Appendix B

Town Hall Speaker Biographies

Building Defense Research Capacity at HBCUs, TCUs, HSIs, and ANNHSIs: Town Hall on Capacity Development
(Transformational and Transactional Culture Shifts April 24–25, 2023)
Washington, DC (Hybrid)

MONDAY, APRIL 24, 2023 (EST)
10:10–12:00 Barriers to Building Defense-Related Research Capacity

Moderators:

Oscar Barton, Ph.D., P.E. – Morgan State University

Oscar Barton, Jr., is a professor and dean of the Morgan State University Clarence M. Mitchell, Jr. School of Engineering. A native of Washington, DC, he received his B.S. in mechanical engineering from Tuskegee (Institute) University, his M.S. in mechanical engineering, and Ph.D. in applied mechanics from Howard University in 1993. Dr. Barton joined Morgan in fall 2020, after completing 6 years at George Mason University (GMU) and a 22-year career at the U.S. Naval Academy. Dr. Barton’s research focuses on the development of approximate closed form solutions for linear self-adjoint systems, those that govern the responses of composite structures, and the analysis of dynamic systems. More recently, he investigated the dynamic response of flexible composite structures subject to periodic and random excitation. He has mentored numerous midshipmen through independent research projects and has directed two Trident Scholars, the

Naval Academy’s flagship research program. He has published more than 60 journal and conference articles on these topics. While at the Naval Academy and in its 163-year history, Dr. Barton was one of only three African Americans to obtain the rank of tenured full professor and the first to achieve this milestone in the Division of Engineering and Weapons, Division I. In 2010, he assumed the role of chairman of the mechanical engineering department, responsible for its strategic leadership and planning of its faculty, midshipmen-student body, curriculum, and resources. During his time as chair, the department revived and accredited the General Engineering program and created the Nuclear Engineering program, the first ever offering at the academy. Dr. Barton chaired the largest department in the Division I consisting of 42 civilian and military faculty professionals, and promoted a vibrant research and academic environment in energy and propulsion, nuclear energy, structures and materials, and design. As the founding department chair at GMU, Dr. Barton ushered growth of the department from 3 faculty and 12 students to 17 faculty and 385 undergraduate students and 6 doctoral students as of spring 2020. Under his leadership, the undergraduate program received initial EAC-ABET (Engineering Accreditation Commission–Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology) accreditation retroactive to fall 2015, and was reaccredited to fall 2024, established state-of-the-art teaching and research labs on GMU’s Sci-Tech campus, and authored an interim Ph.D. program, which is in its final stages of seeking approval from the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia. A fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), Dr. Barton is actively involved in academic innovations and program assessment. He chairs ASME’s Committee on Engineering Education, is a member of ASME’s Public Affairs and Outreach Council, and is a member-at-large on the Engineering Accreditation Commission’s Executive Committee of ABET, after having served numerous years as a program evaluator and commissioner. He is a registered engineer licensed to practice engineering in the state of Maryland.

Abraham Wolcott, Ph.D. – San José State University

Abraham Wolcott is a physical chemist who focuses on the surface chemistry of nanoscale and bulk materials for biological labeling and alternative energy production (solar cell research). He received a B.S. and Ph.D. with Professor Jin Z. Zhang at the University of California, Santa Cruz (Jin Zhang group). He received a National Science Foundation postdoctoral fellowship and worked with Professor Xiao Yang Zhu at the University of

Texas at Austin, who then moved to Columbia University. He also worked with Profs. Jon Owen at Columbia and Dirk Englund at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology as a joint postdoctoral scientist before moving to San José State University. Prof. Wolcott has taught physical chemistry lectures (Chem 160) and laboratory (Chem 162L) and has received several grants to incorporate technology into the physical chemistry course curriculum. One pedagogical tool that is being incorporated is the use of virtual reality (VR) in the classroom. Thermodynamics, chemical kinetics, quantum mechanics, and spectroscopy are topics in which VR-based lesson plans can be developed.

Panelists

John M. Anderson, Ph.D. – Howard University

John M. Anderson holds a Ph.D. in electrical engineering from the University of Virginia, an M.S. in electrical engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology, and an Sc.B. in electrical engineering from Brown University. After completing his doctoral studies, Dr. Anderson joined the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Florida. While at the University of Florida, Dr. Anderson was a visiting faculty member in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Maryland in College Park. Since 2002, Dr. Anderson has been a faculty member in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at Howard University in Washington, DC. Currently, Dr. Anderson is Dean of the Howard University College of Engineering and Architecture, as well as a professor of electrical engineering. In addition to his experiences in academia, Dr. Anderson has served as a health science administrator for the National Institute for Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering at the National Institutes of Health and as an associate editor for the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Signal Processing Letters. Dr. Anderson is a National Science Foundation CAREER Award recipient and a holder of several patents.

Farin Kamangar, M.D., Ph.D. – Morgan State University

Dr. Farin Kamangar is a University Distinguished Professor and Assistant Vice President for Research at Morgan State University. He is a cancer epidemiologist, and has published over 250 peer-reviewed articles, many in top-tier journals such as The Lancet, BMJ, Annals of Internal Medicine, Lancet Oncology, Journal of Clinical Oncology, Journal of the National Cancer Institute, and Gastroenterology.

Dr. Kamangar has served as the principal investigator (PI) or co-PI of over $50 million of National Institutes of Health (NIH)-funded projects, including the ASCEND Training Model to the Enhance the Diversity of Biomedical Research Workforce, as well as major epidemiologic studies, including the Golestan Cohort Study, a large cohort study of over 50,000 individuals with over 20+ years of follow-up. He has received several research awards, including the NIH Merit Award (group award) and the National Cancer Institute Director’s Innovation Award. Dr. Kamangar has collaborated with researchers at NIH, Johns Hopkins, University of Maryland, International Agency for Research on Cancer, and Tehran University of Medical Sciences, among others.

Dr. Kamangar has a passion for teaching and mentoring. He has taught at all levels, from high school to the doctoral level, and has significant experience in teaching and mentoring minority students.

Andrea Christelle, Ph.D. – Diné College

Andrea Christelle is the Vice Provost for Research at Diné College, where she fosters innovation and knowledge generation rooted in Diné values. She previously served as the acting director of Good Systems, an AI Grand Challenge at The University of Texas at Austin, and as the founding director of Philosophy in the Public Interest at Northern Arizona University.

Dr. Christelle’s expertise lies in promoting and encouraging new knowledge frameworks. She is a DEI committee member for the National Council of University Research Administrators, Region VII, and serves on the editorial advisory board of the Public Philosophy Journal.

Dr. Christelle is the recipient of the civic leadership award for the League of Women Voters Greater Verde Valley and the American Philosophical Association/Philosophy Documentation Center’s award for Excellence and Innovation in Philosophy Programs. She is a founder of Sedona Philosophy, a unique tour company that combines immersion in the natural world with philosophical reflection to advance discovery through experience and observation.

With a Ph.D. in philosophy from Tulane University and a diverse background in higher education administration, economic development, artificial intelligence ethics, and public philosophy, Dr. Christelle brings a unique and multifaceted perspective. She is committed to strengthening Diné College’s research capacity by cultivating a supportive atmosphere that promotes innovation and knowledge generation rooted in Diné values. This strategy seeks to deliver cultural and economic advantages to the Navajo Nation and beyond.

Al Kuslikis – American Indian Higher Education Consortium

Al Kuslikis is Senior Associate for Strategic Initiatives at the American Indian Higher Education Consortium. An important part of Mr. Kuslikis’ work involves identifying strategies for supporting science, technology, engineering, and mathematics programs at the nation’s Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCUs) particularly through partnerships among the Tribal Colleges, as well as within national science and engineering research and education communities. Over the past several years, Mr. Kuslikis has been working with the national cyberinfrastructure (CI) community to develop strategies for bringing CI resources to strengthen and expand TCU STEM research and education programs. He is currently working on climate–resilience related projects supported by the Bureau of Indian Affairs, the National Science Foundation, and private foundations with a focus on environmental data science applications to support climate adaptation decision-making. Mr. Kuslikis has accumulated over 20 years of experience in American Indian higher education, beginning with his work at Diné College on the Navajo Nation. He has a background in social and cognitive science and is an ABD in Anthropology at the University of Wisconsin–Madison.

Emily Biggane, Ph.D. – United Tribes Technical College

Emily Biggane is a scientist, wife, and mother to two daughters. She grew up in Minot, North Dakota, on the traditional homelands of the Assiniboine, Anishinabewaki, Michif Piyii, and Očhéthi Šakówiŋ people. She graduated from Minot State University with a bachelor of science degree in biology in 2013 where she engaged in research on a chromosomal translocation observed in acute myeloid leukemia. Emily then attended graduate school at the University of North Dakota where her dissertation work focused on the protein, SPARC, in a model of heavy metal cadmium-induced bladder cancer. She graduated with a doctor of philosophy degree in biomedical sciences in 2019. Now, Emily is Research Faculty in the Intertribal Research and Resource Center at United Tribes Technical College (UTTC) in Bismarck, North Dakota, on the traditional homelands of the Cheyenne and Očhéthi Šakówiŋ people. They center their work around food, energy, and water sustainability for Northern Plains Tribes through research, training, education, and outreach. Emily’s research broadly encompasses environmental toxicant exposures and cellular and molecular biological processes under two externally funded grants. Additionally, she prioritizes undergraduate student research, equitable

partnerships, and relationship building with collaborative partners. She is a UTTC mentor for an Environmental Science Innovation and Inclusion Lab student internship through CU Boulder Earth Lab and a Purdue EPICS program project partner on an environmental dashboard project with a tribal partner. Emily also serves on the UTTC Institutional Review Board and is Vice Chair of the UTTC Data Governance committee.

Karen L. Butler-Purry, Ph.D. – Texas A&M University

Dr. Karen L. Butler-Purry was awarded a B.S. (summa cum laude) from Southern University in Baton Rouge, a M.S. degree from the University of Texas at Austin, and a Ph.D. from Howard University in Washington, D.C., all in electrical engineering. She is the first African American female to receive a Ph.D. in engineering at Howard University.

During her over 25 years at Texas A&M University, Dr. Butler-Purry has served at all faculty levels, beginning with an initial appointment as visiting assistant professor of electrical engineering in 1994. She currently is a professor in the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department. Dr. Butler-Purry has vast experiences as an administrator and program leader at Texas A&M. From 2001 to 2004, she served as Assistant Dean for Graduate Programs in the College of Engineering, served as Associate Department Head in the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department from 2008 to 2010, and served as Associate Provost for Graduate and Professional Studies from 2010 through 2020 and then in the expanded role of Associate Provost and Dean of the Graduate and Professional School through August 2022. In addition, she served as Interim Vice President for Research from 2017 to 2018.

Dr. Butler-Purry’s research interests are in the areas of modeling and simulation, protection and control of electric power distribution systems and isolated power systems such as all electric power systems for ships, smart grids, and power microgrids, cybersecurity protection, intelligent systems for power system equipment deterioration and fault diagnosis, and engineering education. She is a registered professional engineer in the states of Louisiana, Texas, and Mississippi. Dr. Butler-Purry developed a successful research program and has supervised and funded nearly 50 graduate and 70 undergraduate research students. Also, she has directed several fellowship and education projects sponsored by the National Science Foundation, National Institutes of Health, and the Department of Education which promote recruitment, retention and advancement of pre-college, college, graduate students, and faculty in STEM fields, particularly individuals from historically underrepresented populations.

She received the National Science Foundation Faculty Career Award (1995) and the Office of Naval Research Young Investigator Award (1999). Dr. Butler-Purry has received numerous teaching and service awards including the 2005 American Association for the Advancement of Science Mentor Award for efforts to mentor students from underrepresented groups and for leadership in promoting Ph.D. careers for them in electrical engineering and computer sciences. She was elevated to Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Fellow status in 2018. Further in 2021, Dr. Butler-Purry received the Council of Graduate Schools Debra Stewart Award for Outstanding Leadership in Graduate Education.

Frank A. Gomez, Ph.D. – Cal State System

Dr. Frank A. Gomez is the Executive Director of STEM-NET. Prior to his appointment, he was professor of chemistry at Cal State LA since 1994 and university faculty research liaison since 2014. He has received over $21 million in research funding for his work in microfluidics, point-of-care diagnostics, and fuel cells and has published over 130 technical articles and two books on his work. He has mentored over 130 undergraduate, master’s, and high school students and 12 postdoctoral fellows and visiting scientists in his laboratories resulting in over 180 student presentations. He received his bachelor’s in chemistry from Cal State LA and a Ph.D. in chemistry from UCLA. Dr. Gomez was a postdoctoral fellow at Harvard University. As Executive Director he has been involved in 47 proposal submissions with 21 successfully funded (involving 16 California State University [CSU] campuses) generating over $52M for the CSU system.

