WHO dances Tango?

Alexandra Polukin - Principal Lead Software Engineer at Akamai Technologies

I have over ten years of experience in all aspects of software development, with extensive experience in the analysis, design, leadership, and detailed implementation of large software projects. My work has spanned Internet-based applications, client-server systems, application servers, relational databases, multithreading and synchronization, application frameworks, GUIs, and business process logic. My experience also includes close involvement with the client in requirements gathering process. I am presently leading a team of programmers in an Agile-style iterative and test-driven development.

Alexandre Solon - CNRS research scientist, LPTMC, Sorbonne Université

Research interests: nonequilibrium statistical mechanics, active matter, cell motility, stochastic thermodynamics.
2015-2018: "Physics of Living Systems" postdoctoral fellow, MIT

Andrea-Marie Babbs, PMP - Program Manager Product Operations at Akamai Technologies

Program Manager with a demonstrated history of working in new product development. Babbs' continuously seeks out how to improve ways of working to deliver projects on time, within budget, and scope. Skilled New Product Development, Internal Audit, Product Strategy, and Six Sigma. Strong program and project management professional with a Master of Science (M.S.) focused in Engineering Management from South Dakota School of Mines and Technology.

Andrew Fowler - Director of Data at Moss

From PhD in Philosophy to Nike - North America Strategy and Analytics with focus primarily on predictive analytics for demand forecasting. My work included both traditional statistics and machine learning approaches. Beyond my work in forecasting, I also created probabilistic models for strategic planning.

Now Andrew dances in Berlin where he joined Moss as Director of Data.

Anna Shipunova - Data Analyst & Web Developer at Marine Biological Laboratory

Experienced Scientific Data Analyst and Bioinformatician. Skilled in DB administration, Web-development, NGS pipeline development. Strong engineering professional with a MS focused in Linguistics, Programming from Lomonosov Moscow State University (MSU).

Anna Polyanskaya - Lecturer and Professor in the Mathematics department at Suffolk University

What her students say: “Professor P is a gem! She is passionate about her craft and really goes above and beyond to help her students. If only more professors cared as much as she does. Overall A great experience!” and “Very nice professor. I struggled with the subject at first, but she was always available to talk to and found good ways to help me understand. Always easy to approach and passionate about her job.”

Ben Struhl - Executive Director at Center on Crime and Community Resilience

I'm the Executive Director of Northeastern University's new Center on Crime and Community Resilience. My work involves promoting research and research-backed policies that can make communities safer and healthier, avoiding many traditional approaches to community safety that often damage communities as much as they help them.

Previously, I worked at MIT's Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL) where I was the senior policy staffer on the team that launched the organization's North American office, and where I managed and launched the organization's new policy focus on crime and violence prevention.

My work has involved everything from designing and fundraising for major multi-country projects, to partnering with governments at the city, state and federal level, to designing and conducting research studies (including a large-scale quasi-experimental research project accepted to the What Works Clearinghouse on good research evidence) to having my work featured in major media outlets including the New York Times, the Huffington Post, and WGBH Boston.

Edward Kirchberger - Senior National Account Manager at at Diversified Distribution Systems, LLC

Experienced B2B sales and sales management professional with consistent record of goal attainment. 20+ years of business development across multiple commercial and retail market segments, including manufacturing, healthcare, office buildings, education and redistribution. Regional and national distribution buying group program experience involving a broad product mix from industrial supplies, maintenance products, office supplies, PPE and foodservice disposables.

Strategic, empathetic, collaborative, organized executive with a sense of humor, who consistently exhibits sound judgement and emotional intelligence. Flexible and open to new ideas while maintaining big-picture perspective. Driven to deliver projects on time with successful outcomes, utilizing sound supply chain management, strategic sourcing and appropriate leverage. Capable of tactfully interacting with all organizational levels and business partners.

