Louisiana SciComm Summit

Speakers

Opening Conversation

Dr. Graça Vicente — Special Assistant to the Vice President, Chemistry and Life Sciences, LSU
Dr. Graca Vicenteserves as the Special Assistant to the Vice President and received her doctoral degree in chemistry from the University of California-Davis in 1990. She completed postdoctoral fellowships at the University of Bourgogne in France (1991), the University of Geneva in Switzerland (1991-1993), and ITQB (Research Institute) in Portugal (1993). She is Charles H. Barré Distinguished Professor of Chemistry and Professor of Chemotherapy/Materials in the Department of Chemistry at LSU in Baton Rouge. Her research interests include the physiochemical and biological properties of new fluorescent porphyrin-based macrocycles and their development of for application in medicine–e.g. diagnosis, photodynamic therapy (PDT), and boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT) of cancer.

Data Visualization

Dr. Gaojie Fan — Post-doctoral Researcher, LSU
Gaojie received her Bachelor’s degree in Psychology and Mathematics from Colorado State University and her Ph.D. in Psychology from Miami University. Her doctoral dissertation uses computational modeling to interpret behavioral data to study how people combine visual information from bilateral visual fields when there are multiple inputs. Gaojie has an interest in visual processing, attention, decision making, and visual working memory. She is particularly interested in using EEG to study neural mechanisms underlying visual processing.

Dr. Steve Midway — Associate Professor, LSU
Dr. Steve Midway is an associate professor in the Department of Oceanography and Coastal Sciences at Louisiana State University. His work broadly lies in fisheries ecology and how sound science can be applied to management and conservation issues. He teaches a number of quantitative courses in ecology, all of which include data visualization.

Discussing Controversial Topics

Ginger Gutner — Communications Manager, LSU Vet School
Ginger Guttner is communications manager for the LSU School of Veterinary Medicine, where she is responsible for publications, media relations, marketing, and website and social media management. She is also the spokesperson for Mike VII, LSU’s live tiger mascot and is responsible for media relations and social media accounts for the tiger. She joined the staff at LSU Vet Med in 2004. In 2019, Ginger began teaching visual communications at the LSU Manship School of Mass Communication as an adjunct instructor. She received her BA in English (College Honors) from LSU in 1992 and her Master’s of Mass Communication from LSU in 1997. Ginger received her APR (Accreditation in Public Relations) in 2010 and her veterinary school publications have received Awards of Excellence from the Southern Public Relations Federation (SPRF). She is on the board of SPRF and is a past president. She is also on the board of both the Baton Rouge and state chapters of the Public Relations Association of Louisiana. She received the 2013 Member of the Year Award and the 2016 Practitioner of the Year Award, both from PRAL Baton Rouge.

Dr. Christine Lattin — Assistant Professor, LSU
Dr. Christine Lattin is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Biological Sciences at LSU. Before pursuing graduate work, she spent several years working in environmental education, conservation science, and wildlife rehabilitation. She earned an MS in Biology in 2008 from Eastern Kentucky University, a PhD in Biology in 2014 from Tufts University, and was a Postdoctoral Associate in the Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging at Yale University from 2014-2018. The focus of her lab’s research is to understand how different neurotransmitters and hormones help wild animals successfully cope with challenges from predators to disease.

Dr. Emily Maung-Douglass — Public Engagement Specialist, Louisiana Sea Grant
Dr. Maung-Douglass earned her Ph.D. in Marine Biosciences from the University of Delaware and also holds degrees from Old Dominion University and the University of Connecticut. Trained as a marine ecologist, she sub-specialized in utilizing techniques from chemistry and ecotoxicology to examine the impacts of contaminants on aquatic life and the environment. Always interested in understanding the big picture and finding ways to make science relevant to non-scientists, Emily volunteered to do science outreach whenever possible during her training and partnered with a local, non-profit to start a citizen science program to monitor horseshoe crab populations in southern Delaware. After post-doctoral work as a visiting science fellow at Xiamen University in China, she put her skills and experiences to use for Louisiana Sea Grant. She served as the Oil Spill Science Outreach Specialist for seven years before becoming the program’s Public Engagement Specialist in 2021. In her role as Oil Spill Specialist, she and her team were awarded two national achievements for effectively communicating science and maintaining trust with audiences served – the Superior Outreach Programming Award (SOPA) and the Association for Communications Excellence Competition. Originally from Cleveland, Emily grew up in coastal Virginia where her fascination with the ocean and environment blossomed. She and her husband Keith now enjoy exploring Louisiana with their dogs, cat, and son.