Folarin Erogbogbo, Ph.D. – San José State University

Folarin Erogbogbo is an American chemical engineer, scientist, and associate professor at San José State University (SJSU). He earned his Ph.D. in chemical and biological engineering from University at Buffalo (SUNY) in 2009. His dissertation was titled, “Silicon Quantum Dots and Biophotonic Applications Thereof.” His teaching contributions have been to three distinct programs: chemical engineering, materials engineering, and biomedical engineering. Erogbogbo is a recognized and well-cited researcher in nanotechnology, especially in the fields of nanoparticles and cancer applications. Erogbogbo’s publications have been cited 3000 times. His work is considered pioneering in nanotechnology for biomedical and energy applications because of his demonstrations with quantum dots on the nanoscale. Erogbogbo was funded by the National Science Foundation

to work with Professor Mark Swihart to demonstrate the first targeted imaging of pancreatic cancer with silicon quantum dots. While funded by the Ford Foundation, Erogbogbo developed a non-toxic form of quantum dots and demonstrated their potential utility in multiple biomedical applications including, but not limited to, cancer imaging, drug delivery, and magnetic resonance imaging with Professor Paras Prasad. Erogbogbo developed the first herringbone-patterned 3D-printed reactor for nanoparticle synthesis. This reactor enables the creation of nanoparticles in a repeatable and reproducible manner. He has also worked in the social sciences areas to establish a cross-college collaboration between the biomedical engineering department and the Departments of Public Health and Sociology to provide technical social interventions that address health challenges in minority men. He has served as the chair and organizer of multiple nanotechnology symposia in the Bay Area. These include symposia titled: Nanoscience at the Molecular Foundry; Nanotechnology in Biosystems, Medicine and Health; and Nanotechnology for Energy, Healthcare and the Environment. As part of his international work, he organized a Diaspora Day Medical Panel in Nigeria. As a technical advisor, he supervises or has supervised projects at many different locations in Silicon Valley. The Silicon Valley locations include companies like Jabil Blue Sky, Covance, IRIS vision, Bioventrix, and Nutek Bravo. He has served as a technical advisor for over 50 projects. He has also supervised projects that were executed at the Stanford School of Medicine and UCSF Department of Anatomy. Erogbogbo has received multiple awards for his mentoring work with students from underrepresented minority groups. He served as the Faculty-in-Residence for the black scholars’ floor at SJSU where he developed multiple initiatives to improve academic performance and social impact. He is also the advisor for the SJSU Black Alliance of Scientist and Engineers and the Nigerian Students Association Organization. He has served on committees in the Biomedical Engineering department, the Charles Davidson College of Engineering, the university, and professional organizations. Erogbogbo is a member or has been a member of the following professional organizations: Material Research Society, American Institute of Chemical Engineering, American Chemical Society, National Society of Black Engineers, American Association of Cancer Research, Biomedical Engineering Society, and the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. Erogbogbo founded Black Engineer Week (www.blackengineerweek.com) in Silicon Valley in 2021. He also Founded BEST at the TECH (www.bestatthetech.com), a partnership with San José State University and The Tech Interactive Museum.

Helen Turner, PhD – Chaminade University of Honolulu

Dr. Helen Turner serves as professor of biology and faculty in data science at Chaminade University. She is committed to Chaminade’s social justice mission and works to advance equity in STEM for minoritized and marginalized individuals, especially low-income, indigenous, and veteran students. As Dean of Natural Sciences and VP for Innovation at Chaminade she led capacity-building efforts in academic excellence and inclusion over a 15-year period, including the establishment of the region’s first undergraduate data science major. She was recently appointed Research Director of Chaminade’s new United Nations Sustainability Center and is principal investigator of an extensive grant portfolio funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF), National Institutes of Health (NIH), the Department of Defense, and private foundations. Notably this includes leadership of a $10 million NSF INCLUDES Alliance for Hawaii-Pacific data science that spans research, education, and workforce development efforts. She also leads a prestigious Howard Hughes Medical Institute “Inclusive Excellence” program that is focused on culture, inclusion, and belonging in STEM. She serves on the leadership teams of Hawaii’s statewide NIH INBRE and NSF EPSCoR programs with specific responsibilities in faculty development and DEI. Dr. Turner has led Air Force Research Laboratory– and Air Force Office of Scientific Research–funded programs in research on nanomaterial bioeffects and training (notably ROTC and veteran upskilling in data analytics) at Chaminade for over 10 years. She is a highly regarded researcher in cellular biophysics and pharmacoanalytics, loves teaching and mentoring students, and is an advocate nationally for the potential of the Pacific and its residents to be a source of models that positively inform global change.

Aaron Dotson, Ph.D. – University of Alaska Anchorage

As vice chancellor for research, Dotson’s role is to support research and creative activity at University of Alaska Anchorage at all levels—from conception to completion and commercialization. To do that, the overarching Office of Research is divided into three functions, starting with the Office of Sponsored Programs, which helps researchers prepare project proposals and secure funding and awards for their work. Next is the Office of Research Integrity and Compliance, which works to maintain safety and ethicality on all projects while adhering to federal guidelines and considerations unique to Alaska. Finally, Seawolf Holdings looks to the future by supporting researchers with the licensing of intellectual property by securing patents

and exploring possible commercial applications for their work. Ultimately, all three offices work in harmony to accomplish a single function.

Before formally stepping into his current role in July 2020, Dotson began working in an interim capacity starting July 2019. Even before then, Dotson was a professor and associate dean for research in the College of Engineering. Maintaining his own research portfolio, some of his projects involved wastewater treatment and providing clean water to rural Alaska communities, often collaborating with the State of Alaska, Environmental Protection Agency, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Fortunately, Dotson’s new position will still allow him to keep his teaching and researching responsibilities, which will not only help him engage with students, but to better assess the ongoing needs of his fellow researchers.

Michele Yatchmeneff, Ph.D. – University of Alaska Anchorage

Dr. Michele Yatchemeneff is an Unangax (Aleut) woman who grew up living a traditional subsistence lifestyle in rural villages along Alaska’s Aleutian chain. She was an ANSEP scholar at the University of Alaska Anchorage (UAA) where she earned a B.S. in civil engineering in 2005 and an M.S. in engineering management in 2009. After earning her B.S., she began working in Alaska’s construction and engineering industry, specializing in water and sewer projects in remote villages across the state. She also worked as the Deputy Director of the Alaska Native Science and Engineering Program. Professor Yatchmeneff earned her Ph.D in engineering education from Purdue University. Her Ph.D. research focused on the motivation and success of Alaska Native pre-college STEM students. Her current research expands her doctoral work and focuses on belongingess, Alaska Native education, preparation, and retention. Professor Yatchmeneff started serving as the UAA Executive Director for Alaska Native Education and Outreach in October 2021.

12:15–1:20 Reimagining Faculty Workload Policies

Moderator:

Oscar Barton, Ph.D., P.E. – Morgan State University

Oscar Barton, Jr., is a professor and dean of the Morgan State University Clarence M. Mitchell, Jr. School of Engineering. A native of Washington, DC, he received his B.S. in mechanical engineering from Tuskegee (Institute) University, his M.S. in mechanical engineering, and Ph.D. in applied mechanics from Howard University in 1993. Dr. Barton joined Morgan in fall 2020, after completing 6 years at George Mason

University (GMU) and a 22-year career at the U.S. Naval Academy. Dr. Barton’s research focuses on the development of approximate closed form solutions for linear self-adjoint systems, those that govern the responses of composite structures, and the analysis of dynamic systems. More recently, he investigated the dynamic response of flexible composite structures subject to periodic and random excitation. He has mentored numerous midshipmen through independent research projects and has directed two Trident Scholars, the Naval Academy’s flagship research program. He has published more than 60 journal and conference articles on these topics. While at the Naval Academy and in its 163-year history, Dr. Barton was one of only three African Americans to obtain the rank of tenured full professor and the first to achieve this milestone in the Division of Engineering and Weapons, Division I. In 2010, he assumed the role of chairman of the mechanical engineering department, responsible for its strategic leadership and planning of its faculty, midshipmen-student body, curriculum, and resources. During his time as chair, the department revived and accredited the General Engineering program and created the Nuclear Engineering program, the first ever offering at the academy. Dr. Barton chaired the largest department in the Division I consisting of 42 civilian and military faculty professionals, and promoted a vibrant research and academic environment in energy and propulsion, nuclear energy, structures and materials, and design. As the founding department chair at GMU, Dr. Barton ushered growth of the department from 3 faculty and 12 students to 17 faculty and 385 undergraduate students and 6 doctoral students as of spring 2020. Under his leadership, the undergraduate program received initial EAC-ABET (Engineering Accreditation Commission–Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology) accreditation retroactive to fall 2015, and was reaccredited to fall 2024, established state-of-the-art teaching and research labs on GMU’s Sci-Tech campus, and authored an interim Ph.D. program, which is in its final stages of seeking approval from the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia. A fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), Dr. Barton is actively involved in academic innovations and program assessment. He chairs ASME’s Committee on Engineering Education, is a member of ASME’s Public Affairs and Outreach Council, and is a member-at-large on the Engineering Accreditation Commission’s Executive Committee of ABET, after having served numerous years as a program evaluator and commissioner. He is a registered engineer licensed to practice engineering in the state of Maryland.

Panelists:

Mark Ginsberg, Ph.D. – George Mason University

Dr. Mark Ginsberg serves as the Provost and Executive Vice President of George Mason University, the largest public research university in Virginia and a Carnegie Research One (R1) institution. He joined George Mason University in 2010 as the dean of the College of Education and Human Development and began serving as Interim Provost and Executive Vice President on April 15, 2020. In September 2020, President Washington appointed Dr. Ginsberg as Provost and Executive Vice President of George Mason University.

From January 1999 until June 2010, Dr. Ginsberg served as the Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer of the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC). Prior to joining NAEYC, Dr. Ginsberg was chair of the Department of Counseling and Human Services in the Graduate Division of Education at The Johns Hopkins University and a member of the faculty of both the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences and the Department of Medicine in the School of Medicine. He had served as a member of the Hopkins full-time and part-time faculty for more than 25 years. Before joining Johns Hopkins, Dr. Ginsberg held the position of Executive Director of the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (AAMFT) from 1986 to 1993. From 1981 to 1986, he was a senior member of the management staff of the American Psychological Association (APA) after having been a faculty member in the Department of Psychology at the University of Rochester.

Dr. Ginsberg serves as the Chair of the Board of Directors of the respected international organization, Parents as Teachers. He also serves on the Board of Directors of the Association of Chief Academic Officers, the national organization of university provosts, as well as Hopecam, a nonprofit organization that supports children with cancer and their families and as an appointed member of the Fairfax County (Virginia) Successful Children and Youth Policy Team. He is a Past-Chair of the Board of Directors of the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education and had served as a member of the Executive Committee of the Council of Academic Deans of Research Education Institutions and the Board of Directors of the Virginia Early Childhood Foundation. He also is a past-president of both the International Step by Step Association, a group of education and child/youth development–focused nongovernmental organizations in Europe and Central Asia, and the Society of Psychologists in Management.

He is a Fellow of both the APA and the Maryland Psychological Association, and a Clinical Member and Fellow of the AAMFT.

Dr. Ginsberg completed his master’s degree in 1978 and his doctoral degree in 1981 at The Pennsylvania State University, after having been awarded a bachelor’s degree from the State University of New York at Cortland in 1975. He also completed a Fellowship in Clinical Psychology at the Yale University School of Medicine. In 2006, he was awarded the honorary degree of doctor of humane letters by the State University of New York.

John Crockett, Ph.D. – San Diego State University

John Crockett contributes to the health of San Diego State University’s (SDSU’s) Research Enterprise by attending to the needs of the complete research community, including the goals and aspirations of faculty, non-faculty researchers, postdocs, graduate students, and undergraduate students.

John Crockett is the Associate Vice President for Research Advancement in the Division of Research and Innovation at San Diego State University. Dr. Crockett’s team is responsible for curating and amplifying the research reputation of SDSU at the institutional level. Dr. Crockett maintains two research programs, one focused on ethnic, racial, and gender diversity in STEM higher education, and the second on the formation and function of teams, related to team science enterprises. Dr. Crockett is an expert on early-career faculty success, and an invited speaker for major university systems across the country and state and federal agencies including the California Energy Commission, NASA, U.S. Department of Agriculture, and the Department of Defense, to name a few examples. Dr. Crockett received a bachelor of arts in earth and environmental science from Wesleyan University, and an M.S. and Ph.D. in marine geology from the University of Washington.

1:30–2:45 Culture and Leadership Models to Facilitate Research Capacity Building

Moderator:

Abigail S. Newsome, Ph.D. – Mississippi Valley State University

Abigail S. Newsome, a native of Itta Bena, Mississippi, attended Leflore County High School. After her graduation, she studied biology at Mississippi Valley State University (MVSU) and later attended the University of Southern Mississippi where she obtained her Ph.D. in biology with a

concentration in molecular biology. She then began her professional tenure at Mississippi Valley State University in August of 1997, where she began teaching biology and microbiology in the Department of Natural Sciences and Environmental Health. During this time, she worked closely with the MVSU Football Team serving as film/video coordinator. Dr. Newsome has also served as a visiting professor of biology at the University of the Virgin Islands in St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands, and has engaged in various collaborations and partnerships at universities across the country and abroad. Dr. Newsome presently serves as Mississippi Valley State University’s faculty athletics representative. Her academic position at MVSU is the director of bioinformatics where her efforts are focused on graduate education and research in genomics. Dr. Newsome and her husband, Dr. Albert L. Love, have three adult children and two grandsons.

Abraham Wolcott, Ph.D. – San José State University

Abraham Wolcott is a physical chemist who focuses on the surface chemistry of nanoscale and bulk materials for biological labeling and alternative energy production (solar cell research). He received a B.S. and Ph.D. with Professor Jin Z. Zhang at the University of California, Santa Cruz (Jin Zhang group). He received a National Science Foundation postdoctoral fellowship and worked with Professor Xiao Yang Zhu at the University of Texas at Austin, who then moved to Columbia University. He also worked with Profs. Jon Owen at Columbia and Dirk Englund at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology as a joint postdoctoral scientist before moving to San José State University. Prof. Wolcott has taught physical chemistry lectures (Chem 160) and laboratory (Chem 162L) and has received several grants to incorporate technology into the physical chemistry course curriculum. One pedagogical tool that is being incorporated is the use of virtual reality (VR) in the classroom. Thermodynamics, chemical kinetics, quantum mechanics, and spectroscopy are topics in which VR-based lesson plans can be developed.