Grigori Khmyrov - Senior Software Developer at Burning Glass Technologies

Grigori belongs to a rare category of System Builders that are capable of integrating disjoint and unorganized parts into a whole using precise, simple, and most powerful solutions. In this capacity, Grigori is able to work even with most impossible and uncooperative contributors, eventually assuming responsibilities of an informal leader. Such work requires particular patience, detail, and system understanding. Grigori has these qualities in abundance.

Jan Larivee - Massage Therapist at Massage Therapy Works

Jan has practiced massage for more than 25 years. Through extensive training in numerous bodywork modalities she is adept at addressing individual needs and concerns of her clients. She enjoys dealing with pain syndromes, headaches, and back and neck injuries. Most recently she has become certified in Matrix Energetics with a focus on shifting into a state of comfort and wellness with ease. She is also certified in Neuromuscular Therapy and Zen Trigger Point Therapy and combines these very physical methods with energy work incorporating many years as a Reiki Master, Holographic Healing practitioner and Craniosacral practitioner. She is also trained in Manual Lymph Drainage.

Johannes Zwanikken - UMass Lowell physics faculty

My research group develops theory to predict phases of matter, and to find the necessary conditions under which they form. In general, our goal is to characterize and understand the behavior of complex systems, and how this behavior is connected to its individual components.

This includes phenomena such as pattern formation, spontaneous collective dynamics, sudden catastrophies, and the emergence of characteristic structures and time scales.

Jos Zwanikken joined the Department of Physics and Applied Physics at the University of Massachusetts Lowell as an Assistant Professor in the Fall of 2015. At UMass Lowell, he performs theoretical research in Soft Matter, including polymers, charged colloids, dense electrolytes near interfaces, active matter, and cellular processes. Before joining UMass Lowell, he held a position in the Olvera de la Cruz Group in the department of Materials Science and Engineering at Northwestern University, and obtained his PhD at the Institute for Theoretical Physics at the University of Utrecht, the Netherlands. He is a collaborator in the Center for Computation and Theory in Soft Materials (CCTSM). His group develops theory and computational models for complex systems and materials. Currently, he teaches two courses in Quantum Mechanics.

John Williams - Professor of Information Engineering at MIT

John R. Williams is a Professor of Information Engineering and Civil and Environmental Engineering at MIT.

Professor Williams holds a BA in physics from Oxford University, an M.Sc. in physics from UCLA, and a Ph.D. from Swansea University. His area of specialty is large scale computer analysis applied to both physical systems and to information.

Professor Williams is internationally recognized in the field of computational algorithms for large-scale particle simulators and has authored two books and over 100 publications. For the past eight years, his research has focused on architecting of large scale distributed simulation systems. He teaches graduate courses on Modern Software Development and on Web System Architecting.

Presently Professor Williams is Director of MIT's Auto-ID Laboratory and has strong involvement in the MIT Geonumerics group.

Dr. Laurie Stewart, VMD, Diplomate, ACVD - Board-Certified Veterinary Dermatologist

Dr. Stewart is a Board-Certified Veterinarian of Dermatology. Dr. Stewart received a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of New Hampshire’s Life Science and Agricultural Pre-veterinary program, and her veterinary medical degree from the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine.

After graduation from veterinary school, she interned at Rowley Memorial Animal Hospital in Springfield Mass, then practiced at Angell Memorial Animal Hospital and Tufts University where she completed her residency in veterinary dermatology.

Dr. Stewart became a Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Dermatology in 1990. After spending eight years at Tufts University teaching and practicing veterinary dermatology, she opened her own clinic in 1995.

She owns and operates Veterinary Dermatology of New England, which is located in Westford, Mass.

