting Goods. He lives outside Pittsburgh and spends his spare time reading, gaming and playing trombone in several community bands. PGSS was one of the most important and influential times of his life and he wants to ensure that future Pennsylvania students have the same opportunity he did. Zachary Gates Zachary is the founder of Gates Law Office PLLC in Troy, PA, where he focuses his practice on general civil litigation, disputes involving the natural gas industry, and intellectual property litigation. A member of the PGSS Clas of 1997, he later served the program as a teaching assistant (2000, 2001) and resident life director (2002). A registered patent attorney licensed in four states (PA, MA, NH, and VT), he holds a bachelor's degree in chemistry from The Pennsylvania State University and a J.D. from The Pennsylvania State University--the Dickinson School of Law. As a native of north-central Pennsylvania, Zachary wants to preserve PGSS for future Pennsylvanians, particularly those students from rural or economically challenged parts of the Commonwealth, so that they can be afforded the once-in-a-lifetime education experience he had when he was a teenager. He lives in Troy, PA, with his wife, son and daughter. Pavan Reddy Al Cangahuala Dr. Al Cangahuala was a member of the first PGSS class (PSS back then) in 1982, and a 1983 graduate of Baldwin High School in Pittsburgh. He earned his degrees in Aerospace Engineering and Planetary Science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Since 1992 he has worked at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena, CA, with a technical background in interplanetary navigation (inspired in part by a PSS project on orbital mechanics). Until recently he was the manager of JPL's Mission Design and Navigation Section, and is now the Mission System Manager for the Europa Clipper project, a mission to explore Europa, one of Jupiter's most interesting moons. Carmen Diaz |
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