Panelists:

Jagannathan Sankar, Ph.D. – North Carolina A&T University

Professor Sankar over the past 36 years has developed a high-profile, internationally recognized, advanced broad-based materials innovation and technology activities at North Carolina A&T State University (NCAT), Greensboro, North Carolina. He serves or has served as director of the Center for Advanced Materials and Smart Structures, National Science Founda-

tion (NSF) CREST program, Director for the Navy Center for Nanoscience and Nanomaterials, and site coordinator for the NSF Nanoscale Science and Engineering Center. Also under his leadership, NCAT was chosen (2008) to house the NSF’s Generation 3 Engineering Research Center (ERC) for Revolutionizing Metallic Biomaterials. The ERCs are considered the crown jewel of NSF and only select few universities over the past 40 years have been awarded after a gargantuan competition to conduct transformational and revolutionary engineering innovation for the economic impact and global leadership of the nation. Through these centers, Sankar and the international team of collaborators he has assembled over the years have positioned NCAT in various leading advanced materials research and developments through innovative public-private partnerships, surface engineering, convergence of engineering and science in transformational biomedical implant technologies. The author of more than 400 peer-reviewed articles, book chapters, and scientific papers, Sankar as principal investigator alone has generated more than $60 million of competitive research funding for NCAT (equipment infrastructure > $14 million under one umbrella encompassing 25,000 square feet of innovation ecosystem space), filed ten invention disclosures and patents, has organized and sponsored more than 25 international conferences/symposia, and has given more than 35 plenary/keynote/invited special addresses in major get-togethers this decade related to future directions in transformational materials and nano/bio research, education, innovation, economic impact and growth, and next generation workforce development. He also played a key role in establishing the B.S. and M.S. bioengineering degree programs at NCAT, the first stand-alone at an HBCU in the nation. Dr. Sankar is leading a sincere effort in adding value to American knowledge economy through innovation, translation, manufacturing technologies in broad-based materials with underpinning innovative education, outreach, and broadened participation.

Twyla Baker, Ph.D. – Neurta Hidatsa Sahnish College

Dr. Twyla Baker is an enrolled citizen of the Mandan, Hidatsa & Arikara Nation of North Dakota. Born and raised on the Fort Berthold Indian Reservation, Dr. Baker left home for several years and built a life away from the reservation, though she maintained strong ties to her home community. She returned home in 2013 to work for her Tribe’s institution of higher education, and currently serves as the President of Nueta Hidatsa Sahnish College. Viewing life through an Indigenous lens, her world view informs nearly everything she does professionally and personally, and she is

raising her children to live in their identities as contemporary Native people and carry on their Tribal lifeways as they were taught to her by her own parents, family, and community. She has spent a lifetime establishing her credibility among her Tribal people and with external constituencies through research, advocacy, education, community engagement, and activism. Dr. Baker has published creative and scholarly works in various media, and has made appearances on CNN, MSNBC, NBC, NPR, and internationally on BBC and Australian television giving commentary and insight on numerous topics impacting Indian Country in the United States.

TUESDAY, APRIL 25, 2023 (EST)
10:00–11:30 Developing a Diverse Funding Portfolio

Moderator:

Oscar Barton, Ph.D., P.E. – Morgan State University

Oscar Barton, Jr., is a professor and dean of the Morgan State University Clarence M. Mitchell, Jr. School of Engineering. A native of Washington, DC, he received his B.S. in mechanical engineering from Tuskegee (Institute) University, his M.S. in mechanical engineering, and Ph.D. in applied mechanics from Howard University in 1993. Dr. Barton joined Morgan in fall 2020, after completing 6 years at George Mason University (GMU) and a 22-year career at the U.S. Naval Academy. Dr. Barton’s research focuses on the development of approximate closed form solutions for linear self-adjoint systems, those that govern the responses of composite structures, and the analysis of dynamic systems. More recently, he investigated the dynamic response of flexible composite structures subject to periodic and random excitation. He has mentored numerous midshipmen through independent research projects and has directed two Trident Scholars, the Naval Academy’s flagship research program. He has published more than 60 journal and conference articles on these topics. While at the Naval Academy and in its 163-year history, Dr. Barton was one of only three African Americans to obtain the rank of tenured full professor and the first to achieve this milestone in the Division of Engineering and Weapons, Division I. In 2010, he assumed the role of chairman of the mechanical engineering department, responsible for its strategic leadership and planning of its faculty, midshipmen-student body, curriculum, and resources. During his time as chair, the department revived and accredited the General Engineering program and created the Nuclear Engineering program, the first ever offering at the academy. Dr. Barton chaired the largest department in the Division I consisting of 42 civil-

ian and military faculty professionals, and promoted a vibrant research and academic environment in energy and propulsion, nuclear energy, structures and materials, and design. As the founding department chair at GMU, Dr. Barton ushered growth of the department from 3 faculty and 12 students to 17 faculty and 385 undergraduate students and 6 doctoral students as of spring 2020. Under his leadership, the undergraduate program received initial EAC-ABET (Engineering Accreditation Commission–Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology) accreditation retroactive to fall 2015, and was reaccredited to fall 2024, established state-of-the-art teaching and research labs on GMU’s Sci-Tech campus, and authored an interim Ph.D. program, which is in its final stages of seeking approval from the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia. A fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), Dr. Barton is actively involved in academic innovations and program assessment. He chairs ASME’s Committee on Engineering Education, is a member of ASME’s Public Affairs and Outreach Council, and is a member-at-large on the Engineering Accreditation Commission’s Executive Committee of ABET, after having served numerous years as a program evaluator and commissioner. He is a registered engineer licensed to practice engineering in the state of Maryland.

Panelist:

Kamal H. Khayat, Ph.D. – Missouri University of Science and Technology

Kamal H. Khayat is the Vice-Chancellor for Research and Innovation and the Vernon and Maralee Jones Professor of Civil Engineering at Missouri S&T. Between August 2011 and June 2014, he directed the Center for Transportation Infrastructure and Safety, a National University Transportation Center (UTC). The $37 million grant funded 174 research, equipment, and education projects. He also directed the Tier-1 UTC, Research on Concrete Applications for Sustainable Transportation between September 2013 and December 2019 and the Missouri S&T Center for Infrastructure Engineering Studies between August 2011 and October 2021. He led efforts to establish the Clayco Advanced Construction and Materials Laboratory, a 1,375-m² state-of-the-art research facility inaugurated in 2020.

Dr. Khayat has conducted pioneer work in the field of rheology of cement-based materials and self-consolidating concrete. Other research interests include ultra-high-performance concrete, fiber-reinforced composites, infrastructure rehabilitation, and grouting.

Professor Khayat has chaired/co-chaired several international conferences, including the 2020 Gordon Research Conference (Ventura Beach, California), SCC2016 (Washington, DC), and SCC2010 (Montreal). His creative contributions to innovation, leadership, and technology transfer have been recognized by several international organizations including the 2020 University of Missouri System President’s Award for Sustained Career Excellence in STEM/Natural Sciences, the 2020 Robert E. Philleo Award, the 2018 Wason Medal, the 2017 J.-C. Roumain Award, and the 2015 Arthur Anderson Medal from the American Concrete Institute.

Professor Khayat was awarded over 135 research projects with approximate funding of approximately $31 million as principal investigator (PI) and $13 million as co-PI. He has advised 40 Ph.D. students, 44 M.Sc. students, and 22 postdoctoral fellows and visiting scholars and has co-authored over 500 publications, 11 contributions to books and book chapters, and served as editor/co-editor of 19 books and conference proceedings. Dr. Khayat earned a B.S. in civil engineering in 1982, M.Eng. in construction engineering and management in 1984, M.S. in structural engineering in 1985, and Ph.D. in civil engineering in 1989 from the University of California, Berkeley.

11:30–12:30 Addressing the Critical Threshold for Infrastructure Investments

Moderator:

Chad Womack, Ph.D. – United Negro College Fund

Chad Womack is the senior director of National STEM Programs and Initiatives. Prior to joining the United Negro College Fund (UNCF), Dr. Womack co-founded the America21 Project and DC Innovates, both innovation-based community and economic development nonprofit organizations dedicated to empowering metro-centers and underserved communities through STEM education, tech-entrepreneurship, and access to capital. In addition, Dr. Womack led the White House–based Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) Startup and Innovation Initiative, which resulted in the launch of the HBCU Innovation, Commercialization and Entrepreneurship initiative at UNCF. At UNCF, Dr. Womack’s work portfolio includes the Fund II Foundation STEM Scholars Program—a $50 million and 10-year commitment to support 500 academically talented African American high school students pursuing STEM as majors in college and careers in the technology industry; the Ernest E. Just Life Sciences

Institute, which includes the Bristol-Myers Squibb–sponsored EE Just Life Sciences Postgraduate Fellowship Program; the UNCF HBCU Innovation, Commercialization and Entrepreneurship Initiative; the UNCF HBCU Innovation Summit and the HBCU Center of Excellence in Computing and Computer Science, which includes a partnership with Google. Dr. Womack was previously a member of the U.S. Department of Commerce, Economic Development Agency, National Advisory Council for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, and the D.C. Mayor’s Innovation and Technology Inclusion Council. Dr. Womack completed several postdoctoral research fellowships at the National Institutes of Health in the National Institutes for Allergy and Infectious Diseases Vaccine Research Center, and at the Harvard AIDS Institute and the Harvard School of Public Health in the Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases. Dr. Womack earned his doctoral degree in biomedical sciences from the Morehouse School of Medicine and is a proud graduate of Morehouse College, where he majored in biology with minors in chemistry and applied physics.

Panelists

Shannon Arnold, M.Eng., M.S. – GBL Systems Corporation

Shannon Arnold is a Principle Scientist at GBL Systems Corporation. Mr. Arnold is a prolific engineer with over 30 years of experience working in government and industry serving as research and development engineering in organizations such as the National Aeronautics and Space Administration and the Scientific Research Corporation. His work and passion has also included identifying opportunities to broaden defense-related research and development opportunities for individuals from underrepresented communities. Mr. Arnold earned a B.S. in chemistry and mathematics from Morehouse College in 1992, a M.S. in organic and polymer chemistry from Clark Atlanta University in 1994, and a M.Eng. from Virginia Tech in 1998.

Victor R. McCrary, Ph.D. – University of the District of Columbia

Victor R. McCrary, Vice President for Research at the University of the District of Columbia (UDC), is an advocate for the growth, development, and strategic direction of the University’s research enterprise. UDC is the nation’s capital only public institution of higher education to offer students degree opportunities from 2-year, 4-year, graduate and law school degrees and research opportunities that offer hands experience in urban sustainability and resiliency. UDC is “DC’s Research Laboratory.” He is also the current Vice Chair of the National Science Board, the governing body

for the National Science Foundation. In October 2016, President Barack Obama appointed Dr. McCrary to serve on the National Science Board. In May 2022, Dr. McCrary was re-appointed by President Joseph Biden to a 6-year term on the National Science Board. He is a change agent and serial innovator, always seeking to make a difference by unlocking the creative potential in individuals and organizations. He has held executive positions at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Morgan State University, and as division chief at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). His accomplishments include the development of the first industry-led electronic book standards and an electronic book Braille reader which led to him being co-recipient of the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Gold Medal in 2000. Dr. McCrary served 6 years as the national president of the National Organization for the Professional Advancement of Black Chemists and Chemical Engineers and was awarded the organization’s 2002 Percy Julian Award. He is a Fellow of the American Chemical Society. In 2011, he was honored as Scientist of the Year by the Annual Black Engineer of the Year Award STEM Conference. He received his doctoral degree in chemistry from Howard University in 1985, a master’s degree in engineering from the University of Pennsylvania in 1995, and a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from The Catholic University of America in 1978.

Dr. McCrary enjoys mentoring students and the next generation of research and technology professionals in order that they look to give back to their communities and seek to make a positive change in the world for all. He is a member of the Knights of Columbus, and his council over the past decade has raised over $200,000 for the Tanzanian Children’s Fund to dig wells for water and to build medical facilities.

Jaret C. Riddick, Ph.D. – Center for Security and Emerging Technology

Dr. Jaret C. Riddick is a Senior Fellow at Georgetown University’s Center for Security and Emerging Technology (CSET). Prior to joining CSET, he was the Principal Director for Autonomy in the Office of the Under Secretary for Research and Engineering (OUSD(R&E)), serving as the senior Department of Defense (DOD) official for coordination, strategy, and transition of Autonomy research and development. As Principal Director, he created a DOD-wide initiative on trusted Autonomy, led efforts to advance Autonomy for undersea warfare with allied partners, and provided key strategic analysis to support development of the newest DOD University Affiliated Research Center. Prior to OUSD(R&E), Jaret served in executive leadership roles in the U.S. Army Research Laboratory (ARL), where he

established a 200-acre robotics research collaboration campus and led ARL senior leadership efforts to establish the research competencies of the Laboratory. He has also served in leadership roles in the Office of the Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Army for Research and Technology, and the former Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics. He holds a Ph.D. in engineering mechanics from Virginia Tech, M.S. in mechanical engineering from North Carolina A&T State University, and B.S. in mechanical engineering from Howard University.

1:30–2:30 Federal Capacity-Building Programs

Moderator:

Keith A. McGee, Ph.D. – Alcorn State University

Keith A. McGee, a native of Quitman, located in Clarke County, Mississippi, began his postsecondary education at Mississippi Valley State University, majoring in biology and culminating with a Ph.D. from the University of Southern Mississippi in molecular biology. Dr. McGee’s research focused on a family of ATP (adenosine triphosphate) transport proteins, specifically those involved in phenotypic multidrug resistance. As a faculty member, he sustained a productive graduate student training program, advising many master’s degree–seeking students, along with many undergraduates, and summer research students. Dr. McGee has served in multiple administrative capacities at Alcorn State University; most recently he was appointed to serve as the inaugural associate provost for research, innovation, and graduate education. In this role, Dr. McGee is responsible for providing leadership in developing a clear research vision and growing the university’s research footprint while leading and elevating the university’s interdisciplinary research activities. Dr. McGee is charged with promoting an understanding and drive for new research opportunities, working with the university deans on all aspects of research and graduate education to ensure alignment with their specific disciplines, while supporting and expanding innovative graduate programs and scholarly activity.