Laura Kreidberg - Professor, Max Planck Institute for Astronomy

Dr Laura Kreidberg is interested in exoplanets, large and small. Her research focuses on atmosphere characterization, with the goal of turning these distant planets into real places - revealing what they're like and how they came to be. An observer by trade, Kreidberg is an extensive user of space-based telescopes. As director of the APEx Department, she combines observation and modeling of exoplanets to investigate their chemical composition, 3D structure, atmospheric dynamics, and potential habitability. Kreidberg is also a co-I on several instrumentation projects that will enable major advances in ground-based observations of exoplanets, including ELT//METIS and GRAVITY+.

Leo Gernovsky - Enterprise Systems Architect at EBSCO

Seasoned Software Development team Leader and Architect with over 20 years of experience developing and supporting consumer-facing websites and distributed internet applications in 24/7 high-concurrency regulated environments.
• 7+ years of leadership experience, including remote team management, Agile Development Methodology Implementation,
• 8+ years of S/W Architecture and Enterprise Architecture experience
• Proven ability to build credible relationships with all technology stakeholders throughout the company
• Microservices, Domain-Driven Design, Scaled Agile Framework
• Authentication, EHR Integration, Payment Processing, Financial Fraud Control, Web Site Localization, Content Management, Internet Marketing, Click-thru tracking
• Java, Node.js, Python, SQL, C/C++, AJAX, CSS, XML.
• Linux, Docker, Kubernetes, MySQL, Postgres, MS SQL
• AWS Certification
• M.S.S.E., B.S.E.M.E.

Lisa Massimano - Owner of Skin Smart Salon

Lisa Massimano is a licensed medical aesthetician and aesthetic instructor with over 15 years of experience in the practice of skincare. As the owner of Skin Smart Salon Lisa provides the upmost in personalized service. Skin Smart Salon offers a wide range of treatments and quality skincare products to keep your skin healthy and looking beautiful. At Skin Smart Salon, you will find affordable products and treatments that bring you the results you are looking for. I offer problem-solving treatments and home care recommendations to meet your skincare needs.

Maurice Herlihy - An Wang Professor of Computer Science

Maurice Herlihy has an A.B. in Mathematics from Harvard University, and a Ph.D. in Computer Science from M.I.T. He has served on the faculty of Carnegie Mellon University and the staff of DEC Cambridge Research Lab. He is the recipient of the 2003 Dijkstra Prize in Distributed Computing, the 2004 Gödel Prize in theoretical computer science, the 2008 ISCA influential paper award, the 2012 Edsger W. Dijkstra Prize, and the 2013 Wallace McDowell award. He received a 2012 Fulbright Distinguished Chair in the Natural Sciences and Engineering Lecturing Fellowship, and he is fellow of the ACM, a fellow of the National Academy of Inventors, the National Academy of Engineering, and the National Academy of Arts and Sciences.

Melissa Kline Struhl - Research scientist at Center for Open Science, Executive Director, Lookit

I am passionate about improving our scientific practices as social scientists, including promoting replication, data sharing, and large collaborations to improve the reliability and usability of what we learn about the minds and brains of young children. I am on the governing board of ManyBabies, which recently released its first dataset, a study of more than 1,500 babies from over 50 labs aiming to replicate a ‘best practices’ version of the Infant-Directed Speech preference.

Natalia Outkina Senior Accounting Manager at Finch Therapeutics

Experienced Accounting Manager with a demonstrated history of working in the biotechnology industry. Skilled in Budgeting, Fixed Assets, Account Reconciliation, Accounting, and General Ledger. Strong accounting professional with a Bachelor's Degree focused in Economy and Accounting from Institute of National Economy - now Baikalskyi University, Irkutsk Russia.

Nat Couropmitree - BOLD ALIVENESS

I support visionary coaches, creative entrepreneurs, and healers to discover and embrace their unique path of freedom, aliveness and significance.

“Nat is someone when you first meet him, you know there’s something really magical that is about to emerge. Nat’s presence and ability to cut through ANY barriers are priceless. What I got out of my coaching with Nat, was that I can really honor myself, and I am not saying this on a basic level here, I mean FULLY AND UNCONDITIONALLY honor myself and what really matters to me.”

