Isabella Brakhage (Conrad 2019): Co-Director of the ALC)

Isabella Brakhage is a senior attending the University of Colorado to pursue an international economics and data science degree. She was a finalist in the Conrad Challenge in 2019 as a part of the Smoke-Free World: Repurposing Tobacco Farms category. Her team cultivated a series of tobacco-based products from bandages to salves, later creating a 15-year transition plan to producing asthma medicine. Since Conrad, she has become passionate about the intersection between entrepreneurship and strategy. She has found the power in entrepreneurship to not only solve but also to shape the future. She is currently working on a networking startup for young students and entrepreneurs. In the future, she aspires to work in strategic partnerships and growth strategies in addition to her startup. In her free time, she loves to lift heavy weights, swim in cold water, and create new recipes for her cookbook.

Ella Bianco (Conrad 2021, 2022): Co-Director of the ALC

Ella is a sophomore at American University double majoring in International Studies and Physics. As a finalist and Power Pitch Award winner in the 2021 and 2022 Aerospace & Aviation category, her team (Eir Clean Co) developed a fully autonomous dual-disinfectant robot aimed at sanitizing public transportation vehicles, such as trains, buses, and metro cars. Eir Clean also presented research at the AIAA’s Region I Student Conference and won the First Place Award. Since Conrad, she’s been busy developing an alternative energy source for space exploration to replace the dwindling supply of Pu-238 RTGs by tapping into space’s ambient neutron radiation and incorporating a more abundant isotope, for which she was invited with her classmates to Blue Origin’s O’Neill Symposium. Ella is passionate about youth-involvement in global affairs, chairing the UNFPA at UNA-USA’s InterGenMUN Conference in 2022. In her free time, Ella enjoys making jewelry, tinkering with computers, 3D modeling, art, playing tennis, and going down research rabbit holes.

Mitchell Phelan (Conrad 2019): Director of Collaborators program and ALC Advisor

Mitchell is a computer science graduate at Swinburne University of Technology in Melbourne, Australia. He graduated from The Knox School in 2019. Having represented the school as a prefect for technology, he is passionately involved in the technology side of productions, videos, and concerts, and is planning to pursue a major in cybersecurity and a second in networking at university. Mitchell competed in the Conrad Challenge in 2019, winning the Cyber-Technology & Security category when his team presented their concept of an EFTPOS machine with a fingerprint scanner, helping to inspire his passion for the information technology and security field.

Kirsten Nelson (Conrad 2021-2022): ALC Team Lead

Kirsten is a sophomore Graham Collaborative Innovation Fellow and mechanical engineering student at York College of Pennsylvania (YCP). As a Conrad finalist in 2021 and 2022, she competed with Eir Clean Co. in the Aerospace and Aviation category, to develop an autonomous robot to dually disinfect public transit vehicles. At the 2021 Summit, Kirsten earned a scholarship from the AIAA, and her team was named the Power Pitch winner. Eir Clean Co. was honored to present as the only high school-level team at the 2022 AIAA Region 1 Student Conference. Outside of her time on the ALC, Kirsten is an active member of the YCP community. On campus, she is the Vice President of Organizational Development on YCP’s Student Senate,  a member of CAB (Campus Activities Board), part of YCP’s Jazz Ensemble, a Spartan Ambassador, an Impact York Scholar, and part of WiSE (Women in Science and Engineering) club. Kirsten is also a student worker at York’s Graham Center for Collaborative Innovation where she is an assistant grant writer, helps to plan podcast events, and edits newsletters. When not busy with everything on campus, Kirsten enjoys baking, building LEGOs, and playing instruments. 

Rishita Shah (Conrad 2021): ALC Team Lead

Rishita is a freshman at Carnegie Mellon University majoring in electrical and computer engineering. Her Conrad Challenge team, SmartBin, worked on creating renewable hydrogen energy from aluminum by bringing recycling to the edge and received the opportunity to advance to the 2021 Summit, where they won the Power Pitch Award in Energy and Environment. Rishita also worked as a Conrad Challenge and Space Center Houston intern for the past three summers, where she was able to work hands-on in developing the Student Resources Library, the 2023 Refresh, and the walk-through videos. After her experience with energy, the environment, and engineering, Rishita would love to work at the intersection of these throughout the future.

Lindsey Lee (Conrad 2020-2021): ALC Team Lead

Lindsey Lee is a junior at the University of California Los Angeles studying BioEngineering with a Technology Management focus. She is a founder/COO of ed-tech startup, MLV (valuation at 500K) carrying over the lessons she was taught from Conrad. Her research lab focuses on high throughput cell sorting, actively being applied to cutting-edge diagnostic technology. She is a 2021 Pete Conrad Scholar inventing a wearable face mask from bacterial cellulose and aloe vera gel, Scovera Mask. Continuing her journey as a creative engineer, entrepreneur, and multimedia artist based in LA, some of her favorite things about the city are getting afternoon iced matcha and visiting dance studios! 