Panelists:

Natalia Melcer – Department of Energy, Office of Science

Natalia Melcer is a Senior Technical Advisor in the Office of the Deputy Director for Science Programs, Office of Science, Department of Energy (DOE). In this position, she provides strategic advice on all aspects of science program management, including program planning, budget formulation,

execution, and evaluation. She provides advice and assistance in the formulation and implementation of new policies, plans, and procedures regarding the Office of Science program offices and DOE national laboratories. She previously served as a program manager in the DOE Office of Science, Office of Basic Energy Sciences, with primary duties related to budget formulation, strategic planning, and communications. Earlier in her career, she served as Assistant Deputy Director in the DOE Office of Budget, Office of the Chief Financial Officer, where she developed DOE budgetary policy. She previously served as a Senior Program Officer with the Board on Physics and Astronomy at the National Academies and as a Science Policy Fellow working in the Office of Legislative and Government Affairs at the American Chemical Society. She holds a B.S. in applied chemistry from the University of Calgary and a M.S. in chemistry from the University of Michigan.

Dina Myers Stroud, Ph.D. – National Science Foundation, GRANTED program

Dina Myers Stroud joined the National Science Foundation from Vanderbilt and Fisk Universities. Passionate about building research access and capacity, especially at Minority Serving Institutions, Dina works in the Office of Integrative Activities as Lead Program Director for GRANTED and HBCU-Excellence in Research. Dina acquired her Ph.D. in molecular biology from Vanderbilt with a focus on developmental biology. Dr. Stroud did postdoctoral work in cardiovascular research at the University of California, Los Angeles, New York University, and the Vanderbilt University Medical Center, initially working in heart development and moving into the genetics of arrythmias. As the Executive Director of the Fisk-Vanderbilt Master’s to PhD Bridge Program (FVBP), Dr. Stroud advocated for and mentored students from underrepresented and underserved groups into and through STEM Ph.D. programs and the workforce. She oversaw formalization and dissemination of practices, as well as building mutually beneficial partnerships, and building diverse, inclusive community. This experience led her to work with the National Institutes of Heath–sponsored National Research Mentoring Network as part of the original team creating mentor-mentee supportive technology known as MyNRMN. Dr. Stroud also served as the Director of the National Science Foundation Louis Stokes Alliances for Minority Participation (LSAMP) Regional Center of Excellence in Broadening Participation. She directed educational research centered on the FVBP, in collaboration with the Peabody School of Education at Vanderbilt and the American Institutes for Research.

Building Defense Research Capacity at HBCUs, TCUs, HSIs, and ANNHSIs: Town Hall on True Partnerships (May 22–23, 2023)
Albuquerque, New Mexico (Hybrid)

MONDAY, MAY 22, 2023 (MST)
10:30–11:30 Igniting the Defense Research Ecosystem

Moderator:

Melvin Greer, Ph.D. – Intel Corporation

Melvin Greer is chief data scientist, Americas, Intel Corporation. Dr. Greer is responsible for building Intel’s data science platform through artificial intelligence, machine learning, and neuromorphic computing to accelerate transformation of data into a strategic asset for global enterprises. His systems and software engineering experience has resulted in patented inventions in cloud computing, synthetic biology, and IoT (Internet of Things) biosensors for edge analytics. He functions as a university professor and principal investigator where he significantly advances the body of knowledge in basic research and advanced engineering. Dr. Greer is one of the 2018 LinkedIn Top 10 Voices in data science and analytics. He also received the WashingtonExec inaugural Pinnacle Award as the 2018 Artificial Intelligence Executive of the Year. He received the 2017 BDPA (Black Data Processing Associates) Lifetime Achievement Award and the 2012 BEYA (Black Engineer of the Year Award) Technologist of the Year Award, which recognize his outstanding technical contributions that have had a material impact and high value to society as a whole. Dr. Greer is a member of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and has served for 8 years on the National Academies’ Government University Industry Research Roundtable. He has been appointed senior advisor and fellow at the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Information Technology and Data Division. He is charged with the acceleration of the FBI mission by supporting appropriate data collection, data analytics, discovery, and visualization via advanced data science and artificial intelligence techniques.

Panelists:

Victor McCrary, Ph.D. – University of the District of Columbia

Victor R. McCrary, Vice President for Research at the University of the District of Columbia (UDC), is an advocate for the growth, development, and strategic direction of the University’s research enterprise. UDC is the nation’s capital only public institution of higher education to offer students

degree opportunities from 2-year, 4-year, graduate and law school degrees and research opportunities that offer hands experience in urban sustainability and resiliency. UDC is “DC’s Research Laboratory.” He is also the current Vice Chair of the National Science Board, the governing body for the National Science Foundation. In October 2016, President Barack Obama appointed Dr. McCrary to serve on the National Science Board. In May 2022, Dr. McCrary was re-appointed by President Joseph Biden to a 6-year term on the National Science Board. He is a change agent and serial innovator, always seeking to make a difference by unlocking the creative potential in individuals and organizations. He has held executive positions at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Morgan State University, and as division chief at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). His accomplishments include the development of the first industry-led electronic book standards and an electronic book Braille reader which led to him being co-recipient of the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Gold Medal in 2000. Dr. McCrary served 6 years as the national president of the National Organization for the Professional Advancement of Black Chemists and Chemical Engineers and was awarded the organization’s 2002 Percy Julian Award. He is a Fellow of the American Chemical Society. In 2011, he was honored as Scientist of the Year by the Annual Black Engineer of the Year Award STEM Conference. He received his doctoral degree in chemistry from Howard University in 1985, a master’s degree in engineering from the University of Pennsylvania in 1995, and a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from The Catholic University of America in 1978.

Dr. McCrary enjoys mentoring students and the next generation of research and technology professionals in order that they look to give back to their communities and seek to make a positive change in the world for all. He is a member of the Knights of Columbus, and his council over the past decade has raised over $200,000 for the Tanzanian Children’s Fund to dig wells for water and to build medical facilities.

Santosh Devasia, Ph.D. – University of Washington

Santosh Devasia received a B.Tech. (Hons.) from the Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur, India, in 1988, and M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in mechanical engineering from the University of California at Santa Barbara in 1990 and 1993, respectively. He joined the University of Washington Department of Mechanical Engineering in 2000. In addition to directing the Precision Controls Laboratory, he serves as the associate director of

the Boeing Advanced Research Center at the University of Washington, which focuses on the manufacturing and assembly of aircraft and spacecraft structures.

Thomas Tubon – BioMADE

Thomas Tubon is the chief workforce development officer for BioMADE. Prior to his appointment with BioMADE, he served as a professor in the Biotechnology Program at Madison Area Technical College for 13 years. During this time, he led several National Science Foundation (NSF) Advanced Technological Education initiatives to establish and scale an emerging technology program in stem cells and cell manufacturing and directed a National Coordination Network in Advanced Manufacturing of Cell and Tissue Products. While at Madison College, Dr. Tubon was responsible for the development of bioscience workforce and strategic implementation of programs for local-, regional-, and national-level adoption and scale-up. In this role, he has facilitated the creation of a broad network of industry, community, and academic stakeholders designed to foster career pathways in STEM. He also serves as a mentor with the NSF Advanced Technological Education (ATE) Mentor Connect and Project Vision Programs. Dr. Tubon held leadership roles with the NSF ATE InnovATEBIO Center for Biotechnology Education, and the NSF Advancing Research Impact in Society Center with a focus on education, workforce development, and strategic partnerships. Dr. Tubon holds a Ph.D. in molecular genetics from Stony Brook University and Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory and a B.S. in molecular biology from San Diego State University.

11:50–12:50 Articulating the Value Proposition for Equitable Partnerships

Moderator:

Oscar Barton, Ph.D., P.E. – Morgan State University

Oscar Barton, Jr., is a professor and dean of the Morgan State University Clarence M. Mitchell, Jr. School of Engineering. A native of Washington, DC, he received his B.S. in mechanical engineering from Tuskegee (Institute) University, his M.S. in mechanical engineering, and Ph.D. in applied mechanics from Howard University in 1993. Dr. Barton joined Morgan in fall 2020, after completing 6 years at George Mason University (GMU) and a 22-year career at the U.S. Naval Academy. Dr. Barton’s research focuses on the development of approximate closed form solutions for linear self-adjoint

systems, those that govern the responses of composite structures, and the analysis of dynamic systems. More recently, he investigated the dynamic response of flexible composite structures subject to periodic and random excitation. He has mentored numerous midshipmen through independent research projects and has directed two Trident Scholars, the Naval Academy’s flagship research program. He has published more than 60 journal and conference articles on these topics. While at the Naval Academy and in its 163-year history, Dr. Barton was one of only three African Americans to obtain the rank of tenured full professor and the first to achieve this milestone in the Division of Engineering and Weapons, Division I. In 2010, he assumed the role of chairman of the mechanical engineering department, responsible for its strategic leadership and planning of its faculty, midshipmen-student body, curriculum, and resources. During his time as chair, the department revived and accredited the General Engineering program and created the Nuclear Engineering program, the first ever offering at the academy. Dr. Barton chaired the largest department in the Division I consisting of 42 civilian and military faculty professionals, and promoted a vibrant research and academic environment in energy and propulsion, nuclear energy, structures and materials, and design. As the founding department chair at GMU, Dr. Barton ushered growth of the department from 3 faculty and 12 students to 17 faculty and 385 undergraduate students and 6 doctoral students as of spring 2020. Under his leadership, the undergraduate program received initial EAC-ABET (Engineering Accreditation Commission–Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology) accreditation retroactive to fall 2015, and was reaccredited to fall 2024, established state-of-the-art teaching and research labs on GMU’s Sci-Tech campus, and authored an interim Ph.D. program, which is in its final stages of seeking approval from the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia. A fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), Dr. Barton is actively involved in academic innovations and program assessment. He chairs ASME’s Committee on Engineering Education, is a member of ASME’s Public Affairs and Outreach Council, and is a member-at-large on the Engineering Accreditation Commission’s Executive Committee of ABET, after having served numerous years as a program evaluator and commissioner. He is a registered engineer licensed to practice engineering in the state of Maryland.

Panelists:

Eric Adolphe, Esq. – Forward Edge-AI, Inc.

Eric Adolphe is CEO of Forward Edge-AI, Inc. Of Haitian heritage, he is a technology-savvy executive with more than 30 years of success building high-growth firms focused on mission impact, revenue, and margin attainment. Mr. Adolphe leverages expertise in deep technology including artificial intelligence/machine learning, quantum encryption, and blockchain/distributed ledger technology to solve complex social, public safety, and national security challenges. As principal investigator under a NASA Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) program, he developed a data analytics solution designed to facilitate the interpretation of large volumes of data that can be retrieved from distributed sources to provide a highly efficient method to extract causal factors underlying aerospace mishaps attributable to human factors. Each source providing data on aerospace mishaps was modeled as an information retrieval system. A uniform identification scheme—based on a uniform resource identifier, or UFI, made up of descriptors from a controlled set—would be used to encode the “raw data,” thus ensuring comparability in data reports from different sources. He has led cross-disciplinary research/research and development teams (biology, computation, chemistry, engineering, psychology) of typically 3 to 28 researchers on 25 SBIRs over his career. His products have been installed in every air traffic control facility in the United States. Mr. Adolphe’s Earth Polychromatic Imaging Camera (EPIC) SBIR won NASA’s Most Innovative SBIR Software Product of the Year award. As a result, he received one of NASA’s highest civilian commendations, and is one of 11 Black American honorees at the National Inventors Hall of Fame. EPIC is in use today by the commercial space launch industry. Mr. Adolphe also developed a DNN (deep neural network) to detect aircraft in high clutter radar images (ASDE-X [Airport Surface Detection Equipment, Model X] radar), under Phase I/II SBIR projects for the U.S. Department of Transportation/Volpe Center. He holds a bachelor of engineering degree in electrical engineering from City University of New York’s City College of New York and is a cum laude graduate from Catholic University of America, Columbus School of Law, and a member of the Maryland Bar. Mr. Adolphe is a winner of the Maryland High Tech Entrepreneur of the Year award. He is also a National Capital Business Ethics and Service to the Citizens awards winner, and National Inventors Hall of Fame honoree. He is also a winner of one of NASA’s highest civilian honors, and is an SBIR Tibbetts award winner.

Christina Deckard – Office of the Under Secretary of Defense, Biotechnology

Christina “Chris” Deckard is senior scientist at SAIC (Science Applications International Corporation) with the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering, Biotechnology. She has also served as director of military and veteran services at Dallas Baptist University. Her department works with more than 300 military-affiliated students per semester. She also serves as a member of the Veterans Business Alliance for the Arlington, Texas, Chamber of Commerce. Ms. Deckard is a veteran of the U.S. Air Force and holds a master’s degree in organizational leadership from Waldorf University.

Robert St. Amant, Ph.D. – DEVCOM Army Research Laboratory

Robert St. Amant is a computer scientist with the U.S. Army DEVCOM Army Research Laboratory. His B.S. is in electric engineering and computer science from Johns Hopkins University, and his Ph.D. is in computer science from the University of Massachusetts. He was a professor in the Department of Computer Science at North Carolina State University. He received the 2013 Outstanding Teacher of the Year Award from the NC State College of Engineering. He has written papers on human-computer interaction, cognitive science, artificial intelligence, and the use of tools by nonhuman animals; his popular science book, Computing for Ordinary Mortals, was published by Oxford in 2012.

