Our mission is to educate and inspire today’s youth to become tomorrow’s scientists, engineers, and entrepreneurs of nanotechnology.

If you share our passion for STEM education, get involved now!
More about our vision, motivation, and goals

Mission

Our mission is to educate and inspire today’s youth to become tomorrow’s scientists, engineers, and entrepreneurs of nanotechnology.

If you share our passion for STEM education:

Get involved now!
More about our vision, motivation, and goals

Our Team

Omni Nano Team Participates at Patrick Soon-Shiong Innovation Awards

Marco Curreli, Ph.D.
Founder and Executive Director

Gina Napolitano
Operation Manager

Kathleen Tepley
Director of Business Development

Steven Yamin
Fundraising Advisor

Our Volunteers

Kaiden volunteering at Omni Nano
Kaiden - 12th Grade -- San Pedro High School, Los Angeles"I'm intrigued by nanotechnology and Omni Nano allows me learn more"
Shivani volunteering at Omni Nano
Shivani - Professional Graphic Designer"I just feel like helping a supercool organization in my neighborhood"
Megan volunteering at Omni Nano
Megan - 12th Grade -- Abraham Lincoln High School, San Francisco"I promote nanotechnology and Omni Nano's work through social media. This allows me to learn more about engineering and nanotechnology."
Interested in volunteering? Find out how!

Our Founder

“I aim to inspire students to change the world by becoming nanotechnologists, scientists, and engineers.”

See Dr. Curreli’s personal story, ignition, motivation, and vision

Awards and Recognition

Omni Nano is Recognized at LABJ Non-Profit Awards

Nominated for the 2016 non-profits awards by the Los Angeles Business Journal

Omni Nano is Recognized at Soon-Shiong Innovation Summit

Finalist at the 2015 Patrick Soon-Shiong’s Innovation Awards

Omni Nano is Recognized at LABJ Non-Profit Awards

Nominated for the 2015 non-profits awards by the Los Angeles Business Journal

Omni Nano is Recognized at Soon-Shiong Innovation Summit

Finalist at the 2014 Patrick Soon-Shiong’s Innovation Awards

Awards and Recognitions

Omni Nano is Recognized at LABJ Non-Profit Awards

Nominated for the 2016 non-profits awards by the Los Angeles Business Journal

Omni Nano is Recognized at Soon-Shiong Innovation Summit

Finalist at the 2015 Patrick Soon-Shiong’s Innovation Awards

Omni Nano is Recognized at LABJ Non-Profit Awards

Nominated for the 2015 non-profits awards by the Los Angeles Business Journal

Omni Nano is Recognized at Soon-Shiong Innovation Summit

Finalist at the 2014 Patrick Soon-Shiong’s Innovation Awards

History

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Help Omni Nano achieve many more milestones: Get involved with us now!

Help Omni Nano achieving many more milestones:

Get involved with us now!

Board of Directors

Our Board of Directors ensures a high commitment to transparency and accountability.

Marco Curreli, Ph.D.
Omni Nano

Vincent Caprio, CPA
NanoBusiness Commercialization

Susan Rubin Serves on Omni Nano's Board of DirectorsSusan Rubin, J.D.
Strategic NPO

Arpana Verma serves on the Board of Directors of Omni Nano.Arpana Verma, Ph.D.
NanoMech Industries

Ron Lin, Ph.D.
Technology Entrepreneur

Kris Plotnick, CPA, CFA
Takenaka Partners

We are currently expanding our Board of Directors

Want to make the difference for millions of STEM students?

Contact us now!
Want to make the difference for millions of STEM students? Contact us now!

Education Advisory Board

Our Education Advisory Board provides educational and scientific expertise tailored to STEM and nanotechnology.

  • Jared Ashcroft  
    Nano-chemistry Instructor, Pasadena City College

If you are a STEM educator and would like to advise Omni Nano:

Contact us now!
If you are a STEM educator and would like to advise Omni Nano, Contact us now!

Community Advisory Board

Our Community Advisory Board includes key professionals who help spread Omni Nano’s mission throughout the community by way of outreach, marketing, and STEM career promotion.

