#IAmNYAS: Alexandra Bausch
A Q&A with Afterschool STEM Mentor Alexandra Bausc
Published June 09, 2017
Ali grew up in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. She earned her bachelor’s degree in Chemistry with a concentration in Biochemistry from Villanova University. As an undergraduate student, she conducted laboratory research in Analytical Chemistry, performed field research at the Barrow Arctic Science Consortium in Alaska, and participated in and led numerous community service projects. Following graduation, she was awarded a Fulbright Student Fellowship in Environmental Chemistry at the University of Stavanger in Norway. While there, she earned a Norwegian Marshall Fund Scholarship and went on to complete her master’s degree in Environmental Engineering with a focus in Water Science and Technology. Before she began her Ph.D., she conducted research at both NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies and Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory in New York. Ali is currently a third-year Ph.D. student in the department of Earth and Environmental Sciences at Columbia University, conducting research at the interface of Biological and Chemical Oceanography. Her graduate research project, funded by a NASA Earth and Space Science Fellowship, addresses the impacts of climate change on the base of the marine food web in the Arabian Sea ecosystem.
Why and how are STEM education and the Global STEM Alliance important to you?
STEM education initiatives help shape the next generation of scientists. The Global STEM Alliance not only engages students in the excitement of hands-on (read: messy and fun) science experiments, it motivates and encourages girls and boys from diverse backgrounds to pursue lifelong involvement in STEM. This involvement is vital to the STEM community because diversity enriches science and helps deepen our understanding of the world.
What are/were your goals for participation in the Global STEM Alliance?
I would like to devote my life to research and to the education of future generations of scientists. Throughout my participation in the Global STEM Alliance, I hope to spread my passion for science, to teach young girls and boys to love science as much as I do. I hope that this valuable mentoring and teaching opportunity will help make me a better instructor. And I hope to encourage students in my local community to grow up to make our planet a little bit better.
"STEM education initiatives help shape the next generation of scientists."
What is the most important benefit you feel the Global STEM Alliance provides?
The most important benefit of the Global STEM Alliance is the encouragement and support it provides to budding science enthusiasts. This initiative encourages kids from diverse backgrounds to become involved in science and promotes diversity in STEM fields in an effort to impact positive change in the world.
Help middle school students in underserved communities discover the possibilities of a career in science. Apply to become a mentor.
MENTOR
Ph.D. Candidate
Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory
Columbia University
Palisades, NY, USA
Affiliation
Afterschool STEM Mentoring Program
Honors
NASA Earth and Space Science Fellowship (2013-2015)
Norwegian Marshall Fund Scholarship (2010)
Fulbright Student Fellowship, Norway (2009-2010)
G. N. Quam Award for Academic Excellence in Chemistry, Highest Honor in Chemistry at Villanova University (2009)
Gregor Mendel Award for Academic Excellence in Science, Highest Honor in the Sciences at Villanova University (2009)
Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship (2008)
Phi Beta Kappa Honor Society, Sigma of Pennsylvania Chapter (Inducted 2008)
Degrees
M.S. Environmental Engineering, University of Stavanger (Stavanger, Norway) (2009-2011)
B.S. Chemistry, Biochemistry Concentration, Summa Cum Laude, Villanova University (2005-2009)