The Society for Science has recently appointed Lester Mackey and Naomi Shah to its National Leadership Council (NLC). Established in 2018, the NLC is comprised of alumni from the Society’s three science competitions: the Science Talent Search, the International Science and Engineering Fair, and its middle school science research competitions.
Naomi Shah, who has a background in mechanical engineering with a minor in human biology from Stanford University, founded Meet Cute, a modern entertainment company that produces and distributes original, scripted stories. She was also involved in the DCYSC and International Science and Engineering Fair from 2007 to 2013. On the other hand, Lester Mackey participated in the Science Talent Search in 2003 and the International Science and Engineering Fair in 2003. He currently serves as a Principal Researcher at Microsoft Research where he focuses on developing machine learning methods, models, and theory for large-scale learning tasks such as climate forecasting, healthcare, and social good. Additionally, Lester is a MacArthur Fellow and a Fellow of the Institute of Mathematical Statistics.
Maya Ajmera, President & CEO of Society for Science and Executive Publisher of Science News expressed her excitement about the addition of Lester Mackey and Naomi Shah to the NLC. She described them as innovators and leaders in their respective fields who will bring valuable perspectives and expertise to the Society.
