The AIDS Beacon™

Boris Simkovich is the Chief Executive Officer of Light Knowledge Resources and Publisher of The AIDS Beacon. Boris co-founded LKR in 2005 when the firm started developing its first web service, Zuula. Boris has a B.S. in Nuclear Engineering from Penn State and a Ph.D. in Economics from Harvard. In his free time, Boris enjoys watching movies and reading.

Maike joined Light Knowledge Resources in May 2009 as an associate publisher. She is responsible for the development of the Beacon Web sites. Before joining LKR, Maike worked in consulting for many years. She holds a linguistics degree and a degree in business from two German schools. In her spare time, she enjoys gardening, reading, and practicing and teaching yoga.

Julie joined Light Knowledge Resources in March of 2008 after graduating from Princeton University with her Ph.D. in Chemistry. Her dissertation research involved the development of small molecule chemotherapeutics. She also has a B.S. in Chemistry and Mathematics from Moravian College. At LKR, Julie works on the development of the Beacon Web sites. With several family members who have battled cancer, she aspires to help patients through these sites. Julie's interests include crafts, playing piano, and spending time with her family.

Brian is a recent graduate from Cornell University, joining Light Knowledge Resources in June 2007. Prior to joining LKR, he spent two years doing biomedical research at Weill Cornell Medical College. As a member of the team at LKR, Brian works on the development of the Beacon Web sites. His many interests include tennis, triathlon, and good food.

Courtney McQueen has a B.S. in Chemistry from Harvey Mudd College in California and is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Chemistry at Princeton University. Her research involves understanding how disease-causing bacteria steal iron from the human body. Courtney joined the Light Knowledge Resources team as a writer and managing editor in May 2009. In her spare time, she enjoys reading, watching Mythbusters, cooking, and spending time with her family and three cats.

Stephanie is a junior currently double majoring in English and Psychology at Cornell University. At Cornell, she enjoys being an active member of the Greek community. Stephanie plans to attend graduate school for law or journalism upon graduating from Cornell. Her interests include writing, designing, and playing the piano. She joined LKR in June 2009 as an editor for the AIDS Beacon.

Erica is a senior at Penn State University, pursuing her dual BA in Advertising and Spanish. She plans to attend graduate school immediately afterwards to pursue her MBA in Secondary Education with a specialization in Spanish. This past semester she studied abroad in Alicante, Spain. She joined the LKR editing team in May 2009. Her interests include reading, traveling, working out, and spending time with friends, family, and her cocker spaniel puppy named Colby.

Stephen Gardner, a freelance writer and editor based in Philadelphia, received his B.A. in English from Syracuse University and a Master of Liberal Arts from the University of Pennsylvania. With his experience at The AIDS Beacon, Stephen plans to expand his writing portfolio as he branches out into science writing. Stephen's interests include creative writing, travel, bicycling, and black-and-white movies nobody watches anymore. Most days, he can be found eating his way through Philadelphia's Italian Market.

Abby Horstmann joined the LKR team in September 2009. She hails from Poughkeepsie, New York, and is currently a senior at The Pennsylvania State University. She will be graduating this spring with a degree in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and a minor in Spanish and hopes to attend graduate school in Fall 2010. Currently, Abby is carrying out biochemical research for her thesis that hopes to identify a new antibiotic target in Mycobacterium Tuberculosis. In her spare time, Abby enjoys reading, rooting for Penn State Football, snowboarding, going to the gym, volunteering in THON (Penn State's student-run philanthropy), and watching The Office.

Shruti Kalra is a third year Doctor of Pharmacy student at the University of the Sciences in Philadelphia. She joined The AIDS Beacon as a writer in May 2009. Some of her interests include reading, singing, listening to music, volunteering, and working out.

Meerat Oza is a second year Doctor of Pharmacy student in the Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy at Rutgers University. She is an active member of the Habitat for Humanity Club and has been volunteering with the organization for over four years. Her interests include reading, playing the flute, watching movies, and spending time with her family.

Nora Proops is a senior biology major at Haverford College. She is conducting her senior research studying positive development of T cells. She joined LKR in May 2009 as a writer for The AIDS Beacon. She plays lacrosse, loves new adventures, and is interested in global health issues.

Salina Yuan is a freshman at Princeton University planning to major in Molecular Biology. She has been an active volunteer in her local hospital’s Emergency Room as well as the Princeton HealthCare System. On campus she also is a member of Deserts Like Eden, a nonprofit organization that raises money for a variety of causes. Salina’s other interests include Russian literature, Greco-Roman poetry, Shakespeare, American and Chinese history, and all things New York City.