Society of Self Fellows 2022 Fall Newsletter

SSF BOARD OF GOVERNORS

Current Board of Governors for the Society of Self Fellows: (Elections for the Board of Governors takes place every spring.)

Mary Krause, Ph.D. Board: 2018-2022 President

Angela Pierce, Ph.D. Board: 2020-2024

Nikki Johnson, Ph.D. Board: 2021-2025

Ted Harris, Ph.D. Board: 2022-2026

IN THIS ISSUE

Society Personal ........... Page 2 Updates

Calendar of Events ...... Page 3 Society Programs ......... Page 4 2022-2026 Fellows ..... Pages 6

Current Fellows ........... Page 6 Fall Programs ............... Page 9

LETTER FROM THE DIRECTOR OF SELF GRADUATE PROGRAMS

Hello from Lawrence, Kansas! After several challenging years as we collectively traversed a global pandemic, the University of Kansas again feels reenergized with students on-campus engaging in coursework, research, and campus activities with peers, faculty, and staff.

In the Self Graduate Fellowship, we continue to be fortunate in our opportunities and supported intentional growth due to Madison and Lila Self's generosity. Following an across-the-board raise for all University employees, Fellow stipends are now at $34,000 annually. Additionally, starting in fall 2023, all first year Fellows will receive a $5,000 start-up award, and second, third, and fourth year Fellows will begin to annually receive a $1,000 textbook and technology award. In the spirit of the donors, we strive to enhance Fellow support in their doctoral journey.

Additionally, the Self Graduate Fellowship Board of Trustees approved the growth of the Fellow Development Program in adding an international seminar. Starting in May 2024, Fellows will have the opportunity to travel abroad and experience speakers, tours, and visits supporting continued learning in the donor guideline areas of policy, communication, management, innovation, and leadership in an international and cross-cultural context. This seminar complements the ongoing Government and Science Policy Seminar held regularly in Washington, D.C. The first International Seminar is planned May 2024 in Paris, France; Strasbourg, France; and Darmstadt, Germany.

SOCIETY PERSONAL UPDATES

If at any time you have personal or professional news you would like included in the newsletter, please submit your updates to SGF@ku.edu. News does not have to be about significant changes. The Society would enjoy hearing regular updates even if it’s hitting a five year milestone of employment, continuing research on an on going project, etc. Please also share email and mailing address updates to ensure our communication reaches you.

Karl Brooks, Ph.D., has returned to the KU faculty in August as Professor of the Practice in the School of Public Affairs and Administration (SPAA). His return to KU follows five years working for the New Mexico Judicial Branchincluding 2 ½ years as deputy director of the Administrative Office of the Courts in Santa Fe and 2 ½ years as executive officer of the 8th Judicial District headquartered in Taos. His new SPAA office is in Wescoe Hall, site of his former KU office when he was a member of the History and Environmental Studies faculties from 2000 to 2010. Before moving to New Mexico in 2017, he had spent 6 years in the Obama administration, first as EPA's Heartland Regional Administrator in Kansas City, then as the agency's national operations manager in Washington, DC. These positions provided many exciting opportunities to apply governmental expertise to complex environmental problems and gnarly logistics issues. Karl and his spouse Mary had tried Austin, Texas, immediately after leaving DC. Despite attending more live music in 2 years than in the previous 22, they concluded the fit at UT-Austin's LBJ School of Public Affairs could be better, and doubted they would ever get out of endless traffic jams. Mary, a painter in acrylics, found the New Mexico scene incredibly inspiring and Karl learned a valuable thing or two about being a newcomer in a culture vastly different than Kansas. Though Kansas and New Mexico are only an hour apart by car, they couldn't be more unlike. Along the way, they became first-time grandparents of a darling little girl in Fairbanks, Alaska, where their son fights wildland fires as a federal agency smoke jumper, and they spent wonderful visiting time with their LA writer son and Denver lawyer daughter.

Sarah Borland, Ph.D., and her family welcomed their second daughter in April, Charlotte Lee Borland. They are enjoying the fun (and at times chaos) as a family of four.

Clay Campbell, Ph.D., defended his PhD at the University of Kansas in August of 2022 under Dr. Michael H. Taylor, Professor of Geology. Through investigating sedimentary basins in Western and Central Anatolia (Turkey), Clay reconstructed the tectonic evolution of the region over the last ~100 million years. Clays work in Western Anatolia resolved a long-standing debate regarding the number of subduction zones that facilitated collision between the regions two major continental blocks around 75 million years ago. In turn, Clays work in Central Anatolia introduced the burgeoning field of ‘drip tectonics’ to the region.