1:10–2:10 Models for Synergistic Partnerships

Moderator:

Bryn L. Adams, Ph.D. – DEVCOM Army Research Laboratory

Bryn L. Adams received a B.S. in biology in 2001 and a Ph.D. in interdisciplinary biology in 2009 from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. Her doctoral studies included a variety of research projects in the field of applied and environmental microbiology. Dr. Adams completed two postdoctoral fellowships; the first was a collaborative project, as a National Academy of Sciences postdoctoral fellow, between DEVCOM Chemical Biological Center and the Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology Research at the University of Maryland, College Park, which focused on the development of nonspecific threat agent detection using simple biological sensing and signal transduction pathways. The second fellowship was with DEVCOM Army Research Laboratory as an Oak Ridge Associated

Universities postdoctoral fellow, where she conducted research into the development of synthetic molecular recognition agents for biosensing and biomaterials. In 2014, Dr. Adams converted to a federal civilian research scientist at the Army Research Lab. She has led the Synbio Tools and Chassis Team in the Biotechnology Branch since 2018. Her research efforts currently focus on developing synthetic biology tools for nonmodel host bacteria and establishing the capability of synthetic biology from the lab and into the hands of the warfighter. She has published more than 20 peer-reviewed manuscripts on a wide range of bacterial biotechnology topics across several disciplines and was awarded the Department of Defense (DOD) Scientist of the Quarter in 2019 for her contributions to the field of biotechnology for DOD. Dr. Adams is currently on a 1-year detail assignment to the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering, where she leads the Education and Workforce Development component of the Biotechnology Modernization Priority.

Panelists:

Kelly Freidenfelds, Ph.D. – Princeton-HBCU Alliance for Collaborative Research

As senior associate director of foundation relations, Dr. Freidenfelds works to build stronger relationships with foundations and other partners in support of faculty research and university priorities. She specializes in supporting the humanities, social sciences, natural sciences and diversity, equity and inclusion, as well as organizations central to campus life such as the Princeton University Library, Princeton University Art Museum, and the Office of Religious Life. Before joining the Office of Corporate Engagement and Foundation Relations, Dr. Freidenfelds served as manager of corporate, foundation, and government relations at the Princeton University Art Museum. Prior to coming to Princeton, she supported development efforts at the Kingsborough Community College Foundation of the City University of New York, New York University Stern School of Business, and the Bard Graduate Center. She has presented with NCURA (National Council of University Research Administrators), SRAI (Society of Research Administrators International), and CASE (Council for the Advancement and Support of Education) and has served on the organizing committee for the CASE Corporate and Foundation Relations conference. Dr. Freidenfelds holds a Ph.D. in cultural anthropology from Stanford University and a B.A. from Wesleyan University. She lives in Princeton and recently served on the board of the Princeton Public Library Foundation.

Robert Louis Shepard, Ph.D. – The Shepard Institute, LLC

Robert Louis Shepard has pushed hard for increased participation of faculty and students from Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) in the federal government’s research enterprise. He is principal at The Shepard Institute (TSI), LLC. TSI mentoring services are offered to underutilized academic institutions looking to expand their research portfolio; to public and private organizations seeking to fulfill their diversity goals by broadening participation to include talent that has been historically underutilized; and to individuals desiring to add value to their personal lives, to the organizations they serve, and ultimately to the global community. Early in his federal career, Dr. Shepard provided definitive data showing the role a small cadre of these institutions can play in conducting high-quality research. In 1984, he was in the Office of Research at the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) when he successfully secured joint funding from inside the agency to create NRC’s first HBCU research support program. That same year, NRC granted him a leave of absence under the Intergovernmental Personnel Assistance (IPA) program to become a visiting research scientist in the Department of Chemistry at Howard University. He used his IPA assignment to develop a conceptual framework demonstrating how collaborations and partnerships could be used to strengthen the research infrastructure at HBCUs, resulting in more research output by these institutions. At the end of his IPA assignment in 1988, he returned to NRC. In 1990, he resigned from NRC to lead the formation of a university, government, and federal laboratory 501(c)(3), nonprofit partnership called the Science and Engineering Alliance, Inc. (known as SEA). Dr. Shepard earned a B.S. degree in chemistry from Saint Augustine’s College (now University) in 1969, and M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in chemistry from Howard University in 1971 and 1973, respectively. His specialty at the graduate level was physical organic chemistry with a focus on mass spectroscopy. In addition to the United States, Dr. Shepard has traveled internationally to engage in research collaborations and present his work in Scotland, England, France, Germany, Austria, Italy, China, and Africa. He serves on several advisory boards, a member of various societies and organizations, a past Sigma Xi Distinguished Lecturer and has received numerous awards and honors including the 21st Century Trailblazer Award from the City Council of Jackson Mississippi. He is a member of Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity.

Aaron Wecksler, Ph.D. – Genentech

Aaron Wecksler is a technical development senior scientist at Genentech. He is a protein biochemist with expertise in analytical characterization of therapeutic antibodies, preclinical small molecule anticancer therapeutics, and protein structure-function relationships. He is responsible for the assay development and characterization of therapeutic antibodies, analytical lead for early-/late-stage biotherapeutics, and the technical development lead of footprinting-mass spectrometry technologies for protein structural analysis. He has a strong interest in the development of young scientists as reflected by being a standing mentor for multiple programs, including the Pharma Technical Development Postdoctoral Program and Process Development Rotational Program (PDRP). Dr. Wecksler was a National Institutes of Health postdoctoral fellow at the University of California, Davis. He has a Ph.D. in chemistry and biochemistry from the University of California, Santa Cruz, where he also received his B.S. in biochemistry and molecular biology.

TUESDAY, MAY 23, 2023 (MST)
10:00–11:30 Institutional Challenges to Developing Partnerships

Moderator:

Abigail S. Newsome, Ph.D. – Mississippi Valley State University

Abigail S. Newsome, a native of Itta Bena, Mississippi, attended Leflore County High School. After her graduation, she studied biology at Mississippi Valley State University (MVSU) and later attended the University of Southern Mississippi where she obtained her Ph.D. in biology with a concentration in molecular biology. She then began her professional tenure at Mississippi Valley State University in August of 1997, where she began teaching biology and microbiology in the Department of Natural Sciences and Environmental Health. During this time, she worked closely with the MVSU Football Team serving as film/video coordinator. Dr. Newsome has also served as a visiting professor of biology at the University of the Virgin Islands in St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands, and has engaged in various collaborations and partnerships at universities across the country and abroad. Dr. Newsome presently serves as Mississippi Valley State University’s faculty athletics representative. Her academic position at MVSU is the director of bioinformatics where her efforts are focused on graduate education and research in genomics. Dr. Newsome and her husband, Dr. Albert L. Love, have three adult children and two grandsons.

Panelists:

Ganesh C. Bora, Ph.D. – Fayetteville State University

Ganesh C. Bora is Fayetteville State University’s associate vice chancellor for research and innovation, effective August 1, 2022. Previously, Dr. Bora was with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), where he served as the national program leader of data science and biological engineering at USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA). NIFA is the grant-funding agency of the USDA, where he led Urban, Indoor, and Emerging Agriculture; Regional Innovation and Climate Smart Agriculture for Future Farms; Farm of the Future; National Robotics Initiative; and Artificial Intelligence Research Institutes and Data Science for Food and Agricultural Systems programs. Dr. Bora represented the USDA in the Networking and Information Technology Research and Development Program of the National Science and Technology Council of the White House. Prior to that he served as a tenured faculty member at Mississippi State University and North Dakota State University. He collaborated on projects with nine countries in Asia, Europe, and Africa. He earned his Ph.D. in biological and agricultural engineering from Kansas State University in Manhattan, Kansas. He is active in professional pursuits and is an engineering program evaluator for the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology, Inc. He has been an active member of the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers for 20 years and chaired the Executive Committee on Global Engagement. Dr. Bora is also a U.S. expert on smart farming and agricultural machinery in the International Organization for Standardization.

Elmer Guy, Ph.D. – Navajo Technical University

Since 2006, Elmer Guy has served as the president of Navajo Technical University (NTU), which is a member of the American Indian Higher Education Consortium, a community of 37 tribally and federally chartered institutions of higher education. Navajo Technical University offers certificate to master’s degree programs. Prior to becoming president, Dr. Guy also served NTU as its vice president of academics and student services and its dean of instruction. In 2011 and 2012, under Dr. Guy’s leadership, NTU was named one of the top 120 community colleges in the United States by the Aspen Institute’s College Excellence Program. Before joining NTU, he was appointed by the Navajo Nation president to serve as both the executive director and deputy director of the Navajo Nation Department of Education. During his tenure with the Navajo Nation Department of Education,

several needed programs were successfully developed and implemented, including two trusts for people with disabilities ($7 million) and for vocational education programs ($6 million); the Navajo Medicine Man Apprentice School; and a comprehensive teacher education program, all of which have been institutionalized and remain in full operation. Dr. Guy earned his undergraduate and doctorate degrees from the University of Arizona, and in between, a graduate degree from the University of San Francisco. Dr. Guy serves on the board of the American Indian Higher Education Consortium, the American Indian College Fund Board, the College Board’s Community Colleges Advisory Panel, as well as other regional and national associations.

Teresa Merriweather Orok, Ph.D. – Alabama A&M University

Teresa Merriweather Orok is an expert on economic and business innovation. While her career spans more than 30 years of experience across grants, government contract management, economic development, government, and higher education, she currently serves as the inaugural director of the Center for Entrepreneurship, Innovation and Economic Development at Alabama A&M University. She assisted more than 200 businesses in start-up and business scaling, including her work with more than 75 businesses across the state of Alabama to aid in COVID-19 pandemic revitalization and stabilization. In addition to her work with statewide and regional incubating start-ups, growing small businesses, and managing large-scale business and government partnerships, Dr. Orok also facilitates student education around entrepreneurship and innovation skills to best prepare students at Historically Black Colleges and Universities for the future of work.

Sheryl H. Ehrman, Ph.D., P.E. – San José State University

Sheryl Ehrman has served as the Don Beall Dean of the College of Engineering at San José State University since 2017. As dean, she oversees 26 academic programs, delivered by 290 faculty and instructors, that serve more than 6,500 students, as well as the College of Engineering’s growing research enterprise. She has cultivated strong relationships between the university and Silicon Valley companies, hired award-winning engineering faculty, and established new speaker series and career-prep incentive programs for the college’s students. On her watch, the percentage of female engineering professors has grown to one of the highest in the country. Before her current role, Dean Ehrman served as Keystone professor and chair of the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at the University

of Maryland, College Park. She is a licensed professional engineer in the state of Maryland. Dean Ehrman has a Ph.D. in chemical engineering (aerosol science and technology with a minor in atmospheric science) from the University of California, Los Angeles, and a B.S. in chemical engineering from the University of California, Santa Barbara. Dean Ehrman served as a visiting scientist with the National Institute of Standards and Technology in Maryland and as a National Science Foundation–sponsored postdoctoral fellow at the Paul Scherrer Institute in Switzerland. In 2006, she was named a Fulbright Scholar and visiting associate professor at the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, where she engaged with students and faculty in the Department of Chemical Engineering. She served as a Fulbright Alumni Ambassador from 2013 to 2016.

11:40–12:20 Applied Research Institute for
Mathematics and Computational Sciences

Chad Womack, Ph.D. – United Negro College Fund

Chad Womack is the senior director of National STEM Programs and Initiatives. Prior to joining the United Negro College Fund (UNCF), Dr. Womack co-founded the America21 Project and DC Innovates, both innovation-based community and economic development nonprofit organizations dedicated to empowering metro-centers and underserved communities through STEM education, tech-entrepreneurship, and access to capital. In addition, Dr. Womack led the White House–based Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) Startup and Innovation Initiative, which resulted in the launch of the HBCU Innovation, Commercialization and Entrepreneurship initiative at UNCF. At UNCF, Dr. Womack’s work portfolio includes the Fund II Foundation STEM Scholars Program—a $50 million and 10-year commitment to support 500 academically talented African American high school students pursuing STEM as majors in college and careers in the technology industry; the Ernest E. Just Life Sciences Institute, which includes the Bristol-Myers Squibb–sponsored EE Just Life Sciences Postgraduate Fellowship Program; the UNCF HBCU Innovation, Commercialization and Entrepreneurship Initiative; the UNCF HBCU Innovation Summit and the HBCU Center of Excellence in Computing and Computer Science, which includes a partnership with Google. Dr. Womack was previously a member of the U.S. Department of Commerce, Economic Development Agency, National Advisory Council for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, and the D.C. Mayor’s Innovation and Technology

Inclusion Council. Dr. Womack completed several postdoctoral research fellowships at the National Institutes of Health in the National Institutes for Allergy and Infectious Diseases Vaccine Research Center, and at the Harvard AIDS Institute and the Harvard School of Public Health in the Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases. Dr. Womack earned his doctoral degree in biomedical sciences from the Morehouse School of Medicine and is a proud graduate of Morehouse College, where he majored in biology with minors in chemistry and applied physics.

12:30–1:30 Federal Partnership Programs

Moderator:

Keith A. McGee, Ph.D. – Alcorn State University

Keith A. McGee, a native of Quitman, located in Clarke County, Mississippi, began his postsecondary education at Mississippi Valley State University, majoring in biology and culminating with a Ph.D. from the University of Southern Mississippi in molecular biology. Dr. McGee’s research focused on a family of ATP (adenosine triphosphate) transport proteins, specifically those involved in phenotypic multidrug resistance. As a faculty member, he sustained a productive graduate student training program, advising many master’s degree–seeking students, along with many undergraduates, and summer research students. Dr. McGee has served in multiple administrative capacities at Alcorn State University; most recently he was appointed to serve as the inaugural associate provost for research, innovation, and graduate education. In this role, Dr. McGee is responsible for providing leadership in developing a clear research vision and growing the university’s research footprint while leading and elevating the university’s interdisciplinary research activities. Dr. McGee is charged with promoting an understanding and drive for new research opportunities, working with the university deans on all aspects of research and graduate education to ensure alignment with their specific disciplines, while supporting and expanding innovative graduate programs and scholarly activity.

