Our 2026 Team
Let's meet the team behind the magic
Join us in celebrating the remarkable efforts of Team UV as we embark on a journey of discovery, innovation, creativity, and curiosity.
- View full profile
Alice Cherestes
Amanda Joblinski
Local Lead
Anne-Marie Simard
Flex Support
- View full profile
Caroline Whippey
About Me
Hello everyone! I’m very excited to be returning to the world of CWSF – this year as the Registration and Information Booth Coordinator! I look forward to meeting the brightest young minds of our country and learning from all of you!
About Me
I am the “Sign Guy” this means you will see me running all around the event putting up sign, banners flags and other things! I am a past CWSF Finalist from 2010 and have been involved ever since! I am also a high school science teacher and I cannot wait to learn all about your projects!
- View full profile
Dianne Fraser
- View full profile
Didier Forgas
Jon Pittman
School visits/ STEM Expo Coordinator
About Me
Hello all! I am excited to be returning to Team UV this year as Delegate Experience Co-Coordinator! This will be my eleventh time at CWSF, but it’s always just as exciting and transformative as the first!
I am a four-time CWSF alumna from Oakville, ON, though I now live in London, ON. I have pursued a skeletal research career in orthopaedics and bioarchaeology, having completed degrees at McMaster University and the University of Toronto. Currently, I am an interdisciplinary doctoral student at Western University. I love talking about my research, so feel free to ask me about it!
In my spare time, I love making art (especially pottery and jewellery!) and going to see live theatre plays and musicals. I’m also a huge escape room and puzzle nerd. A fun fact about me is that I’ve travelled to eight Canadian provinces! I can’t wait to meet everyone during the week. Come say hi, ask me for a bone fact, or challenge me with a riddle!
About Me
Arctic marine biologist
Figure skating coach
CWSF alumni and super-fan
All round lover of outdoor adventure
About Me
Lori Murray is the Administrative Assistant to the Executive Director. Lori started her career with Youth Science Foundation Canada in December 2004. Lori is responsible for special award sponsors, CWSF registration, working closely with the Board of Directors and Executive Director on finances and supporting the Executive Director on a daily basis. She is also the Regional Coordinator for the YSC Virtual Regional Fair and is the Team Canada-ISEF Fair Director and organizes all logistics for the Team and chaperones. Lori also organizes all logistics for Team Canada-MILSET. Lori was presented with the Youth Science Canada Distinguished Service Award in 2015 for her outstanding work for the organization. Lori’s favourite part of her job is speaking with the 100 regions across the country.
- View full profile
Marc Gagné
- View full profile
Marc Rousell
About Me
My involvement with science fairs began as a York Region Sci-Tech Fair committee member around 2004. My first CWSF delegate experience was 2006 in Saguenay Quebec. In the intervening years and 17 CWSFs later my involvement with the Canada Wide Science Fair has given me many opportunities as a Team UV member. This year I am will provide leadership and support with Project Safety Check process and the Public/School Visits.
- View full profile
Melike Schalomon
- View full profile
Natasha Nel
About Me
Hi everyone! I’m so excited to be part of Team UV this year as your Lab Tour Coordinator and Tour Day Coordinator! I was a CWSF Finalist back in 2018 and 2019, so it feels extra special to be returning, again! I graduated from the University of Ottawa with an Honours Bachelor of Health Sciences, where I specialized in Population and Public Health. In my final year, I worked with the City of Ottawa to help design health programs within our community. After that, I studied Respiratory Therapy (which is all about how we breathe and how our heart and lungs work together!), and earned my certification in Infection Prevention and Control from Queen’s University. Now, I work in Perinatal Health, specifically in Advances in Labour and Risk Management – a fancy way of saying we get to celebrate a lot of birthdays! I am so excited to meet you all and help make your CWSF week full of fun and STEM magic – let’s get learning!
About Me
Hi all, I’m excited to be part of Team UV for the first time this year, supporting delegate experience!
I am a PhD student at University of Toronto in Biomedical Engineering, interested in how we can design medical devices that work well for everyone. I previously completed my undergraduate studies in Engineering Science, learning about the exciting intersection between medicine, engineering and artificial intelligence. I am passionate about science and have loved sharing this passion with others through street festivals, summer programs and more!
Beyond STEM, I enjoy arts and crafts, especially pottery and sewing. I live in Toronto and love exploring the city for new theatre shows, delicious ice cream flavours and other adventures!
About Me
Hi everyone! I am excited to join Team UV this year to support the STEM Expo and our exciting school visits! I am a current MASc student at U of T, researching engineering education and instructing engineering design. My undergrad was also at U of T, where I was in the Engineering Science program. I have enjoyed judging for regional and national fairs, and I can’t wait to see what incredible projects there are this year!
In my free time, I love going to live theatre and concerts, playing board games, and geocaching. A fun fact about me is that I own at least 300 board games. Feel free to ask for a board game recommendation!
About Me
Hi 👋
I’m Stu, the Communications & Development Manager at Youth Science Canada. You may know me as the guy sending you a bunch of emails all the time, or maybe as the tall guy at CWSF, always walking around with a camera in hand and talking with a funny Aussie accent. At YSC, I’m responsible for most of the internal and external communication pieces, so expect to keep hearing lots from me over the next few months. I’ve created the new Regional Network community for regional STEM fair committee members; I host the Why to How podcast, and I run the youth-focused Discord server called the purpleSTEMwave.
Feel free to reach out anytime to say hi and tell me what’s happening in your world. I also like talking about mountain activities, most sports, software & technology, and creative pursuits.
Thanks for being a part of this community. You are immensely appreciated and are quite literally shaping the future of Canada just by being here. You’re amazing!
