Delta SEE: About Us:

Photo: Dr. Dana McDowelle
May 31, 2003
Show 106
Guest, Dr. Dana Greene McDowelle

Dr. Dana Greene-McDowell is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Biology at Xavier University in New Orleans. She received her BS in Microbiology from Xavier University before going on to earn her MS in Food and Nutritional Sciences, and later her Ph.D. in Food Science and Environmental Toxicology from Michigan State University. She is a member of Delta Sigma Theta sorority, the American Association of University Women, and the Louisiana Academy of Sciences.

Links:
Xavier University
S.P.R.I.T.E. (Summer Research Initiative the Tulane Experience)
S.E.E.D. (Summer Experience in Environmental Discovery)

Photo: Dr. Isiah Warner
June 14, 2003
Show 107
Guest, Dr. Isiah Warner

Dr. Isiah M. Warner’s interest in science developed at an early age (2 years old) when he orally sampled kerosene to determine why this odd smelling liquid was able to produce light. After a stay in the hospital, he put his science career on hold until the age of twelve when he received his first chemistry set. After graduating Valedictorian from Carver High School, Dr. Warner was offered a full scholarship to Southern University (a Historically Black College and University) and graduated Cum Laude with a B.S. in chemistry. He received his Ph.D. in chemistry (analytical) from the University of Washington.

Dr. Warner is the Boyd Professor of Chemistry as well as the Philip W. West Professor of Analytical and Environmental Chemistry at Louisiana State University. He is also the Vice Chancellor for Strategic Initiatives. The primary emphasis of Dr. Warner's research group at LSU is the development and application of improved methodology (chemical, mathematical, and instrumental) for studies of complex chemical systems. He holds three patents and has three patents pending. He also received the ACS Award for Encouraging Disadvantaged Students into the Sciences in 2003.

Links:
Office of Strategic Initiatives, Louisiana State University
Warner Research Group

June 21, 2003
Show 108
Guest, Dr. Kim Weems

Kimberly S. Weems received her BS in mathematics from Spelman College. As a National Physical Science Consortium Fellow, she entered the University of Maryland, College Park, where she received her MA and Ph.D. in applied mathematics with a concentration in statistics. In 2000, Weems was one of the first three African-American women to earn a doctorate in mathematics from the University of Maryland. Her research interests include mixed models and environmental statistics. Currently, she is a National Science Foundation VIGRE (Vertical Integration of Research and Education in the Mathematical Sciences) postdoctoral research associate in the Department of Statistics at North Carolina State University.

Links:
North Carolina State University (NCSU)
NCSU’s Statistics Department
NCSU College of Physical and Mathematical Science's Web Site
NCSU’s The Science House, an Outreach Program
Environmental Justice Case Study: DDT Contamination

June 28, 2003
Show 109
Guest, Dr. James Gates

In 1998 Dr. Sylvester James Gates was named the first John S. Toll Professor of Physics at the University of Maryland, College Park; the first African-American to hold an endowed chair in physics at a major research university in the United States. Dr. Gates received his BS in Mathematics and Physics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1973 and his Ph.D in elementary particle physics and quantum field theory. His postgraduate studies in “supersymmetry” started as a Junior Fellow of the Harvard Society of Fellows and ended with an appointment at Caltech. After a faculty appointment at MIT, he continued at the University of Maryland at College Park from 1984 to the present.

Dr. Gates has authored or co-authored over 120 research papers published in scientific journals, co-authored one book and contributed numerous articles in others. Dr. Gates speaks at national and international scientific meetings to discuss his research, which covers such topics as the physics of gravity, super and heterotic strings, and unified field theories first envisioned by Albert Einstein. Dr. Gates has served as a consultant for the National Science Foundation, Department of Energy, Department of Defense, the Educational Testing Service and Time-Life Books.

Links:
University of Maryland Physics Department
National Society of Black Physicists
Physicists of the African Diaspora – Sylvester James Gates
Cybercast, Einstein’s Dream at the New Millennium
Official String Theory Web Site
Physics Central – Jim Gates
Why Choose Maryland? Student Willie Merrell

Photo: Dr. Marian Johnson-Thompson

July 5, 2003
Show 110
Guest, Dr. Marian Johnson-Thompson

Dr. Johnson-Thompson is responsible for identifying the environmental health research and training needs of underserved populations and is particularly interested in the unique biomedical research needs of women of color. Additionally, she develops K-12 science education programs and minority training programs, is chair of the NIEHS Institutional Review Board and is a member of the NIH Human Subjects Research Advisory Committee. Prior to joining NIEHS in 1992, she was Professor of Biology at the University of the District of Columbia and Adjunct Professor of Pharmacology at Georgetown University. Currently, Dr. Johnson-Thompson serves as Adjunct Professor of the School of Public Health at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Dr. Johnson-Thompson received her BS and MS degrees in microbiology from Howard University and a Ph.D. in molecular virology from Georgetown University Medical School. In 2003, she was appointed by the Delta Research and Education Foundation (DREF) to Chair the Science in Everyday Experiences (SEE) Advisory Committee.

Links:
NIEHS Home Page
NIEHS Kids’ Pages
NIH Office of Science Education

Photo: Dr. Rita R. Colwell

July 5, 2003
Show 110
Guest, Dr. Rita R. Colwell

As Director of the National Science Foundation (NSF) Dr. Rita R. Colwell has spearheaded the agency's emphases in K-12 science and mathematics education, graduate science and engineering education/training, and the increased participation of women and minorities in science and engineering. Before coming to NSF in 1998, Dr. Colwell was President of the University of Maryland Biotechnology Institute, 1991-1998, and she remains Professor of Microbiology and Biotechnology (on leave) at the University of Maryland. She was also a member of the National Science Board from 1984 to 1990. Dr. Colwell is a nationally respected scientist and educator, and has authored or co-authored 16 books and more than 600 scientific publications. Dr. Colwell has also been awarded 26 honorary degrees from institutions of higher education, including her Alma Mater, Purdue University, and has been the recipient of numerous awards. She holds a BS in Bacteriology and an MS in Genetics, from Purdue University, and a Ph.D. in Oceanography from the University of Washington.

Links:
NSF
NSF/Colwell Biography