2024

New! Dec 21: Informal Holiday Coffee, home of Julie Hohl

2025

Feb 9: Winter Membership Meeting Luncheon, Ruth's Chris Steakouse, Fairfax

Feb 27: Senior Members Afternoon Tea, home of Julie Hohl

Apr 4: Eagle Award Gala, Army Navy Club in Washington, DC

May 15: Annual Membership Potluck Luncheon Meeting, Location TBD

Jun 8: Picnic/Barbeque, home of Patty Sparrell

Dear ARCS MWC Members,

2024 has been a most fulfilling year for our Metro Washington Chapter as we celebrated over 55 years as a philanthropy supporting STEM scholars with our dedicated and talented members. Thank you for your financial contributions and the investments of your time and talents in making this a successful year for our chapter. 

In reviewing our goals for the year, we have increased the number of chapter scholars, have grown our membership and have continued to increase member engagement at all our events, while enjoying volunteering together in support of our mission. Looking forward, we will be receiving updates on the latest developments in the AI universe at the Winter Membership meeting and will be honoring Dr. John Mather, Nobel Laurate in Physics, as the 2025 Eagle Awardee. 

Our best wishes to you and your families for a happy holiday season! 

~ Julie Hohl and Patty Sparrell, ARCS-MWC Co-Presidents

Julie Hohl and Patty Sparrell are hosting an informal ARCS MWC coffee on Sat, Dec 21 from 11 am-1 pm at Julie's home, 7203 Capitol View Drive, McLean, VA 22101.

Come share holiday cheer! RSVP to Julie at jbzhohl@verizon.net if you are able to attend. All are welcome!

We invite you to join us for the second MWC Membership Meeting Luncheon scheduled for Sun, Feb 9, 2025 at Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse in Fairfax, VA. In addition to the business meeting, we will have the opportunity to hear more about the application of Artificial Intelligence in a multitude of technology areas. A panel of industry and academic leaders will be facilitated by Ryan Simpson, Chief Technologist at NVIDIA, and will include representatives from: aerospace, cyber security, medical fields, and transportation. Registration will open the week of Dec 9.

Join us in honoring the 2025 Eagle Awardee, Nobel Laureate in Physics Dr. John Mather, at the Army and Navy Club in Washington, DC on Fri, Apr 4, 2025. Further details coming soon.

♫ It’s beginning to look a lot like ... ♫ time for the ARCS MWC annual Holiday party hosted by Holly and Jim Coyne at their beautiful home this past Thursday evening, Dec 5! About 40 members (including several new members), Scholar Alums, donors, and other guests enjoyed the annual event that always ushers in the holiday season ♫ in the most delightful way. ♫ 

After mingling, guests were given a warm welcome from ARCS MWC Co-Presidents Julie Hohl and Patty Sparrell before enjoying a superb multi-course buffet dinner catered by Mindy’s Catering. The evening concluded with a traditional holiday sing-along, with guests lifting their voices in good cheer accompanied by Mr. Jerry Rich, an accomplished musician and renowned music teacher at The Potomac School with advanced degrees in musicology. Click here to see all the photos from the evening!

ARCS MWC thanks Holly and Jim for hosting the wonderful event and thanks Charlotte Knight and Mary Jo Ruane and their committee for organizing it. ARCS MWC wishes all members a Happy Holiday Season!

Holiday Party 2024 (l-r): Miriam Erickson, new member Ravinder Sandhoo, Bill Sweetser and ARCS MWC Alum GP Sandhoo.

Holiday Party 2024 (l-r): Guest Susan McQuade, Holly Coyne, Julie Hohl and Christine Berg.

Holiday Party 2024 (l-r): Mary Jo Ruane, Doris Pierson and Patty Sparrell.

Thank you to all who gave to ARCS MWC on Giving Tuesday—a global day dedicated to giving back. Giving Tuesday, celebrated on the Tuesday following Thanksgiving, was established in 2012 to encourage individuals and communities to come together to support causes that matter. This year, Giving Tuesday is extended to Dec 31. Please consider making a difference by donating to ARCS. This is also a great time to reach out to your family and friends asking them to consider ARCS when participating in Giving Tuesday. 

You can donate via a check payable to ARCS-MWC or Zelle, a free and electronic payment method. Check with your bank if Zelle is available, then send payment to:  

Recipient email: mwctreasurer@arcsfoundation.org 

Purpose: Giving Tuesday 

Or, if you'd like to donate to National, link to the National Giving Tuesday page here. 