Clay has demonstrated that the ongoing collision between such continental blocks drove thickening of the crust and lithospheric mantle, resulting in the rapid removal of such thickened regions by ‘falling’ back towards the Earth’s interior around 30 million years ago. Importantly, Clays work has broader implications for marine and terrestrial basin development, whose individual architectures determine the location of precious resources such as fresh water and petroleum. Furthermore, the generation of uplift and relief as a result of continental collision promotes evolutionary processes and may have broader implications with respect to a project lead by Professor, Dr. Kenneth Christopher Beard from KU’s Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Department who are currently documenting the migration of early mammals from Asia, through Turkey, and into Africa beginning around 40 million years ago.

Clay is traveling to Nepal in October in order to conduct additional field work and present his

findings from Central Anatolia at the 35th Himalayan-Karakorum-Tibet Conference. Upon Clays return stateside, he will begin postdoctoral research at his alma mater, the University of Arizona with Professors Dr. George Gehrels and Dr. Mauricio Ibanez-Mejia.

Jennifer Cooper, Ph.D., and a colleague at her company have been awarded an 18-month multi million dollar Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant to develop a machine learning algorithm to detect and track mortar detonations for the US Army. She is the Program Manager for the project, and this effort will improve identification accuracy and be able to process detonations in real-time, which is crucial for many situations. The product will be tested in 2023 and hopefully be deployed in the near future.

Camille Delavaux, Ph.D., was awarded a Swiss National science foundation postdoctoral fellowship to study how the plant microbiome is linked to forest diversity across a forest inventory network. Camille’s first masters student graduated in the spring.

Max Fairlamb, Ph.D., is now working in a post-doc position with the KU Pharmaceutical Chemistry Vaccine Analytics and Formulation Center. He has really enjoyed the position and focuses on vaccine formulation projects aimed to reduce vaccine costs for low-income countries. It has been a welcome shift from the world of academic science. He also recently became a dad, welcoming Jack Fairlamb.

Amy Hinkelman, Ph.D., has recently had two promotions. She was promoted to: Associate Professor of Microbiology and Immunology and Academic Officer of the Master of Science in Biomedical Sciences program.

Tim Hubin, Ph.D., recently won the Oklahoma Chemist Award at the ACS Pentasectional meeting in Bartlesville, OK. This award honors truly

outstanding contributions made to the science and to the state by a chemist in recent years within the state of Oklahoma. Tim is the first SWOSU faculty to be given the award. To date, Tim has 55 refereed publications with 55 unique undergraduate co-authors, 60 presentations at national meetings and invited seminars, and 6 patents while at SWOSU. He has also been the recipient of more than $2.3 million in research funding from INBRE, EPSCoR, OCAST, the Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation in Science (OK-LSAMP), ACS Petroleum Research Fund and a Henry Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar Unrestricted Grant. In the past 17 years, Tim has mentored over 75 students in undergraduate research at SWOSU.

Nikki Johnson, Ph.D., was promoted in July to be a manager of Clinical Development Engineering at Intuitive. In this role, she researches and developments early stage imaging projects that help surgeons see what they need to see in surgery, like cancer or tissue perfusion. Nikki recently had an article published about cancer imaging.

https://tlcr.amegroups.com/article/view/67012/html

David Menager, Ph.D., recently took a research position at Parallax Advanced Research as an AI Scientist.

Corinne Myers, Ph.D., received tenure at the University of New Mexico. She is now an Associate Professor in the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences.

Julie Sergeant, Ph.D., was promoted to the position of Deputy Director for the Bureau of Health Promotion at Kansas Department of Health and Environment. She works with chronic disease and injury prevention programs, and serves as the State Chronic Disease Director. She is also loving being Grandma to a 4th grader and two toddlers who are two months apart in age.

FALL 2022

SOCIETY PROGRAMS

November: SSF Virtual Poster Session call for submissions

See page 5 for more information.

Tuesday, November 29: SGF Holiday Luncheon & Poster Session

Local members: You are invited to attend the SGF Holiday Luncheon & Poster Session. RSVP at SGF@ku.edu by Friday, November 18.

SPRING 2023

January: Call for Board of Governors nominations

Interested in serving as a SSF Board of Governor or know someone who would be a great addition to the alumni leadership team? Watch for information on how to submit a nomination.

February 9, 2023: SSF Virtual Poster Session

Additional details about the program will be sent closer to the spring semester.

SOCIETY PROGRAMS

Participate in the Virtual Poster Session

You are invited to participate in the inaugural Society of Self Fellows Virtual Poster Session on Tuesday, February 9 starting at 3:00p.m. CST.

This poster session will provide the Society with an opportunity to learn about the current

work of the members in a virtual setting, offering both a professional development opportunity for those who share their work and an opportunity to network as a Society. Poster session attendees will include the current Self Graduate Fellows, members of the Society of Self Fellows, and several invited KU guests. The event will not be open to the public or judged. Applications are due November 30, 2022 and will be reviewed by the Society of Self Fellows Board of Governors and Self Graduate Programs staff.