Dr. Catherine O’Neal — Associate Professor, LSUHSC
Katie O’Neal is an Associate Professor of Clinical Medicine specializing in Infectious Diseases. Dr. O’Neal graduated medical school from the Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center (LSUHSC) in New Orleans in 2003. She completed her internal medicine training at LSUHSC in Baton Rouge in 2006 and an infectious disease fellowship at Vanderbilt Medical Center in 2008. Dr. O’Neal is the Medical Director of Infection Control and Prevention at Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center. Dr. O’Neal is a member of the Infectious Diseases Society of America and the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America (SHEA). She serves as an active member of the SHEA publications committee. Dr. O’Neal also serves on the community-wide antibiotic stewardship committee with the Baton Rouge Health District and is a faculty member of the OLOL resident’s quality scholars program. Dr. O’Neal’s research interests include reducing hospital acquired infections as well as reduction in antibiotic use through the use of rapid diagnostic testing.

Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion in Science

Dr. Laurie O’Brien — Professor, Tulane
Laurie O’Brien earned a PhD in social psychology from the University of Kansas. Afterwards, she did a postdoc, also in social psychology, at the University of California Santa Barbara. She is currently at associate professor in the psychology department at Tulane University. Her research focuses on the causes and consequences of prejudice and discrimination, and she is particularly interested in diversity in STEM fields.

Dr. Phoebe Zito — Assistant Professor, UNO
Dr. Phoebe Zito is a National Academies of Sciences, Engineering & Medicine Early Career Gulf Research Fellow. She is also the University of Louisiana System Foundation & Michael and Judith Russell Professor in Environmental Chemistry and co-directs the Chemical Analysis and Mass Spectrometry Facility at the University of New Orleans where she studies environmental chemistry. Dr. Zito is a first generation college graduate from Largo, Florida who has worked both in academia and in the pharmaceutical industry.

Dr. Treva Brown — Physical Scientist, Naval Research Laboratory
Dr. Treva Brown joined the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory as a Physical Scientist after completing her undergraduate degree at Louisiana State University and doctoral degree in Chemistry at the University of New Orleans. With a passion for microscopy, she helps the Department of Defense better understand the organisms that cause corrosion on metal materials. Brown’s work ranges from basic corrosion research to microbial populations, electrochemical data, electrochemical sensors, corrosion mechanisms and biodegradation. Dr. Brown is also active in mentorship activities; advocates for STEM outreach; is an active member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated, National Organization of Black Chemists and Chemical Engineers; and is Chair of the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee for the Microscopy Society of America.

Effective Mentorship

TL Boyd — Doctoral Candidate, LSU College of Business
I am a 4th year doctoral candidate in the Rucks Department of Management in the E.J. Ourso College of Business here at LSU. My research centers the experiences of underrepresented and marginalized social identities in teams and social hierarchies. My dissertation takes an intersectional look at emotional labor and observer perceptions. I explore the emotions that men and women from Black, Hispanic, and white communities express in the workplace, their contexts, and targets. Prior to starting my program, I served as the director of the Honors College Path Program at the University of Arkansas, a mentoring initiative I started and developed geared towards increasing diversity in honors education and graduation.

Derrick Lathan — Doctoral Candidate, LSU Department of Sociology
I am a doctoral candidate in the Sociology Department at LSU. I have had many roles. I am currently transitioning from being the Graduate Assistant for Ronald E. McNair Scholars Program to being an Academic Coordinator for LSU Upward Bound. Prior to this transition, I was the Prevention Director for Sexual Trauma Awareness and Response (STAR). My research explores the experiences of Black, first-generation graduate and professional students. Investigating mentorship and institutional supports is a significant portion of that. Dr. Wilson-Kennedy, T.L., and I are a part of a team that developed a training focusing on diversity, equity, and inclusion for mentorship in STEM fields. I also teach the intro course for Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies at LSU.

