Speakers
2026 Science and Engineering Lecture Series
Speaker: Rachel Weiss, Rachel Weiss Clark, Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry. Florida
State University
Title: Lights, Camera, Reaction! Using Time-Resolved Spectroscopy to Uncover the Mysteries of Light-Induced Chemical Reactions
Abstract: The pursuit of environmentally benign syntheses of industrially relevant products has inspired innovation: how can large scale organic synthesis be reimagined without toxic rare earth metals or dangerously high temperatures? One way this may be achieved is with photocatalysts, which drive chemical reactions from optically accessed electronic excited states. However, many unanswered questions regarding the fundamental chemical and physical processes underpinning photocatalytic chemical transformations remain. This presentation will focus on the fundamental questions surrounding one class of molecular photocatalysts called ligand-to-metal charge transfer photocatalysts, which have been shown to generate a variety of products. Following an introduction to photochemistry, this presentation will divulge how insights into light-induced molecular behavior can be obtained on the ultrafast (10-15 seconds) timescale and how these discoveries might enhance the viability of these photocatalysts in larger scale environmentally friendly syntheses. In addition, an overview of Rachel’s journey from Jacksonville University to graduate school will be presented, including the decision to pursue graduate school, the application process, and the choice of research group.
Bio: Rachel (JU ’21) is a fifth-year graduate student at Florida State University in the Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry; she will graduate with her Ph.D. in the Summer of 2026. Her research interests can generally be defined by the question, “What happens to a molecule after it absorbs a photon of light?” Her interest in light-induced chemistry originated with her undergraduate research with Dr. Bielmyer-Fraser studying photosynthetic algae and her NSF-REU project at Syracuse University synthesizing fluorescent nanocrystals. Rachel initially continued to work with nanomaterials in graduate school but later found herself drawn to more fundamental questions in photochemistry. She became the inaugural member of the Kudisch Lab in 2023, where she has pioneered the mechanistic understanding of ligand-to-metal charge transfer photocatalysis. She has presented her work at national and international conferences and has recently been published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society.
Speaker: Alistair Dove, Jacksonville’s Museum of Science & History
Title: Investigating the Ocean's Biological Carbon Pump Using Argo Profiling Floats
Abstract: Whale sharks have a reputation as enigmatic, peaceful giants leading a solitary existence in the vast expanses of the open ocean, but many of our assumptions about this species have been proven wrong by recent research on their population biology, demographics, and movement ecology. Rather than detracting from their appeal, our findings paint an even more vivid picture of a charismatic and long-lived species that still holds tightly to many of its most important secrets, particularly those relating to reproduction. They also underscore just how difficult and intractable this species is to study, perhaps more than any other marine megafauna species. Whether it is their tough, thick skin, their relative rarity and unpredictability, or their extraordinary deep diving behaviour, whale sharks make us work hard for every data point. Nonetheless, technology is increasingly helping us gain insights into the lives of these beautiful animals and their interactions with many others species with which they share their open ocean habitat. These insights are important as we come to realise that the species is growing increasingly endangered.
Informed conservation plans will need to be multilateral and coordinated across many developing economies in the tropics, and will require conservation NGO’s, regional fisheries management organisations, tourism industry stakeholders and sovereign governments to work together. But perhaps the greatest hope for whale sharks will come from a marked increase in awareness of this species and a transformation in cultural values attached to its plight, fueled by their increasing prominence in pop culture and their featuring in a handful of public aquariums large enough to effectively display them. This is promising because analysis shows that the population has the capacity to rebound to pre-industrial levels if threats such as ship strike and plastic pollution can be effectively mitigated.
Bio:
Speaker: Alejandra Alonso, Department of Biology and the Center for Developmental Neuroscience,
College of Staten Island
Title: Tau Beyond Microtubules: New Mechanisms of Neurodegeneration
Abstract: Neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer's, are characterized by the presence of abnormal structures known as plaques and tangles. Plaques consist of beta-amyloid, while tangles are primarily composed of an abnormal form of tau. Tau is a vital protein associated with neuronal microtubules. Its primary functions include promoting microtubule assembly and stabilizing existing microtubules.
We made a groundbreaking discovery that pathological tau from Alzheimer's brains exhibits prion-like properties. It can transfer its toxic functions to normal tau molecules and these pathological changes are closely linked to tau phosphorylation.
Tau also exists in the nucleus, dendrites, and synapses. This diverse presence has led to the exploration of novel functions for tau, including roles in nuclear stability, cell signaling, transcriptional processing, and protein synthesis.