Thank you in advance for your generosity.

Antoinette Delaney (Angie) has been a member of ARCS Metro Washington Chapter (ARCS MWC) since 1986. We applaud Angie’s continued commitment to ARCS MWC and her many contributions to the chapter, especially her participation in leadership roles on the Board!

Angie first learned about ARCS MWC through another member, her dear friend Barbara Wooden, who invited her to join. Barbara told Angie that ARCS MWC was a great organization and that she and her husband Larry would enjoy it. At that time, new members needed two sponsors so Angie was sponsored by Barbara Wooden and Lynn Heebner. Angie says that ARCS MWC members are very special and she has made many friends in the chapter. 

Angie said that the achievements that she is most proud of revolved around the teamwork needed for ARCS MWC to meet its mission, especially while she was chapter President during 2010-12. One of her primary goals as President was to attract new chapter members and she initiated several programs to increase membership. One initiative was arranging for an exhibitor’s booth for two years in a row at the annual two-day USA Science and Engineering Festival. Chapter members enthusiastically informed Festival guests about ARCS MWC while Scholars, scheduled in two-hour sessions each day, provided hands on experiments and informational material for everyone who stopped by the booth. Angie was also selected as an MWC ARCS Light!

Angie welcomes all the new ARCS MWC members! She says that the ARCS goal is very important, and to best meet the goal we need to continue strengthening our interests in STEM education, supporting the emerging scientists and engineers who will contribute so much to American innovation. 

ARCS MWC welcomes Asha Boddu! Asha joined ARCS MWC in November and is sponsored by Michelle Francis.

Asha was born and raised in India. She moved to the United States with her husband, Narender, in 1995. She earned her undergraduate degree from Eastern Michigan University, then launched her career in public accounting by working for a local firm in Ann Arbor, MI. She is an MBA graduate of the Broad School of Business at Michigan State University.

Asha has 20+ years of experience in technical accounting, corporate reporting, operational accounting, and process reengineering skills. She has an extensive background in internal controls and US GAAP with a focus in financial reporting, general accounting, and optimization of global shared services. She is also a Certified Public Accountant and a Certified Internal Auditor.

Her career includes 14 years at General Motors before moving to Mars, Inc. It was her role with Mars that brought her and her family to McLean, VA in 2019. She has been the Senior Director Corporate Reporting at Nestlé since July 2021, where she is responsible for external reporting of financial statements.

Asha is passionate about coaching and developing talent, and building teams by providing developmental opportunities. She also is passionate about developing young talent by guiding high school and college students pursuing finance and accounting programs. She has held several community volunteer positions, including 2016-2019 treasurer of her HOA and 2021-2023 president of the McLean High School Dance team. Asha raised two kids, Adithya (24) and Nandita (19). She speaks three languages: English, Hindi, and Telugu.

Asha looks forward to getting to know the ARCS community!

Hallie Fausey – Michelle & Julian Francis Scholar

2nd Year Scholar, PhD candidate, Physics

The George Washington University

Research: This research involves studying gamma-ray bursts (GRBs), with observational data from some of the largest telescopes on earth while collaborating with scientists around the world. In addition, this research will support evaluating and optimizing the capabilities of new instrumentation to further their studies in the future.

How Will Your Research Benefit Society?

Studying GRBs allows us to examine the history of the universe and learn about the environments of the first galaxies and stars that created the material of which we are made, giving us an opportunity to learn more about where we come from. This fundamental and foundational research is performed in combination with others from STARGATE, an international collaboration dedicated to GRB observations and science. While STARGATE is most notable for its valuable contributions to GRB science, it also fosters a collaborative environment between scientists of various nationalities and backgrounds, pushing astrophysics forward together.

How will an ARCS Award Benefit Your Research? 

Last year I used the ARCS award to fund a trip abroad to work with collaborators from STARGATE on a project examining GRB 210905A, a high-redshift GRB with one of the most luminous late-time afterglows ever observed. This trip abroad led to the publication of a paper. This year, the ARCS award will help fund another trip abroad to the UK to work in close contact with collaborators in the UK at Universities of Leicester, Hertfordshire, Birmingham, and Bath. It will also provide me with the opportunity to work on a new project examining another high-redshift gamma-ray burst, GRB 130606A.

