January 2004 Fly-by
NSF Program Evaluation
Matthew Balhoff
Major: Chemical Engineering
Home: Baton Rouge
Undergrad: LSU Chemical Engineering
Years at LSU: 7 (incl. B.S. degree in ChE)
CMC-IGERT Rank: Artisan
Faculty Team: Daly-Thompson
Off-campus participant: Dr. Desroches, Schlumberger
Project: Multi-Scale Modeling of Porous Media Flow
Apprenticeship Project: Schlumberger
Minithesis completed? Yes
Current career objective: Unkown
Hobbies: Sports
Michael Baylis
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Major: Chemistry
Home: Petal, Mississippi
Undergrad: B.S. Polymer Science, University of Southern MS 1992
Graduate: M.S. Chemistry, LSU 1999
Years at LSU: 3+ (incl. M.S. degree work  return for Ph.D.)
CMC-IGERT Rank: Recruit
Faculty Team: Russo Off-campus: TBA
Project: Gold Nano-Rods for Polymer Physics
Apprenticeship Project: TBA
Minithesis completed? No.
Current career objective: Academia
Hobbies: Computing
Brian Benson
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Major: Biochemistry
Home: Baton Rouge, LA
Undergrad: B.S. Biochemistry, LSU-Baton Rouge (2002)
Years at LSU: 1+
CMC-IGERT Rank: Apprentice
Faculty Team: Laine/Waldrop
Off-Campus: Ralph Freedman, M.D. Anderson
Project: GDP-mannose 4,6-dehydratase (GMD) assay
development and
pH rate profiles
Minithesis completed? No.
Current career objective: Oncology Physician/Scientist
Hobbies: Cooking, Marine Aquaculture, Music
Alan Bussard
Major: Chemical Engineering
Home: San Mateo, CA
Undergrad: B.S. Chemical Engineering, U.C.
Berkeley (2003)
Years at LSU: < 1
CMC-IGERT Rank: recruit
Faculty Team: Prof. Kerry Dooley & Other
Off-campus: TBA
Project: Hydrogenation of Polymers in Oscillating
Systems
Minithesis completed? No
Current career objective: Industry
Hobbies: Practical Pistol Competitions
Jason Campbell
Major: Chemistry
Home: Bossier City, LA
Undergrad: B.S. Chemistry, LSU-Shreveport (1999)
Years at LSU: 4
CMC-IGERT Rank: Artisan
Faculty Team: Russo, Spivak
Off-campus: Patricia M. Cotts, Dupont
Project: Molecular recognition
Apprenticeship Project: Scattering from influenza (completed)
Minithesis completed? Yes.
Current career objective: Industry
Hobbies: Sports, Computers, Movies.
Geaux Tigers.
Colleen Colson
• Major: Chemistry
• Home: New Orleans, LA
• Undergrad: B.S. Polymer Science, University of Southern Mississippi
(2002)
• Years at LSU: 2
• CMC-IGERT Rank: Apprentice
• Faculty Team: Dr. Thomas
• Off-campus: Noel Clark (University of Colorado, Boulder) and P.J.
Persichini III (Allegheny College)
• Project: Large and small molecule interactions with phospholipid
tubules
• Apprenticeship Project: Not yet
• Minithesis completed: No
• Current career objective: Industry
• Hobbies: Reading, Cooking, and Planning my Wedding
Derek Dorman
• Major: Chemistry
• Home: Jackson, MS
• Undergrad: B.S. Polymer Science, University of Southern
Mississippi (2000)
• Years at LSU: 2
• CMC-IGERT Rank: Apprentice
• Faculty Team: Russo, McCarley
• Off-campus: R. Epand (McMaster University) and Iris Torriani
(Brazil)
• Project: Lipid-Dendrimer Interactions
• Apprenticeship Project: Not yet
• Minithesis completed? No.
• Current career objective: Industry
• Hobbies: Watching Football and Gaming
Garrett Doucet
• Major: Chemistry
• Home: Luling, LA
• Undergrad: B.S. Polymer Science, University of Southern
Mississippi (1997)
• Years at LSU: 6.3
• CMC-IGERT Rank: Honorary Craftsperson (Guinea pig again!)
• Faculty Team: Russo
• Off-campus: Not Applicable
• Project: Matrix Fluorescence Photobleaching Recovery and
Complex Solutions of Rodlike Polymers
• Apprenticeship Project: Not Applicable
• Minithesis completed? Not Applicable
• Current career objective: Acadamia
• Hobbies: Reading, Learning History, Playing Pool, Board Games,
Traveling
Angela N. Douglas
Major: Chemistry
Home: Grambling, LA
Undergrad: Grambling State University; Grambling, LA
(May 2000)
Years at LSU: 3+
CMC-IGERT Rank: Apprentice
Faculty Team: Isiah Warner, Steven Soper
Off-campus: TBA (probably at NIST)
Project: Surface Modification of Microfluidic Devices
Apprenticeship Project: Surface Modification of Microchips
Using a Zwitterionic Polymer
Minithesis completed: No
Current career objective: Industry
Hobbies: eating, shopping, dreaming about sleeping
Nadia J. Edwin
Major: Chemistry
Home: St.Croix, USVI
Undergrad: B.S. Chemistry, UVI-St.Thomas (2000)
Years at LSU: 3+
CMC-IGERT Rank: Artisan
Faculty Team: Dr. Paul Russo, Dr. Robin McCarley
Off-campus: Dr. Andrea Liu, UCLA
Project: Inhibiting Alzheimer’s Disease
Apprenticeship Project: Light Scattering Characterization of Dow Particles
(completed)
Minithesis completed? YES
Current career objective: MD/PhD Academic Professor
Hobbies: Traveling, Reading, Writing…
Christopher W. Guillory
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Major: ELRC = Educational Leadership Research & Counseling
Home: Sorrento, LA
Undergrad: B.S, Mathematics, USL (1997)
Years at LSU: 4+
CMC-IGERT Rank: Apprentice
Faculty Team: Kennedy, Monlezun Off-campus: Jean Fields
Off-campus participant: TBA
Project: IGERT Program review
Apprenticeship Project: Retention Rates at Public Universities
in Louisiana
• Minithesis completed? No.