  • Keith Herman  
    Entrepreneur, Investor , Strategist, Speaker
  • Matt Kamin  
    Founder, Envision Consulting
  • Justin Bookey  
    Executive Content Consultant, Emfatik
  • Tushar Gadhia  
    IT & Business Executive, LinkedIn
  • Christopher Kai  
    Speaker and Author; Founder, KGL Consulting
  • Anne Laureano  
    Principal, Laureano Consulting
  • Eva Serna  
    VP Branch Manager, First Foundation Bank

If you would like to be part of our Community Advisory Board:

Contact us now!
If you would like to be part of our Community Advisory Board, Contact us now!

Legal Documents

As we are commitment to transparency, you can find key legal and legitimacy documents below for your reference.

Verify Omni Nano status with the IRS

Verify Omni Nano's Status with the IRS

We are Gold Member on Guide Star

Omni Nano is a Guide Star Exchange Bronze Participant.

Look us up on Charity Navigator

See How Charity Navigator is Ranking Omni Nano.

Other legal documents

IRS Letter
CA Tax Board Letter
Los Angeles Tax Registration

Omni Nano is proud to be a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization making a difference in STEM and nanotechnology education.

Omni Nano is proud to be a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization making a difference in STEM and nanotechnology education.

 

 

 

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More About Omni Nano's Vision, Motivation, and Goals

OUR VISION:  We envision future generations of American students who are educated in and passionate about nanotechnology.

We believe that by learning nanotechnology as early as high school, our students will be better prepared for their professional careers in the globalized, high-tech economy of the 21st century.

OUR MOTIVATION:  Investing in STEM education today will result in a skilled workforce tomorrow, who will ultimately make significant contributions to the health and prosperity of the world. We are committed to making an excellent nanotechnology education available to every high school and college student nationwide.

OUR GOALS:

  1. To inspire youth to pursue STEM and become the leading scientists, engineers, and entrepreneurs of nanotechnology.
  2. To provide every student the opportunity to take a nanotechnology course, either in a classroom or online, using a high-quality curriculum, entirely developed, produced, and distributed by Omni Nano.

If you share our passions and want to make a difference in STEM education, get involved now!

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More About Omni Nano's Vision, Motivation, and Goals

OUR VISION:  We envision future generations of American students who are educated in and passionate about nanotechnology.

We believe that by learning nanotechnology as early as high school, our students will be better prepared for their professional careers in the globalized, high-tech economy of the 21st century.

OUR MOTIVATION:  Investing in STEM education today will result in a skilled workforce tomorrow, who will ultimately make significant contributions to the health and prosperity of the world. We are committed to making an excellent nanotechnology education available to every high school and college student nationwide.

OUR GOALS:

  1. To inspire youth to pursue STEM and become the leading scientists, engineers, and entrepreneurs of nanotechnology.
  2. To provide every student the opportunity to take a nanotechnology course, either in a classroom or online, using a high-quality curriculum, entirely developed, produced, and distributed by Omni Nano.

If you share our passions and want to make a difference in STEM education, get involved now!

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MARCO CURRELI, Ph.D

Dr. Marco Curreli is our Founder and Executive Director.

He founded Omni Nano in 2012 as a way to express his two biggest passions in life – nanotechnology and education. He runs the organization on a day-to-day basis, developing curricula, presenting workshops, and pioneering the teaching of nanotechnology courses. He holds a Ph.D. in chemistry from the University of Southern California.
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GINA NAPOLITANO

Ms. Gina Napolitano is our Operations Manager.

She is an advocate for STEM education and has experience developing nanobiosensors for the medical device industry. Gina works to develop exciting nanotechnology curriculum to give students the same inspiring experience she benefited from her high school chemistry teacher. She holds a B.S. in chemistry from the University of Southern California.
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KATHLEEN TEPLEY

Ms. Kathleen Tepley is our Director of Business Development.

She also the founder and CEO of the Los Angeles Consulting Group, a firm that provides business development consulting, logistic support, and outsourced services to professional service firms and charitable organizations.
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STEVEN YAMIN

Mr. Steven Yamin is our Fundraising Advisor.

