WISE Graduate Student Panelists
Sara Lytle
Sara Lytle is a second year MS student in Earth and Environmental Engineering at Columbia University SEAS, focusing on streamflow and eutrophication forecasting both domestically and globally. She graduated from the Dual BA between SciencesPo and Columbia University with a BA in Political Science/Corporate Law from SciencesPo in France and a BA in Sustainable Development from Columbia University. She currently is a research assistant at the NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies in NYC working on processing Department of Energy X-band radar in order to gain new insights on convective updrafts and thunderstorm lifecycles. She has held two summer internships at NASA, one on radar algorithms at GISS in 2018, and one in software engineering for cloud computing at GSFC in 2019. In addition to these positions, she has worked as a TA at Columbia for classes such as US Water & Energy Policy and GIS for Sustainable Development, a flood risk analyst intern at the Center for International Earth Science Information Network, and a research assistant in sea ice mapping for Lamont Doherty Earth Observatory's Polar Geophysics group. Sara is also a NSF GRFP Honorable Mention award recipient. Outside of the classroom, she has marched with Heritage of Pride at NYC Pride for two consecutive years and is outspoken against harassment in STEM academia. She is passionate about causes outside of academia - clinic escorting, fostering cats, reading of American civil rights history, and fighting for endometriosis education as a gay woman. She hails from Ohio with strong roots in both Youngstown and Appalachia.
Sara Lytle is a second year MS student in Earth and Environmental Engineering at Columbia University SEAS, focusing on streamflow and eutrophication forecasting both domestically and globally. She graduated from the Dual BA between SciencesPo and Columbia University with a BA in Political Science/Corporate Law from SciencesPo in France and a BA in Sustainable Development from Columbia University. She currently is a research assistant at the NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies in NYC working on processing Department of Energy X-band radar in order to gain new insights on convective updrafts and thunderstorm lifecycles. She has held two summer internships at NASA, one on radar algorithms at GISS in 2018, and one in software engineering for cloud computing at GSFC in 2019. In addition to these positions, she has worked as a TA at Columbia for classes such as US Water & Energy Policy and GIS for Sustainable Development, a flood risk analyst intern at the Center for International Earth Science Information Network, and a research assistant in sea ice mapping for Lamont Doherty Earth Observatory's Polar Geophysics group. Sara is also a NSF GRFP Honorable Mention award recipient. Outside of the classroom, she has marched with Heritage of Pride at NYC Pride for two consecutive years and is outspoken against harassment in STEM academia. She is passionate about causes outside of academia - clinic escorting, fostering cats, reading of American civil rights history, and fighting for endometriosis education as a gay woman. She hails from Ohio with strong roots in both Youngstown and Appalachia.
Deborah Owolabi
Deborah Owolabi is an Project Manager at Jones Lang LaSalle (JLL) working as a Business Strategy PMO Office on the Deutsche Bank Account. She is an alumna of Columbia University, graduating with both a Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degree in Civil Engineering. In May 2017, Deborah was awarded the Distinguished Student Leadership Award by the Columbia Engineering Alumni Association (CEAA). Deborah is passionate about introducing young students and children to the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) field and showing them all of the opportunities that are open to young students of color in these industries. She strives to make a positive impact on those she comes in contact with and she hopes to continue making strides in the Construction Management and Real Estate industries. She currently serves as a Co-Chair for the New York Young Leadership Board of America Needs You (ANY) and serves as Mentor Coach in the 2018 ANY Class.
Deborah Owolabi is an Project Manager at Jones Lang LaSalle (JLL) working as a Business Strategy PMO Office on the Deutsche Bank Account. She is an alumna of Columbia University, graduating with both a Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degree in Civil Engineering. In May 2017, Deborah was awarded the Distinguished Student Leadership Award by the Columbia Engineering Alumni Association (CEAA). Deborah is passionate about introducing young students and children to the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) field and showing them all of the opportunities that are open to young students of color in these industries. She strives to make a positive impact on those she comes in contact with and she hopes to continue making strides in the Construction Management and Real Estate industries. She currently serves as a Co-Chair for the New York Young Leadership Board of America Needs You (ANY) and serves as Mentor Coach in the 2018 ANY Class.
Mel Abler
Mel Abler is a fifth year doctoral researcher at Columbia University focusing on experimental studies of turbulence and nonlinear wave coupling in plasmas, particularly as these studies relate to planetary magnetospheres and other astrophysical phenomena. They graduated from the University of Wisconsin – Madison in 2014 with degrees in Engineering Physics and Astronomy-Physics. Both inside and outside the lab, Mel advocates for increased inclusion in physics. They co-founded student chapters of oSTEM (out in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) at both Wisconsin and Columbia, brought the You Are Welcome Here campaign to Columbia, and served on the local organizing committee for the 2018 CUWiP NYC site. In their “free time” they coach and compete with Row New York, an organization focused on bringing the sport of rowing to everyone regardless of background or ability status.
Mel Abler is a fifth year doctoral researcher at Columbia University focusing on experimental studies of turbulence and nonlinear wave coupling in plasmas, particularly as these studies relate to planetary magnetospheres and other astrophysical phenomena. They graduated from the University of Wisconsin – Madison in 2014 with degrees in Engineering Physics and Astronomy-Physics. Both inside and outside the lab, Mel advocates for increased inclusion in physics. They co-founded student chapters of oSTEM (out in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) at both Wisconsin and Columbia, brought the You Are Welcome Here campaign to Columbia, and served on the local organizing committee for the 2018 CUWiP NYC site. In their “free time” they coach and compete with Row New York, an organization focused on bringing the sport of rowing to everyone regardless of background or ability status.
Ashritha Eadara
Ashritha is an M.S. student in the Biomedical Engineering Department at Columbia University. Ashritha conducts research with Dr. Gerard A. Ateshian in the Musculoskeletal Biomechanics Lab. Their focus is on finding the maximum amount of water which can be mechanically exudable from cartilage tissue. Ashritha is interested in exploiting the physiological characteristics of the tissue and hence understanding its implications on the bigger problem of Osteoarthritis. Ashritha is also the Treasurer of the Engineering Graduate Student Council which serves the graduate student community of SEAS striving to improve their experience at Columbia. Ashritha considers hwe experience at Columbia to be enriching and wholesome.
Ashritha is an M.S. student in the Biomedical Engineering Department at Columbia University. Ashritha conducts research with Dr. Gerard A. Ateshian in the Musculoskeletal Biomechanics Lab. Their focus is on finding the maximum amount of water which can be mechanically exudable from cartilage tissue. Ashritha is interested in exploiting the physiological characteristics of the tissue and hence understanding its implications on the bigger problem of Osteoarthritis. Ashritha is also the Treasurer of the Engineering Graduate Student Council which serves the graduate student community of SEAS striving to improve their experience at Columbia. Ashritha considers hwe experience at Columbia to be enriching and wholesome.