Following the poster session, the Board of Governors will be hosting a virtual happy hour.

Register to present: https://bit.ly/3fMPygj

Attend the SGF Holiday Luncheon & Poster Session

The Society of Self Fellows are invited to attend the SGF Holiday Luncheon & Poster Session on Tuesday, November 29, 2022 in the Kansas Union Ballroom from 12:15-2:00p.m.

The purpose of the poster session is to provide an opportunity for Self Graduate Fellows to share current research projects and discuss their work with attendees. Fellows have been invited to provide posters prepared for professional meetings and informal posters about projects in progress. Please email SGF@ku.edu with any questions.

RSVP: https://bit.ly/3E8QVzk

The SSF Board of Governors has launched a LinkedIn Group to facilitate networking for the Society. Through this group you can stay up-to-date with the Self Graduate Fellowship, share your research and personal updates, explore the public policy topic, and network with other Society members. LinkedIn Groups will replace the Slack group to reduce barriers to participation. Join now: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/14090154/

FELLOWS

Meet the newest cohort of Self Graduate Fellows

department. She aims to study protein engineering to understand how it can transform personalized medicine. Mentor: Michele T. Pritchard, Ph.D. Associate Professor, Pharmacology, Toxicology & Therapeutics.

Alexandra Berkowicz is pursuing a Ph.D. in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at the University of Kansas Medical Center. After growing up in Gurnee, Illinois, Berkowicz graduated from the Milwaukee School of Engineering in 2021 with a B.S. in BioMolecular Engineering and a minor in Chemistry. Her graduate research focuses on the role of declining protein homeostasis in aging and neurodegeneration. By identifying the bioenergetic and biophysical fluctuations that occur with age, she aims to unravel the underlying mechanisms behind neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s Disease. Mentors: Randal Halfmann, Ph.D. Associate Investigator, Stowers Institute and Russell Swerdlow, Professor, Neurology.

Skylar Bird is pursuing a Ph.D. at the University of Kansas Medical Center. Bird graduated from the University of California, San Diego in June 2021 with a B.S. in Biochemistry and Cellular Biology. Bird is set to begin her first year of her Ph.D., so she is yet to pick a topic of study for her doctorate. She has a great interest in both the biochemistry and molecular and integrative physiology

Aleesa Chua is pursuing a Ph.D. in bioanalytical chemistry at the University of Kansas. While originally from Los Angeles, she holds a B.A. in chemistry from Colorado College (2022). For Chua's doctoral research, she aims to further engage in research at the interface of mass spectrometry and machine learning in Dr. Heather Desaire's lab. Chua is especially passionate about community engagement. She aspires to become a university professor that is involved in research that will positively impact underserved and marginalized communities. Mentor: Heather Desaire, Ph.D. Dean's Professor, Chemistry.

Grahmm Funk is pursuing a Ph.D. in Pharmaceutical Chemistry at the University of Kansas in the Hageman Research Group. He holds B.S. degrees in both Biological Sciences and Chemistry from the University of Missouri (2014). His passion for drug design and delivery led him to the Hageman Lab where he is currently working on formulation of and essential oil release from attenuated yeast cells as means for fighting malarial outbreaks by targeting mosquito larvae populations. Grahmm is also passionate about the promotion of STEM careers and increasing public scientific literacy. Alongside his Ph.D. work, he plans to engage in community outreach as a tool to help inspire students at the high school and undergraduate levels to pursue STEM careers. Mentor: Michael J. Hageman, Ph.D., Valentino J. Stella Distinguished Professor

Katherine Meinhold is pursuing a Ph.D. in Bioengineering. Katherine is studying the impact of

application on mechanotransduction pathways in meniscal cells. She is originally from Wilmington, NC and attended North Carolina State University to obtain a degree in Materials Science and Engineering with a focus on Biomaterials. Katherine plans to apply this knowledge to regenerative tissue engineering fields for both improved and accessible medical treatments. Mentor: Jennifer Robinson, Ph.D. Assistant Professor, Chemical and Petroleum Engineering.

Diana Najera is pursuing a Ph.D. in Cell Biology and Physiology at the University of Kansas Medical Center. Born in Mexico and raised in Liberal, KS, she obtained a B.S. in Biochemistry (2021) from Kansas State University. Currently, her research focuses on deciphering the molecular mechanisms involved in the pathogenesis of uterine leiomyoma. Her overall goal is to research diseases that are not well understood, as well as the disparities seen between males and females and among minorities. Eventually, she would like to play a leading role in developing better treatment conditions that disproportionately affect women and minorities. Mentor: Vargheese M. Chennathukuzhi, Ph.D. Associate Professor, Molecular and Integrative Physiology.