Olga Stepanets - Owner of Arthur Murray Dance Studio of Natick

At Arthur Murray Dance Studio Natick our talented dance instructors and proven teaching methods will have you on the floor in no time. Experience the grace and excitement of this timeless social activity with programs that are customized to fit your unique goals and schedule.

Our mission is to provide the community with a high quality dance experience, in a nurturing environment. We believe that learning to dance opens doors to improved health, closer relationships with loved ones and produces a greater passion and joy for life!

Randy Payne - Neurosomatic Therapy

Tango and Swing Dancer, vegetarian and Massage Therapist. Read more HERE

I started dancing in 1995 with West Coast Swing which I love to do. I started tango about four years ago which I have a love/hate relationship with right now because it’s so hard and subtle. I go to the milongas (tango dance events) and love to watch the dancers who make it look so easy. I was supposed to go with a group of 15 dancers to Argentina in March for tango and the night before we were to leave, travel was shut down due to COVID19.

Stephen Byrnes - Contact Lens Specialty at Stephen P Byrnes, OD, FAAO

Stephen P. Byrnes, OD, FAAO has practiced Optometry for over 40 years. He received his AB Degree from The College of the Holy Cross, Worcester, MA, and his OD degree from The New England College of Optometry (NECO), Boston, MA. He was a member of the clinical faculty of NECO for 25 years. He has been the Chief of Optometry at the Manchester, NH VA Medical Center. He has been the Academic Consultant to the Schools and Colleges of Optometry in North America for Bausch & Lomb and Polymer Technology.

Dr. Byrnes practices general optometry and he specializes in the design and fitting of rigid gas permeable corneal contact lenses and rigid gas permeable scleral contact lenses for patients who are unable to attain satisfactory vision with eyeglasses or soft contact lenses due to refractive error, dry eye or corneal pathology / trauma. He participates in clinical trials for development of new contact lens designs, materials and solutions.

Dr. Byrnes continues to lecture internationally on specialty contact lens design, fitting and management. He maintains a private optometric practice in Londonderry, NH. He occasionally is a contact lens tech for the movie productions in the Boston area.

Tani Shavit - Co-Founder at CloudAhoy

o Broad experience in variety of software fields
o Strong proven record of delivering high quality products on time and budget
o Strong technical background: System Software, especially compilers; Storage; Speech recognition; High Performance & Parallel computing
o Strength and Interest:
- Managing innovation towards product delivery
- Leading highly skilled and self motivated teams towards excellence and result, cultivating talent
- Implementing process to fit the stage and needs, without stifling creativity

Tsachi Shavit - Founder and CEO of CloudAhoy

Chuck writes the code and does all the software development. He is a pilot since 2009 with instruments rating, and he is currently pursuing a commercial rating. Before CloudAhoy Chuck held technical and managerial positions in various domains, in many cases as an inventor and founder or co-founder. He has a physics degree from Tel-Aviv University.

For the past 25 years, he's been living in the Boston area. Chuck was born in Israel and has three kids. He loves technology, dogs, tango, and good books and loves to fly.

Zbigniew Nitecki - Professor, Department of Mathematics at TUFTS

In mathematics, the term dynamical systems refers to models which change in time according to their configuration moment-to-moment: for example, the velocities of planets in a solar system are ruled by gravitational forces, which in turn are determined by the relative positions of the planets; as another example, the net growth rates of different populations in an ecosystem are ruled by competition for space, food and other resources, which in turn is determined by the sizes of these populations at any moment. This information loop---the components of the system change according to rules determined by the components themselves---presents a mathematical conundrum, formulated either as a system of differential equations or the iteration of some function or algorithm. Certain classes of dynamical systems (in particular "linear" systems) can be understood explicitly using general methods, but numerous nonlinear examples present exceptional cases that can only be understood, if at all, by ad hoc means. READ MORE