Meet Our Members!

While we make it our mission to inspire science learning for life, our Members live that mission beyond our walls every day. Curiosity about STEM might spark at the Science Center, but when you leave our building, we want you to keep fanning the fire. This summer, meet just a few of our incredible Members who are doing just that as part of their STEM careers!

Erica McCay

Erica is the Creative Director at Valtech Themed Entertainment Studio, and describes her career as, “The dream job I didn’t know I should be dreaming of!”. Erica is particularly passionate about the process of sketching an idea and seeing it come to life. She has worked with animated Harry Potter figures, creating wand magic, and more recently designing software for Super Nintendo World in Japan, Hollywood, and Orlando.

In a career filled with storytelling, Erica puts her Masters of Fine Arts in Creative Writing to use on a daily basis. Growing up in San Francisco, Erica was a frequent visitor to the Exploratorium, a museum of science, technology, and art in San Francisco, and even enjoyed a visit to Singapore Science Center as part of her local First Robotics team. As someone who is immersed in a culture of creativity, Erica believes that museums foster endless curiosity and allow visitors to understand the “why” behind education.

Viviana Castro

Viviana has been a Landscape Architect with Dix-Hite for over 8 years. Combining her passions for art, architecture, and the outdoors ensures that no two days are the same for Viviana. She holds a degree in Landscape Architecture from UF and is currently working on a design for the 4Roots Farm Campus as well as Winter Park’s beloved Castle Park.

Viviana enjoys the collaborative nature of her role, frequently working closely with other STEAM professionals such as civil engineers and electrical architects, and takes pleasure in the reward of seeing her hand-drawn designs come to life. Viviana credits visiting museums and the lasting impression the exhibits left on her as a child with inspiring her to pursue a career in design.

Diana Galante

Diana is an Art Conservator, and owner of Galante Art Conservation, whose services museums and cultural institutions request for guidance in keeping their collections safe for future generations to enjoy. Working on the preservation, examination and restoration of everything from furniture to sculptures, to historic artifacts for over 15 years, Diana has worked all over the world, including Turkey, Italy, and Norway.

Growing up visiting the Smithsonian, Diana developed a desire to work in museums from a young age, attended NYU’s Institute of Fine Arts’ Conservation Program, and is thrilled that she now gets to visit and work in a variety of cultural institutions. Diana particularly enjoys diving into the story that an object tells about its history if we take the time to look closely enough. She believes in the importance of museums for ongoing, lifelong education.