Kip Nielsen is pursuing a Ph.D. in Atmospheric Science at KU. He holds a B.S. in Atmospheric & Oceanic Science and Environmental Studies from the University of Wisconsin – Madison (2017) and an M.S. in Atmospheric Science with a certificate in Environmental Studies from KU (2021). His research uses aircraft observations and numerical simulations to investigate the land-atmosphere interactions over cities with an emphasis on the urban heat island during heat waves and the stability of the lower atmosphere related to high pollution days. Given the implications of these atmospheric interactions on public health issues, he also plans to work with local organizations to

relay this information to the community. Mentor: David. A. Rahn, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Department of Geography & Atmospheric Science

Jeffrey Xu is pursuing his Ph.D. in Aerospace Engineering at the University of Kansas, where he also received his B.S. in Aerospace Engineering (2020). From a young age, regular visits to the National Air & Space museum fed into his passion for flight; however, a severe case of Tourette's has kept him from becoming a pilot. Instead of staying grounded, he redirected his passion into his research on aircraft autonomy at the KU Flight Research Laboratory. His current research focuses on artificial neural network-based intelligent autopilot systems that can detect and adapt to adverse changes in flight conditions or aircraft dynamics amid dynamically changing environments. He hopes for his work to support the verticalization of urban transportation through safe and robust vertical take-off and landing aircraft and reduce the volume of ground vehicles in our urban areas. Mentor: Shawn Keshmiri, Ph.D. Professor, Aerospace Engineering.

CURRENT FELLOWS

This year 39 fellows are pursuing 22 Ph.D.'s in four schools at the University of Kansas. The current fellows are among 220 students who have benefited from the fellowship since it was established in 1989.

14

College of Liberal Arts and Sciences

7

School of Medicine

College of Liberal Arts and Sciences (14)

Atmospheric Science (1)

Chemistry (4)

Computational Biology (1)

Ecology and Evolutionary Biology (3) Economics (1)

Geology (2)

Molecular Biosciences (1) Physics and Astronomy (1)

School of Medicine (7)

(KU Medical Center)

Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (1)

Cell Biology and Physiology (1)

Interdisciplinary Graduate Program in Biomedical Sciences (1)

Microbiology, Molecular Genetics and Immunology (1)

Molecular and Integrative Physiology (1) Neuroscience (2)

15

School of Engineering

3

School of Pharmacy

School of Engineering (15)

Aerospace Engineering (3)

Bioengineering (5)

Chemical and Petroleum Engineering (1)

Civil, Environmental, and Architectural (2)

Electrical Engineering and Computer Science (2) Mechanical Engineering (2)

School of Pharmacy (3)

Medicinal Chemistry (1) Pharmaceutical Chemistry (2)

The 39 current Self Graduate Fellows hold undergraduate and graduate degrees from 32 colleges and universities in 17 U.S. states and one U.S. Territory.

Fellow Development Program

2022 Fall Skill Session: August 8 - 12

The 2022 Fall Skill Session included written and oral communication coaching, presentations on mentorship and networking, an introduction to grant writing, and a social media workshop.

On Monday, August 8, the Fellows attended “Numbers to Narrative: Data Storytelling and Visualization Workshop” hosted by Bill Shander. They practiced converting abstract ideas and data into visuals, conceptualizing a complete idea that could be handed to a designer for collaboration and execution. The workshop covered creating memorable and effective data visualizations, data stories and infographics, how to think about data and the visual communication of data, storytelling with data, information hierarchy and data visualization best practices, the neuroscience and psychology behind how audiences receive data visuals, and research into best practices for data design and communications.

On Tuesday, August 9, KU Innovation Park hosted the Fellows for a tour and presentations. KU Innovation Park is a non-profit economic development organization serving the Northeast Kansas region. They offer state-of-the-art lab, office, and co-working facilities to support innovation-driven and technology-focused companies and entrepreneurs across a broad range of industries and at all stages of growth. Fellows spent the day learning about the park’s resources and hearing from users.

Public Policy Theme: Information Policy

This semester’s luncheons have covered various speakers within the topic of Information Policy.

August 8

Speaker: Patricia Gaston, KU School of Journalism and Mass Communications Program: Introduction to Information Policy

August 30 Speaker: Najarian Peters, Associate Professor of Law Program: Privacy and Personhood

September 13

Speaker: Perry Alexander, KU Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Program: Securing Our Worlds: Physical, Digital, Social

September 27

Speaker: Mike Leitch, KU General Council Program: Information Policy in Academia

October 18

Speaker: Emily Bradbury, Kansas Press Association Executive Director Program: The Kansas Press Association: Serving Journalists and Kansans since 1863

November 1

Speaker: Sharon Brett, Kansas ACLU Speaker: Information Policy and Justice

Self Graduate Programs Staff

Jennifer Roberts, Ph.D. Vice Provost of Academic A airs and Graduate Studies, SGF Managing Trustee

Michelle Compton-Munoz Assistant Director