He is also the founder & CEO of Conscience Entertainment Group, a full-service communications firm for charitable organizations to elevate their social profiles, raise awareness, and generate financial revenue. His areas of expertise include digital and mobile fundraising, communication strategies, public relations, social media, and cause marketing.
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Dr. Curreli’s personal story, ignition, motivation, and vision

  • Personal story:  “I decided to be a scientist when I was in high school because I was inspired by my chemistry teachers – I now have a PhD in Chemistry.
    I discovered nanotechnology during my higher education; there were no classes, but all my research work was in nanotechnology.
    The promises of nanotech to better our future, the world’s future, are inspiring and yet, few people even know what it is! Now, I aim to inspire students to change the world by becoming nanotechnologists, scientists, and engineers.”
    — Dr. Marco Curreli.
  • Ignition:  Omni Nano was founded in 2012 by an experienced nanotechnologist and educator, Dr. Marco Curreli. Upon moving to Los Angeles in the late 1990s, one of the curiosities that struck Dr. Curreli was the wealth of high-tech, engineering, medical, and research companies and the relative dearth of a local, highly skilled, STEM workforce.
  • Motivation:  “Southern California has one of the largest clusters of technology companies in the world, but the region is unable to support its own demand for scientists and engineers because it is not inspiring/capturing enough of the potential high school graduates to study STEM fields.” Los Angeles County graduates an estimated 100,000 students per year, many of which go on to higher education; however, a large fraction of our STEM workforce needs to be imported from other states or overseas.
  • Vision:  Omni Nano was created to educate and inspire students in nanotechnology through workshops and courses provided to public and private schools, after-school programs, and youth conferences.
    Omni Nano is currently the only 501(c)(3) non-profit in California with programs in nanotechnology education for high school and undergraduate college students.
    We envision future generations of American students who are educated in and passionate about nanotechnology.

If you share Dr. Curreli’s vision and want to make a difference in STEM education today, get involved with us!

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MARCO CURRELI, PH.D. -- FOUNDER AND EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Synopsys:

Dr. Marco Curreli is a research scientist, educator, and social entrepreneur in the field of nanotechnology.  In 2012, Dr. Curreli consolidated his passions for nanoscience and teaching to become the Founder and Executive Director of Omni Nano, an organization that educates students about the cutting-edge science of nanotechnology. He is also the Director for nanotechnology research at Gamma Technology and teaches a nanotechnology course at UCLA. His innovative work in STEM education has been recognized and endorsed by the community. In 2014 and 2015, Omni Nano was a finalist for the Patrick Soon-Shiong Innovation Awards – dubbed the “Oscars of Innovation”. Dr. Curreli earned his B.S. in Chemistry at Cal State LA and holds a Ph.D. in Chemistry from USC, where he focused the entirety of his graduate work on nanotechnology.

 

Full Bio:

At Omni Nano:  Dr. Marco Curreli is a research scientist, educator, and social entrepreneur in the field of nanotechnology. Dr. Curreli is the founder of Omni Nano, a not-for-profit organization that educates students about the cutting-edge science of nanotechnology by providing educational resources to the next generation of America’s scientists, engineers, and entrepreneurs. He founded Omni Nano in 2012 as a way to combine his two biggest passions in life – nanotechnology and education. He runs the organization on a day-to-day basis, developing curricula, presenting workshops, and pioneering the teaching of nanotechnology courses. For his work with Omni Nano, Dr. Curreli has been recognized by the innovation community as well as the education community: Omni Nano was a finalist in the Los Angeles Business Journal’s 2014 and 2015 Patrick Soon-Shiong Innovation Awards, Dr. Curreli has been nominated for Nonprofit Leadership Excellence at the 5th and 6th annual Nonprofit & Corporate Citizenship Awards.

Other current affiliations: In addition to his work with Omni Nano, Dr. Curreli is an investor and the Director for Nanotechnology Research at Gamma Technology, where he has developed nanotech-based aluminum alloys with unique properties tailored to the needs of the aerospace, defense, nuclear energy, and automotive industry.
He is also the West Coast Ambassador for the NanoBusiness Commercialization Association (NanoBCA), the world’s first non-profit association focused on the commercialization of nanotechnologies. In this volunteer position, Dr. Curreli assists NanoBCA as a liaison between the academic and corporate worlds, creating a community promoting tech-transfer, STEM internship programs, and industry involvement in developing relevant education resources

Education: Dr. Curreli received his B.S. in Chemistry from the California State University at Los Angeles (Cal State LA) in 2003 and his Ph.D. in Chemistry from the University of Southern California (USC) in 2010. His entire graduate work was in the area of Nanotechnology, specifically in the chemistry of nanomaterials with applications in Nanotechnology-enabled sensor devices.

