Innovation Inside and Outside the Classroom

Dr. Lydia Prendergast is the Associate Dean and Director of Douglass WiSE. Dean P, as many students call her, has worked in higher ed for over 20 years. She is a 3-time alumna of Rutgers in engineering and STEM education. Her dissertation focused on a hands-on learning experience for first-years and is the basis of the Intro to Engineering course in the Douglass Engineering LLC. Dr. Prendergast is passionate about providing engaging STEM experiences.

Dr. Buvaneswari Narayanan is the Associate Director of Douglass WiSE and the Director of the Bunting Cobb Sciences Living-Learning Community. Dr. Narayanan has over 10 years of experience in the research, education and service sector of higher education. She has a doctorate in Molecular and Cell Biology from the University of Maryland and is currently pursuing an Ed.D. in Higher Education. She is passionate about STEM education and providing quality programming for student development.

Dr. Lorne S. Joseph is the Director of Engineering and STEM Research Initiatives at Douglass WiSE. She is an alumna of University of the Virgin Islands (B.S. Chemistry) and the Rutgers School of Engineering (M.S. and Ph.D. in Materials Science and Engineering). Lorne is an ardent steward of STEM with a passion for supporting and mentoring Women in Science and Engineering.

Hayet Bensetti-Benbader is the director of the Computer Science Learning and Living Community. Dr. Bensetti is known for her international and multi-cultural background. She completed her studies at ENA (Ecole National d'Administration) in Algeria, IFID in Tunisia, including a doctorate in Education Technology Leadership from NJCU. Dr. Bensetti is a technology steward with a mission to improve learning experiences through successful instructional design.

Nathalie Adam is a 3rd year medical student at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. Nathalie is a Douglass alum & graduated from Rutgers University, Honors College in 2019 with a degree in Biological Sciences. Nathalie’s experience with Douglass includes being apart of the Bunting-Cobb Sciences Living-Learning Community as a graduate mentor for three years.  Nathalie’s goal is to be a constant resource to young women by providing guidance based on her own experiences.