About the Presenters

Lisa Ahlberg (E-1)

Dr. Lisa Ahlberg graduated from Andrews University with a BS in Biochemistry, with Honors. She earned a PhD for research in Organic Chemistry from the University of California, Davis in 1997. Before teaching several different chemistry classes and labs, at schools in both California and the Michiana region, she worked at a small biotech company, Hermes Biosciences in South San Francisco, synthesizing anti cancer agents for liposomal drug delivery. Her research has been published J. Am. Chem. Soc., J. Org. Chem., and Tetrahedron.

Germán Alférez (D-2)

Germán Alférez is an associate professor at the School of Engineering and Technology, Universidad de Montemorelos, Mexico. He holds a Ph.D. in Computer Science from the Universitat Politècnica de València (Spain), a MSc in Information and Communication Technology from Assumption University (Thailand), and a BSc in Computer Science Engineering from Universidad EAFIT (Colombia). He is currently working on international research projects with researchers at Universitat Politècnica de València (Spain) and Université Paris-1 Panthéon-Sorbonne (France). His research interests include Services Computing, Model-Driven Engineering, Models at Runtime, Autonomic Computing, and Dynamic Software Product Lines. He has contributed to publications in international conferences, such as SPLC, ECOWS, MODELS, and ICWS. He has worked in universities, IT companies, and research groups on four continents (America, Asia, Australia, and Europe).

Gener Aviles-Rodriguez (E-3)

Gener Aviles-Rodriguez is a Medical Doctor at Montemorelos University. He is a key collaborator in the development of EPODE International Network through one of it´s founding programs. He is currently working as County Health Director and Research and Medical Education coordinator at “La Carlota” Hospital community clinics. He is also a Research and Bioinformatics instructor at the school of Nursing and Medicine.

Anthony Bosman (E-2)

Anthony completed his BS degree in mathematics with honors from Stanford University. He is now pursing a PhD in pure mathematics at Rice University. His area of research interest is topology, especially knot theory and the study of 4-manifolds. Outside of math, he enjoys campus ministry, nature hikes, and avocados!

G. Brendan Cross (B-1)

Brendan Cross joined the physics faculty in 2010 after completing a Masters Degree in Aerospace Engineering. His undergraduate degree was in Mechanical Engineering with second major’s in Math and Physics. At this point in time Brendan is focused on the laboratory education of our students, but his academic interests include studying the properties of nano-structures and increasing the access that high school and younger students have to scientific equipment.

Rusbel Dominguez (B-3)

Rusbel Dominguez was born in Ocosingo, Chiapas, México and is an engineering major. He is about to obtain his Bachelors degree in Telecommunications and Electronics at the University of Montemorelos. He has presented this research paper at the Mexican National Physics Conference last October.

David Duarte (A-3)

David Duarte is a Computer Systems Engineering student. He is currently working on the development of the ETMASD software, which is a multipurpose skeletal-data-analysing program that focuses on detecting problems and tracking the development of patients undergoing physical therapy thus allowing a complete real time, free-moving, easy-adapting way of diagnosing and treating a patient during the whole process of rehabilitation.

Enoc Gallegos (C-2)

Enoc Gallegos was born in Villahermosa, Tabasco, Mexico and is finishing a BS in Electronics and Telecommunications. He is currently working in the Department of Biomedical Research on the topic of “Atmospheric Effects in Optical Communications at Open Space.” This research was presented at the National Congress of Physics.

Solomon Gisemba (C-3)

Solomon Gisemba completed his B.A in Chemistry-Biochemistry at Colby College, Waterville, ME in 2011. He completed an Msc. in Medicinal Chemistry at the University of Kansas School of Pharmacy, Lawrence, KS in 2013 and is currently a PhD candidate there.

Ryan Hayes (D-1)

Dr. Ryan Hayes is finishing his fifth year of teaching general and analytical chemistry at Andrews University. Dr. Hayes is actively researching how burned foods produce carcinogens, how to optically sense metal ions in water, and how to characterize nanoparticles called dendrimers. He also helps manage Andrews ChemServices, a company specializing in manufacturing, distribution, and sale of dendrimers to researchers around the world. Before joining Andrews University, Dr. Hayes worked for nine years in industry as an analytical chemist, research scientist, and a director of business development. Ryan is married to a microbiologist named Suzi, and they have three young scientists: Carter, Christiana, and Cadance.