Past industry experience: After graduation, Dr. Curreli acquired two jobs in industry related to developing sensor technologies. Dr. Curreli worked as research scientist (2010-11) at Intelligent Optical Systems (IOS), where he led the DHS-funded gas and chemical sensing project, and contributed to the development of low-cost bio-analytical assays based on lateral flow test strips for microRNA tumor biomarkers and viral RNA. After his experience at IOS, Dr. Curreli joined Pharmaco-Kinesis Corporation (2011-12), a start-up company developing smart drug delivery systems and bioanalytical detection toolkits. At PKC, he led the development of rapid and low-cost detection toolkits for monitoring foods and beverages from possible E. coli contamination.

A History of Passion for Education: Throughout his higher education studies, Dr. Curreli has consistently demonstrated his passion and dedication to science education. While an undergraduate student at Cal State LA, the Chemistry Department offered Dr. Curreli a position as teaching assistant for organic chemistry laboratories. In graduate school at USC, he worked as teaching assistant (2003-05) for various chemistry courses, such as General, Physical, and Analytical Chemistry. After graduation, Dr. Curreli worked part-time for the Saylor Foundation as a Chemistry Course Designer & Research Consultant (2010-11), where he developed college-level, online-based chemistry courses for the Foundation’s Free Education Initiative.

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VINCENT CAPRIO, MBA, CPA -- TREASURER AND DIRECTOR

Professional career: Mr. Caprio is the Executive Director of the NanoBusiness Commercialization Association, the co-founder and Chief Operating Officer of at the Water Innovations Alliance, and one of the foremost advocates for government funding of emerging technologies, at both the State and Federal levels. Mr. Caprio has had a distinguished role at numerous events related to emerging technologies, including founding, producing, and directing the series of Water Innovations Alliance Conferences since 2002, and directing the 10th Annual NanoBusiness Conference. In recent years, Mr. Caprio has served as a strategic consultant, Event Director, and/or Program Director for numerous summits, conferences, and similar events, including the NanoBusiness Event series in 2008-09; the Emerging Technologies Conference in association with MIT’s Technology Review Magazine in 2003-04; Lux Research’s Executive Summit in 2005-06; the Forbes/IBM Executive Summit in 2002; and the Red Herring Conferences. Mr. Caprio has been an invited speaker and guest lecturer at over 50 conferences since 2006, including the NNI Strategic Planning Stakeholder Workshop and the Nanotechnology Partnership Forum at NIST. Mr. Caprio is a 25-year publishing and tradeshow industry veteran with an impressive track record of launching events focusing on emerging technology markets, and has appeared on numerous TV and radio stations to discuss the impact of water and nanotechnology. He serves on the Board of Trustees for the Easton Community Center and the Easton Learning Foundation in Easton, CT. In the summer of 2008, he was appointed to the Board of Directors for the Fabricators & Manufactures Association Communications, Inc., based in Rockford, IL.

Education:   Mr. Caprio graduated from Villanova University in 1979 with a B.S in Accounting and completed a MBA from Northeastern in 1987. Mr. Caprio is a member of Villanova University’s Financial Club and serves as an active member of Villanova’s President’s Club.

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SUSAN RUBIN, JD -- SECRETARY AND DIRECTOR

Susan Rubin Serves on Omni Nano's Board of Directors

Professional career:   Susan Praskin Rubin is the Founder and CEO of Strategic NPO, a consulting firm that provides nonprofit and educational institutions the tools by which they can create efficiencies and enhance operational processes, create and implement strategic plans and accountability measures, develop global relationships to secure new collaborations and funding opportunities, and move intellectual IP from academia to sustainable new spin-outs. Ms. Rubin is driven by the excitement of moving passion projects forward, and supporting those motivated to make a difference.

