Executive Board

Scientific Thinkers is comprised of a diverse and passionate group of volunteers led by the executive board.

2024-2025 Executive Board: 

  • President: Mia Wang
  • Vice President: Zoe Henke
  • Treasurer: Emma Meyer
  • Secretary: Jenna McCoy
  • Social Media Chair: Helena Ronnebaum
  • Events Chair: Poulomi Chakraborty
  • Parkmoor Chair: Reagan Armstrong
  • Mansion Day Chair: Jack Canfield
  • Advisors: Dr. Nandini Trivedi and Michelle Richard

Mia Wang – President 

Major: Environmental Engineering

Rank: Senior

About Mia:

My name is Mia Wang and I am from Columbus, Ohio. I have always been a big buckeye and could not be more thankful for the experiences I have had at Ohio State so far. I have wanted to pursue an education in STEM since I can remember and as I started high school, I knew I wanted to study engineering. I landed on environmental engineering because it combined my passion for the environment and helping people with my love for science and problem solving.

I have always loved working with kids whether that was volunteering at camps or my job as a swim coach. When I found out about Scientific Thinkers, I was so excited that it combined two of my favorite things. I believe this organization is absolutely amazing and the people I have had the opportunity to meet in only two semesters have been incredible. It is so rewarding seeing the kids get so excited to have college students come share parts of their passions with them. I would love to see this club grow much bigger and have a great impact on the kids in the community!

Zoe Henke – Vice President

Major: Applied Mathematics, Computer and Information Science

Rank: Junior

About Zoe:

Hi! My name is Zoe Henke and I’m from Evanston, Illinois just outside of Chicago. I come from a family of buckeyes, so I’ve always wanted to attend Ohio State. At OSU, I study Math and Computer Science and am involved in Scientific Thinkers as well as the Outdoor Adventure Center. Growing up I was always interested in science and math. After taking Calculus in high school and loving it, I decided to study math in college, which led to me becoming an Applied Math Major at Ohio State. I tried a Python coding class my first semester at OSU, and really enjoyed it, so I applied to be a CIS double major. An integral part of my interest in STEM subjects was from outreach groups, like Scientific Thinkers, coming to my elementary and middle schools to involve students in fun STEM-related activities. This is what inspired me to join Scientific Thinkers during my Spring semester of freshman year. I want to be able to provide kids with the same experiences I was given that sparked my love for STEM.

Emma Meyer – Treasurer

Major: Physics

Rank: Senior

About Emma:

Hello! I joined Scientific Thinkers my junior year because I was looking for something fun to do in my free time! I love working with the kids and building connections with them. It’s cool to think that we might be instilling a love for science in them and influencing their career paths down the line.

Jenna McCoy – Secretary

Major: Biology

Rank: Junior

About Jenna:

Hi, my name is Jenna McCoy and I am a 3rd year biology major. I joined Scientific Thinkers my sophomore year after finding this organization at the involvement fair. I joined this club because I am interested in becoming a science teacher and wanted to explore if it was an option I wanted to further pursue. My favorite part of the club is getting to bond with the kids as I get to see pretty frequently over the semester. It’s also a nice experience getting to bond with people on campus who love outreach as much as I do. I chose to go to Ohio State because it made the most financial sense and since it is such a large university, there are a plethora of opportunities in clubs, laboratory experience, and more.

Helena Ronnebaum – Social Media Chair

Major: Civil Engineering

Minor: Business

Rank: Senior

About Helena:

I’m from Columbus, Ohio and have been a buckeye since birth. I chose the civil engineering path after a growing appreciation for physics during my senior year in high school, causing me to chase down a future in STEM. I knew OSU was the school for me, with a renown engineering school in my backyard growing up. The culture at Ohio State is amazing, with such diverse and intelligent students that add so much value to our community. There are so many opportunities offered here that I knew I could not pass up the chance to attend this university.

I was brought into Scientific Thinkers by our incoming vice president. She explained what the club stood for, and I loved the idea of showing my love for science to the younger generation. I joined as a member in the fall of 2022, and I am super excited to help this club inspire young children to fall in love with science just as I did!

