ABE Tampa Team

Dr. Luanna Prevost is an Associate Professor in the Department of Integrative Biology at the University of South Florida. Her research focuses on STEM undergraduate assessment and faculty and graduate student professional development. She is also interested in how student-centered programs can be designed to support underrepresented undergraduates in ecology.

Carolina Sarmiento is a microbial ecologist from Colombia, interested in studying plant-microbial interactions in tropical trees, focusing on seed-infecting fungi. Carolina joined the ABE Tampa team as a Laboratory Technician in March 2020 and now is also the ABE Tampa Site Coordinator. She loves being able to spread knowledge through the ABE program and believes that science education can be used as a tool for making the world a better place.

Dan McFarland retired after more than forty years in public education. As science supervisor for Hillsborough County Public Schools, he had the opportunity to be part of the team bringing ABE to HCPS. He has taught AP, IB, honors, co-taught and regular biology. He taught chemistry, anatomy and physiology, environmental science, physical science, life science, and earth science. He is passionate for inclusion and supportive of bringing lab experiences like ABE to under-represented groups. Dan has been active with STEM Fair and other academic competitions. 

Tiffany Shemwell is a doctoral student studying in the Integrative Biology department at USF. She has been a part of the ABE-Tampa team since 2019 and has loved being a part of this program.

Joanna Idafibia is a doctoral student in the Integrative Biology Department at the University of South Florida. She joined the ABE-Tampa team this Spring and participated in the just concluded St. Pete Science fair. She felt so excited participating at the festival and being part of the ABE team. Joanna is eager to contribute to the success of the ABE program and help drive its mission forward.

Krishna Kothiya is an undergraduate Biomedical Sciences student at the University of South Florida. She is studying in the medical field with hopes of being a future surgeon. She is excited to be a part of the ABE-Tampa team.

Angelina Touch is a Biomedical Sciences undergraduate student at the University of South Florida. She's an aspiring medical laboratory scientist and finds all sorts of laboratory work interesting. She hopes to get involved in research in the future, but in the meantime, she enjoys digital art as a hobby and studying with her friends.