The Team

David Stein

Senior Program Coordinator

david.stein@duke.edu

For the last 20 years, David has been creating programs between Duke and Durham public schools, including introducing stop motion animation, green screens and other education technology to teachers and students. Prior to working at Duke, David served as the head of communications for the NC School of Science and Math and before that as a technology transfer officer at Harvard University.

Dave Zielinski

Technology Specialist and Unity Trainer

djzielin@gmail.com

Dave’s current research interests include AR/VR musical instruments, Social VR, audio synthesis, and physical/embedded computing. He has previously worked in the Duke Department of Art, Art History & Visual Studies and the DiVE Virtual Reality Lab. Dave is a proud co-founder of the Durham Bike Co-op and a versatile musician who has performed locally in numerous bands.

Julie Mandimutsira

Julie Mandimutsira is a senior from Texas majoring in Biomedical Engineering and Computer Science. She joined the EdTech team in Spring 2022 and is most interested in exploring the ways in which technology can enhance how we interact with the world around us, whether it be by improving the ease and efficacy of certain processes, increasing accessibility to scientific and cultural resources, and/or charting new ways of engaging and bringing together people from diverse backgrounds. In her free time, Julie loves reading mystery, thriller, romance, adventure, and fantasy novels, dancing, kickboxing (courtesy of classes at the Wilson), listening to music (particularly pop, R&B, rap, pop rock, etc.), and watching animated TV shows.

Celine Wang

Celine Wang is a junior studying Biomedical Engineering. She can often be found staffing the Innovation Co-Lab, Duke’s on-campus makerspace, helping students and faculty with all sorts of projects or working on her own. She’s excited to be an EdTech fellow and share the fun of 3D-printing and AI technology with students in the Durham community. Her latest personal projects include a personalized shoe rack and trash can for her dorm. In her free time Celine likes to edit videos, go on long walks in the Duke Gardens, play piano, and yoyo!

Alyssa Ho

Alyssa Ho is a sophomore from Los Angeles, California. As a creative writer and computer scientist, she hopes to combine her interests through XR applications, especially in education. She’s currently building AR experiences on Snapchat for better ease and accessibility. Alyssa is excited to contribute to the EdTech team and connect with the Durham community. 

Skylar Knight

Skylar Knight is a sophomore from Palo Alto, California. She plans to pursue an Interdisciplinary major in Computer Science and Visual Media Studies. As someone who’s passionate about STEM, design, and innovation, she’s excited to be a part of the EdTech team exploring AR and XR technology. She loves filmmaking and photography, working out, playing guitar, and is a member of the fencing team. Go Duke!

Debi Ahitov

Debi Ahitov is a sophomore from Istanbul, Turkey studying Computer Science and Neuroscience. As a student interested in STEM education research, mentoring, and learning optimization, she is very excited to be a part of the EdTech team and combine all her interests!

Noelle Garrick

Noelle is a sophomore from Tennessee. She is passionate about art, movies, and game design. Noelle was part of the first cohort of Duke Gap Year students; during her gap year, she spent 10 weeks in Indonesia as a computer skills teacher and painted her first four-wall mural.

Dhivya Babu Gomathy

Dhivya is a graduate student majoring in Engineering Management and paving her way to becoming a social EdTech entrepreneur. She adores children, and turns into one when spending time with them:) She is am ambivert who may be seen socializing and ordering the same cuisine at restaurants or at home binge-watching TV. She is anxious to contribute to helping the EdTech industry thrive!

Siba Siddique

Siba is currently a master’s student in Engineering Management at Duke University. She worked as a data scientist in a health-tech AI company after completing her BSc in Electrical Engineering at NYUAD and MSc in Human-Computer Interaction Design in the EIT Digital program (entry at University Paris-Sud in France; exit at University of Twente in the Netherlands)!

She loves the outdoors, reading, learning new languages (currently learning Spanish), and she is passionate about developing new products that will empower others and plans to pursue a career in product management.

Elayna Lei

Elayna is a sophomore from North Carolina studying computational media. She is interested in making creative experiences with VR/AR and joined EdTech in January 2022. In her free time, she likes to draw, take naps, and play Tetris.

Irene Park

Irene is a senior from Maryland majoring in International Comparative Studies. She loves dachshunds, movies, and taking long walks. Since joining the EdTech team in August 2020, Irene has enjoyed helping Durham students ask questions about the past, present, and future of our world through the lens of new technologies.

Athena Yao

Athena is a sophomore from Long Island, NY pursuing a double-major in Neuroscience and Visual & Media Studies. As someone who thrives at the intersection of STEM, art, and innovation, she’s excited to explore the future of AR/XR technology with the Ed Tech team. When she’s not giving VR demos in Duke’s Multimedia Project Studio, you can find her exploring the Durham food scene, painting in the art studio, or searching for the campus cats.

Erika Wang

Erika is a sophomore from North Carolina majoring in Computer Science and Visual Arts. She joined the EdTech team in August 2021 and is interested in exploring the intersection between art and technology. She loves watching movies, petting cats, and painting.

Aryan Poonacha

Aryan is a junior from Bangalore, India majoring in Data Science at Duke Kunshan. He loves video games (especially VR!), writing stories, and trying new foods. He joined the EdTech team in January 2022.

Yunyao Zhu

Yunyao is a senior majoring in Electrical and Computer Engineering and Computer Science. A native of Shanghai, China, she loves exploring different cultures, languages, and disciplines. In her free time, she enjoys reading, playing the piano, watching movies, and finding a good analogy. She joined the EdTech team in September 2018 and has been developing computer science lessons for elementary school students.

Ali Rothberg

Ali is a sophomore majoring in Computer Science and English. She is interested in the intersection between tech and arts, humanities, etc., and loves writing, playing guitar, sewing, and drinking coffee. She joined the EdTech team in August 2020 and has enjoyed working with Durham students, particularly on the children’s book project, and is excited to see a fun and engaging display of augmented

Cyan DeVeaux

Cyan completed an interdepartmental major between Computer Science and Visual & Media Studies titled, “Computational Media.” She spent her time at Duke exploring the intersection between technology, the humanities, and art. She joined the Duke PepsiCo EdTech team in October 2017 and has since enjoyed working on multimedia projects with students and teachers in Durham.

Mike McWilliams Jr.

Mike is a senior who is studying Mechanical Engineering in the Pratt School of Engineering. Initially inspired to study Mechanical Engineering by Mythbusters, he is a frequent user of the Duke Innovation CoLab and a member of the Duke University Quidditch team. Mike joined the EdTech Team in August 2018 and has been showing students how to use the 3D Printers & Laser-cutter, as well as using the 3D Printers to recreate various scenes from history.

Mohamad Chamas

Mohamad graduated in May 2018. He majored in Global Cultural Studies and with a minor in Education. Hailing from Beirut, Lebanon, Mohamad has been working with David since August 2015. With an interest in film, technology, web development and education, Mohamad has been making educational videos and websites, providing technology training and support, and working with students.

Bob Karsky

Ed Tech Consultant

Bob Karski is a Cisco retiree who delights in visual storytelling using creative tools that have evolved from technological advances, particularly those that push the limits of immersive, multimedia presentations. Since taking David’s Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) service learning courses —  helping Durham students create mobile apps and “bringing a book to life” — he has co-taught Google Maps and Augmented Reality (AI) classes with David, as well as teaching OLLI courses on making eye-catching and entertaining videos with just an iPhone.