Poulomi Chakraborty – Events Chair

Major: Physics

Rank: 4th year (PhD student)

About Poulomi:

I am Poulomi Chakraborty and I am from Kolkata, West Bengal, India. I moved to the US to pursue my PhD in theoretical condensed matter physics, and the condensed matter research that goes on in OSU is what attracted me to this university. My research with my advisor Prof. Brian Skinner is supported by the Center for Emergent Materials (CEM) which is an NSF-MRSEC (National Science Foundation – Materials Research Science and Engineering Centers). I got to know about Scientific Thinkers through CEM, and as I have always been passionate about science outreach in schools as well as increasing diversity and inclusion in STEM, I decided to join this organization. Outside my grad studies and this club, I spend time reading, travelling and serving in Women and Gender Minorities in Physics (WaGMiP) group as well as Polaris Mentorship.

Reagan Armstrong – Parkmoor Committee Chair

Major: Biology

Minor: Global Public Health

Rank: Junior

About Reagan:

I am from Columbus, Ohio and have been a buckeye since birth. I am a legacy student since my dad graduated from Ohio State in 2008. I love the variety in the biology program at OSU and that attracted me to the university. I love this club and that it gives me the opportunity to develop my skills. I also love that this club gives me the opportunity to use my love of science to give back elementary school students and hopefully excite them about science. Outside of the club I volunteer with other clubs and spend time with friends and family. I also a member of a lab on campus.

Jack Canfield – Mansion Day Committee Chair

Major: Chemistry

Rank: Junior

About Jack:

Hi! My name is Jack Canfield, I am originally from Powell, Ohio. I have always really enjoyed school, especially science and math. I first learned about scientific thinkers my sophomore year when I stumbled upon their table at the involvement fair. I wanted an opportunity to share my love of learning and STEM with others. Ever Since my first visit to Mansion Day Elementary School, I found myself looking forward to going back to teach and perform more experiments. Getting to know the kid’s creativeness and cheerful personalities has been such a fun and fulfilling experience.

After high school, I really had no idea what I wanted to do or where I wanted to. Growing up in central Ohio, I have always been an Ohio State sports fan. Although the sports are a bonus, I came to Ohio State because of all the opportunities of a big school.  The vastness of Ohio State has let me meet so many different people, have diverse experiences and to try out different majors. I’m very thankful that I’ve been able to try out different things at Ohio State. At the end of my freshman year, I switched my major to Chemistry. I hope in my time at scientific thinkers, I can help inspire and show kids the fun in learning.

Michelle Richard – Advisor

Director of Education and Outreach for the Center for Emergent Materials

Educational Psychology

About Michelle:

I’m from Vine Grove, Kentucky. Growing up I always wanted to be a doctor, so I began school as a chemistry major. As I continued in school, I realized that I really enjoyed outreach and teaching chemistry, so I pursued education instead. Since finishing my Master’s, I’ve had the opportunity to work with two National Science Foundation (NSF) funded interdisciplinary science centers working with their education program. As my career has evolved, I’ve developed an interest in undergraduate and graduate students’ sense of belonging in their programs, and how that impacts their retention in their major, and have recently begun a Ph.D. program in Educational Psychology at OSU to further study this phenomenon. What I like most about OSU is the community and support that you receive across multiple departments and the opportunity for interdisciplinary collaboration. Scientific Thinkers is a great example of this interdisciplinary community.

This program began my first year working at OSU. It has been amazing watching it grow and evolve over the past 10 years! Science Day at Innis has always been one of my favorite events. It’s so much fun to see an entire school devote the day to science and also the many volunteers that come out for the event. It is a huge team effort, but well worth it each year. As the advisor, I often don’t get the opportunity to interact with the students, but on Science Day, I am often at one of the stations and it’s so rewarding to see the kids’ enthusiasm about science.

Executive Board Applications

Applications for executive positions are available each Spring semester and are sent to all current members. Expectations and requirements for all executive positions are updated and sent out with the application.