Class 2: 2023
Barrett-Anne Briggs is a PhD student in Biology at West Virginia University.
Her doctoral research focuses on Borrelia burgdorferi, the etiological agent of
Lyme disease, regarding transcriptomic profiling through its primary tick vector,
Ixodes scapularis. She collaborates with the Department of Microbiology, Immunology
and Cell Biology at WVU in order to pick potential peptide-based targets for a
potential Lyme vaccine. She has a BS in Biology from Wingate University with an
emphasis in chemistry and political science. Barrett also has experience working
at the intersection of science and policy working for the North Carolina Department
of Administration through The State of NC Internship Program for the NC Museum
of Natural sciences in the Genomics and Microbiology lab. Barrett is interested
in exploring a career in science policy; she is especially drawn to federal policy.
Barrett is from Vass, North Carolina and currently resides in Morgantown, WV. Barrett’s
fellowship is with the Brad and Alys Smith Outdoor Economic Development Collaborative
and WV Ascend, working with Danny Twilley, PhD and Elizabeth Vitullo, PhD.
Stacia Harper is a PhD student at West Virginia University in the Davis
College of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Design Natural Resource Management
at West Virginia University. Her dissertation research focuses on the spatial distribution
of climate stress to urban populations and the linkages between environment, health
and demographics. She is currently working with NASA’s Climate Change Research
Initiative to further develop her research interests between climate, population,
and environment. Stacia received her B.A. from West Virginia University in Political
Science and Economics and received her M.S. in Resource and Applied Economics from
the University of Alaska Fairbanks. Her professional background has focused on
the regulation of electric and natural gas utilities and the development of markets
to incorporate renewable power, energy efficiency and demand response for electric
and natural gas utilities. Following completion of her PhD, Stacia hopes to contribute
to climate resilient policy design and implementation within state and national
policy forums.
Kenzie Kohrs is a master’s student in Energy Environments at West Virginia
University. She is also pursuing graduate certificates in GIS and Spatial Analysis
and University Teaching. In her graduate studies, she researches mine land reclamation
through the use of spatial software and analysis.. She received her undergraduate
degree in Energy Land Management from West Virginia University, where she was an
undergraduate research assistant working on the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s
Natural Resources Conservation Service’s Farm and Ranch Lands Protection Program
mapping conservation easements across the country. Kenzie is interested in learning
and perfecting her skills in mapping and GIS software. Kenzie is located in Morgantown,
WV. She is conducting her fellowship in the office of Student and Faculty Innovation,
working with Erienne Olesh, PhD, MBA.
Andrea Milstred (she/her) is a PhD student in Behavioral Neuroscience
at West Virginia University. Her research focuses on investigating the abuse liability
of nicotine products and tobacco use behaviors among different populations. She
has an interest in tobacco policy and in researching the effects of tobacco regulations
on disadvantaged groups. She hopes to have a career in a policy related field after
graduation. She has a BA and MS from Shippensburg University, where she majored
in Experimental Psychology. Andrea is from Baltimore, MD and currently resides
in Morgantown, WV. Science & Technology Note
Sage Muttel (she/her) is a PhD candidate in the Geology Department at
West Virginia University. Her research focuses on the relationship between organic-rich
mudrock deposition, bottom-water anoxia, glacial/interglacial settings, and the
role of paleo-wildfires in the Devonian using high detail geochronology, geochemical
analysis, and field work. Sage received her M.S. in Geology at Missouri State University
(working under Dr. Matthew McKay - a WVU alum) in 2020 and her B.S in Geology at
University of Houston - Downtown in 2017. Sage is originally from Houston, TX and
her goal beyond graduation is to join the energy industry using her skills in reservoir
analysis. Sage's fellowship is with the WVU Energy Institute working with Sam Taylor,
Assistant Director for Strategic Partnerships and Technology.
Robin Oliverio (she/her) is a PhD candidate in the Department of Neuroscience
at West Virginia University. Her research focuses on the relationship between traumatic
brain injuries and alcohol misuse. Additionally, she studies the neuroscience that
could underlie rehabilitative measures following a traumatic brain injury. Robin
is the current president of West Virginia University's Science Policy Organization
and has organized several events through this organization wherein students learn
about science communication, research ethics, and advocacy. She hopes to continue
her career with a focus on science policy, particularly as it relates to public
health concerns.
Taylor Stump (he/him) is a PhD candidate in Biomedical Engineering in
the Statler College of Engineering at West Virginia University. His doctoral research
focuses on Neural Engineering and involves the design, fabrication, and testing
novel neural electrodes. This work involves collaborations with University of Utah,
University of Minnesota, University of Strathclyde (Glasgow, Scotland), and the
Hannover Medical School (Hannover, Germany). Being a West Virginia native, he has
been involved in community science outreach and has interest in broader public
policy influencing West Virginian’s health, high technology employment, and energy
needs. He has a pending patent and experience with intellectual property policy.
He hopes to find work as a technical advisor for advanced concepts in translational
neural interfaces and contributing to ethical and policy frameworks for these technologies.
Taylor resides in Morgantown, WV.
Mohammed Tamim Zaki (he/him) is a PhD student in Civil and Environmental
Engineering at West Virginia University (WVU). During his graduate studies at WVU,
he co-developed an open-source data-driven carbon accounting model, which aids
policymakers as a decision-making tool for the restoration of coastal wetlands
in northeast United States. Currently, his research is focused on up-scaling technologies
that can convert organic waste, such as food waste, animal manure into valuable
resources (energy, nutrients, and carbon) in rural communities of WV through data
science. He is interested in local and state-level policy and capacity building
to establish WV as a national leader for rural decarbonization. Outside research,
Tamim is a mentor for Latin American undergraduate students under the Clean Water
Science Network mentorship program. Tamim's fellowship is with the WVU Agricultural
Extension Service working with Dave McGill, Professor/Extension Specialist for
Forest Resources Management. He will be working with Dave as a part of the MASBio
project exploring the value (e.g., bioenergy, biochar) of urban wood waste in West
Virginia that is otherwise discarded in landfills.