Meet the Team

What we do

We strive to offer differentiated educational programs for students 7 to 18 designed to attract and nurture the innovative leaders of tomorrow through challenging, project based experiences that incorporate support from facilitators and industry mentors.

Who we are

We’re a team of STEM professionals, educators, and advocates driven by the belief that individualized, purpose driven learning journeys are imperative for an education that effectively prepares students for the dynamic and rapidly evolving world in which we live. We hope that by encouraging them to indulge their inner curiosity and continuously question the status quo, we can help develop the next generation of thought leaders and innovators ready to embrace the challenges we face as a global community.

Ripal Nathuji, PhD

Founder and President

Ripal is a computer scientist and engineer with a passion for technology. He received his Bachelors of Science in EE and CS from MIT, and subsequently attended graduate school at Texas A&M (MS) and Georgia Tech (PhD). As a STEM professional and parent, Ripal believes that education is a community endeavor where each of us has the responsibility to give back and contribute towards the individualized, lifelong learning of those around us. He co-founded STEMed Labs to help ensure students in our communities have access to quality, rigorous educational opportunities that nurture their natural curiosity and prepare them to realize their goals.

Katherine Lippa, PhD

Curriculum Developer & Junior ILP Facilitator

Katherine is a human factors psychologist. She received her Ph.D. from Wright State University specializing in health care systems and the effects of cross-cultural differences on human interactions with complex systems. She believes in the importance of learning to learn as a critical skill for managing the rapidly evolving complexities of the modern world. In working with Junior ILP, she hopes to channel children’s innate curiosity and capacity to explore in ways that develop conceptual thinking and lead to a deeper engagement with the world around them.

Amanda Nathuji

Junior ILP Coordinator

Amanda is a microbiologist with a degree in Biomedical Science from Texas A&M University. She has a passion for science and endeavors to share her knowledge in order to inspire the future scientists of tomorrow. As a Junior ILP coordinator, it is her hope to take the fear out of STEM subjects for kids, and to encourage an early love for learning.

Yuan Qu

Story Teller & Innovation Coach

Knows a little in many areas, dabbled a little in many fields. Yuan’s experience spans from his service in the Marines, to obtaining Aerospace Engineering degree from University of Texas, to a brief involvement with a startup. His experience took him across the globe, he has set foot on Germany, Middle East, India, and China. Obsessed with evolution and psychology, Yuan is passionate about teaching computer programming, helping students navigate their thoughts, and recording and telling the story of STEMed Labs.

Carolina Folegatti

Communications & Marketing Coordinator

Carolina is a journalist and communications specialist with an MBA in International Relations and has experience in managing complex and sensitive projects in Latin America, Europe, the Middle East and the US. Deeply interested in global humanitarian issues, she believes that education is fundamental and a smart way – with all double meaning – to promote the necessary transformations in society. She recently moved to Austin and is determined to use her experience in projects that have a real impact and contribute in some way to the world we would like to leave to future generations.

Yoliem S. Miranda Alarcón

Innovation Coach

Yoliem received her bachelor’s degree from Fordham University in New York, where she majored in chemistry. As an undergraduate student, she worked in various research projects including synthetic organic chemistry and tissue engineering. Yoliem is currently pursuing her PhD in biomedical engineering at Rutgers University- New Brunswick, New Jersey. She has worked in the pharmaceutical industry as a student researcher in the area of drug metabolism and pharmacokinetics at GlaxoSmithKline in Collegeville, PA. Other research areas Yoliem has explored include developmental biology at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York, NY and Photochemistry/Biochemistry in SUNY-University at Albany, NY.

Deepika Sangam, PhD

Board Member

Deepika is both a STEM professional and education researcher. She received her PhD in Electrical and Computer Engineering from Purdue University where her dissertation work focused on analyzing undergraduate education in electrical engineering.