Tau's multifaceted nature and its involvement in various cellular processes make it a captivating subject of study. Understanding tau's unique biochemistry holds the potential to shed light on the complexities of devastating neurological diseases.
Bio: Professor Alejandra Alonso is a faculty member in the Department of Biology and the
Center for Developmental Neuroscience at the College of Staten Island, and a member
of the Neuroscience Program at The Graduate Center, City University of New York. She
received her PhD from the University of Córdoba in Argentina and completed her postdoctoral
training with Dr. Khalid Iqbal at the New York State Institute for Basic Research.
In 2007, Dr. Alonso established her own laboratory, where her research has remained
focused on understanding the role of tau in the mechanisms underlying Alzheimer‑type
neurodegeneration. Her lab has identified critical phosphorylation sites on tau, proposed
mechanisms for tau nuclear translocation, and uncovered pathways involved in tau uptake
by neurons. She has also developed a mouse model of neurodegeneration that expresses
low levels of pathological human tau and reproduces the disease.
Dr. Alonso has been a full Professor since 2012. She has served as Director of the
Center for Developmental Neuroscience, Chair of the Biology Department, and Chair
of the Neuroscience Program at The Graduate Center. She has authored more than 100
publications, which have been cited over 11,000 times, and has mentored PhD students,
numerous master’s students, and countless undergraduates. Her research has been supported
by institutional funding, the Alzheimer’s Association, private foundations, and the
National Institutes of Health.
Speaker: Sterling Herron, Plant Ecology Program, Archbold Biological Station
Title: The Rarest of the Rare: Fire Ecology, Long-Term Demography, and Conservation of the Endangered Plants of the Lake Wales Ridge (Central Florida)
Abstract: Fire is a fundamental regenerative ecological process in ecosystems globally. In particular the pyrogenic Florida scrub habitat has evolved to rely on fire as a critical source of habitat renewal, and many species are reliant upon fire for successful recruitment and population persistence. However, fire application is not one-size fits all, with many species having diverse fire requirements and adaptations. Decades of demography conducted by Archbold Biological Station has illuminated the unique fire needs of the endemic plants of the Lake Wales Ridge. This fundamental work has further informed the best land management practices for conservation of these often extremely rare species, including prescribed burning and plant reintroductions. This talk highlights several of the “rarest of the rare” species of the Lake Wales Ridge, such as Florida ziziphus (Pseudoziziphus celata) and Florida perforate reindeer lichen (Cladonia perforata), and their evolutionary journey toward becoming some of the most distinctive species in Florida.
Bio: Sterling Herron is a Plant Ecology Research Assistant V at Archbold Biological Station, specializing in the botany and conservation of endemic plants of the Lake Wales Ridge in south-central Florida. Sterling earned his B.S. in biology and chemistry from Milligan University (Milligan, TN) and his Ph.D. in biology from Saint Louis University (St. Louis, MO). His graduate work covered exploration of herbaceous perennial crop wild relatives and their potential as new grain crops, in collaboration with the Missouri Botanical Garden and the Land Institute. At Archbold, he has had the opportunity to work with over a dozen endemic and endangered plant species unique to the Lake Wales Ridge, leading long-term demographic studies on these species, as well as implementing reintroductions of endangered species. His philosophy is that it has never been more important to understand and preserve the endemic species of Florida, with the rising tide of the state’s population as well as impending threats from climate change.
Speaker: Guangyao Chen, Ph.D., Department of Chemistry and Physics, Jacksonville University
Title: Fact, Fiction, and Fission – The Truth of Nolan’s Oppenheimer
Abstract: Christopher Nolan’s blockbuster film Oppenheimer captivated audiences worldwide, but how much of the Atomic Age origin story was movie magic versus historical reality? In this engaging popular science lecture, Dr. Guangyao Chen peels back the cinematic layers of the Manhattan Project to explore the science, the drama, and the world-changing legacy of the first atomic bomb.
This talk will cover the high-stakes history of 1939, when a letter from Albert Einstein warned President Roosevelt that Nazi Germany might be building a new type of bomb. It offers a clear, non-technical look at how atoms are split and the chain reactions that turned a laboratory discovery into an unprecedented source of power. The lecture also explores the story of how thousands of people lived and worked in hidden locations like Los Alamos and Oak Ridge to solve the impossible engineering challenges of the 1940s. Finally, Dr. Chen will provide a comparison of the film’s biggest moments against the true historical record and discuss how modern nuclear technology, from scalable fission to fusion, remains a critical solution for our energy future.