Panelists:

Jesus V. Soriano Molla, Ph.D. – National Science Foundation

Jesus V. Soriano Molla, Ph.D., is a program director at the National Science Foundation (NSF) for the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs. SBIR and STTR are highly competitive programs that encourage domestic

small businesses to engage in federal research/research and development (R/R&D) with the potential for commercialization. Through a competitive awards-based program, SBIR and STTR enable small businesses to explore their technological potential and provide the incentive to profit from its commercialization. By including qualified small businesses in the nation’s R&D arena, high-tech innovation is stimulated, and the United States gains entrepreneurial spirit as it meets its specific research and development needs. Central to the STTR program is the partnership between small businesses and nonprofit research institutions. The STTR program requires the small business to formally collaborate with a research institution in Phase I and Phase II. STTR’s most important role is to bridge the gap between performance of basic science and commercialization of resulting innovations. Previously, Dr. Soriano served as SBIR/STTR program director for biomedical and smart health technologies. He joined NSF after 20 years of leadership experience across industry, nonprofit, and academic sectors. Prior to NSF, he was the senior advisor to the Puerto Rico Trust for Science, Technology and Research. Before that, he was executive vice president at QRxPharma, Ltd., senior director of business development at Osiris Therapeutics, Inc., held several executive leadership positions at ATCC (American Type Culture Collection), and was associate director for R&D operations and business development at Entremed, Inc. Dr. Soriano began his career as a family doctor in Spain, then worked at the University of Geneva Medical School as a research scientist and assistant professor. He came to the United States as a visiting scientist to the National Cancer Institute. He holds an M.B.A. from the Johns Hopkins Carey Business School, a Ph.D. in medical sciences from the University of Geneva, and an M.D. from the University of Alicante, Spain.

Terrence Mosley – Department of Energy

Terrence Mosley is one of the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy’s leaders in ensuring diversity, equity, and inclusion are woven into EERE (Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy) activities, programs, and engagement. As senior advisor for diversity, Mr. Mosley is focused on ensuring broad diversity in STEM development, engagement, and recruitment programs. Based in his native Jackson, Mississippi, he brings an extensive knowledge of the STEM field, having earned a B.S. in mechanical engineering at Southern University and A&M College, a historically Black university in Louisiana, and an M.S. in mechanical engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology. He worked in the automotive indus-

try for nearly two decades in various engineering and management roles with industry leaders such as General Motors and Delphi Packard Electric Systems.

One of Mr. Mosley’s proudest STEM outreach accomplishments occurred during his time at Delphi, when he served as the executive sponsor for a new Jackson Public School FIRST Robotics Competition team. A group of volunteers turned the team into multiple-award winners at the regional and national levels over 10 years. He then pivoted his career to entrepreneurship and became the president of a small construction firm that redeveloped foreclosed properties into affordable homes, before he joined the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). His DOE journey began in 2019 when he became a Science and Technology Policy fellow at the American Association for the Advancement of Science. His background in construction and engineering made him a perfect match for the work under way in EERE’s Building Technologies Office. There, he tackled initiatives focused on diversifying the pipeline of the STEM workforce, particularly in the sustainability and efficiency fields. Today, Mr. Mosley is expanding on this work across all EERE’s program areas.

Some initiatives and collaborations Mr. Mosley works on include the Minority-Serving Institutions STEM Research and Development Consortium, a consortium of more than 70 Minority-Serving Institutions that promote innovative research and development in the clean energy space. The program has active projects focused on building technologies and solar power, with potential projects in bioenergy, water, and wind power. Another initiative is the Graduate Education for Minority Students Fellowship, which recruits underrepresented students seeking graduate degrees in applied science and STEM fields. Moving forward, much of Mr. Mosley’s focus is on partnering with other government agencies, such as the National Science Foundation, to pool efforts and connect talented people in underrepresented groups with a range of STEM programs that EERE has to offer.

Final Workshop – Building Defense Research Capacity at HBCUs, TCUs, HSIs and ANNHSIs (June 28–29, 2023)
Chicago, Illinois (Hybrid)

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 28, 2023
9:00 – 9:05 Opening Remarks

Moderator:

Oscar Barton, Jr., Ph.D., P.E. – Morgan State University

Oscar Barton, Jr., is a professor and dean of the Morgan State University Clarence M. Mitchell, Jr. School of Engineering. A native of Washington, DC, he received his B.S. in mechanical engineering from Tuskegee (Institute) University, and his M.S. in mechanical engineering, and Ph.D. in applied mechanics from Howard University in 1993. He joined Morgan in fall 2020, after completing 6 years at George Mason University (GMU) and a 22-year career at the U.S. Naval Academy. Dr. Barton’s research focuses on the development of approximate closed form solutions for linear self-adjoint systems, those that govern the responses of composite structures, and the analysis of dynamic systems. More recently, he investigated the dynamic response of flexible composite structures subject to periodic and random excitation. He has mentored numerous midshipmen through independent research projects and has directed two Trident Scholars, the Naval Academy’s flagship research program. He has published more than 60 journal and conference articles on these topics.

While at the Naval Academy and in its 163-year history, Dr. Barton was one of only three African Americans to obtain the rank of tenured full professor and the first to achieve this milestone in the Division of Engineering and Weapons, Division I. In 2010, he assumed the role of chairman of the mechanical engineering department, responsible for its strategic leadership and planning of its faculty, midshipmen-student body, curriculum, and resources. During his time as chair, the department revived and accredited the General Engineering program and created the Nuclear Engineering program, the first ever offering at the academy. Dr. Barton chaired the largest department in the Division I consisting of 42 civilian and military faculty professionals, and promoted a vibrant research and academic environment in energy and propulsion, nuclear energy, structures and materials, and design. As the founding department chair at GMU, Dr. Barton ushered growth of the department from 3 faculty and 12 students to 17 faculty and 385 undergraduate students and 6 doctoral students as of spring 2020.

Under his leadership the undergraduate program received initial EAC-ABET (Engineering Accreditation Commission–Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology accreditation retroactive to fall 2015, and was reaccredited to fall 2024, established state-of-the-art teaching and research labs on GMU’s Sci-Tech campus, and authored an interim Ph.D. program, which is in its final stages of seeking approval from the State Council of Final Higher Education for Virginia.

A fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), Dr. Barton is actively involved in academic innovations and program assessment. He chairs ASME’s Committee on Engineering Education, is a member of the ASME Public Affairs and Outreach Council, and is a member-at-large on the Engineering Accreditation Commission’s Executive Committee of ABET, after having served numerous years as a program evaluator and commissioner. He is a registered engineer licensed to practice engineering in the state of Maryland.

9:05 – 10:00 Transitioning from Low to High Research Activity

Moderator:

Thomas Tubon, Ph.D. – BioMADE

Thomas Tubon is the chief workforce development officer for BioMADE. Prior to his appointment with BioMADE, he served as a professor in the Biotechnology Program at Madison Area Technical College for 13 years. During this time, he led several National Science Foundation (NSF) Advanced Technological Education initiatives to establish and scale an emerging technology program in stem cells and cell manufacturing and directed a National Coordination Network in Advanced Manufacturing of Cell and Tissue Products. While at Madison College, Dr. Tubon was responsible for the development of bioscience workforce and strategic implementation of programs for local-, regional-, and national-level adoption and scale-up. In this role, he has facilitated the creation of a broad network of industry, community, and academic stakeholders designed to foster career pathways in STEM. He also serves as a mentor with the NSF Advanced Technological Education (ATE) Mentor Connect and Project Vision Programs. Dr. Tubon held leadership roles with the NSF ATE InnovATEBIO Center for Biotechnology Education, and the NSF Advancing Research Impact in Society Center with a focus on education, workforce development, and strategic partnerships. Dr. Tubon holds a Ph.D. in molecular genetics from Stony Brook University

and Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory and a B.S. in molecular biology from San Diego State University.

Panelists:

Rosemarie D. Wesson, Ph.D. –City College of New York

Rosemarie D. Wesson recently joined the Grove School of Engineering at the City College of New York as the associated dean for research in August 2015 and brings a broad knowledge of diverse engineering fields to the school. Dr. Wesson has more than 13 years of experience at the National Science Foundation (NSF) in the Directorate for Engineering and excelled as both a director and program director. As acting director of the Emerging Frontiers in Research and Innovation (EFRI) Office, Dr. Wesson was a member of the Engineering Leadership Team and led the EFRI office. As a program director at NSF, she managed both small-business and academic research portfolios focused on energy, nanotechnology, emerging research opportunities, and the field of chemical and biological separations. Dr. Wesson received the NSF Director’s Award for Collaborative Integration and the Director’s Award for Superior Accomplishment. Prior to NSF, Dr. Wesson was a faculty member in the Department of Chemical Engineering at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

Dr. Wesson has authored or co-authored numerous technical papers in the area of numerical analyses of polymer crystallization kinetics, structure-property relationships of crystalline materials, and finite-element analyses of polymeric flows. She was awarded both outstanding teaching and research awards at Louisiana State University. In industry, Dr. Wesson worked as a senior research leader in the Corporate Materials Science Research and Development Lab of Dow Chemical Company. Her responsibilities included supervision and leadership in the polymer rheology research arena. She led multiple teams of researchers in bench level, miniplant, pilot plant, and production facilities resulting in significant cost savings for the company. Dr. Wesson has also led nonprofit research. As a principal researcher at the Battelle Memorial Institute, she led a team to research and manufacture the Odyssey Atlasphere, which received an R&D 100 Award for one of the 100 most technologically significant new products of the year. She is a fellow in the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE). She has held numerous leadership positions within AIChE. She recently ended a 3-year term on the AIChE Board of Directors and received the 2014 Minority Action Committee Eminent Chemical Engineers Award for outstanding contributions to the minority chemical engineering community. She is a member of the American Chemical

Society and the American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE). Dr. Wesson is also an invited contributing author for the ASEE PRISM magazine. The quarterly Discovery articles highlight timely and relevant engineering discoveries for national and international audiences. Dr. Wesson received her B.S. in chemical engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and her M.S. and Ph.D., both in chemical engineering, from the University of Michigan. Dr. Wesson is a registered professional engineer.

Gillian Wilson, Ph.D. – University of California, Merced

Gillian Wilson is vice chancellor for research, innovation, and economic development at the University of California (UC), Merced. She previously served as a senior associate vice chancellor for research and economic development and as professor of physics and astronomy at UC Riverside. During her tenure at UC Riverside, Dr. Wilson’s administrative experience included serving as interim deputy director of the University of California Observatories, UC Riverside director of the California Institute for Telecommunications and Information Technology, interim divisional dean for physical sciences and mathematics, and chair of the College of Natural and Agricultural Sciences Executive Committee. Dr. Wilson’s research expertise is in observational cosmology and galaxy evolution. She leads several large international astronomy collaborations, and her work has resulted in more than 110 refereed publications and more than $10 million in extramural funding and telescope time. She is committed to public outreach and, especially, to attracting women and minorities into the STEM fields. Her outreach activities have touched more than 50,000 people. Dr. Wilson holds a Ph.D. in physics from the University of Durham and a B.Sc. in physics from the University of Glasgow. She is a fellow of the American Physical Society and the American Astronomical Society.

10:00 – 11:00 Recruiting Research-Centered
Faculty at Non-R1 institutions

Moderator:

Chad Womack, Ph.D. – United Negro College Fund

Chad Womack is the senior director of National STEM Programs and Initiatives. Prior to joining the United Negro College Fund (UNCF), Dr. Womack co-founded the America21 Project and DC Innovates, both innovation-based community and economic development nonprofit organizations dedicated to empowering metro-centers and underserved com-

munities through STEM education, tech-entrepreneurship, and access to capital. In addition, Dr. Womack led the White House–based Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) Startup and Innovation Initiative, which resulted in the launch of the HBCU Innovation, Commercialization and Entrepreneurship initiative at UNCF. At UNCF, Dr. Womack’s work portfolio includes the Fund II Foundation STEM Scholars Program—a $50 million and 10-year commitment to support 500 academically talented African American high school students pursuing STEM as majors in college and careers in the technology industry; the Ernest E. Just Life Sciences Institute, which includes the Bristol-Myers Squibb–sponsored EE Just Life Sciences Postgraduate Fellowship Program; the UNCF HBCU Innovation, Commercialization and Entrepreneurship Initiative; the UNCF HBCU Innovation Summit and the HBCU Center of Excellence in Computing and Computer Science, which includes a partnership with Google. Dr. Womack was previously a member of the U.S. Department of Commerce, Economic Development Agency, National Advisory Council for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, and the D.C. Mayor’s Innovation and Technology Inclusion Council. Dr. Womack completed several postdoctoral research fellowships at the National Institutes of Health in the National Institutes for Allergy and Infectious Diseases Vaccine Research Center, and at the Harvard AIDS Institute and the Harvard School of Public Health in the Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases. Dr. Womack earned his doctoral degree in biomedical sciences from the Morehouse School of Medicine and is a proud graduate of Morehouse College, where he majored in biology with minors in chemistry and applied physics.

