Speakers

Dr. Godwin received a B.S. degree in Mathematics and Physics from Southeast
Missouri State University, and a M.S. and Ph.D. in Physics from the University of
Missouri where her research was in low temperature condensed matter physics.
Dr. Godwin joined NASA Johnson Space Center, Houston, TX in 1980, initially
supporting the integration and operation of science missions for the early Space
Shuttle Program. She was selected as an astronaut candidate in 1985.
A veteran of four space shuttle flights, Dr. Godwin has logged over 915 hours
(over 38 days) in space. She was a crewmember on STS-37 which deployed the
Compton Gamma Ray Observatory; STS-59, an Earth science mission; STS-76,
a docking mission to the Russian Space Station MIR; and STS-108, a crew
exchange and supply mission to the International Space Station. She
participated in spacewalks external to two space stations – MIR and ISS.
Dr. Godwin’s other assignments during her astronaut career included serving as
Deputy Chief of the Astronaut Office, and as Acting Deputy Director, Flight Crew
Operations Directorate. She also served as a flight crew representative during
development of the future NASA Exploration Program prior to her retirement from
NASA in August 2010.
Following her NASA career, Dr. Godwin was a professor in the Department of
Physics and Astronomy at the University of Missouri, in Columbia, Missouri for
eight years where she taught physics and astronomy classes. She is currently an
emeritus professor of the department and still serves in an adjunct capacity.

Dr. Dawn King is a Senior AI/ML Geophysical Scientist in the Office of Geomatics: Geosciences Division at the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency-St. Louis.  During her academic career, Dr. King made significant scientific contributions to the understanding of phase transitions in non-linear & agent-based evolutionary systems. In Industry, she worked as a Data Science Consultant developing enterprise-level solutions using cloud-based technologies. She has now focused her expertise towards developing modernization practices for use by NGA Scientists through her work on artificial intelligence for modeling the Earth’s gravitational field. As a proud UMSL physics alumnae and recipient of UMSL’s 2022 Distinguished Alumni Award, Dr. King was crucial to the development and signing of the Educational Partnership Agreement between NGA and UMSL, which aims to develop a variety of academic courses for careers in geodesy, geophysics, and geospatial intelligence. She formed the Geoscience and AI Application Lab through at NGA, where she is engaged in developing a collaborative, multi-disciplinary team of Government, Industry, and Academic Scientists who focus on the growth of budding research scientists working on NGA’s hardest mission-related problems. She believes the best science is born out of collaboration, diversity, and mentorship.

Dr. Krista Limmer is a Materials Engineer at the US Army Research Laboratory. Dr. Limmer’s general research interest is data driven metallurgical design, with an emphasis on defense related steel alloy development. Dr. Limmer employs computational tools, such as density functional theory and CalPhad, as well as data analytics in conjunction with experimental methods. She received her PhD in Materials Science and Engineering from Missouri University of Science and Technology in 2014.

Dr. Sarah Morrison earned her BA in Astronomy at Cornell University and her MS and PhD in Planetary Sciences at the University of Arizona. She worked as a postdoctoral fellow at the Center for Exoplanets and Habitable Worlds at Penn State before joining the Missouri State University faculty in 2019 as an assistant professor in the Physics, Astronomy, and Materials Science Department. When she is not busy helping emerging researchers in planetary science and creating more equitable and inclusive scientific spaces, she enjoys hiking, spelunking, and putting her expertise in quasi-chaotic dynamical systems to work in managing investment portfolios.

Kyra Chappell graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Physics with emphasis in Astronomy and minors in Mathematics and Computer Science from the University of Missouri – St. Louis in 2020. During her time as a student, she worked as an intern at the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency-St. Louis (NGA) in the Office of Geomatics. Upon graduation, Kyra was offered a full-time position at NGA remaining in the Office of Geomatics as a Geodetic Orbit Scientist, where she monitors and analyzes GPS data. 

