STEM Summer Exploration Program

I am the Laboratory Manager at St. Thomas Aquinas College, where I also teach biology and chemistry lab courses. I earned my B.S. in Biology from Pace University and my M.S. in Biological Science from Fordham University. During my graduate studies, I investigated how urbanization impacts the gut microbiomes of wildlife by sequencing the DNA of White-tailed deer and their associated gut bacteria. My academic interests center on the connections between human, wildlife, and ecosystem health, explored through both molecular and ecological approaches.

Growing up on a farm sparked my lifelong fascination with animals and the natural world. This early passion has driven me to work with a wide range of species—from livestock to birds of prey—broadening my understanding of the intricate relationships between humans, animals, and the environments we share.

Dr. Heather Rave is an Associate Professor of Physics at St. Thomas Aquinas College, where she teaches physics, mathematics, and astronomy at the undergraduate level. She brings more than two decades of experience in STEM education. She earned dual B.S. degrees in Natural Science (with a specialization in Physics) and Mathematics from St. Thomas Aquinas College in 1998, an M.S. in Astrophysics from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in 2001, and an Ed.D. in Science Education with a specialization in Astrophysics from Rutgers University in 2018. Throughout her career, Dr. Rave has taken on multiple leadership roles, including serving as an AP Physics Chief Reader Associate from 2017–2023 and as a member of the Executive Committee of the American Physical Society’s New York State Section beginning in 2025. These roles have deepened her insight into the opportunities and challenges in advancing physics education and supporting the broader scientific community. She is committed to inspiring the next generation of physicists and astronomers.

Professor Viegas has had a passion for Astronomy since he was 7 years old. As a matter of fact, he still has the department store telescope his parents gave him for Christmas that year. Later when he was picking where to go for college, he chose to attend Wesleyan University because of their large telescope on campus. In true liberal arts fashion, Alfredo majored in Classics and Medieval studies while conducting his own undergraduate astronomy research. He graduated with an honors B.A. in 1990.
Over the past 35 years, he has been working on Wall Street, but his passion for Astronomy never ebbed. He received his M.S. in Astronomy from Swinburne University of Technology in 2006, and served as President and Chairman of the Amateur Astronomers Association of New York City from 2019-2025. Alfredo established the Association’s remote telescope programs in Texas and Chile. He also actively contributes to citizen science projects like exoplanet research, quasar hunting, spectrography, and is an avid astrophotographer.