Bio: Dr. Guangyao Chen is an Associate Professor of Physics and Quantum Information in the Department of Chemistry and Physics at Jacksonville University. As a theoretical nuclear physicist, Dr. Chen explores the fundamental building blocks of our universe through advanced mathematical modeling and quantum computing. His work seeks to bridge the gap between complex atomic theory and the practical technologies that shape our modern world.
Speaker: Gregory Brennan, College of Veterinary Medicine at Orange Park
Title: Cross-species Adaptation: Molecular Footholds and Viral Transcriptional Programs in Poxviruses
Abstract: Cross-species spillover events from animals to humans are responsible for many of
the major pandemics in human history, including Covid-19, avian influenza, and HIV.
Yet we still know relatively little about the evolutionary steps that allow a virus
to cross species barriers and establish efficient replication in a new host. In my
lab, we model this process using vaccinia virus and the antiviral protein PKR as a
central barrier to infection.
Using experimental evolution in weakly permissive African green monkey (AGM) cells,
we demonstrated that rapid gene amplification of a weak viral antagonist occurred
early and was sufficient to fully rescue virus replication. In otherwise completely
non-permissive human cells, this same amplification enabled the virus to evade multiple
barriers to replication and accumulate distinct, species-specific mutations, many
in subunits of the viral RNA polymerase. Taken together, these data suggest that gene
duplication can act as a “molecular foothold” for host jumps.
In the second part of the talk, I will present new time-resolved transcriptomic and
proteomic comparisons between vaccinia infections in AGM and human cells. We identified
differences in the timing and magnitude of viral gene expression, as well as host
proteins that are differentially regulated in AGM and human cells. Together, these
results suggest that cross-species adaptation reflects not only overcoming host restriction
factors like PKR, but also a central and previously unrecognized role for viral transcription
in adaptation to new species.
Bio: Greg Brennan is Associate Dean of Research and Basic Sciences at the new Lincoln Memorial University–College of Veterinary Medicine at Orange Park in Jacksonville, Florida. His work integrates immunology, infectious disease biology, and functional genomics and proteomics to investigate the role of host restriction factors and viral evolution in zoonotic emergence. Using experimental evolution, his laboratory has shown that gene amplification can act as a “molecular foothold,” enabling viruses to productively infect new hosts. Before joining LMU, he held research positions at institutions including the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center and the University of California, Davis. As Associate Dean, Dr. Brennan leads the development of LMU-OPCVM’s research enterprise, including student research training, research infrastructure, and interdisciplinary One Health initiatives.
Speaker: Brian Kopp, School of Engineering and Technology, Jacksonville University
Title: Hunting Ghosts in Low-Earth Orbit
Abstract: The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), working in partnership with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the European Organization for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites (EUMETSAT) is investigating the feasibility of implementing small satellite remote sensing in low-earth orbit (LEO). The small satellite remote sensing platform will use the Data Collection System (DCS) transponder onboard the NOAA Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES) as a relay to earth. Two experimental LEO spacecraft have been flown so far. The initial tests, while promising have occasionally been impacted by spectral anomalies, known as ghosts, that appear to track alongside the desired signal in the three dimensional received-energy plots known as waterfall displays. The characteristics of the ghosts suggest they are generated by the small satellites but are being altered by the environment before being received by the GOES 16 spacecraft. The most likely explanation for the presence of the ghosts appears to be doppler-shifted, multipath reflections of the small satellite transmissions by the earth itself. This is believed to be the first small satellite LEO-to-GEO-to earth relay link to be studied and the ghost phenomenon remains an open research topic. More tests are planned with the GOES 18 and GOES 17 spacecraft as well as the new but similar EUMETSAT Meteosat 12 satellite. Another small satellite experimental platform is also planned for launch in the near future.
Bio: Brian Kopp is a communications engineer and Florida-licensed professional engineer. He received his BS, MS, and Ph.D., all in electrical engineering, and all from New Mexico State University. His undergraduate and graduate research involved bandwidth efficient, high-order modulation schemes that were of interest to NASA. Throughout his college career he worked at the NASA satellite ground station 30 minutes away from his university at White Sands, New Mexico. After leaving New Mexico he worked briefly for the navy before cofounding a company that manufactured the first explosion-proof unlicensed data radio, a predecessor to WiFi used in hazardous environments. Turning next to consulting, since 1997, Brian has worked with both government and commercial clients designing, building, and fixing both wired and wireless communications networks. More recently, since 2011, Brian has been teaching engineering, and now does it full time at JU. Brian serves on the American Meteorological Society radio frequency spectrum committee and is an associate editor of the journal New Space. He also volunteers his time working on amateur radio communication systems for the Florida Department of Emergency Management. He lives in Jacksonville with his wife Air, a progressive care unit nurse at Baptist South Hospital. Brian and Air enjoy scuba diving and are currently building their retirement house 3 hours north of Bangkok Thailand. Their daughter Irada is in her final year at FIU and hopes to work in health care.
