With a confidence and a little practical assistance, Henry Wedler is convinced careers STEM are just as attainable for Americans with disabilties. A grauduate student at the University of California, Davis, Henry is living proof of that assertion, as he works toward his Ph.D, in organic chemistry.
For Chrisitine Reich, Director of Research and Evaluation at the Museum of Science, Boston, a passion for inclusion drives the efforts she and her staff take in making sure people with disabilities especially, leave places like museums and classrooms inspired and better able to take part in STEM.
At IBM, Dimitri Kanevsky, researcher staff member for Speech and Language Algorithms, firmly believes technology and innovation will be the fundamental achievements that allow for true equality in STEM.
Motivated by a desire to help others, John Boyer, founder of Abilitiessoft, Inc., continually works to eleviate the difficulties he faced growing up with a disability and finding that there was an inadequate amount of STEM material in offered in braille.
Virginia Stern has been working to change the probability of success and raise expectations for people with disabilities who are interested in, learning about or working in STEM environments.
George Kerscher is excited by all of the advancements making the visual aspects of STEM accessible to Americans with disabilities. Promoting and participating in joint efforts and initiatives, George continues to ensure that equal access to information and success in STEM careers is available to all those interested.
Using her own disability as a barometer for change, Maria Dolores Cimini, a practitioner, scientist and Assistant Director for Prevention and Program Evaluation at the University at Albany Counseling Center, addresses the proof that people with disabilities can succeed in STEM.
Dr. David Rose, co-founder of CAST, a not-for-profit research and development organization whose mission is to improve education, for all learners, through universal design for learning (UDL), seeks to ease the challenges educators face when trying to adequately teach different types of students and "expand and improve educational opportunities" for all learners.
Deaf since infancy, Rafael San Miguel, former scientist for NASA and current scientist as Coca Cola, inspires youth to get excited about STEM. Using his disability as a means for motivation, Miguel far exceeded his dreams.
Steve Jacobs, through his work as president of IDEAL Group, strives to continue providing tools and resources that enable American students to stay competitive in the global STEM arena. Specificially for Americans with disabilities, making sure there are ways to assist in their success is crucial for the advancement of this country.
Determined not to let Spinal Muscular Atrophy hasten his independence, Ralph Braun, founder and CEO of the The Braun Corporation, engineered the the world's first motorized scooter, among other mobility assistants, and continues to revolutionize the way Americans with disabilities see their futures.
Joseph Sullivan, president of Duxbury Systems, Inc. has been a proponent of braille resources since the company opened in 1975, and was calls chairing "the technical design subcommittee of a BANA-ICEB project, charged with bringing together diverse English braille codes into a single Unified English Braille Code" a high point in his career.
Nasrin Taei is proud to be making a difference in the lives of Americans through her work in biochemistry -- specifically, "hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), a heart-related abnormality, [that] is the most common cause of sudden death in young athletes at sporting events."
Jackie Cole, a Veterinarian and dedicated environmentalist, works fervently with communities, organizations and individuals to bring back much of the Galveston, TX tree population that was lost during Hurrican Ike, in 2008.
Completing a waterfront revitalization project in any city with a waterfront is possible in the eyes of Jeff Shoemaker, who's dad was a key player in transforming Denver's South Palette River. Jeff has learned that willpower does not simply convert to reality, it is passion and intelligence that must drive it forward.
Brian Kasher, Manager of Environmental Health and Saftey at the Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools, knows that "greening our cities and towns requires a targeted approach in public school systems to achieve meaningful health benefits for our children." He lives, works and aims to teach that ideal each day.
Joesph Mathis, founder and director of the Jobs Project, works on Sustainable Williamson -- a template for economic revitalization -- and is at the forefront of developing a comprehensive model that not only aids in “greening” the City of Williamson, but also pushes "the boundaries of sustainability by placing health and wellness at the center of the strategy."
April 25, 2012 at 12:33 PM ET by Joseph Mathis, Joesph Mathis
"Preserving our environment, building a prosperous local economy and promoting fairness" are the key components of Cynthia Solomon Barber's work. "Communicating sustainability in a way that results in immediate commitment from everyone" is the challenge she faces, when calling people to action.
Lindsay Baxter was the first Sustainability Coordinator of the City of Pittsburgh and continues to work in the environmental space, aiming to make sustainability efforts so much a part of everyday business culture that her job and others like it are no longer necessary -- "because sustainability will be integrated into every aspect of the organization," she says.
Heading up Emerald Cities Atlanta, an initiative focused on the environmental and sustainable needs of the city, Deborah Scott works to implement the strategies and programs that will ensure energy efficient and sustainable development for a socially conscious economy.
Educating the students at Jonestown Elementary School with hands-on experiences is a well-weighted investment in the eyes of Marian Robidas, who believes that an environmentally-focused education early on yields more compassionate and aware adults in the future.
As the founder and CEO of General Compression, Eric Ingersholl, had a desire to use the America's natural wind resources to "power projects combining conventional wind farms and the company's storage technology to create a new type of generator" -- playing a major role in generating the cost-effective, carbon-free grid of the future.
April 19, 2012 at 11:04 AM ET by Eric Ingersoll, Eric Ingersholl
Kevin Frank, CEO of Voith Hydro supports the use of renewable energy and believes: "it’s now up to the manufacturers, power providers, and end users to work in concert to ensure the America of the future is powered with clean sustainable energy."
Jan Blittersdorf, President and CEO of NRG Systems, is excited by her involvement and the world's interest in renewable energy -- "serving this industry and watching it grow, evolve, and mature has been a highlight of my life," she says.
James Liao, a leading expert in Metabolic Engineering and Synthetic Biology, is working to develop solutions for the fueling the future as a part of the Department of Energy’s Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E’s) Electrofuels program.
Once a leader in the ethanol production industry, MFA Oil, led by CEO Jerome Taylor and 40,000 farmers, breaks into renewable energy with its work in Biomass -- requiring an environmentally sustainable perennial crop that is cost-effective and provides a high yield per acre.
Ed O'Rourke, CEO of Iris Technology, knows the value of supporting our troops. A self-proclaimed Air Force brat, O'Rourke uses technology and creates solutions that impact everyday the work and lives of American troops.
Striving for greater innovation and mataintaining excellence, Vernice Creese, President and CEO of Unlimited Energy Solar Solutions, Inc. (UESS, Inc.) wants to change the world one green job at a time.
CEO of Zam Energy, Erin Geegan, "plans to help: hospitals, cities, universities, school districts, airports, stadiums and community neighborhoods by redesigning parking places into clean energy centers" -- what she sees as much-needed clean tech innovation in energy and transportation.
