Who is Zach Koopmans? As Executive Assistant, Zach is in a state of perpetual motion. Whether he’s ensuring that GMSP runs smoothly each day, working with volunteers, or moving and organizing GMSP supplies, Zach has a blast at his job. A double major at Indiana University in both Music and Math and a current student at Carnegie Mellon, Zach is an extremely talented individual. His dream is to play the French horn professionally, and he pursues that goal by performing all over western Pennsylvania, Ohio, and West Virginia; he’s even participated in the prestigious summer music festival hosted by the National Repertory Orchestra. Zach is drawn to GMSP by his love of mathematics and his wish for everyone, especially girls, to share his love and understanding of math. Check out some of Zach’s input to GMSP by visiting the “She’s Livin’ It” mentors section of BrainCake.org.

Who is Heather Mallak? You’ll recognize Heather, GMSP’s Web Curator, as the one in the coffeeshop with her ears, eyes and phone plugged into her trusty laptop. From building innovative flash interfaces to sending off the eblasts, no job is too big, small or impossible. After all, she’s busy keeping up with the teen girls’ expectations of the cutting-edge BrainCake community! GMSP is practically in Heather’s genetic code – her parents were both biology majors, her grandfather was a math professor, she’s totally into technology, and her favorite great uncle is a retired engineer. Heather came to GMSP from the World’s Largest Podcast network where she worked with prominent independent podcasters from across the world. Heather has degrees in Visual Communication and Interactive Media as well as a strong background in Contemporary Art. She has curated national and international gallery and museum exhibitions and her personal work has appeared on television, in magazines, and in numerous blogs. She lived in a (converted) bowling pin factory for many years but recently settled into a home of her own with her media artist husband Dror and their son Zeev.

Nina Barbuto   
Weekend Programs Manager

Who is Nina Barbuto?  You may have met Nina at a Tour Your Future Event, at the Carnegie Museum of Art, or having meetings at the pool. She is constantly connecting people, focusing on bright-eyed girls to inspirational women. Before working for GMSP, she was working as an architect and social media consultant! Nina went to Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh for her B.Arch. She then moved to Los Angeles to get her Masters of Architecture with a concentration in Media from Southern California Institute of Architecture. There, she got in to biological architecture, writing code,  and making robots! As a STEM professional herself, she is passionate about creative ways making science attainable and approachable.  A super nerd, Nina is always researching what is the newest technology, experimental discoveries, and loves Science Fridays on NPR.  With a Pharmacist Mom and a sister as a Chemical Engineer, she knows what it is like to be a woman working in other STEM careers. When she's not at GMSP, she also teaches architecture and art classes at the Carnegie Museum of Art. Beyond the Carnegie, she founded and runs Assemble, a community space for arts + technology. Though it's a lot of work, she is always having fun!