Speaker: Albert Pessarrodona, Oceans Institute & School of Biological Sciences, University
of Western Australia
Title: Seaweed and the World’s Forgotten Forests
Abstract: Seaweeds, also known as macroalgae, form some of Earth’s most biodiverse and productive forests. This talk will share new insights about the role seaweed forests play in the marine environment, their global distribution, and their responses to and climate change. Drawing on my research, I will discuss how seaweeds are shifting their distributions, altering their growth rates, and adapting to rising ocean temperatures. I will highlight the ecological consequences of these changes for marine biodiversity and the communities that depend on seaweed forests. The talk will also present recent evidence that shows that seaweed forests play a more important role in the ocean carbon cycle than previously thought, and will examine potential ways to use seaweeds to provide climate benefits as “blue carbon”. It will end by discussing how research and industry are harnessing the potential of seaweeds by farming them to contribute to future food security, environmental sustainability, and climate change mitigation.
Bio: Dr. Pessarrodona is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the University of Western Australia. His research revolves about understanding how marine forest ecosystems work, and how stressors (principally climate change) alter their functioning. Recently he has become very interested in the role seaweeds play in the coastal carbon cycle at the global level, and whether seaweeds can provide solutions to climate change mitigation. He is a spade-and-bucket ecologist who tries to spend most days underwater making natural history observations and experimental manipulations. Dr. Pessarrodona often combine such evidence with experiments in the lab. He is however convinced that understanding of marine forests at scales relevant to human decision-making requires interdisciplinary partnerships. As such, he collaborates with molecular ecologists to complement the ecological and physiological insights gained through my research with genomic approaches.
Title: Non-Reproductive Vocalizations & Flocking Behaviors in Hybridizing Songbirds
Abstract: Avian song learning has been widely studied in songbirds, while the role of calls in speciation remains largely unknown. Avian calls, although primarily associated with non-reproductive behaviors, are learned and important for many aspects of survival, and are therefore important for fitness. Thus, like song, avian calls could influence reproductive isolation. My work is aimed at examining call learning and non-reproductive behaviors associated with the “chick-a-dee” call in hybridizing black-capped (Poecile atricapillus) and Carolina (Poecile carolinensis) chickadees. I examined how calls and call learning might affect pre- and postzygotic reproductive isolation. Parent species originating from sympatry show a stronger bias towards learning their conspecific call relative to their conspecifics in allopatry. In addition, hybrids showed reduced variability in call learning. This suggests calls could contribute to pre- and postzygotic reproductive isolation, potentially through mechanisms of ecological character displacement and hybrids exhibiting constraints on plasticity in call learning, respectively. I also examined whether mobbing behavior, an anti-predator behavior initiated by flocks using the “chick-a-dee” call, differs between natural sympatric and allopatric populations. I documented a lack of chickadee flocks in sympatry, relative to the black-capped and Carolina allopatric populations. Although the lack of chickadee flocks cannot be explained, I discuss potential impacts of hybridization on flocking behaviors from an ecological perspective. This work is some of the first evidence of call learning as well as different ways calls and call learning could indirectly affect reproductive isolation in a hybridizing songbird system. Overall, I present new avenues of research on understanding the effects of hybridization on non-reproductive behaviors from an ecological viewpoint, and further, the potential impacts on reproductive isolation.
Bio: Dr. Spinelli completed her Bachelor of Science with a minor in Visual Arts at Jacksonville University (JU) in 2018. She worked under Dr. Vanderhoff, performing a research study on the effects of urbanization on avian abundance and diversity, which is published in the Florida Field Naturalist. She then went to Lehigh University to pursue her Ph.D., which was recently completed in January 2025. She worked under the direction of Dr. Amber Rice, studying different potential reproductive isolating barriers between the naturally hybridizing black-capped and Carolina chickadees. Her dissertation work focused on non-reproductive vocalizations and behaviors in the two chickadee species and their hybrids, as these have been overlooked when considering mechanisms that can affect reproductive isolating barriers between species. For her dissertation work, she was awarded multiple fellowships and the Sigma Xi: Grants in Aid of Research. She also spent time volunteering at Lehigh for the Biological Organization of Graduate Students and the Graduate Student Senate to help advocate the graduate student’s needs to higher administration. She was awarded the Lehigh Graduate Life Leadership Award for the work she did improve conditions for graduate students. She is now exploring different potential career paths in conservation or environmental work.
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