Executive Director, Center for Bioelectronics

Conference Chair

Gymama Slaughter is the Executive Director of the Old Dominion University (ODU) Research Center for Bioelectronics and the Director of the NIH Graduate Research Training Initiative for Student Enhancement (G-RISE) at ODU. She is the recipient of the National Science Foundation's prestigious CAREER AWARD, which recognizes faculty who exemplify the role of teacher-scholar through outstanding research, excellent education and the integration of education and research. Slaughter develops and applies sensor technologies and processor platforms, focusing on innovative contributions to identifying a pathway to embed sensing and processing functions in the same device to eliminate bottlenecks arising from communication between the sensor, transducer and processor, thus, resulting in ultra-fast and ultra-low power devices. She seves on the board of the Tidewater African Cultural Alliance (TACA).

Dr. Bahoura received M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in laser and matter from the University of Paris XI, Orsay, France, in 1993 and 1998, respectively. In 1998, Dr. Bahoura was awarded the National Research Council (NRC) Research Associateship Award to work at NASA-Langley Research Center (LaRC) in Hampton, VA. At NASA-LaRC, he worked on the development of a high-performance all-solid-state terahertz laser system using a novel phase-matching technique. In 2000, Dr. Bahoura joined Norfolk State University (NSU) as a research associate professor and worked on developing advanced laser powder materials. In 2010, Dr. Bahoura joined the engineering department at NSU where he is working on the design and development of renewable energy harvesting devices, energy storage devices, and energy-saving and low-power devices and sensors. Professor Bahoura is the director and the principal investigator of two NSF Centers: the NSF CREST Center for Renewable Energy and Advanced Materials (CREAM) and the NSF CREST Center for Nano and Bio-Inspired Materials and Devices (CNBMD). Professor Bahoura is PI, Co-PI, and senior investigator on projects totaling funding over $30M from the National Science Foundation (NSF) and Department of Defense (DoD). in 2020, Dr. Bahoura was appointed as the director of the Center for Materials Research at NSU.

Professor Bahoura supervised 18 Doctoral and Master students in materials science and engineering and published over 260 scientific publications and invention disclosures. Professor Bahoura served as the graduate program coordinator for the Center for Materials Research at NSU from 2011-2014 and he is an online certified instructor. He is the faculty advisor of the Society Student Chapter of IEEE, the Materials Science Society (MRS), the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE), and the Society of Women Engineers (SWE) at NSU. Dr. Bahoura is on the editorial board of the International Journal of Innovative Technology and Creative Engineering (IJITCE) and peer-reviewer for the Applied Optics, Optics Express, IEEE-Transactions on Instrumentation and Measurement Society Journal of IEEE

Photonics Technology Letters, and IJITCE. He is a member of the Materials Research Society (MRS), IEEE Laser and Electro-Optics Society (LEOS), Ultrasonics, Ferroelectrics, and Frequency Control Society (UFFC), Communications Society, Instrumentation & Measurements Society (I&M), Optical Society of America (OSA), American Physical Society (APS), and International Society for Optical Engineering (SPIE).

Dr Bijandra Kumar is working as associate professor at ECSU, a constitution institute of University of North Carolina system. He has completed his PhD in Material Science and Engineering form Université Bretagne Sud, France in 2010. Dr. Kumar's research interests focus in developing nanomaterial based biomarker sensors, electro-catalytic reactions, electro-chemical energy storage (e.g., metal-ion and metal-air batteries) and energy conversion (e.g., CO2 reduction reaction, hydrogen evolution reaction, water splitting reaction) systems as well as design, synthesis, and characterization of advanced materials for energy-related applications. His research has been published in highly ranked journals including Science, Nature, Energy and Environmental science and others. His current research is supported by DOE, NSF, and other international grants.

Dr. Aylin Marz is an Associate Professor of Biology at Norfolk State University where she has been since 2016. She teaches undergraduate biology, anatomy, physiology, histology and developmental biology courses. She applies her research interest in breast cancer biology to her courses by developing course-based undergraduate research experiences (CUREs) in her laboratory classes. Her interdisciplinary research examines the molecular and cellular pathways involved in breast cancer progression. With a focus on pathways that link DNA damage repair to cell invasiveness, her lab uses both yeast and human cells to understand how cells become malignant and to use this information to develop novel biomarkers of disease progression and potential treatment targets. In her collaborative work, Dr. Marz works with engineers to develop diagnostic tools using novel label-free optical methods to distinguish different cell types based on their biomechanical and optical properties. Dr. Marz's recent collaborative interests include exploration of plant products for their effects on cell growth and invasiveness and potential involvement in DNA repair pathways. Applying her molecular biology and mutagenesis expertise from breast cancer Dr. Marz is also embarking on a new collaboration in which she develops altered salt-resistant Spartina for coastal resilience.

Dr. Marz obtained her B.Sc. in Biological Sciences with an Option in Biomedical Engineering from Carnegie Mellon University. She did her doctoral work under the guidance of Dr. Vicki Lundblad at Baylor College of Medicine studying DNA recombinational repair-dependent alternative pathways of telomere maintenance in two yeast species. She continued her work in Dr. Mina Bissell's laboratory at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory as a Postdoctoral Fellow contributing to the development of

relevant models for studying breast cancer progression in human cells as well as beginning a project interrogating the reciprocal relationship between DNA damage repair pathways and cell invasiveness through the extracellular matrix. Dr. Marz established a lab as an Assistant Professor in the Radiation Oncology department of Virginia Commonwealth University continuing her studies on breast cancer progression and biomarkers, followed by adjunct teaching positions in area colleges, prior to joining the biology department at Norfolk State University. Over the years, Dr. Marz has been funded by local foundation, state (CA, VA) and federal (DoD, NIH, NSF) funding sources.