Career objectives: In the future I hope to go into academia. I would love the opportunity to teach and share my passion for astrophysics with others while continuing my research and contributing to the field. I plan to continue and broaden my research in high-energy astrophysics, on GRBs and other probes of the early Universe, by assessing what we can learn with current technology, and establishing how we can push the science forward with future instruments. In terms of teaching, which is a crucial component of any academic position, I would love to apply what I have learned in my own courses while also incorporating my own ideas on inclusive pedagogy.

Eman Mirdanmadi – MWC Chapter Scholar

1st Year Scholar, PhD candidate, Bioengineering

University of Maryland

Research: Three dimensional bioprinting technology has gained increased attention in the regenerative medicine and tissue engineering communities over the past decade with their attempts to create functional living tissues and organs. This research specializes in tissue engineering, regenerative medicine and drug delivery and is centered on developing 3D printed bone with gels capable of treating health conditions, particularly related to the eye and brain.

How Will Your Research Benefit Society?

From my efforts, I would like to see the biomaterials I develop to have a significant impact on reducing the frequency of biotherapeutic dosing while enhancing the safety and efficacy of biotherapeutics. Finally, I would like to create engineered bone constructs that cater to a wide range of patient specific defects to increase patient compliance and ultimately, improve a patient’s quality of life.

How will an ARCS Award Benefit Your Research?

An ARCS award will invaluable to my pursuit to engineer products that reach beyond the lab. My research will benefit greatly from funding to support the cost of materials for additional testing and evaluation. For example, my focus in my final year of research is to evaluate the effectiveness of therapies delivered via 3D printed polycaprolactone (PCL) modeled on bone. The results from these tests will directly demonstrate the viability of my work.

This award will also allow me to travel to conferences and interact with the top leaders in bioengineering and regenerative medicine. Additionally, these funds will allow me to forgo a teaching assistantship and focus on my research, maintaining my projected timeline to graduation.

Career objectives: To date, I have built my career in the areas of academic and government contract research. I would like to continue in this work to continue research and development on biomaterials. More broadly, I hope to lead interdisciplinary projects to drive innovative solutions for complex engineering challenges.

In the longer term, I am inspired to develop engineered bone constructs and see them enter the marketplace as an effective, accessible option for patients. To that end, I am exploring the opportunity to commercialize my work in this area.

Sanjori Mukherjee – McNichols Family Foundation Scholar

1st Year Scholar, PhD candidate, Biomedical Engineering

The George Washington University

Research: The clinical presentation of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) varies widely across individuals and the neurobiological mechanisms underlying this heterogeneity are largely unknown. Our research goal is to develop image analysis and structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the brain to improve the understanding of AD pathology. The underlying features of images are examined further to understand whether they represent risk factors of AD or the disease itself.

How Will Your Research Benefit Society?

Alzheimer’s disease affects approximately 11% of the population in the United States. Its prevalence has increased over the years and there are concerns that it will continue to increase as people continue to live longer. The proposed work aims to identify imaging features of Alzheimer’s to aid in early detection. Additionally, identifying biomarkers of AD could help identify potential drug targets for treatment.

How will an ARCS Award Benefit Your Research?

The ARCS award will allow me to purchase the neuroimaging software applications Amira 3D Visualization and Analysis by Thermofisher and/or Analyze 14.0 by the Biomedical Imaging Resource at the Mayo Clinic. These applications will help me to extract various medical imaging features from three dimensional MRI with high precision and reliability. 3D image analysis, particularly in medical imaging, contains more detail and information than 2D images. Open source software and packages provide only limited tools for analysis of the more complicated 3D images. Those medical image analysis packages will allow me to more rapidly pursue my research on feature analysis for detecting biomarkers of Alzheimer’s disease.

Career objectives: Beyond graduate study, I want to expand my research on medical imaging to other neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson’s disease and Multiple Sclerosis. Medical imaging is a minimally invasive way to analyze changes which is especially important when dealing with the central nervous system. After my PhD program, I would like to pursue a post-doctoral fellowship and work towards becoming the principal investigator of a neuroimaging analysis laboratory.

Submit articles, pictures, pdfs, and website links by the 20th of each month for publication the following month to Helen Miller at mwccommunications@arcsfoundation.org.