Announcing the eCYBERMISSION 2021-2022 Volunteers of the Year

Each year, hundreds of volunteers donate their time as eCYBERMISSION CyberGuides, Ambassadors, and Virtual Judges. These dedicated individuals serve as mentors, supporters, advocates, and inspiration for thousands of eCYBERMISSION students across America. On this very special 20^th Anniversary year, we are so excited to announce our 2021-2022 Volunteers of the Year!

CyberGuide of the Year

Dr. Alex Tobias

CyberGuide of the Year Dr. Alex Tobias is a Research Chemical Engineer for DEVCOM Army Research Laboratory. He says he enjoys volunteering for eCYBERMISSION because "I derive a lot of inspiration from the students' enthusiasm for STEM and their strong desire to make a difference in their communities. Their can-do approach is contagious and it reminds me to be 'scrappy' in my own work and not to make excuses if I don't always have the very finest or most appropriate tools available to me immediately." His favorite part of being an eCYBERMISSION CyberGuide is "Answering questions during Cyberguide [Live Chats] and through the Chronus App. Helping students steer their projects toward something that they can realistically accomplish with the time and resources they have available."

Ambassador of the Year

Dr. Rebecca Zolotor

As Associate Dean of the Purdue University Global School of Health Sciences, Dr. Rebecca Zolotor has held many titles, including pharmacist, researcher, and professor. In addition to her current work as Associate Dean, Dr. Zolotor volunteers her time as an Ambassador at eCYBERMISSION, helping to recruit students and other volunteers. In fact, her influence and impact resulted in numerous Purdue University Global students joining the eCYBERMISSION volunteer ranks as Virtual Judges this year! In her words, she enjoys volunteering because "The students have creative ideas to address a variety of community issues. It is inspiring to see how they work in a team and navigate through the steps of testing a hypothesis. Providing feedback and encouragement on their Mission Folders is very rewarding and allows me to make a small contribution in support of STEM education. The teamwork and critical thinking skills students learn through eCYBERMISSION will help shape the future world."

Virtual Judge of the Year

Petty Officer Christopher Moran

Virtual Judge of the Year Petty Officer Christopher Moran is an Instructor of Surgical Technology in the U.S. Navy, where he teaches future Surgical Techs that will "assist in surgeries around the world and aid in both routine and emergent cases". As such, it comes as no surprise the Christopher is passionate about helping his community (and communities everywhere) with STEM. He volunteers with eCYBERMISSION because he loves "seeing that our future scientists are investing their time in making the world a better place. Many students' submissions feature astonishing ideas with superb hypotheses that can truly make a difference, while the engineering students are creating inventions that adults haven’t dreamed of or created." His favorite part of being an eCYBERMISSION Virtual Judge? "Knowing that there are students studying STEM areas and one day will be featured for their discoveries. Anyone of the many student groups I have graded could be the next Nikola Tesla or Albert Einstein of this era and being able to see their early development is an honor."

--

Thank you so much to everyone that dedicated their time to supporting and inspiring students to pursue STEM this year, and thank you especially to our three incredible Volunteers of the Year! To learn more about volunteering with eCYBERMISSION, please visit www.ecybermission.com/VolunteerOverview.

Faith Benner

AEOP Senior Communications and Marketing Specialist