Brian Topor — Deputy Chief of CT Federal Probation Office, Ret.
My name is Brian Topor. I served the Federal Judiciary in the District of Connecticut for more than 27 years and recently retired as Assistant Deputy Chief U.S. Probation Officer. I served in several specialist capacities to include: mental health specialist, intensive supervision specialist, Drug and Alcohol Treatment Specialist, and Supervisory U.S. Probation Officer. I provided mentorship to the Court, service providers, and staff. Additionally, over the past 15 years I was actively involved with our District’s internal Diversity and Inclusion program called Prism.

Dr. Zakiya Wilson-Kennedy — Assistant Dean for Diversity and Inclusion, LSU College of Science
I serve as the Ron and Dr. Mary Neal Geaux Teach Distinguished Associate Research Professor of Chemistry Education and the Assistant Dean for Diversity and Inclusion within the College of Science at Louisiana State University (LSU). My research investigates the persistence of individuals from all backgrounds in STEM higher education and careers, focusing on faculty and student recruitment, retention, and success. Through these efforts, I employ mentoring models that integrate the theories of identity development, empowerment, social cognitive career theory, and community cultural wealth to create and test development structures that cultivate self-efficacy and agency, particularly for groups historically underrepresented in STEM. I am a chemist by training with bachelors and doctoral degrees in chemistry. And I have worked in STEM education in various positions over the past 18 years.

Dr. James Nelson — Associate Professor, UL Lafayette

Grant Writing (Broader Impacts)

Dr. Matt Hiatt — Assistant Professor, LSU
Dr. Matthew Hiatt is an Assistant Professor of Coastal Hydrology in the Department of Oceanography & Coastal Sciences at Louisiana State University. He is also a Fellow of the Coastal Studies Institute at LSU. Dr. Hiatt grew up in Kansas and received a BSCE in Civil Engineering at the University of Kansas before earning his PhD and MSE degrees in Civil Engineering from the University of Texas at Austin. Later, he spent time in the Netherlands at Utrecht University as a Postdoctoral Fellow. Dr. Hiatt is a coastal hydrologist whose research aims to understand how water movement impacts coastal processes. Much of this work has focused Louisiana’s deltaic coast and has important implications for coastal restoration. He was a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellow during his graduate studies and is a recipient of the NSF CAREER award.

Dr. Julie Lively — Executive Director, Louisiana Sea Grant
Julie Lively is the Executive Director of the Louisiana Sea Grant College Program. With more than 10 years of experience at LSU, she has led a wide range of research projects supported by more than $23 million in funding. As an associate professor at LSU, and Sea Grant director, she heads a diverse group or extension associates, researchers, staff, post-doctoral researchers, graduate and graduate students.

Kelly Robertson — Director, Office of Research Advancement, LSU
Kelly Robertson has worked in Research Administration for almost 20 years at LSU, having held positions in the Office of Sponsored Programs, LA Sea Grant, and ORED/Office of Research Advancement (ORA). As Director of ORA, she assists faculty with locating relevant funding opportunities and developing strategic proposals following sponsor requirements.

Increasing Public Engagement

Dr. Treva Brown — Physical Scientist, US Naval Research Laboratory
Dr. Treva Brown joined the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory as a Physical Scientist after completing her undergraduate degree at Louisiana State University and doctoral degree in Chemistry at the University of New Orleans. With a passion for microscopy, she helps the Department of Defense better understand the organisms that cause corrosion on metal materials. Brown’s work ranges from basic corrosion research to microbial populations, electrochemical data, electrochemical sensors, corrosion mechanisms and biodegradation. Dr. Brown is also active in mentorship activities; advocates for STEM outreach; is an active member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated, National Organization of Black Chemists and Chemical Engineers; and is Chair of the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee for the Microscopy Society of America.