Dr. Esmaeelpour joined Missouri University of Science and Technology as an assistant professor in September 2019. She received her PhD degree in Physics from Lehigh University in Bethlehem, PA in 2016. Her MS and BS degrees are both from the University of Tabriz received in 2010 and 2007, respectively. She has then joined Stanford University, Ginzton Lab, in 2016 as a postdoctoral scholar and later in 2018, joined the Molecular Imaging Program at Stanford University (MIPS) in the School of Medicine as a Postdoctoral Fellow. She interned in Bell Labs from 2010 till 2015 and worked as a consultant with Intelligent Fiber Optic Systems (IFOS) from 2017 till 2018.

Dr. Cori Fletcher completed her bachelor’s degree in Physics at the University of Missouri in 2011, studying dust around Asymptotic Giant Branch stars. She then moved to Germany to complete her master’s in Astrophysics at the University of Bonn, Germany and the Max Planck Institute for Radio Astronomy. Here she studied high-mass star-formation using radio wavelengths. Following her Master’s degree she moved to Florida to continue with her Ph.D. in Space Science at Florida Institute of Technology. For her Ph.D. she jumped to the other side of the spectrum and studied X-rays from magnetic fields in massive stars. She currently is an Associate Scientist with the Fermi GBM team in Huntsville, Alabama studying gamma-ray bursts and gravitational wave counterparts. She is also currently involved in various future gamma-ray mission and concept studies, such as MoonBEAM, StarBurst and Glowbug.

Rebecca Harvey is a PhD candidate in the Space Science Department at the University of Alabama in Huntsville. Her PhD research is identifying and analyzing magnetic structures in near-Earth space and their response to the terrestrial magnetosphere. This study uses wavelet analysis and Grad-Shafranov reconstruction to analyze the change in the properties of the structures as they move across the bow shock using MMS and THEMIS data. Her undergraduate work at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University included spacecraft data analysis, day/night variations in hydrogen density in the upper-atmosphere, and investigation of turbulent shear flows over growing Stokes waves. Rebecca is passionate about increasing diversity, equity, and inclusion in the STEM field. She co-founded the ERAU chapter of the Association for Women in Mathematics as Vice President, and has participated in activities each year for the UAH Girls in STEM day.

Amber Johnston obtained her bachelor’s degree from Columbia College in 2011 in Criminal Justice Administration, working with the Missouri Department of Corrections for the next decade as both a Case Manager and a Probation and Parole Officer.  Eventually she went back to school and graduated in 2021 with her Masters Degree in Counseling from Webster University.  Amber is just starting her counseling career but has extensive experience in working with individuals struggling with addiction, and those experiencing crisis.   Amber specializes in mindfulness techniques combined with CBT and Gestalt, but she often borrows from other methodologies based on individual client needs. Amber is passionate about helping clients find balance and peace in their lives.  In her free time, Amber loves to read, draw, and spend time with her children.  She is an avid fan of anything science fiction and/or comic book related.

Hasti Khoraminezhad is a postdoctoral researcher in the Department of Physics at Missouri University of Science and Technology. She obtained her Ph.D. in Astrophysics under the supervision of Prof. Matteo Viel and Prof. Carlo Baccigalupi at Scuola Internazionale Superiore di Studi Avanzati (SISSA) in Trieste-Italy in 2021. Then she moved to Missouri S&T to work with Prof. Shun Saito focusing on the Hobby-Eberly Telescope Dark Energy Experiment (HETDEX). Cosmology and large-scale structure of the Universe in general capture her main research interests. She has experiences in running and analysing cosmological simulations to investigate the properties of large-scale structure, with the goal of using cosmological observations to learn about the cosmic acceleration.