Kevin Zhang (Conrad 2021): ALC Team Lead

Kevin Zhang is a junior at Northwestern University studying Industrial Engineering with a concentration in Sustainability & Energy. Kevin is passionate about sustainability and emerging tech. He was a Conrad ‘21 Finalist in Dell Sustainable Packaging, where his team won the Best Pitch award with his startup Dublo Solutions (a sustainable company making plantable/biodegradable products from waste). Since then, he has gone on to work at Trina Solar, Constellation Energy, and Fermilab. Currently, Kevin is involving himself in developing an energy optimization tool for data centers. In his free time, he loves to go biking, play basketball, and karaoke with his friends. Kevin also enjoys binging YouTube vlogs and growing oyster mushrooms.

Aleena Sultan (Conrad 2021) 

Aleena Sultan is a freshman at Bucknell University studying Computer Science and Engineering. In 2021, she was named a Power Pitch award winner in the Eliminating and Reducing e-cigarette Usage and Waste category. Her team developed NicoTime, an adaptation of existing e-cigarettes, which is designed to regulate the nicotine consumption of smokers. This product also consisted of a mobile app that provided a platform for users to interact and motivate each other to quit smoking. In her free time, she enjoys reading, listening to music, and bookstore hopping.

Pratham Patel (Conrad 2022)

Pratham Patel is a sophomore at Georgia Tech. Pratham is passionate about developing intelligent systems and being on the forefront of emerging tech. In 2021, Pratham Patel’s team, Fibron, was awarded the Power Pitch award in the Aerospace & Aviation category. Fibron is an eco-friendly polymer that primarily serves as a parachute decelerator for the landing of spacecraft on Mars. Primarily, his interests lie in computer science, entrepreneurship, and environmental science. In his free time, he enjoys playing soccer, spending time with friends, and playing an occasional board game.

Aditya Mehta (Conrad 2022)

Aditya Mehta is a sophomore at UC Berkeley. He’s still exploring his interests but enjoys consumer-social products, AI safety research, and building demos for financial valuation. In 2022, Aditya’s team was awarded the Power Pitch Award for Fibron, an eco-friendly polymer that primarily serves as a parachute decelerator for spacecraft landing on Mars. He enjoys calling friends over for a cup of chai, playing spikeball, and photographing sunsets.

Claudia Luna Mejía (Conrad 2023) 

Luna is a freshman at Pennsylvania State University studying Industrial Engineering. Her Conrad Challenge team, Erilux, built self-sustaining streetlights powered only by a small-scale wind turbine, winning the “Power Pitch” award in the Energy and Environment category. Erilux had the opportunity to receive advice from a team of professionals at the Inter-American Development Bank and is currently working alongside mechanical engineers to turn their project into a reality. She is interested in innovation and values creativity and hard work. In her free time, she enjoys taking yoga classes and reading a good physiological thriller.

Manya Bhagat (Conrad 2023)

Manya is a freshman studying Computer Science and Economics at Duke University. Her Conrad team participated in the Energy and Environment category with a sustainable clothing company, BioWear. After Conrad, her team partnered with the Zeis Lab at NC State University. In her free time, she likes to paint, bake, watch sitcoms, and watch stand-up comedy.

Alisa Zhu (Conrad 2021)

Alisa is a student at Wake Forest University with a double major in finance and philosophy after studying in Vancouver, Boston, and Shanghai. Her team Dublo Solutions (a sustainable company making plantable/biodegradable products from waste) was a Finalist in Dell Sustainable Packaging and won the Best Pitch award. At Wake Forest, Alisa actively contributes to the business school’s student council, supports social justice initiatives, and engages in finance-related projects. In her free time, Alisa enjoys experimenting with new recipes, crafting incense, and playing board games. She’s always eager to connect—feel free to reach her at alisa.ayz@gmail.com or on Instagram @ayzzz_.

Ishan Mahajan (Conrad 2022)

Ishan is a freshman at Vanderbilt University majoring in Medicine, Health, and Society on the pre-medicine track. In 2022, his team, AstraCell, a novel biologically composed fuel cell, won the Pete Conrad Scholar Award in the Aerospace and Aviation Category. Since the Challenge, his team has received grants from the 1517 fund, coverage on  ABC's WSB-TV and Yahoo Finance, a non-provisional patent from Arent-Fox Schiff's firm in Los Angeles, California, and is now looking to license their product. Beyond his work in AstraCell, Ishan is an environmental sustainability and public health advocate as he leads an environmental nonprofit, GreytoGreen, and is a National Youth Leader for Amnesty International. Through his research, environmental work, and advocacy, he hopes to create affordable, accessible treatments for people in developing nations who are suffering from public health issues. In his free time, Ishan enjoys playing the electric guitar.

