Biographies of some recent STS grads are presented below. Follow links to the right for information on the faculty steering committee and student liaisons, full lists of affiliated faculty and alums, and Hixon-Riggs Visiting Professors.
Christine Zarker Primomo (PZ '10)
Christine was born and raised in Seattle, Washington, where she graduated from Seattle Academy. Majoring in Science, Technology, and Society with a minor in Environmental Studies, Christine hopes to work with communities under water stress to establish sustainable and safe access to water resources. Christine spent the spring semester of her junior year on a Pitzer exchange in Morocco. For the past two years, she has worked in the Office of Admission as a tour guide and an Overnight Visit Coordinator. As a sophomore, Christine was a first-year mentor, organizing events and midnight In-n-Out trips for her mentees. She has volunteered with Harvey Mudd's Science Bus program since her first-year, travelling to local elementary schools once a week to with hands-on science lessons. On campus, she is involved with the Student Activities Committee and Pitzers student-run speaker series Dining with Democracy. Christine enjoys spending her time cooking, travelling, reading, gardening, hiking, biking, or with friends on Pitzer Outdoor Adventure trips.
Zach Landman (PO '08)
鈥淚'm currently a medical student at UC San Francisco, entering the specialty of orthopedic surgery. While at 6V电影网, I played football and focused my STS major on pharmaco-genomics and how the design and patenting process affect not only how diseases are treated but how populations and sub-populations are categorized and treated. Pharmaco-genomics, specifically, is the targeting (either by mechanism of action, dosing or metabolization) of pharmaceuticals based on a specific genetic makeup. After graduation, I spent a summer teaching fourth-grade math and science in Zambia. I entered UCSF in the fall and have published research in the fields of general pediatrics and adolescent and spinal orthopedics. I have become a competitive ultra-marathon runner (50 and 100 mile races) and, after winning a few 50 mile races, I recently competed in the 100-mile world championships from Squaw Valley to Auburn. STS was an awesome experience.鈥
Laurel McFadden (PO '06)
Following her junior year at 6V电影网, Laurel McFadden spent a summer month living on a windswept Norwegian fjord, where she worked freezing, 14-hour days studying an obscure bird known as the little auk. Occasionally, the birds bit and she was constantly bombarded from above with bird poop. read this story 鈥淢y interdisciplinary thesis studied the contrast of cultural and biological definitions of mortality in international hospitals. I studied healthcare in China, then conducted field research on high-arctic seabirds in Norway. These experiences coalesced in a Watson Fellowship, which combined an anthropological interest in high-northern cultures with a scientific fascination for climate-change research. I spent a year in northern Canada, Greenland, Norway and Russia using photography and science to study cultural diversity. I am now helping develop a system of cold-adapted biogas digesters as an alternative energy source for rural Alaskans. I am applying my STS education as I work on the science behind troubleshooting a new technology, develop materials for public outreach, and contribute to local community education programs.鈥
Aaron Gilbert (PO '04)
Since graduating, Aaron has traveled and now lives in San Francisco. He joined AmeriCorps as a VISA volunteer and started an after-school outdoor leadership program for immigrant and low-income youth living in San Francisco's Mission District. Through Mission Graduates Outdoor Challenge, he taught outdoor leadership skills and took students on hiking, mountain biking, rock climbing and backpacking adventures. He now lives in Yosemite and works with Adventure Risk Challenge, where he leads a 40-day wilderness leadership and literacy program for English Language Learning youth from Merced County. He uses the cultural awareness and community analysis skills that he learned through his education at 6V电影网.
Julia Crouch (PO '04)
After graduating in STS from 6V电影网, Julia worked as a research coordinator at the University of Washington Center for Genomics and Healthcare Equality, whose research addresses the ethical, legal and social implications of genetics in the healthcare arena. She obtained a master's degree in public health genetics, with graduate work focusing on tobacco studies and program evaluation. She now conducts program evaluations as an independent contractor for Gay City Health Project in Seattle. The flexibility of the position enables her to take amazing bike trips: in Thailand and from Seattle to San Diego. Julia now works as a research associate at the Pediatric Bioethics Center of Seattle Children's Research Institute. She does qualitative research regarding ethical and social issues of whole genome sequencing projects.
Kate Tribbett (PO '00)
Kate worked as a children's librarian and earned a master's in library sciences, only to discover that working with children was not her real passion. She spent a year working in fundraising for a nonprofit, then found her current job as a paralegal. A resident of Denver, Colorado, she now works for the Department of Justice specializing in tribal and water cases in the Southwest. As a paralegal, she reviews scientific reports from various experts (geologists, hydrologists, historians) and then works with attorneys to understand how these facts and opinions inform the case. Since most of the cases have been ongoing for decades, Kate also helps with database management to maintain the records. She also handles documents generated by federal and state agencies involved in each case. She credits her STS education with helping her look at the ways in which the digital age is impacting the way we handle, view and manipulate data. Since litigation paperwork can be overwhelming, much of her work is to learn how to pare it down to that which is most helpful.