Julia E. Medvedeva is a professor of physics and a senior investigator at Materials Research Center of Missouri University of Science and Technology. She received PhD from the Russian Academy of Science in 2002 and worked as a pre- and post-doctoral fellow at Northwestern University in Arthur Freeman’s group. She joined Missouri S&T in 2005. Julia’s expertise is in first-principles density functional calculations of the structural, electronic, optical, and mechanical properties of a wide range of materials, including metal oxides, nitrides, and chalcogenides, alloys, and strongly-correlated materials. She is a leading expert in the area of transparent conducting oxides and amorphous oxide semiconductors. Julia’s career-long publication impact puts her among the top 2% of researchers in the world in the fields of Applied Physics and Materials. Her research work was funded by federal and private agencies as well as industry. She has served as a Lead-PI on a materials genome grant funded by the NSF-DMREF (Designing Materials to Revolutionize and Engineer our Future) program, a co-PI on NSF-MRSEC (Materials Research Science and Engineering Center) at Northwestern University, and a co-PI on NSF-MRI (Major Research Instrumentation) grant to scale-up high-performance computational resources at Missouri S&T. Currently, Julia is a co-PI on two multimillion grants funded by the Department of Energy and the U.S. Research Laboratory.

Dr. Francisca Oboh-Ikuenobe, Professor of Geology and Geophysics at Missouri University of Science and Technology, received B.Sc. in Geology and M.Sc. in Applied Geology from Obafemi Awolowo University (formerly the University of Ife) in Nigeria and earned a Ph.D. in Geology from the University of Cambridge. Dr. Oboh-Ikuenobe joined the Missouri S&T faculty in 1991, served as Interim Chair of the Department of Geosciences and Geological and Petroleum Engineering at S&T from Jan 2015-Jul 2017, and was Program Head of the Geology & Geophysics Program from 2006-2014. She has been the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs in the College of Engineering and Computing since 2020.

Dr. Oboh-Ikuenobe is a geoscientist specializing in palynology and sedimentology as a means of inferring biostratigraphy reconstructing paleoenvironments and paleoclimate. She has published extensively on palynology and geology of non-marine and marine Phanerozoic sequences in Africa, northern South America, U.S.A., Australia, Gulf of  Mexico and Atlantic Ocean, and has received several awards.

Dr. Oboh-Ikuenobe has been named a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) for her contributions to the advancement of palynology — the study of organic-walled microfossils such as pollen and spores — and her outstanding efforts in educating the next generation of Earth scientists. AAAS, an international nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing science globally, is the world’s largest general scientific society. She is also a fellow of the Geological Society of America and the Paleontological Society, and is a Past President of AASP- The Palynological Society.

In Rolla, Dr. Oboh-Ikuenobe was named Missouri S&T Woman of the Year in 2004 in recognition of her student mentoring efforts as well as her role in promoting science education to girls and young women in the local community and at university summer camps. She has won three Faculty Excellence Awards and three Outstanding Teaching Awards, and was inducted into the Women’s Hall of Fame in 2022.

Svitlana Owens graduated with Bachelor’s degree in Physics from Drohobych State University, Ukraine and Master’s in Physics from Minnesota State University, Mankato, MN. Her undergraduate and graduate work was in the field of semiconductor electronics and dielectric thin films.

Svitlana spent the first decade of her career at the 3M Environmental Lab, where her projects spanned from environmental health and safety to product and process optimization.  She led atmospheric lifetime and global warming potential determination studies of newly developed 3M chemicals for replacement of the existing industrial chemical compounds with those of lower greenhouse effect.

Svitlana’s passion for environmentally sustainable solutions lead the next step in her career to NatureWorks, a world leading biopolymer supplier. Currently, she is a senior scientist and the emerging markets and applications technology lead, specializing in development of biodegradable polymer compounds for custom applications, manufacturing process optimization, rheology, and physical-chemical properties characterization of biopolymers. Svitlana also serves as a NatureWorks representative voting member on the UL and ASTM standard development committees for 3D Printing Environmental Health and Safety. She is closely involved in student internship programs at NatureWorks and is an industrial advisor to graduate students at North Carolina State University through her involvement with the Nonwoven Institute industrial advisory board.

