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Erika Ebbel
Erika Ebbel is a 2004 graduate of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology majoring in Chemistry and minoring in music. While attending Crystal Springs Uplands Middle and High School, she became interested in isolating natural antiviral products from an herb. Her project led to her involvement with many multinational companies and institutions including Stanford University , the San Mateo Public Health Laboratory, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Applied Biosystems, and Genentech. She was the recipient of a number of science awards, including the 3rd place Grand Award at the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair in 1997. A three time winner of the California State Science Fair, she was also the recipient of the United States Navy Award. In 1998 she was the 1st place national winner of the Junior Science and Humanities Symposium and in 1999 she became an Intel Science Talent Search Finalist and winner of the 1999 California State Student and Project of the Year awards at the California State Science Fair.
At MIT she was involved in virology, analytical chemistry, and molecular biology research. She was awarded 3rd place at the 2000 MIT Biology Undergraduate Research Symposium and was invited to be a poster presenter at the 48th American Society for Mass Spectrometry Conference in Long Beach , California in June of 2000. She has also worked for MIT's Lincoln Laboratory and presented research on novel anti-viral therapies. In 2003 she was nominated as a recipient of the United States Achievement Academy National Sciences Award, and has been inducted into two honor societies at MIT, which include the National Society of Collegiate Scholars, and the National Scholars Honor Society.
In 2002 Erika founded the WhizKids Foundation, Incorporated. She believes that it is possible to spark interest in science by involving students in hands-on projects. After learning that national math and science test scores among middle and high school students have declined in recent years, Erika decided to start a program to encourage student involvement in science research, science projects and science fairs by providing support and help to those interested. Since its inception, WhizKids has been working towards setting up science-oriented programs across the country.
In her free time she is a contributing columnist and editor for Wellness Options magazine, an International magazine available in the United States , Canada , Hong Kong , Singapore and Malaysia and has been part of MIT's Dance Troupe and Pistol Team. Erika is an Advanced Open Water SCUBA diver with Stress and Rescue training, and is a graduate of the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. She is at present continuing her studies as a classical pianist.
Recently, she started another company, Coccinella Incorporated designing t-shirts featuring various ladybug designs. Proceeds from t-shirt sales have been helping to fund WhizKids.
Erika was Miss Massachusetts 2004 in the Miss America program and worked at the Bedford Veterans Affairs Hospital from 2004-2005 doing research on neurodegenerative diseases. She is currently a doctoral candidate in Analytical Biochemistry in the Division of Graduate Medical Sciences at Boston University School of Medicine and also intends to obtain an MD.