Who we are
The ARISA Lab quickly mobilizes teams of experts, partner institutions, and technologies to best meet the needs of each project. In order to make that happen, ARISA maintains strong relationships with highly skilled vendors, freelancers, companies, nonprofits, and government agencies that are ready to take on technical and specialized projects.
ARISA Team
MaryKay Severino
Co-Founder, Education Director
MaryKay Severino is an educator, project manager, small business owner, and innovator. She earned a Bachelor’s degree in Economics/Business and a Master’s degree in Education. She began her career working in program management and marketing within the business world before transitioning to education. MaryKay worked in K-12 schools and universities in South Korea and later in the Boston area. After leaving formal education, she supported NASA’s Space Science Education Consortium Phase 1, specifically the Eclipse Soundscapes Project 1.0, as the Education & Exhibits Project Manager. For her contributions to the 2017 solar eclipse, she received a Certificate of Appreciation from NASA’s Science Mission Directorate. She later co-founded the ARISA Lab with Dr. Henry “Trae” Winter, where she serves as the Education Director.
MaryKay previously served as the Principal Investigator of Eclipse Soundscapes: 2.0 , a project that successfully concluded. She is currently a Co-Investigator on Eclipse Soundscapes: Citizen Science Project, continuing her work on creating engaging and innovative learning experiences.
Living abroad in Europe and Asia for many years, combined with her work as an ESL teacher and involvement in the Eclipse Soundscapes projects, has provided MaryKay with valuable insights into the challenges faced by individuals navigating diverse forms of communication. She is passionate about developing effective approaches to enhance learning opportunities and sharing best practices in both formal and informal STEAM education.
Dr. Henry "Trae" Winter III
Co-Founder, Chief Scientist
Trae is a solar astrophysicist who has worked on eight NASA missions observing the Sun. His primary research focus was understanding how energy is released in the Sun’s atmosphere, the corona, and in other stars. Trae has led numerous efforts to engage the public in scientific discovery, including collaborations with the Montana Space Grant Consortium, the Salish-Kootenai Flathead Lake Reservation, and the Boston Lyrical Opera.
To showcase the remarkable images produced by the Solar Dynamics Observatory, Trae designed a series of video wall exhibits for venues such as the Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum, the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, North Carolina State University’s Hunt Library, the Harvard Art Museums’ Lightbox Gallery, and the Museum of Boulder.
Building on his passion for public engagement, Trae founded the Eclipse Soundscapes Project to create a mobile application for the 2017 Total Solar Eclipse. The app combined images, spoken word descriptions, sound, and touch to provide users with an immersive experience of the eclipse as it occurred.
Inspired by the success of the Eclipse Soundscapes Project, Trae and MaryKay Severino co-founded the ARISA Lab. Their goal was to assemble highly skilled teams to develop innovative technologies and techniques for effective and engaging scientific exploration.
Our Partners
Arlindo Goncalves
iOS Developer
Arlindo Goncalves is an iOS developer from Brockton, Massachusetts, who graduated from University of Massachusetts, Boston with a degree in Computer Science. He enjoys developing applications that help schools and other institutions engage youth, making education a focal point in their lives. In his free time, Arlindo enjoys playing soccer and cooking for his family and friends.
Joel Goncalves
Application Developer
Joel Goncalves is a software engineer from Brockton, Massachusetts and a Computer Science graduate from the University of Massachusetts, Boston. As an engineer, he is passionate about creating and contributing to meaningful applications. As a hobby, he likes to hike, travel and play sports
Kelsey Perrett
Freelance Writer, Editor, Web Producer, and Social Media Specialist
Kelsey Perrett is a Massachusetts-based freelance writer, editor, web producer, and social media specialist. She enjoys writing about travel, health and fitness, and the environment. When she isn’t writing, she can be found outside exploring trails, at the gym/yoga studio, or attempting to conquer an ever-expanding reading list. Kelsey Perrett is the author of the guidebook Moon New England Hiking.
Lindsay Yazzolino
Tactile designer and consultant
Lindsay is a technology consultant with particular interests in developing “hand-catching” tactile interfaces and in promoting hands-on science engagement. As a lifelong science enthusiast who has been totally blind since birth, she leverages her inherent nonvisual expertise to collaborate with ARISA Lab scientists, artists, and museum professionals to develop products designed to be experienced through touch and sound. Lindsay has spent several years as a cognitive neuroscience research coordinator, and continues to assist researchers with running studies of cognitive abilities in blind individuals such as braille reading, language, and mathematical proficiency.