The 2008 SEBA Officers
President – Anthony Rodriguez
Anthony is a bioengineering PhD graduate student investigating molecular mechanisms of cardiac contraction. His research group, affectionately called the HAMM Lab (Heart And Muscle Mechanics), is lead by Dr. Mike Regnier. Anthony received his bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering at Florida State University in 2005. During his years as an undergraduate, he worked to investigate cellular pathology of pancreatitis as well as oceanographic biochemical cycling. He founded the Florida State chapter of the Biomedical Engineering Society (BMES), volunteered as mentor for Fairview Middle School and coached little league baseball at Tom Brown Park. Now on the west coast, he continues his involvement in the community by participating in the BMES outreach program and volunteering for Seattle's Youth Tutoring Program. He also served as the chairman of the Graduate Student Affairs commitee in 2006/2007 and remains actively involved in the committee to this day. Through SEBA and the Technology Entrepreneurship Certificate program offered by CIE, Anthony intends to sharpen his business savvy in order to prepare for a future in industry. As president, Anthony would like to continue SEBA's rapid growth and further extend its reach into the business community.
VP of Membership – Matt Ferguson
Matt is PhD student working with Dr. Kannan Krishnan in the Materials Science and Engineering program at UW, where he is developing a newdiagnostic imaging system for early detection of cancer and other diseases. Matt earned his bachelor’s degree in Physics from Pomona College in 2003 before moving to Seattle the following year to work in the Office of Minority affairs at UW. Since 2005, Matt has served on the executive board of the Transportation Choices Coalition, a group dedicated to improving transit options and protecting the environment in Seattle and the Puget Sound region. This year, Matt is also Vice President of the Nanotechnology and Nanoscience Student Association. Matt is excited to be a part of SEBA and the Technical Entrepreneurship Certificate program; he looks forward to meeting new friends and colleagues in the technology business community.
VP of Operations – Christina Polwarth
Christina is a Materials Science and Engineering PhD student working with Professor Fumio Ohuchi on high-k dielectric materials for next generation memory devices. She received a double degree in Mathematics (comprehensive) and Physics from the University of Washington. As a Seattle native, Christina enjoys coffee and coffee shops.
VP of Marketing – Shane Boyd
Shane is a Materials Science and Engineering PhD student co-advised by Alex Jen and Christine Luscombe, and is working on nano-scale morphology control of semiconducting polymers for use in polymer photovoltaics. He is also enrolled in the Technical Japanese Program and is working towards an Inter-Engineering MSE in Technical Japanese. He received his BS in Materials Science and Engineering here at the UW in 2006. During his time at the UW, he has been heavily involved in the MSE student societies and has spent many hours on educational outreach to local middle and high schools. In his spare time, he enjoys soccer, skiing, reading, studying foreign languages, and cooking.
VP of Finance – Katherine Wang
Katherine is a bioengineering PhD graduate student in Dr. Suzie Pun's laboratory at the University of Washington. She received her B.S. in Bioengineering at the University of California, Berkeley in 2005 and is currently investigating the delivery of non-viral gene vehicles from surfaces. Katherine joined SEBA in the spring of 2007. In her spare time, Katherine likes to play basketball, snowboard, and read.
VP of Community Relations – Amy Asawachaicharn
Amy Asawachaicharn is a Molecular and Cellular Biology Ph.D. Candidate in Dr. Stephen Tapscott’s lab at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center. She is also a second year Evening MBA student at the University of Washington, Bothell. Amy received her B.S. with Honors and Summa Cum Laude in Cellular and Molecular Biology and a minor in Pharmacology from Tulane University, where she founded the Tulane Biological Research Association and received the Molecular Biology Prize. During graduate school, she worked as a Process Development Extern at Corixa Corporation (now GlaxoSmithKline) to gain more experience in the biotech industry. Last year, she was a Washington Research Foundation (WRF) Capital-Gates fellow; where she worked as a liaison between WRF and the Office of Technology Transfer to assist a start-up microfluidic company in developing a feasibility plan. Amy joined SEBA to establish more relationship with different industry associations in order to increase its presence in the local business community. Her career interest is in venture capital and business development in biotech and pharmaceutical companies. During her free time, Amy loves to read, watch her favorite TV shows, and play with her Pomeranian, Ninja.
VP of Undergraduate Affairs – Erik Roby
Erik is a senior finishing his BS in Mechanical Engineering. He joined SEBA during the summer of 2007 interested in learning more about startups and investing. Since joining he has competed in a business plan competition with students from NTU, Singapore where his team finished in third place for their biodegradable chopstick proposal. He is currently working to recruit undergraduate members and is also setting up a mentor program for students who would like more guidance in their transition from engineering to business.
President Emeritus – Rob Burke
Rob is a Bioengineering Ph.D. student and NSF fellow working in Dr. Suzie Pun's lab at the University of Washington. He obtained his BS in Biomedical Engineering from Georgia Tech in 2004, and is currently working on developing, testing, and improving vectors for gene delivery. Rob joined SEBA and the Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship's certificate program to help develop his business and entrepreneurial skills. Since he is dedicated to improving his community, Rob volunteers for Seattle's Youth Tutoring Program (YTP) and Technology Access Foundation (TAF). As the President of SEBA in 2007, Rob helped to strengthen its foundation, broaden its impact across campus, increase its presence in the local business community, and set the stage for years of prosperity to come.
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