Panelists:

Joanna Brooks, Ph.D. – San Diego State University

Joanna Brooks is an award-winning author or editor of 10 books on race, religion, gender, social movements, and American culture. She has appeared in global media outlets, including the BBC, NPR, the Daily Show, CNN, MSNBC, and the Washington Post. In her role as associate vice president for faculty advancement and student success at San Diego State University (SDSU), she leads faculty development and student academic support efforts. Dr. Brooks is a graduate of the California State University Executive Leadership program and a founder of SDSU’s Digital Humanities Center and Shared Governance Leadership Institute. She joined the SDSU faculty in 2006 as an associate professor of English and comparative literature and has served as department chair and associate dean of graduate

and research affairs. She holds a Ph.D. in English from the University of California, Los Angeles.

Catherine K. Armwood-Gordon, Ph.D. – Tennessee State University

Catherine K. Armwood-Gordon is currently associate professor in the Department of Civil and Architectural Engineering at Tennessee State University (TSU). She received her Ph.D. in architectural engineering from the University of Nebraska–Lincoln (2014) and a B.S. in architectural engineering from Tennessee State University (2007). Her technical expertise is structural engineering, with research interest in the study of the behavior of structural materials and structural performance of existing structures and structures subjected to natural disasters. She also conducts research in faculty development and engineering education. She is the director of student services and outreach for the College of Engineering. She holds the positions of TSU regional director for the Tennessee Science Olympiad; TSU National Summer Transportation Institute director; board member of the Nashville Region Architecture, Construction, and Engineering Organization; treasurer of the Music City Professionals of the National Society of Black Engineers; and serves on the Metro Public Schools STEM Advisory Board and Tennessee Department of Education STEM Advisory Council.

Ivan Mosley, Ph.D. – Tennessee State University

Ivan Mosley is the chair of the Department of Applied and Industrial Technologies at Tennessee State University. He was born in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, and attended the public schools of the city. In high school, he received vocational training along with completing a general education core curriculum. After high school, he attended North Carolina Agricultural & Technical State University (NCA&TSU) and participated on the university’s cross-country and track team. At NCA&TSU, a few dedicated professors, staff, and family members embraced him to graduate with a degree in manufacturing systems. Upon graduating from NCA&TSU, his first professional employment was with the North Carolina Army National Guard as a platoon leader, 731st Maintenance Company in Reidsville, North Carolina. While on active duty, he completed the requirements for a master’s degree in information science at North Carolina Central University as well as a second master’s from the University of Central Missouri in Warrensburg, Missouri, and was once again embraced by caring faculty, staff, and family members who influenced the pursuit of a Ph.D. at the Ohio State University. At Ohio State, dedicated faculty, staff, family, and mentors enabled Dr. Mos-

ley to become a strong professional in higher education. Over the past 20 years, he has been afforded opportunities to work with governmental agencies, higher education institutions, industry, and the military with online curriculum development, manufacturing strategic planning, accreditation, and technology integration through STEM initiatives.

11:10 – 12:10 Adapting Administrative Bandwidth for Increased Research Activity

Moderator:

Abraham Wolcott, Ph.D. – San José State University

Abraham Wolcott is a physical chemist who focuses on the surface chemistry of nanoscale and bulk materials for biological labeling and alternative energy production (solar cell research). He received a B.S. and Ph.D. with Professor Jin Z. Zhang at the University of California, Santa Cruz (Jin Zhang group). He received a National Science Foundation postdoctoral fellowship and worked with Professor Xiao Yang Zhu at the University of Texas at Austin, who then moved to Columbia University. He also worked with Profs. Jon Owen at Columbia and Dirk Englund at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology as a joint postdoctoral scientist before moving to San José State University. Prof. Wolcott has taught physical chemistry lectures (Chem 160) and laboratory (Chem 162L) and has received several grants to incorporate technology into the physical chemistry course curriculum. One pedagogical tool that is being incorporated is the use of virtual reality (VR) in the classroom. Thermodynamics, chemical kinetics, quantum mechanics, and spectroscopy are topics in which VR-based lesson plans can be developed.

Panelists:

Almesha L. Campbell, Ph.D. – Jackson State University

Almesha L. Campbell serves as the assistant vice president for research and economic development/director for technology transfer and commercialization at Jackson State University (JSU). She provides support for the overall direction of the Division of Research and Economic Development and manages the intellectual property process from triage of invention disclosures to commercialization. She provides strategic direction and vision for defining partnerships in research, commercialization, entrepreneurship, and innovation initiatives between JSU and other institutions, funding agencies, and industry stakeholders. Dr. Campbell is the principal investigator for the

National Science Foundation–funded JSU Innovation Corps Site designed to train teams of faculty and students how to commercialize their ideas using the Lean Startup Methodology. She also leads several initiatives geared toward increasing the innovation, technology transfer, invention, and entrepreneurial activities at JSU, such as the JSU Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, which houses the XR Academy, Makerspace, and Learning Collaboratory. Dr. Campbell received her bachelor’s degree from the University of Central Florida, and her master’s degree in mass communications and doctor of philosophy degree in public policy and administration from Jackson State University. She holds membership in professional organizations such as the Licensing Executives Society, the Association of University Technology Managers, and the American Society of Public Administration.

Laura Collins, Ph.D. – North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University

Laura Collins is director of intellectual property development and commercialization at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University (N.C. A&T). Dr. Collins also served as the licensed patent agent for N.C. A&T and as the intellectual property liaison between the vice chancellor for the Division of Research and Economic Development, or DORED, and agencies, businesses, and law firms hired for patent prosecution and licensing. She is responsible for reviewing all requests for patent licensing about protection of the university’s intellectual property. She evaluates submissions of preliminary ideas and invention disclosures to determine the feasibility of filing for patents on behalf of principal investigators and the university. She also works with faculty to evaluate the innovative merit of proposed research programs. Before joining the Office of Outreach and Economic Development in 2010, she spent 10 years with intellectual property law firms. As a patent agent and scientific advisor, she prosecuted foreign and domestic patent applications on topics including radiolabeled antibodies, small molecule and biotech therapeutics, microfluidic devices, activated carbons used in electric double layer capacitors, and silicon inks used in printed electronics. She also conducted inventorship investigations, as well as freedom-to-operate and prior art landscape analyses. She is registered to practice before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and is a member of the American Chemical Society. She has undergraduate degrees in chemistry, with honors, and history from Bryn Mawr College, and a Ph.D. in chemistry from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Elmer Guy, Ph.D. – Navajo Technical University

Since 2006, Elmer Guy has served as the president of Navajo Technical University (NTU), which is a member of the American Indian Higher Education Consortium, a community of 37 tribally and federally chartered institutions of higher education. Navajo Technical University offers certificate to master’s degree programs. Prior to becoming president, Dr. Guy also served NTU as its vice president of academics and student services and its dean of instruction. In 2011 and 2012, under Dr. Guy’s leadership, NTU was named one of the top 120 community colleges in the United States by the Aspen Institute’s College Excellence Program. Before joining NTU, he was appointed by the Navajo Nation president to serve as both the executive director and deputy director of the Navajo Nation Department of Education. During his tenure with the Navajo Nation Department of Education, several needed programs were successfully developed and implemented, including two trusts for people with disabilities ($7 million) and for vocational education programs ($6 million); the Navajo Medicine Man Apprentice School; and a comprehensive teacher education program, all of which have been institutionalized and remain in full operation. Dr. Guy earned his undergraduate and doctorate degrees from the University of Arizona, and in between, a graduate degree from the University of San Francisco. Dr. Guy serves on the board of the American Indian Higher Education Consortium, the American Indian College Fund Board, the College Board’s Community Colleges Advisory Panel, as well as other regional and national associations.

THURSDAY, JUNE 29, 2023 (CDT)
10:00 – 11:00 Barriers to Expanding the Defense Research Workforce Pipeline

Moderator:

Bryn L. Adams, Ph.D. – U.S. Army DEVCOM Army Research Laboratory

Bryn L. Adams received a B.S. in biology in 2001 and a Ph.D. in interdisciplinary biology in 2009 from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. Her doctoral studies included a variety of research projects in the field of applied and environmental microbiology. Dr. Adams completed two postdoctoral fellowships; the first was a collaborative project, as a National Academy of Sciences postdoctoral fellow, between DEVCOM Chemical Biological Center and the Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology Research at the University of Maryland, College Park, which focused on

the development of nonspecific threat agent detection using simple biological sensing and signal transduction pathways. The second fellowship was with DEVCOM Army Research Laboratory as an Oak Ridge Associated Universities postdoctoral fellow, where she conducted research into the development of synthetic molecular recognition agents for biosensing and biomaterials. In 2014, Dr. Adams converted to a federal civilian research scientist at the Army Research Lab. She has led the Synbio Tools and Chassis Team in the Biotechnology Branch since 2018. Her research efforts currently focus on developing synthetic biology tools for nonmodel host bacteria and establishing the capability of synthetic biology from the lab and into the hands of the warfighter. She has published more than 20 peer-reviewed manuscripts on a wide range of bacterial biotechnology topics across several disciplines and was awarded the Department of Defense (DOD) Scientist of the Quarter in 2019 for her contributions to the field of biotechnology for DOD. Dr. Adams is currently on a 1-year detail assignment to the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering, where she leads the Education and Workforce Development component of the Biotechnology Modernization Priority.

Panelists:

Shannon Arnold, M.Eng., M.S. – Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering

Shannon Arnold is a Principle Scientist at GBL Systems Corporation. Mr. Arnold is a prolific engineer with over 30 years of experience working in government and industry serving as research and development engineering in organizations such as the National Aeronautics and Space Administration and the Scientific Research Corporation. His work and passion has also included identifying opportunities to broaden defense-related research and development opportunities for individuals from underrepresented communities. Mr. Arnold earned a B.S. in chemistry and mathematics from Morehouse College in 1992, a M.S. in organic and polymer chemistry from Clark Atlanta University in 1994, and a M.Eng. from Virginia Tech in 1998.

Kerin Hilker-Balkissoon, Ph.D. – George Mason University

Kerin Hilker-Balkissoon brings more than 20 years of experience engaging PK–12, community college, university, nonprofit, and workforce sectors to address systemic inequities and barriers to college access, success, and career attainment. Her innovative efforts are grounded in justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion, integrating career pathways; high--

impact educational practices; asset-based approaches; and developmental, holistic student supports. A NISTS (National Institute for the Study of Transfer Students) Transfer Champion-Catalyst award winner, Dr. Hilker-Balkissoon has a proven track record in designing data-driven interventions that enhance postsecondary inclusive excellence for underserved and minoritized groups. She specializes in supporting community college and transfer students, student-parents, first-generation students, immigrant and international students, and posttraditional (adult) populations. At George Mason University (GMU), she designs and implements College of Science pathways that enhance STEM access and success, and teaches in the Scientific Leadership and Practice program. She actively engages in university-wide efforts to enhance inclusive excellence, including service as co-chair of the Student-Parent Task Force, tri-chair to GMU’s First-Generation Task Force, the Undocumented Student Task Force, and the Transfer Advisory Council. Herself a first-generation Latina college graduate, she actively gives her time to advocacy and support of the Hispanic and Autistic communities, including a leadership role with nonprofit Friends in Need Virginia, and as a board member for the Virginia Latino Higher Education Network.

Charlene Mello, Ph.D. – University of Massachusetts Dartmouth

Charlene Mello has 33 years of experience in research, development, and engineering in both government and academia. She obtained her Ph.D. from the University of Massachusetts Lowell in chemistry under the supervision of Professor Kenneth Marx. She has co-authored more than 100 peer-reviewed publications and 14 patents. Her technical experience encompasses technical areas such as protein self-assembly, biomaterials, biosensing, and the bio-abio interface. She has participated in numerous organizing committees for national and international scientific meetings, was a member of the Biotechnology Team of Experts for NATO Land Group 7 and scientific advisor for the National Research Council Postdoctoral Fellowship Program, and has held academic appointments at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the University of Massachusetts. Prior to departing from government service, she served as the Army DEVCOM Soldier Center chief scientist, where her responsibilities were to oversee the execution of science and technology programs and execution of the Soldier Center Basic Research program. Together with other technical leaders in the Army, she co-authored the Army Futures Command, Synthetic Biology Strategy. Her collaborations and outreach with academia

facilitated the development of partnerships to provide impactful scientific and technical solutions for soldier protection and performance. Currently, Dr. Mello serves as a STEM mentor and scientific advisor for a Soldier Center National Defense Education Program focused on workforce development in synthetic biology.

11:00 – 12:30 Challenges and Opportunities for Researchers and Personnel Engaging in Federally Funded Research

Moderator:

Oscar Barton, Jr., Ph.D., P.E. – Morgan State University

Oscar Barton, Jr., is a professor and dean of the Morgan State University Clarence M. Mitchell, Jr. School of Engineering. A native of Washington, DC, he received his B.S. in mechanical engineering from Tuskegee (Institute) University, and his M.S. in mechanical engineering and Ph.D. in applied mechanics from Howard University in 1993. Dr. Barton joined Morgan in fall 2020, after completing 6 years at George Mason University (GMU) and a 22-year career at the U.S. Naval Academy. Dr. Barton’s research focuses on the development of approximate closed form solutions for linear self-adjoint systems, those that govern the responses of composite structures, and the analysis of dynamic systems. More recently, he investigated the dynamic response of flexible composite structures subject to periodic and random excitation. He has mentored numerous midshipmen through independent research projects and has directed two Trident Scholars, the Naval Academy’s flagship research program. He has published more than 60 journal and conference articles on these topics. While at the Naval Academy and in its 163-year history, Dr. Barton was one of only three African Americans to obtain the rank of tenured full professor and the first to achieve this milestone in the Division of Engineering and Weapons, Division I. In 2010, he assumed the role of chairman of the mechanical engineering department, responsible for its strategic leadership and planning of its faculty, midshipmen-student body, curriculum, and resources. During his time as chair, the department revived and accredited the General Engineering program and created the Nuclear Engineering program, the first ever offering at the academy. Dr. Barton chaired the largest department in the Division I consisting of 42 civilian and military faculty professionals, and promoted a vibrant research and academic environment in energy and propulsion, nuclear energy, structures and materials, and design. As the founding department chair at GMU, Dr. Barton ushered growth of the

department from 3 faculty and 12 students to 17 faculty and 385 undergraduate students and 6 doctoral students as of spring 2020. Under his leadership, the undergraduate program received initial EAC-ABET (Engineering Accreditation Commission–Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology) accreditation retroactive to fall 2015, and was reaccredited to fall 2024, established state-of-the-art teaching and research labs on GMU’s Sci-Tech campus, and authored an interim Ph.D. program, which is in its final stages of seeking approval from the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia. A fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), Dr. Barton is actively involved in academic innovations and program assessment. He chairs ASME’s Committee on Engineering Education, is a member of ASME’s Public Affairs and Outreach Council, and is a member-at-large on the Engineering Accreditation Commission’s Executive Committee of ABET, after having served numerous years as a program evaluator and commissioner. He is a registered engineer licensed to practice engineering in the state of Maryland.