Ana Paula Duque (Conrad 2023)

Ana Paula was born in Caracas, Venezuela. She graduated in 2023 in Panama City. She was drawn to the intersection of financial markets and politics, motivating her to pursue a major in Economics in the Carlos III University of Madrid. Her Conrad Challenge Team, Erilux, presented a prototype of self-sustaining street lights powered by small-scale wind energy. Erilux received the “Power Pitch Award” in the Energy and Environment Category, and she and her team are currently working alongside legal and engineering professionals to transform this idea into a reality. Her experience at Conrad Summit sparked her passion for the world of innovation and entrepreneurship, which she continues to pursue through courses such as The Knowledge Society. In her free time, you can find Ana Paula listening to music, reading a good book, or watching romcoms!

Nayana Swain (Conrad 2023)

Nayana is a Senior at Bentonville West High School in Bentonville Arkansas. Her Conrad Challenge team, HUBRIS (Halbach Universal Brain Resonance Imaging System) created a prototype of the world’s first brain MRI for use in the International Space Station. Following the summit, Nayana is currently working with various hospitals to make HUBRIS a reality. She is passionate about astrophysics and astronomy and hopes to pursue a career in the field in the future. She is also particularly interested in space education initiatives and is the founder and president of her space education organization, Aspiring Astronomers. In her free time, she loves watching crime documentaries, sketching, reading, and listening to Shawn Mendes!

Akhil Jariwala (Conrad 2010)

Akhil is a product manager at Google. Previously, Akhil spent his career in electric vehicles, most recently working at ChargePoint, a global provider of electric vehicle charging infrastructure, where he managed data analytics and network interoperability on the business development team. Prior to ChargePoint, Akhil worked at PlugShare, the UC Davis Plug-in Hybrid and Electric Vehicle Research Center, and Sungevity. Akhil received his MBA from Stanford and graduated from UNC Chapel Hill in 2014 with a degree in Environmental Studies and attended high school at the NC School of Science and Mathematics. Akhil was a national finalist in the Conrad competition in 2010, when his team designed a latticed pod system that generated electricity from wave energy using internally-housed piezoelectric ceramics. For fun, Akhil performs competitively in the Bay Area salsa scene and enjoys indoor rock climbing in his free time.

Ankesh Madan (Conrad 2010)

Ankesh is a materials scientist, entrepreneur, and venture capitalist at Hitachi Ventures. Previously, he co-founded Undercover Colors, a startup that raised $12M+ from Mark Cuban and other investors to bring technologies to market that detect date rape drugs in drinks. Anku is now a recovering Ph.D. student that has since moved into venture capital, with stints at Plug and Play Ventures and in his current role at Hitachi Ventures, where he invests in industrial technologies spanning cybersecurity, manufacturing, energy, automotive, etc. He currently lives in Boston and spends his free time cycling, acquiring new hobbies, and bookstore hopping.

Ashley Turnage (Conrad 2020) Director of the Promote & Support Team

Ashley is a student attending Colorado School of Mines pursuing a degree in Chemical Engineering. She participated in the Conrad Challenge ‘20 in the “Health and Nutrition” category with PiezoPace, a sub-femoral piezoelectric transducer sleeve for motorized prosthetics. Her team has since published a research paper, and the device is patent-pending. Ashley is currently a student researcher at Mines in the Mines Single Molecule Biophysics Laboratory researching MMPs and drug delivery systems and works at the Mines McNeil Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation to foster business in engineering and help fellow engineers protect their intellectual property. In her free time, Ashley enjoys singing, playing basketball, and spending time with her Pi Beta Phi sisters.

Antonio Stark (Conrad 2015)

Antonio is an international business consultant and a space policy consultant. He graduated with a degree in computer science and business, majoring in AI and Machine Learning and Enterprise Operations. During his four years in Minerva Schools at KGI, he lived in seven different countries.

Antonio currently works as the Asia-Pacific Regional Partnerships Manager for the Space Generation Advisory Council (SGAC) which represents young professionals to the UN Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (UNCOPOUS). He previously worked in various fields, including UN organizations like the World Federation of United Nations Associations (WFUNA), startup accelerators and venture capitals like Softbank Ventures, 500 Startups, and T-Hub, and international conglomerates like Unilever.

Antonio specializes in aerospace policy, digital technologies and infrastructure, sustainable development, AI/ML algorithms, and event management.

Hans Rueckschnat (Conrad 2017)

Hans is a Double Major in Business and Mathematics at the University of Central Florida. He participated in the 2017 Conrad Challenge winning the Pete Conrad Scholar prize in the Cyber-Technology & Security Category. His project was the TIER Mini Black Box, a modular enclosure for high-performance computers, servers, electronics and custom hardware that allows for effective usage in difficult operating conditions and/or harsh environments. Hans specialized in CAD drafting, engineering simulation, and photorealistic rendering as well as advanced manufacturing and prototyping solutions. At FIU he participated in undergraduate engineering research at the RF-COM lab designing antenna testing equipment and custom actuators for expandable antennas. He was awarded a Sigma XI research society membership and Patricia & Phillip Frost Art Museum Blue membership. After studying database technologies, AI, and data science as a student he followed up as a Mathematical Computation student focusing on blockchain development on Cardano.