Summer Springboard courses are taught by accomplished and passionate faculty recruited from many area colleges, universities and professional forums. Each faculty member is selected for their subject area expertise and proven ability to both challenge and captivate students.
See below for more information on the Summer Springboard instructors in Los Angeles!
Biology & Medicine
Krista McCutcheon, M.Sc.
Krista has been working as a professional drug hunter in the San Francisco Bay area for over 20 years. She is a co-inventor on drug patents in diverse therapeutic areas, including inflammation, angiogenesis, cancer, immuno-oncology, and infectious disease. Her collaborative research in industry and academia has led to scientific publications of new biological insights into disease, drug mechanisms of action, and state-of-the-art methods and technologies. Krista holds an M.Sc. in Neuroscience and a B.Sc. in Biochemistry and Genetic Engineering.
Business & Entrepreneurship
Dr. Laura Manyweather, Ed.D., MBA
Dr. Laura Manyweather is a college professor and consultant. Laura specializes in program, fund, and non-profit development. With 29 years of experience with private corporations and 12 years in academia, she brings systems, processes and organizational structure to small and micro businesses, in order for them to thrive in an ever-changing economic environment. In addition Dr. Laura Manyweather also shows positivity, inclusiveness, emotional intelligence and restorative leadership skills to organizations. Presently, she teaches business courses to emerging leaders and aspiring business owners. Dr. Manyweather’s teaching style and approach to Adult Learning is innovative and intuitive. Dr. Laura Manyweather received an award and was recognized as a Women of Influence (WOI) in 2018. She served as the President of the National Association of Professional Women (NAPW), Gardena Chapter (2009-2013).
Computer Science
Dr. Ramin Ramezani
Dr. Ramin Ramezani is an Adjunct Associate Professor of Computer Science and a Research Scientist at the Center for Smart Health, UCLA. He is also a Managing Technical Director at Clinical and Translational Science Institute (CTSI) within David Geffen School of Medicine. He was formerly the Chief Technologist in the Big Data and Analytical Unit within the Department of Surgery and Cancer at Imperial College London. His research is focused on employing various engineering techniques to tackle problems that arise in the medical domain, primarily, with focus on improving quality of care, personalized care and early disease detection.
Emergency Medicine
Violet Bagni
Violet Bagni is an EMT Clinical Instructor at UCLA where she teaches the fundamentals of emergency medicine; including the proper care and transportation of the sick and injured patients. Violet has 20 years of experience working in a fast-paced environment and educating her team members and nurses in emergency technical procedures, skill reviews, and up to date patient care treatment. Violet is also a member of the Henry Mayo Emergency Room Management Team.
Filmmaking
Matt Miller, BA
Matt is an adventure photographer and videographer from Tennessee, currently working in San Diego and LA. Matt’s story starts with his parents who encouraged him to see the world through the eyes of an artist and he quickly developed an intense appreciation of the visual arts. Matt is a motivated videographer and video editor with skills that include planning/storyboarding, directing, shooting, and bringing it all together with technical & motion graphic editing. He is highly trained in the CC Adobe Suite, with a focus on Premiere Pro, After Effects, Illustrator, and Photoshop.
Fundamentals of Engineering
Artin Davidian, MS
Artin Davidian is an engineering professor with over 15 years of teaching experience in the Greater Los Angeles area. With a focus on design, rehabilitation engineering, and project management, Artin has a passion for teaching engineering and technology courses to both college and high school students. He received his Bachelor’s and Master’s in Mechanical Engineering from California State University, Los Angeles.
Psychology & Neuroscience
Alysia Burbidge, Ph.D. Candidate
Alysia Burbidge is a Ph.D. candidate in social psychology at University of Southern California. Her research focuses on motivation, social class, and identity. She is currently looking at how we can use identity-based motivation to better understand and improve academic goal-setting and goal-attainment for minoritized and economically disenfranchised students. She is also examining how conceptual metaphors of social class and politics interplay in our perceptions of the socioeconomically disadvantaged. She uses a variety of approaches, include experimental methods, multilevel modeling, text analysis, and real-world intervention work, to examine these questions. Prior to USC, Alysia received her Psychology B.S. from the University of California, Riverside.