Panelists:

Abraham Wolcott, Ph.D. – San José State University

Abraham Wolcott is a physical chemist who focuses on the surface chemistry of nanoscale and bulk materials for biological labeling and alternative energy production (solar cell research). He received a B.S. and Ph.D. with Professor Jin Z. Zhang at the University of California, Santa Cruz (Jin Zhang group). He received a National Science Foundation postdoctoral fellowship and worked with Professor Xiao Yang Zhu at the University of Texas at Austin, who then moved to Columbia University. He also worked with Profs. Jon Owen at Columbia and Dirk Englund at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology as a joint postdoctoral scientist before moving to San José State University. Prof. Wolcott has taught physical chemistry lectures (Chem 160) and laboratory (Chem 162L) and has received several grants to incorporate technology into the physical chemistry course curriculum. One pedagogical tool that is being incorporated is the use of virtual reality (VR) in the classroom. Thermodynamics, chemical kinetics, quantum mechanics, and spectroscopy are topics in which VR-based lesson plans can be developed.

Saleh Zein-Sabatto, Ph.D. – Tennessee State University

Dr. Zein-Sabatto is the interim department chair and has been a professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering since

1991. He received his B.S. degree in electric power systems from the University of Aleppo, Syria, in 1979, and M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in electrical engineering from Vanderbilt University in 1986 and 1990, respectively. He worked for industry for 4 years in the area of electric power systems and communication.

Jill Keith, Ph.D. – Winston-Salem State University and Wake Forest University

Jill Keith is a professor of biochemistry and the manager of the Biomedical Research Infrastructure Center at Winston-Salem State University (WSSU) and an adjunct professor in physiology and pharmacology at Wake Forest University. She received a B.S. degree from York College, City University of New York, and a Ph.D. from the University of Maryland, College Park. As a bioorganic chemist with training in pharmacology, she conducts research related to central nervous system diseases and disorders. She served as chair of the Department of Biological Sciences at WSSU and currently teaches in the Department of Chemistry. As such, she uses diverse teaching methods and encourages students to use metacognitive strategies and Bloom’s Taxonomy to become self-regulated and life-long learners. In addition, she instructs faculty, staff, and students using the National Science Foundation’s I-Corps model and has helped teams develop prototypes that have commercialization potential. Dr. Keith received the Board of Governors Award for Excellence in Teaching for using active learning strategies. She is currently funded to develop molecular probes to study the brain; she also performs research to uncover therapeutics to treat neuronal disorders/diseases. She is the site principal investigator for faculty and student development training grants and has a state contract to help those impacted by COVID-19. She is also funded to instruct faculty on how to teach entrepreneurship to freshmen. Dr. Keith has a history of assisting faculty through her service on WSSU assessment, accreditation, research-related committees, the Internal Review Board, and in facilitating faculty workshops. These collaborative activities have led to faculty promotions, faculty receiving external funding, publications, and several conference presentations. To assist with diversity efforts connected to training the next generation of scientists and health care professionals, Dr. Keith is involved with K–12 outreach activities. As such, she is one of the founders of SciTech which engages K–12 students in hands-on experiments, especially those from historically excluded groups.

Michael Groves, Ph.D. – California State University, Fullerton

Michael Groves is associate professor of physical and theoretical chemistry at California State University, Fullerton. Dr. Groves has authored 20 peer-reviewed publications, contributed to the development of an online education portal, and holds a patent related to the environmentally friendly fabrication of very small chemical reactors. His research program has focused on computationally simulating chemical reactions on surfaces as well as developing the tools necessary to model these surfaces. Some of his other projects include quantifying the role of chirality in hydrogen-carrying fuels for fuel cell applications and the role of physical hole defects in functionalized 2D carbon and boron materials to catalyze electrochemical reactions such as hydrogen peroxide synthesis. Dr. Groves received the prestigious Governor General of Canada’s Academic Gold Medal for his doctoral studies and earned his Ph.D. in chemical and material engineering from the Royal Military College of Canada. He holds a master’s degree in physics from Queen’s University and a bachelor’s degree in physics from the University of British Columbia. He is a member of the American Chemical Society.

12:40 – 1:30 Federal Capacity Programs for Faculty and Trainee Support

Moderator:

Keith A. McGee, Ph.D. – Alcorn State University

Keith A. McGee, a native of Quitman, located in Clarke County, Mississippi, began his postsecondary education at Mississippi Valley State University, majoring in biology and culminating with a Ph.D. from the University of Southern Mississippi in molecular biology. Dr. McGee’s research focused on a family of ATP (adenosine triphosphate) transport proteins, specifically those involved in phenotypic multidrug resistance. As a faculty member, he sustained a productive graduate student training program, advising many master’s degree–seeking students, along with many undergraduates, and summer research students. Dr. McGee has served in multiple administrative capacities at Alcorn State University; most recently he was appointed to serve as the inaugural associate provost for research, innovation, and graduate education. In this role, Dr. McGee is responsible for providing leadership in developing a clear research vision and growing the university’s research footprint while leading and elevating the university’s interdisciplinary research activities. Dr. McGee is charged with promoting an understanding and drive for new research opportunities, working

with the university deans on all aspects of research and graduate education to ensure alignment with their specific disciplines, while supporting and expanding innovative graduate programs and scholarly activity.

Panelists:

Narcrisha S. Norman, Ph.D. – National Science Foundation

Narcrisha S. Norman is a program director at the National Science Foundation (NSF) in the Division of Graduate Education within the Directorate for STEM Education. She contributes to policy within NSF and throughout the federal government with a portfolio of NSF programs that are agency, directorate, and division wide. Her primary focus is the Graduate Research Fellowship Program, the Racial Equity in STEM Education Program (Racial Equity), and the “Dear Colleague Letter: Supplemental Funding for Space-Related Preparation and Awareness for Career Equity (SPACE).” Dr. Norman has a Ph.D. in aerospace engineering and both M.S. and B.S. degrees in mechanical engineering. Prior to NSF, she was an associate professor in engineering. Her research areas include theoretical space physics, general aerodynamics, and postgraduate education. She is committed to supporting continued growth of diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility in STEM leadership, research, and education. Dr. Norman encourages participation from the STEM community to serve as NSF reviewers, apply for funding including undergraduate funding, and to request NSF speakers via the NSF Speakers Bureau.

Sailaja Koduri, Ph.D. – National Institutes of Health

Sailaja Koduri is a program director in the Division of Pharmacology, Physiology, and Biological Chemistry at the National Institutes of Health, where she administers a portfolio of research grants in the areas of receptors, drug targets, and signal transduction; adaptive immunity; and SBIR (Small Business Innovation Research) and STTR (Small Business Technology Transfer). She also manages predoctoral training grants in pharmacological sciences and serves as a program contact for the Maximizing Investigators’ Research Award for early-stage investigators. Dr. Koduri was formerly a scientific review officer at the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, and prior to that she worked as a senior scientist at BioReliance. She earned a B.S. in chemistry from Nagarjuna University and a Ph.D. in biochemistry from the Central Food Technological Research Institute, both in India. Dr. Koduri conducted postdoctoral research at the Howard University College of Medicine and National Cancer Institute.

LaRico Treadwell, Ph.D. – Sandia National Laboratories

LaRico Treadwell is a research and development chemist and material scientist in the Securing Top Academic Research and Talent (START) at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) Program at Sandia National Laboratories. He was awarded a 2021 Black Engineer of the Year Award (BEYA) in the category of Most Promising Scientist. BEYA is a program of the national Career Communications Group, an advocate for corporate diversity, and is part of its STEM achievement program. The award recognizes the nation’s best and brightest engineers, scientists, and technology experts. Early on in Dr. Treadwell’s life, he exhibited a keen intellect with a particular aptitude for science and engineering. He enjoyed taking things apart to see how they worked and experimenting with various foods and household chemicals to see what color/concoction resulted. Everyone, including the immediate family, recognized his inquisitive nature and destined him to be a leader and innovator. He graduated from South Panola High School with honors in 2006 and decided to attend the University of Mississippi (UM) as an Ole Miss First Scholar recipient. Dr. Treadwell was initially interested in pursuing medicine. However, he became a Louis Stokes Mississippi Alliance for Minority–Increasing Minority Access to Graduate Education (LSMAP-IMAGE), Ronald E. McNair, and Alliance for Graduate Education in Mississippi (AGEM) scholar, which introduced him to laboratory research. He worked in the laboratory of Jason Ritchie, associate professor of chemistry, with a focus on hydrogen-powered fuel cells. This experience solidified Dr. Treadwell’s commitment to pursuing a B.S. in chemistry degree and going on to graduate school. He became one of the first African Americans to receive a B.S. in chemistry at UM in 2010, as well as the first STEM bachelor’s degree of his family. After graduation, Dr. Treadwell enrolled in Louisiana State University (LSU) in the Ph.D. chemistry program as a Board of Regents fellow. He was mentored by Professor Julia Chan in solid state chemistry. Under Dr. Chan’s tutelage, he published multiple peer-reviewed articles by developing impressive skills in solid-state chemistry synthesis and with a focus on understanding the physical and chemical behavior of chemical moieties.

While attending LSU, Dr. Treadwell was president of the local chapter of the National Organization for the Professional Advancement of Black Chemists and Chemical Engineers and Chemistry Graduate School Council, among his numerous contributions and participation in local communities through outreach events. In 2015, Dr. Treadwell received his Ph.D. and subsequently accepted a postdoctoral fellow position at Sandia

National Laboratories. As a postdoctoral fellow, Dr. Treadwell studied under Dr. Timothy J. Boyle to master inorganic synthesis of small molecules, fabrication of nanomaterials, and other material processing techniques for a variety of applications, including thermoelectric, circuitry, capacitors, and flywheels. During his tenure as a postdoc, Dr. Treadwell published numerous peer-reviewed journals and filed several patents. In 2017, Dr. Treadwell accepted a position as a research and development chemist at Sandia National Laboratories. He was awarded an Early Career Laboratory Directed Research and Development Award to investigate magneto-inks with an emphasis on increasing materials reliability in engineered devices. His work covers the spectrum from basic materials discovery and characterization through applied materials reliability and device fabrication for a wide range of applications such as radiation, ultra-high-temperature systems, nonlinear optics, and thermoelectrics.

Dr. Treadwell’s research advances science frontiers in chemistry, engineering, materials, and component reliability. Additionally, he serves in multiple programmatic roles contributing across the spectrum of nuclear deterrence programs. He serves in leadership roles for materials analysis and compatibility for a wide spectrum of these critical national security programs. Along with his excellent technical work, Dr. Treadwell gives back to the community. He worked with several companies through the New Mexico Small Business Assistance Program. He leads CSI: Dognapping, a highly recognized community outreach program that provides science enrichment for nearly 500 fourth graders every year. Dr. Treadwell was awarded a Sandia Employee Recognition Award for Diversity for championing diversity programs across Sandia, including programs for students from HBCUs into STEM. Overall, Dr. Treadwell’s technical success has offered him an opportunity to reach beyond research to impact the development of the next generation of scientists and engineers with a focus on maximizing minority representation in STEM careers.

Helen Turner, Ph.D. – Chaminade University of Honolulu

Dr. Helen Turner serves as professor of biology and faculty in data science at Chaminade University. She is committed to Chaminade’s social justice mission and works to advance equity in STEM for minoritized and marginalized individuals, especially low-income, indigenous, and veteran students. As Dean of Natural Sciences and VP for Innovation at Chaminade she led capacity-building efforts in academic excellence and inclusion over a 15-year period, including the establishment of the region’s first

undergraduate data science major. She was recently appointed Research Director of Chaminade’s new United Nations Sustainability Center and is principal investigator of an extensive grant portfolio funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF), National Institutes of Health (NIH), the Department of Defense, and private foundations. Notably this includes leadership of a $10 million NSF INCLUDES Alliance for Hawaii-Pacific data science that spans research, education, and workforce development efforts. She also leads a prestigious Howard Hughes Medical Institute “Inclusive Excellence” program that is focused on culture, inclusion, and belonging in STEM. She serves on the leadership teams of Hawaii’s statewide NIH INBRE and NSF EPSCoR programs with specific responsibilities in faculty development and DEI. Dr. Turner has led Air Force Research Laboratory- and Air Force Office of Scientific Research-funded programs in research on nanomaterial bioeffects and training (notably ROTC and veteran upskilling in data analytics) at Chaminade for over 10 years. She is a highly regarded researcher in cellular biophysics and pharmacoanalytics, loves teaching and mentoring students, and is an advocate nationally for the potential of the Pacific and its residents to be a source of models that positively inform global change.