Dr. Prosanta Chakrabarty — Professor of Biology, Curator of Icthyology, LSU
Dr. Prosanta Chakrabarty is a Full Professor and the Curator of Fishes at the Museum of Natural Science and Department of Biological Sciences at Louisiana State University. He is also a Research Associate at the American Museum of Natural History in New York, Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C and the Canadian Museum of Nature in Ottawa, Canada. He is a systematist and an ichthyologist studying the evolution and biogeography of fishes, his work has taken him to more than thirty countries around the world (including Japan, Australia, Brazil, Taiwan, Madagascar, Panama, and Kuwait). He has described over a dozen new species and published more than 85 peer-reviewed papers and two books. He grew up in New York City, his undergraduate degree is from McGill University in Montreal (the city where he was born) and his PhD is from the University of Michigan. He is a former Program Director at the National Science Foundation, an elected fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, a TED Senior Fellow. and a Fulbright Distinguished Chair.

Dr. Jelegat Cheruiyot — Professor of Practice, Tulane

Christopher Kersey — Manager, Highland Park Road Observatory

Professional Development (Networking)

Dr. Solomon David — Assistant Professor, Nicholls
I am an aquatic ecologist and assistant professor of biological sciences interested in fish biodiversity, conservation, and science communication. Our current research at Nicholls State University focuses on the ecology of migratory and ancient fishes, and how that research can help us better understand and conserve aquatic ecosystems. Additional projects involve conservation of Great Lakes migratory fishes, “Ancient Sport Fish” (e.g. gars and bowfins), and peripheral populations of species. We also communicate science through traditional and social media to raise awareness of the value of aquatic ecosystems and freshwater biodiversity. Follow our research projects at #GarLab!

Dr. Aimee Hollander — Assistant Professor, Nicholls
I earned my PhD in Microbiology and Immunology and started my journey in higher education teaching life science in the Biology Department. However, my true passion is science education and understanding how our students learn Biology. I recently moved to the Department of Teacher Education in which I teach multiculturalism in the classroom, elementary and secondary science methods. I also recently took on a new position as University Center for Teaching Excellence Director and am immersing myself in all thing’s professional development.

Science Art

Rose Wayne — Doctoral Candidate, LSU College of Science
Rose Wayne is a PhD student in LSU’s department of Biological Sciences studying the impact of social defeat stress on the brain and future behavior in a highly social fish species. She has self-published a comic book that tells the scientific story of Burt, Toni, and Tyrone, a group of Astatotilapia burtoni cichlids in the Maruska Lab.

Dr. John Pojman — Professor and Chair Department of Chemistry, LSU
Dr. Pojmans lab investigates many fields in polymer science, such as frontal polymerization, development of adhesives and coatings, cure-on demand materials and clock reactions. Dr. Pojman has developed a quick-cure clay that has been patented for artists as well as worked with multiple digital media outlets for scientific outreach and communication.

Social Media

Dr. Paige Jarreau — Science Communication Specialist, LSU

Amy Wold — Director of Communications, The Water Institute of the Gulf
Amy Wold is the Communications Administrator at The Water Institute of the Gulf, an independent, non-profit, applied research institution based in Louisiana. She started at the Institute in 2016 after 23 years as a newspaper reporter covering science, environmental, and coastal issues both on the West Coast and in Louisiana. Amy is responsible for working with research teams to provide reports and deliverables to clients and translate technical science issues for policy makers, industry representatives, and the public.

Story Telling

Kira Akerman — Independent Film maker
Kira Akerman is a documentary filmmaker who lives and works in New Orleans. She is also a story consultant for Ripple Effect, a New Orleans based environmental education start-up dedicated to K-12 education about socio-ecological issues of climate change. She directed and produced the short “Station 15,” featured on PBS (2017). It won “Best Audience Award” at the New Orleans Film Festival, “The Reel South Award” at Indie Grits, and is on a Smithsonian exhibition across Louisiana. Additionally, it screened at Sheffield Doc/Fest, ImagineScience Fest, The Climate Museum, and DOCNYC. In 2018, Kira directed and produced the short, “The Arrest,” featured in The Atlantic, The Camden International Film Festival, MOMA’s summer series, and The Ford Foundation Gallery. She is currently finishing her debut feature documentary, “Hollow Tree,” supported by the Sundance Institute. It is about three young women coming of age in their sinking homeland of Louisiana.