The Academic Minute from 12.16 – 12.20
Monday, December 16th
Jessica Cox – Franklin & Marshall College
Codeswitching
Jessica Cox researches the relationships between language and cognitive abilities in multilinguals. She has also studied factors that influence second-language learning including previous language-learning experience, working memory, and cognitive aging. She holds a PhD in Spanish Linguistics from Georgetown University and a BA in World Languages with a Concentration in Spanish from Gettysburg College.
Tuesday, December 17th
Elizabeth De Santo – Franklin & Marshall College
Protecting the Oceans
Professor De Santo is a human geographer with training in environmental law, international relations, environmental management and marine zoology. Her teaching and research focus on marine conservation and environmental governance. She has served as a Marine Protected Areas Coordination Officer for the International Union for Conservation of Nature and program manager of the World Environmental Center, among other environmental marine positions. Professor De Santo has a PhD in geography from the University College London, a masters of science in the history of international relations from the London School of Economics and Political Science, a masters of environmental management from Duke University, and a BA in zoology from Connecticut College.
Wednesday, December 18th
Carlota Batres – Franklin & Marshall College
Disgust
Professor Batres received a master’s in science in evolutionary and comparative psychology and a PhD. in psychology from St Andrews in 2012 and 2016, respectively. She earned her bachelor of science degree in psychology and economics at Wellesley College in 2009. Batres heads The Preference Lab at Franklin & Marshall College, where she examines the information that faces convey. “It only takes milliseconds for our brains to process someone’s face and unconsciously, we use facial cues to make a myriad of social judgments, ranging from how dominant someone is to how attractive we find them,” she says.
Thursday, December 19th
Shawn O’Bryhim – Franklin & Marshall College
Manuscript Illuminator
Professor O’Bryhim holds a B.A. in secondary education and a master’s degree in Latin from Ball State University, and a master’s degree and doctorate in Classics from the University of Texas at Austin. As a Classics professor, O’Bryhim specializes in Mediterranean religion and ancient comedy, both of which figure in his novel, The Messengers: Fire of the Gods. He is author of Beginning Latin: The Complete Course, numerous journal articles on the Classics, and he edited Ancient Comedy: Translations and Interpretations of Four Representative Plays. He has presented numerous papers at US and international conferences.
Friday, December 20th
Harriet Okatch – Franklin & Marshall College
Lead Poisoning
Professor Okatch holds a bachelor of science degree in chemistry and a PhD in analytical chemistry from the University of Botswana, and a masters in public health from the University of Pennsylvania. Her research work focuses on understanding factors that promote lead poisoning, identifying geographic- and culturally- specific lead exposures, and designing lead poisoning prevention interventions. Her other research centers on the question “What factors affect medication adherence in HIV patients?”