Terry Jacot, PhD, is a Research Assistant Professor in the CONRAD Division of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Eastern Virginia Medical School. She received her degree in physiology from the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, MD and continued with postdoctoral training at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC and the National Institutes of Health, Bethesda MD. Dr. Jacot has over 25 years of experience in cellular and molecular biology research. Since 2012, she has been working with CONRAD supporting clinical research in HIV prevention as well as spearheading translational research in developing objective markers of adherence for HIV prevention studies. This research has recently expanded into development of aptamer-based biosensors for point-of-care quantitation of therapeutic levels of anti-retroviral drugs.

TaShara C. Bailey

Dr. TaShara C. Bailey's professional career is dedicated to increasing institutional diversity among administrators, faculty, staff, and students. She specializes in program evaluation and assessment of diversity initiatives spearheaded by those in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics including business (STEM-B). During her tenure as a scholar-practitioner in higher education, Bailey has championed organizational change in areas of diversity and inclusion by focusing on broadening STEM-B participation of historically under-represented groups. As a strategic leader, Bailey has demonstrated a clear passion for the advancement of program evaluation of interventions designed to diversify the scientific and technological workforce. Her extensive experience with diversity initiatives in institutions of higher learning includes teaching, academic advising, retention programs, and alumni relations.

In addition, Bailey has worked collaboratively with cross-functional teams in elementary and secondary schools, with community organizations, nonprofit medical research organizations, and governmental agencies. Considering her experience during her undergraduate and graduate education, she has more than a decade of involvement in successful recruitment, retention enrollment management, and strategic planning. During these years, she was involved in the administration of summer programs, staff management, program evaluation and assessment, research and analysis, and coaching. Throughout, her focus has been on implementing STEM-B interventions for diverse populations.

In Maryland, Bailey has been actively engaged in and supported by the NIH-sponsored MARC U*STAR program and NSF-sponsored LSAMP program at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County and UMBC's Meyerhoff Scholars Program. She was the NSF-sponsored USM's PROMISE AGEP-T STEM Postdoctoral Fellow at the UMBC and Coppin State University in the Department of Psychology. As a fellow, she also actively participated in the formative and summative assessments of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute-funded Meyerhoff Adaptation Program. While at the University of Michigan she was an engaged administrator and researcher in the Detroit Area Pre-College Engineering Program in the College of Engineering, the Diversity Research and Policy Program in the National Center for Institutional Diversity, the LEAD Summer Business Institute in the Stephen M. Ross School of Business, and numerous diversity initiatives for undergraduates, graduates, and alumni sponsored by the Rackham Graduate School.

Dr. TaShara Bailey is the Director of Old Dominion University (ODU) First Star Academy, effective July 25, 2022. TaShara joins ODU from the University of Maryland, Baltimore where she served as Director of STEM Curriculum and Director of Programs for the CURE Scholars Program. Developing STEM curricula and related materials for student success, analyzing, and modifying instructional activities and strategies, organizing, and coordinating activities for middle and high school scholars, and collecting, managing, and interpreting data for reporting purposes were among the responsibilities of the position. Prior to this role, TaShara was a Coordinator for the CURE Scholars Program and Adjunct Faculty in the Graduate School at the University of Maryland, Baltimore.

Passion Studivant

Passion Studivant has over 17 years of experience as a collaborative leader and strategic director in secondary and postsecondary education. With her expertise, she develops student-centered environments that cater to marginalized students and support academic success. Her skills include programmatic planning, organizational leadership, and grant writing. As director of TRiO programs, she identifies, establishes, manages, and secures additional TRiO programs for the University. Among her responsibilities are developing comprehensive access programs for first-generation college students, low-income students, underrepresented students, and students with disabilities. She has a demonstrated track record of creating and executing innovative advising, mentoring, and counseling procedures to support students that measurably improve eligible students' academic performance, retention, and graduation rates. She is passionate and committed to making education attainable for everyone. In addition to her master's degree from Old Dominion University, she is a Nationally Certified Counselor and a Virginia Licensed Professional School Counselor. Passion is inspired daily by her husband and their two children. In her free time, she likes to design, braid, and spend time with her family.

Sheriyse Williams, PhD

Dr. Sheriyse Williams is the director of the ODU TRiO McNair Scholars Program at Old Dominion University. She holds her Ph.D. in clinical psychology with a specialization in industrial/organizational psychology. She has over 19 years of experience in the mental health field and 12 years of experience in postsecondary education as a professor of psychology. She has worked as a leadership coach and developer, therapist, mental health clinician, team development specialist, and consultant. Dr. Williams is a servant leader who has mentored professionals, peers, and students with the goal of supporting them in achieving success and become better versions of themselves.

Joleen McInnis

Joleen McInnis is the liaison librarian to the College of Health Sciences and for Biology, OES, Psychology, and Women's Studies at Old Dominion University. She holds an MFA in Creative Writing from the University of Massachusetts, Boston, a MS in Library and Information Science from Simmons College, and a BA in German Studies from the University of Massachusetts, Boston. She currently lives in Norfolk, VA with her husband Brian, and their two cats, Marcello Miaustroianni and Giuseppe DeCatnis.