STEM Achievement Awards

Dr. Kristen E. Govoni earned her B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. (2003) degrees in Animal Science from the University of Connecticut. Her postdoctoral training was at the Musculoskeletal Disease Center in the Jerry L. Pettis VA Medical Center in Loma Linda, CA. Dr. Govoni joined the faculty in the Department of Animal Science at UConn in 2008 and her laboratory’s current research focuses on understanding growth and development at the cellular level to identify methods to improve animal health and efficiency of production. Dr. Govoni has secured over $1.8 million in funding, published 37 peer-reviewed papers, and mentored 10 graduate, over 40 undergraduate, and 8 honors students, in research. Dr. Govoni teaches several courses, advises undergraduate students, and serves as the Faculty Director of the Women in Math, Science, and Engineering (WiMSE) Learning Community at UConn. Dr. Govoni lives in Lebanon, CT with her husband and two boys.

Dr. Shelly M. Jones is an Associate Professor of Mathematics Education at Central Connecticut State University. She received degrees from Spelman College, the University of Bridgeport, and Illinois State University. Dr. Jones teaches undergraduate mathematics content and methods courses as well as graduate level mathematics content, curriculum and STEM courses. Before joining the CCSU faculty, Dr. Jones was a Middle School Mathematics Teacher and a Mathematics Supervisor in various Connecticut school districts. She was also the Assistant Director for Mathematics at The Project to Increase Mastery of Mathematics and Science (PIMMS) at Wesleyan University. Dr. Jones has held talks in Brazil, Ecuador, Bermuda, and the United States. She is a board member of The Benjamin Banneker Association, Inc. and The National Council of Supervisors of Mathematics (NCSM). Dr. Jones is a contributing author of the book entitled, The Brilliance of Black Children in Mathematics: Beyond the Numbers and Toward a New Discourse. She has written an upcoming children’s activity book, Women Who Count: Honoring African American Women Mathematicians. Dr. Jones has two daughters, Brelynn and Brooklynn.

Allison Ray is a leader among her peers, champion for STEM and an advocate for environmental safety and preservation. She is a biologist who got her start conducting plant and animal studies, which then merged into environmental inspection on construction projects. As an environmental services project manager at Burns & McDonnell, Allison partners with some of the largest utilities in the country to implement environmentally-conscious projects. Recently, she was responsible for helping guide the design of an 85-mile transmission line in New York, to alleviate the impact on the environment, while meeting the power demands in the region. Allison is a Certified Professional in Erosion and Sediment Control and an Envision Sustainability Professional. She also recently served as a board member for the Bushnell Park Foundation. She also volunteers at the CT Science Center with the Women in Science program, teaching workshops on bird and animal identification.

Dr. Taylor is an Associate Professor of Kinesiology at University of Connecticut as well as the Director of Exercise Physiology Research at Hartford Hospital. She investigates the impact of aging, cardiovascular disease, lifestyle interventions (specifically exercise) and pharmacological treatments on a variety of outcomes such as exercise performance, muscle function, cognition, and disease prevention and progression. Notably, she has been a principal or co-investigator on several NIH-funded projects involving the pleiotropic effects of statin therapy in humans. These projects include investigation of the direct effects of statins on skeletal muscle strength and aerobic performance, the effects of Coenzyme Q10 supplementation on skeletal muscle side effects, and cognitive side effects of statins assessed with functional magnetic resonance imaging. She currently has funding from the American Heart Association for several studies testing novel mechanisms for diagnosing statin-associated muscle symptoms. She has also recently been studying the effect of aerobic exercise training on brain volumes and memory function in individuals at risk of Alzheimers Disease, as well as the role of physical activity in improving management of schizophrenia and reducing chemotherapy-related side effects. An avid runner herself, Taylor has conducted studies at the Boston and Hartford Marathons to determine the effects of sustained endurance exercise on blood clot risk, markers of cardiovascular injury and stress, and the effects of cholesterol-lowering drugs on these biomarkers.