WHO WE ARE
I am Kate Quinlivan, founder of the Materials Girls Club. Science and the beach are both essential parts of my life, especially living in Palm Beach County, Florida. I want to inspire other women to engage in these passions. Typically women are under-represented across multiple fields of science, and The Materials Girls Club seeks to teach females from a young age that science has no limits.
what we do
Through classroom lessons and beach clean-ups, the Materials Girls Club offers young women the chance to learn about the make-up of everyday materials. After collecting trash from the beach, trash is repurposed into large-scale art pieces. During classroom sessions, the Materials Girls learn about the physical properties of everyday materials. They also hear from experts in the field, including the engineers from the Next Era Technical Services Lab.
WHAT IS materials science?
Materials Science and Engineering is an interdisciplinary field where science meets engineering. The connection between science and engineering is made through discovering and researching materials and their distinct properties.
Now a high school student, Kate has always been fascinated by math and science, especially Chemistry. Materials Science and Engineering offers aspects of both math and science, while specifically studying the chemical makeup of materials. “Because Materials Science incorporates everything I (Kate) love, I know there must be so many other girls interested in the same field!”
Board of directors:
Anne Personett
Anne has been in the educational field for over 20 years, first as a special education classroom teacher and currently as a one-on-one tutor. She graduated from the University of Virginia with a Masters degree in Teaching and a Bachelors degree in Psychology. Anne has always loved teaching and helping students unlock their full learning potential. In her free time, Anne enjoys running, cheering on her three children in their sports endeavors, and thrifting! She currently resides in Atlanta, Georgia.
Lauren Nanna
Lauren is a Principal in M&N Development, a residential developer in Greenwich, CT. She started her career doing site plan design for commercial and residential developments in Virginia. Lauren relocated to NYC and served in Project Management for Commercial Interiors throughout the NYC Tri-State area. She then went on to work in Private Equity at General Atlantic, managing Real Estate and Administrative Operations. Lauren holds a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from the University of Virginia. Lauren resides in NYC with her husband and two boys.
Nicole Robison
Nicole has spent her career focused on the mission of inspiring students of all ages to pursue their passions and continually grow as learners. She is currently the Director of Professional Development for the Florida Council of Independent Schools. Prior to this position, Nicole served as the Head of Middle School and Curriculum Coordinator at St. Mark’s Episcopal School in Palm Beach Gardens. Prior to her work in leadership, Nicole taught English, with a specific concentration in writing, at the middle school and high school levels in Florida and Pennsylvania. Nicole’s love of writing came from her time working in the Writer’s Center at LaRoche University where she earned Bachelor degrees in Secondary English Education and English Language and Literature. Dedicated to ongoing professional development of others as well as herself, Nicole also holds an M.Ed. in Curriculum and Teaching from Penn State.
from trash to treasure
cleaning up Palm Beach County, one beach at a time.
Materials Girls club meetings take place every other Thursday throughout the school year.
Families are invited to participate in a local beach cleanup, where we gather trash for our club members to repurpose into art. We’d love for you to join us at our next one!