Ms. Rubin has spent her 30 year career supporting organizations as an attorney, C-Suite officer and Board member. After a solo law practice representing artists, museums, nonprofits and small businesses, Ms. Rubin moved to the public sector, establishing and operating various research institutes in medicine, chemistry, physics, and engineering at the California NanoSystems Institute at UCLA, The Saban Research Institute at Children’s Hospital, Los Angeles, and the Los Angeles BioMedical Research Institute at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center. She serves as a member of several governmental and nonprofit Boards.

Education:   Mrs. Rubin earned her Juris Doctorate degree from Southwestern Law School in 1985 and her Bachelor Degree in Political Science from the State University of New York at Albany in 1979.

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ARPANA VERNA, Ph.D. – DIRECTOR

Arpana Verma serves on the Board of Directors of Omni Nano.

Professional Career:  Arpana Verma is an accomplished Senior Executive and Thought Leader, with demonstrated success across the science, engineering, energy, oil and gas, child education, and women empowerment industries. Leveraging extensive experience in product development for nanotechnology companies, she is a valuable asset for organizations in similar sectors, seeking assistance with launching products and providing value propositions to customers and shareholders. Her broad areas of expertise include business development, people management, market research and analysis, strategy, and communication. Her exceptional ability to provide nanoengineering solutions, product messaging and positioning enables her to take companies to the next level ensuring increased growth and stability.
Throughout her executive career, Arpana has held leadership positions with NanoMech Industries, NanoMech Energy, BESTOLIFE, and Hydrotex. In her current position as Chief Science Officer with NanoMech Industries, she is responsible for managing product offers and identifying gaps in maintaining the best in class products. She proved instrumental in opening the oil and gas market for the company, and helping them scale from offering one product to offering multiple products. She is a key contributor in creating new ideas to grow market share and generating buy-in for product vision, both internally and with key external partners. Arpana performs strategic research and analysis to stay on top of changing environments and keep ahead of the competition. Additionally, she directs the communications strategy for all product launches and feature enhancements while collaborating with various teams to ensure messaging is aligned with product capabilities and company objectives. In a prior role as VP of Technology with NanoMech Energy, she directly engaged with iconic companies such as Cameron-Schlumberger, GE, Halliburton, and TESCO to introduce the company’s technological platform. She assisted with the analysis and presentation of advanced nanoengineered solutions to acquire new accounts and enhance existing accounts. Furthermore, she aided in the design and development of new product lines to meet the business requirements and growth opportunities of their customers.

Education:  Arpana holds a PhD in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Arkansas, a MTech in Corrosion Science and Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay, and a BE in Metallurgical Science and Engineering from the National Institute of Technology, Raipur. She is an active member of a number of associations including the American Petroleum Institute and the National Association of Corrosion Engineers. Notably, she is the recipient of the Edison Award for Women in Science and Engineering. Moreover, she is the author of one book, six publications, and holds two patents.

 

 

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RON LIN, Ph.D. – DIRECTOR

Professional Career: Dr. Lin is a technologist, scientist, and entrepreneur. He has over a decade of experience as a software engineer, founder and technology leader at early-stage companies. Ron brings a lifelong passion for science to his work, with an emphasis on introducing data-driven, scientific methodologies to entrepreneurship. Ron was a software engineer in New York City before moving to Los Angeles to pursue scientific research at the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA). At UCLA, Ron worked on developing methods for examining individual molecules of DNA and protein, integrating novel experimental techniques with cutting-edge computational methods. Ron was the founding CTO at CARD.com, a financial services company offering consumers unique and affordable smartphone-centric bank accounts. Ron was previously the CTO of Observer Media and now serves as the head of engineering at OSOM (osomstuff.com), an innovation division of Iron Mountain.

Education: In addition to a Ph.D. from UCLA, Ron was also a double major in Computer Science and Economics at the University of Pennsylvania.

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KRISTINE FUJITA PLOTNICK, CPA (inactive), CFA – DIRECTOR

Professional Career:  She is currently Senior Vice President at Takenaka Partners, LLC, where she has been extensively involved in managing all aspects of the firm’s investment banking transactions since 1998. Kris has successfully executed strategic transactions on behalf of large Global Fortune 500 corporations as well as small start-up organizations in a diverse array of industries. Before joining Takenaka Partners, Kris was a Senior Consultant and Auditor with Deloitte, LLP.

Education:  She earned her B.S. and Master’s degrees in Accounting from the University of Southern California (USC), graduating cum laude.

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