Lauren Jenkins
Duke University
Lauren is a Duke Ecology PhD student, studying forest biodiversity from the lens of pollen and tree fecundity! She loves trees and finding funky acorns and pinecones. This is her third year on the SciREN Triangle planning team and she keeps coming back because she is excited about bridging the connection between researchers and the classroom!
Leah Nelson
UNC at Chapel Hill
Leah Nelson is a PhD student at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in the Environment, Ecology, and Energy Program (E3P), where she studies the ecological impacts of an invasive species of macroalgae. She is passionate about environmental resiliency and the effects of anthropogenic change on aquatic ecosystems. In her free time, she enjoys kayaking, hiking, baking, and reading. Leah was previously a member of SciREN Coast in 2022 and has been a member of SciREN Triangle since 2023.
Megan Davis, Coordinator of Teacher Education
NC Museum of Natural Sciences
As Coordinator of Teacher Education at the NC Museum of Natural Sciences, Megan leads professional development workshops and field experiences for educators (and sometimes students) across the state. She has been working with the SciREN Triangle team from the very beginning (2013!). Megan is passionate about spending time outdoors and inspiring others to explore their connections to the natural world. She believes in the power of optimism, curiosity, and hands-on- experiences — at each opportunity, helping to ignite the spark of curiosity and the sense of wonder for teachers, students, parents, and members of the public.
When not working, Megan enjoys exploring with her family along local greenways and trails, visiting farmers markets and eating local ice cream, cooking and baking, and digging in the dirt in her garden. She never has enough time to explore — there are so many places to go!
Skye-Anne Tschoepe
Duke University
Skye-Anne is a Duke Environment PhD student studying the socio-ecological impacts of natural gas transmission pipeline development in rural landscapes. Their work focuses on soil hydrology and environmental justice. In her free time, she enjoys trail running with her dog, reading, and rock climbing. This is Skye-Anne’s second year on the SciREN team!
Hannah Kubinski
Duke University
Hannah is a Ph.D. student in the Molecular Genetics and Microbiology Department at Duke University. She is currently investigating how sex differences play a role in infectious disease pathogenesis in order to understand why some people get worse infections than others. She loves to spend her free time in the outdoors on a hike or a run, but also enjoys baking and reading as well. This is her second year being involved with SciREN, and she is super excited to be a part of the SciREN team!
Hannah Kania
Duke University
Hannah Kania is a fifth-year Ph.D. student at Duke University, where she works in speciation biology. Her current research is on the mouse lemurs of Madagascar! She is passionate about science communication and has engaged in numerous science dissemination initiatives throughout her career. Her portfolio includes a range of art and written works. Outside of science, she is an avid potter, enjoys running, and loves to explore the outdoors. You can view her portfolio at www.hannahpkania.weebly.com
Audrey Thomas
Audrey is a 2nd-year QBio PhD student in the Sekelsky lab at UNC-Chapel Hill. Audrey focuses on histone mutants and their effect on non-disjunction and crossover distributions during meiosis. Audrey is also researching karyotype engineering – creating aberrant structured chromosomes to observe their effects on non-disjunction and crossover distributions in meiosis.
Alyssa Stoner
Alyssa is a Ph.D. student at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in the Genetics and Molecular Biology department, where she is investigating changes in cell cycle during abiotic stress in the plant root apical meristem. She is excited to share her passion for science with the community and being a part of the 2026 SciRen team! In her free time, Alyssa enjoys playing sports, hiking, and cooking.
Jared Albert
Jared is a PhD student in the Lampe Joint Department of Biomedical Engineering and his research focuses on improving stem cell delivery for angiogenesis in ischemic muscle. He has been heavily involved in outreach through his lab and is excited to be a part of the SciRen Triangle team.
Morgan Orsolini
Morgan is a Ph.D. candidate in the Integrated Toxicology and Environmental Health program at Duke University. She studies preimplantation embryo development and how environmental conditions in the embryology laboratory may perturb IVF outcomes. Outside of lab, Morgan enjoys coaching fitness classes, being outdoors, and exploring the Triangle. This is Morgan’s first year working with SciREN and she is excited to be involved as an Educator Liason!
Samuel Ramirez
Sam Ramirez is a PhD student in the Developmental and Stem Cell Biology program at Duke University. He studies tissue morphogenesis of the embryonic inner ear in zebrafish. He’s interested in the cell behaviors and extracellular cues that give rise to complex patterns from simple instructions. He enjoys wheel-throwing ceramics and indoor rock climbing in his free time, but is most happy spending time with his friends and family. He is eager to be part of such great outreach work with the SciREN team!
Isabella Cisneros
Isabella Cisneros is a Ph.D. student in the Developmental and Stem Cell Biology program at Duke University. Her current research focuses on metabolic adaptations to different environmental stresses in the polyextremotolerant black yeast, Aureobasidium pullulans. Outside of lab, she is passionate about science communication and outreach. This is her first year being a part of the SciREN team, and she can’t wait to share her enthusiasm for science with the public!
Kira Meyer
Kira is PhD student at Duke in the Ecology department. She studies forest and savanna biodiversity and is particularly interested in understanding how trees support food webs. She loves hiking, exploring the outdoors, and traveling to experience nature around the world. This is Kira’s first year on the SciREN team.
Matthew Romm
Matthew is a PhD student at NC State University’s Department of Marine, Earth, and Atmospheric Sciences. His research focuses on using satellite data to understand how aerosols and other variables impacting nutrient availability influence ocean phytoplankton activity, increasing our understanding of the Earth system and biogeochemical cycles. Outside of his research, Matthew enjoys hiking, exploring new places, and visiting museums.
Triangle Team Alumni
Kaitlyn Fouke (Duke)
Ethan Pozy (NCSU)
Abby Poff (Duke)
Julia Drennan (UNC)
Jason Dinh (Duke)
Jacob Harrison (Duke)
Stephanie Teeter (NCSU)
Gurugowtham Ulaganathan (Duke)
Josh Reding (UNC)
Justin Jorge (Duke)
Anna Kudla (Duke)
Jake Nash (Duke)
Zachary Davis (NCSU)
Anne Smiley (UNC)
Clara Howell (Duke)
Kyla Bosh (NCSU)
Aliyah Griffith (UNC)
Gary Wright (NCSU)
Sarah Reifeis (UNC)
Kate Augustine (UNC)
Eleanor Caves (Duke)
Patrick Green (Duke)
Kristen Hopperstad (NCSU)
Rebecca Lauzon (Duke)
Lindsay Maudlin (NCSU)
Doreen McVeigh (NCSU)
Melody Xiao (Duke)
Seth Theuerkauf (NCSU)
Justin Baumann (UNC)
Casey Berger (UNC)
Elise Paietta (Duke)
Melanie Cohn (UNC)
Lauren Grimley (UNC)
Jacob D. Thompson (NCSU)
Garrett Braniecki (UNC)