The Academic Minute for 2016.1.11-01.15

Academic Minute from 1.11 – 1.15

Monday, January 11
Franco Pestilli – Indiana University
Re-discovering A Lost Part of the Brain
Franco Pestilli is an assistant professor in the Indiana University Bloomington College of Arts and Sciences’ Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences. He is also associated with the IU Network Science Institute and the Programs in Neuroscience and in Cognitive Science in the College of Arts and Sciences.
As a researcher, Pestilli investigates the white matter, microstructures and anatomy of the brain. He is especially interested in the computational modeling of human behavior and brain activity; the psychophysics of visual perception and reading; and the behavioral and brain mechanisms of motivation and attention.

Tuesday, January 12
Robert Edgell – SUNY Polytechnic Institute
Beneficial Innovation
Dr. Robert Edgell is an Assistant Professor of Technology Management at SUNY Polytechnic Institute and a Visiting Professor at the Swiss Business School in Zurich. Previously, he was a professor at American University’s Kogod School of Business and has taught at San Francisco State University’s College of Business.
His current scholarly research focuses on a range of interdisciplinary topics including media as a lever for corporate governance, responsible innovation and harm (in collaboration with colleagues from Stanford University Law School), top management team creativity processes, and entrepreneurial social impact.

Wednesday, January 13
John Sivey – Towson University
Safeners in Herbicides
John Sivey (Sĭ’-vee) is the Jess and Mildred Fisher Endowed Professor of Chemistry at Towson University. Professor Sivey’s research group investigates the transformation mechanisms and fate of active and “inert” constituents of agrochemical formulations. His team also examines the chemistry and consequences of often-overlooked halogenating agents (e.g., Cl₂O, BrCl, and BrOCl) in drinking water. Professor Sivey teaches courses in analytical and environmental chemistry, including an Honors College seminar entitledThe Polluted States of America.
Professor Sivey received his PhD in Environmental Engineering and Chemistry from the Johns Hopkins University, his MS in Environmental Engineering and Science from Clemson University, and his BS in Chemistry from Central Michigan University. Prior to joining the faculty of the Department of Chemistry at Towson University, Professor Sivey completed postdoctoral work in the Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering at Yale University.

Thursday, January 14
Dave Strayer – University of Utah
Driver Distraction
My work examines how attention functions within multiple research domains, from assessing the limits of human multitasking ability while performing complex tasks such as driving, to studying how attentional capacities can be restored by interacting with nature. We use converging methodologies in our lab to measure changes in both attention and performance, from psychophysiological (EEG and fMRI), subjective ratings, to primary (e.g., driving performance) and secondary task (e.g., reaction time) measures.

Friday, January 15
Justin Dressel – Chapman University
Grainy Digital Photographs
Dr. Dressel researches the foundations of quantum physics, which is a natural intersection point between physics, mathematics, and computer science. His recent research has focused on algebraic approaches to generalized quantum measurements, quantum computation with superconducting transmon quantum bits using circuit quantum electrodynamics, and Clifford algebraic approaches to relativistic field theory. Though the bulk of his work is theoretical in nature, he works closely with experimental teams at U Rochester, UC Berkeley, and UC Santa Barbara.