James Hayward (C-1)

James Hayward is a Research Professor of Biology at Andrews University. Hayward has studied the behavioral ecology of marine birds, bald eagles, and seals for the past four decades. He has authored and coauthored more than 50 papers in the peer-reviewed literature. Currently his research interests include the interaction between egg cannibalism and reproductive synchrony in gulls, and the use of modern eggshell as a tool for understanding ancient dinosaur reproductive strategies.

Shandelle Henson (C-1)

Henson is a mathematical ecologist and is chair of the Department of Mathematics at Andrews University. She applies dynamical systems theory to ecological systems and animal behavior to construct mathematical models that can describe, explain, and predict the future state of systems. She has authored more than 60 peer-reviewed publications, including the book Chaos in Ecology: Experimental Nonlinear Dynamics (Academic Press, 2003). She has studied the behavioral ecology of marine birds and mammals on Protection Island, WA, since 2002 with her ecologist husband, Jim Hayward.

Andrew Hoff (A-2)

After graduating from Andrews University in 2011 with a BS in physics, Andrew Hoff joined the materials science program at Caltech where he is a third year PhD candidate. Besides researching nucleation and viscosity in metallic glasses he is learning Mandarin and enjoys doing culinary experiments and hiking.

Johnson Luma (F-4)

Johnson Luma was born in 1993 in Les Verrettes, Haiti. His parents brought the family to the United States in 2000 not only for a better education but also for a “better life”. Always examining his life, he does know that he has been extremely blessed in all facets. Johnson is an undergraduate student in Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.

Peter Lyons (C-4)

Peter Lyons received his PhD in Biochemistry from Dalhousie University in Canada. He subsequently did postdoctoral work at both Dalhousie University and Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York. Prior to coming to Andrews, Dr. Lyons taught for one year in the biology department at Manhattan College. Most of his research has revolved around the role of metallocarboxypeptidases in human health and disease. He combines biochemical studies with cell biology and zebrafish development to get a well-rounded picture of how these enzymes work and what they do.

Candace Olusola (F-1)

Candace Olusola is a May 2013 graduate of Southern Adventist University, where she obtained her B.S. in Chemistry with an emphasis in Biochemistry. In her time there, she was a Survey of Chemistry and General Chemistry grader for three years, as well as a Calculus tutor.

Luis Pantaleon (F-3)

Luis Pantaleon was born in Mexico City in 1983 and is currently studying Engineering in Electronics and Telecommunications. He is in his 8th semester at the University of Montemorelos and is part of the Investigation and Innovation team from that Institution working on the polarimeter prototype project for the research on sweeteners.

Matias Soto (F-2)

Originally from Mexico, Matias Soto received a B.S. in Aerospace Engineering from The University of Texas at Austin. He received a Master’s degree in Manufacturing Systems in the area of Advanced Materials from Monterrey Technological Institute. Currently, he’s part of the doctorate program in Materials Science at Rice University.

Rodney Summerscales (A-1)

Rodney Summerscales joined the department of Engineering and Computer Science at Andrews University in 2013. He holds a PhD in Computer Science from the Illinois Institute of Technology. His current research uses machine learning to summarize scientific publications.

Lizsandy Torres (D-3)

Lizsandy Torres was born in 1991 in Allende Nuevo León, Mexico. She spent her whole childhood in the south of México, and received all basic education in Adventist Schools. She is currently working on a BS in electronics and telecommunications at Montemorelos University. She participated in a national conferences in Mexico with this interferometry project.

Simone Walcott (B-2)

Simone Walcott has been a Seventh-day Adventist her whole life. She has served in her home church in various capacities and is functioning as Women’s Ministries leader/assistant AY leader, Sabbath School superintendent, chorister in one of the churches in her husband’s District of Churches (Malabar Church) and is Vice President of the Shepherdess Association in the South Caribbean Conference. She is currently the Chief Technician at the University of the West Indies, St. Augustine Campus, Trinidad. She loves learning about history, doing floral arranging, glass etching and she speaks a little French.