Insight and Discovery at STEM Conference

A trio of accomplished scientists, including an alum, visited campus Friday, March 7, as part of the 13th annual student-organized STEM Conference.

• Nick Orenstein ’01 — founder and CEO of Hstar, a start-up that aims to build vehicles and the infrastructure needed to develop our capacities in low Earth orbit.
  
  
• Dr. Zeb Hogan — ecologist and Director of the Wonders of the Mekong project and host of National Geographic’s “Monster Fish”. 
  
  
• Andrés Ruzo — founder and Director of the Boiling River Project – a multidisciplinary study of the culture, geology, biology, and conservation of the world’s most unique thermal river – Peru’s Boiling River. 

“We chose our speakers this year focusing on the novelty of their work, as well as the depth of expertise they have in their respective sub-fields,” said Andrew Jin ’25, STEM conference co-chair. “The speakers represent a diverse range of STEM topics that students can relate with.”

The conference expanded this year to also include presentations by burgeoning Upper School scientists.

“This year, we also added student researchers who presented to the Lower School classes,” said Amar Kakkar ’25, STEM conference co-chair. “We have also been diligent in making sure that many students get the opportunity to hear from multiple speakers across the Middle and Upper Schools.”

Throughout the day, these scientists visited classes and shared their experiences in aerospace, ecology, geology, research, and the work they are involved with at their respective companies. Orenstein’s career focuses on space travel, serving as a significant Space X Dragon Capsule engineering team member before founding Hstar. Dr. Hogan’s fascination with massive freshwater fish species led to a research career focusing on migratory fish ecology, fisheries management, and endangered species issues, including hosting the popular Nat Geo Wild Television series “Monster Fish.” Ruzo’s geoscience background led him to become the first scientist who was granted permission to study the Boiling River of the Amazon, where he founded the Boiling River Project.

Thinking about his time as a St. Mark’s student, Nick Orenstein ’01 said, “I wish I knew how many other people out in the world were interested in the same STEM topics that I was interested in. Events like this where professionals, especially alumni, share their experience help young students learn what’s possible and how to navigate the world after St. Mark’s.”

In addition to visiting classes, the guests gave extensive presentations to Lower, Middle, and Upper School students.

“Having the younger Marksmen see an older student present gives them a sort of role model to follow within the STEM field,” said presenter Ronit Kongara ’26. “Having this opportunity allowed us to speak on what we were passionate about and gave us the gift of inspiring younger Marksmen to follow in our path.”

St. Mark’s STEM Conference was created in 2013 to broaden students’ understanding of these topics and promote a passion for careers in the STEM disciplines by inviting professionals in these fields to visit St. Mark’s. 

“It’s all about saving the environment and protecting the world,” said Grant Langford ’31. “I drew a picture for art class of a bucket list for humanity since we had to draw something that we want to have in our lifetime. I drew Earth polluted, coughing up smoke, laying in a hospital bed hooked up to an IV drip with a healthy ecosystem and a growing plant showing we can save the world.”

Andrew Jin ’25 and Amar Kakkar ’25 organized this year’s conference with guidance from John Mead, Eugene McDermott Master Teaching Chair in Science.