Dr. Nicole A. Roberson joined the Missouri University of Science and Technology (S&T) on November 21, 2022, as the Vice Chancellor of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion & Chief Diversity Officer. Her career spans over 20 years where she has overseen equity, Title IX, ADA, and diversity in higher education.

While at the Texas A&M University System, Roberson oversaw the development and implementation of civil rights, affirmative action and diversity programs, procedures, policies, and regulations for the system’s 11 universities, eight state agencies and the Texas A&M Health Science Center. She further administered an online training course, “Creating a Discrimination Free Workplace,” for more than 49,000 employees within the system.

Roberson has also worked at the federal level at the U.S. Department of Education-Office for Civil Rights. She worked on two national initiatives: one on the over-representation of minorities in special education, and the other on the under-representation of minorities in gifted and talented programs. During her time as director of diversity and equal employment opportunity for the Dallas Area Rapid Transit, she eliminated a two-year backlog of complaints and implemented diversity programs.

As the Vice Chancellor and chief diversity officer at S&T, Roberson leads strategic initiatives that provide workplace and learning enrichment and broaden the university’s commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion. Her duties include student, faculty and staff recruitment and retention initiatives; educational programming; reporting and policy development; and the cultivation of supportive relationships among alumni, employer partners and community stakeholders.

Roberson earned a Ph.D. in organizational leadership from Regent University. She holds an MBA in international management from the American Graduate School of International Management, and master’s degrees in human resource management and project management, both from the Keller Graduate School. She earned a bachelor’s degree in strategic management from the University of North Texas.

Roberson also is a certified diversity professional (CDP), a certified human resource professional (SHRM-CP), a Distinguished Toastmaster, and a senior certified affirmative action and EEO professional (Sr. CAAEP).

Katherine G. Schaefer, PhD is a postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Missouri-Columbia, where she completed her doctorate in 2022 under the guidance of Dr. Gavin King. Her research interests are in single-molecule biophysics and precision measurement using a variety of methods including atomic force and electron microscopy. She currently seeks to elucidate the cell-damaging mechanism of the newly discovered fungal toxin candidalysin, which is a potential target for pharmaceutical intervention for fungal infections. Her interest in health-related research has led her to apply to medical school, which she will be starting in fall 2024 to pursue a career as a physician-scientist.  

Barbara Szczerbinska is a Professor of Physics and Associate Dean for Academic Affairs at Texas A&M University – Corpus Christi (TAMU-CC) in Corpus Christi, TX. Prior moving to Texas, she was a faculty at Dakota State University (DSU) in Madison, SD. Dr. Szczerbinska earned her M.S. from University of Wroclaw in Wroclaw, Poland and her Ph.D. from the University of South Carolina in Columbia, SC. Her main research interest is focused on theoretical aspects of Neutrino Physics, Geoneutrinos and Dark Matter. Her intensive collaborations with scientists from around the world lead to establishing, in 2011 The Center for Theoretical Underground Physics and Related Fields known internationally as CETUP*located in Lead, SD. 

Barbara is a strong proponent of women in science. For over nine years she served as a faculty advisor for Women in Science and Technology (WIST), student organization at DSU whose goal was to develop strong academic and social support network for women in sciences and technology. WIST obtained multiple South Dakota Board of Regents Academic Excellence Awards and certificates of merit for active involvement in outreach activities promoting STEM to the community. Barbara was a multiple recipient of Equal Pay Gap grant sponsored by American Association of University Women. She is also actively involved in promoting STEM to people of all ages. As part of her multiple education outreach initiatives she established a regional ‘It’s All About Science’ science festival. Dr. Szczerbinska served on the Board of Directors for the Kirby Science Discovery Center and Community Learning Committee at the Washington Pavilion, Osher Lifelong Learning Institute Leadership Council. Currently she serves on multiple college and university committees, technical review panels and is actively involved in education outreach initiatives in Corpus Christi. She served in a chair line for APS CUWiP National Organizing Committee. She is a member of Phi Kappa Phi, American Physical Society and currently serves as a chair for Texas Section APSand .