• Current career objective: ???
• Hobbies: Comic books and spending free time with my wife
Veronica Holmes
Major: Chemistry
Home: Baton Rouge, LA
Undergrad: B.S, Chemistry, Southern University (1999)
Years at LSU: 4
CMC-IGERT Rank: Artisan
Faculty Team: Daly, Thompson
Off-campus: Drew Poche’ (Dow)
Project: Flow Through Porous Media
Apprenticeship Project: Related to Project, completed.
Minithesis completed? Soon, very, very soon.
Current career objective: Agriculture Innovations
Hobbies: Marathon training
Allison M. Joubert
Major: Biochemistry
Home: Opelousas, LA
Undergrad: B.S. Biological Sciences, LSU-BR (2001)
Years at LSU: 6+ (including undergraduate)
CMC-IGERT Rank: Artisan
Faculty Team: Vince J. LiCata and Jackie Stephens
Off-campus: Alexandra Klinger ( Johnson & Johnson)
Student Team Member: Greg Thompson
Project: Bridging the In Vitro – In Vivo Gap: Structure-Function Studies of
a DNA Binding Protein
Apprenticeship Project: Hydrodynamic and X-ray Scattering Properties of Type I
DNA Polymerases from E. coli and T. aquaticus (completed)
Minithesis completed? Yes
Current career objective: Pharmaceutical Research
Hobbies: Watching Movies, Hanging out with friends
and playing Tennis
Mariah McMasters
Major: Chemistry
Home: Paragould, Arkansas
Undergrad: Chemistry and Mathematics, B.S., Arkansas State University (1999)
Years at LSU: 3
CMC-IGERT Rank: Artisan
Faculty Team: Robin McCarley, Paul Russo, Bob Hammer
Outside Participant: TBA
Project: Inhibiting Alzheimer’s Disease
Apprenticeship Project: Surface-Induced Aggregation of Beta Amyloid Peptide
Minithesis completed: Yes
Current Career Objective: Academics
Hobbies: Reading, Cooking
Matthew Malwitz
Major: Chemistry
Home: Currently – Baton Rouge
Undergrad: University of Southern Mississippi
Years at LSU: 3
CMC-IGERT Rank: ????
Faculty Team: Schmidt
Off-campus: TBA (possibly SANS expert at NIST or ORNL)
Project: Examination of Shear Induced Orientation of Polymer-Clay Solutions
and Films by Rheology, Scattering, and Microscopy Techniques
Minithesis completed: No
Current career objective: Eventually to work in either a national lab or industry.
Hobbies: Gaming
Rhonda Nichols
Major: Human Ecology
Home: Baton Rouge, LA
Undergrad: B.S, Textile Science, LSU (1996)
Years at LSU: 4+
CMC-IGERT Rank: Apprentice
Faculty Team: Negulescu, Kuttruff Off-campus: Billie Collier
Project: Textile End-Use Applications of Recycled Commercial Polymer Materials
and Textiles
Apprenticeship Project: Evaluation of Effect of Color Component in
Naturally Colored Cotton
Minithesis completed? Yes.
Current career objective: Agriculture Innovations
Hobbies: Science and Research
James Rucker
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Major: Chemistry
Home: Scott, AR
Undergrad: B.S. Chemistry, University of Central Ark. (2002)
Years at LSU: 2
CMC-IGERT Rank: Apprentice
Faculty Team: Hall, Hammer, Browne
» Off-campus: John Straub, BU
Project: Molecular Dynamics Simulation of Beta Sheet Peptides
Apprenticeship Project: TBA
Minithesis completed? No
Current career objective: ???
Hobbies: Sports, Computers
Christopher Sparrow
Major: Chemistry
Home: Louisiana
Undergrad: B.S. Chemistry, Xavier New Orleans
Years at LSU: 2
CMC-IGERT Rank: Apprentice
Faculty Team: Maverick-Cleij (departed, to be replaced)
Project: Inorganic functional polymers
Apprenticeship Project: N
Minithesis completed? N
Current career objective: ?????
Hobbies: Sports
Greg Thompson
Major: Biochemistry
Home: Slidell, LA
Undergrad: B.S. Biology Millsaps College, Jackson, MS
Years at LSU: 1.5
CMC-IGERT Rank: Apprentice
Faculty Team: LiCata, Batista, Stephens
Student Team Member: Allison Joubert
Project: Protein: Bridging the in vivo in vitro gap.
Apprenticeship Project: DNA Type I Polymerases
Minithesis completed? No.
Current career objective: Undecided
Hobbies: Likes watching football, and playing golf.
Kanika Vessel
Major: Mechanical Engineering (M.E.)
Home: Detroit, MI
Undergrad: B.S. M.E., Southern University-Baton Rouge (SUBR) (1999)
Years at LSU: 4
CMC-IGERT Rank: Artisan
Faculty Team: Dr. Su-Seng Pang, Dr. Yitshak Ram & Dr. Ioan Negulescu
Off-campus: Dr. Guoqiang Li-LSU/SUBR
Project: Biodegradable Polymers and Sensitivity of Eigenvalues
Apprenticeship Project: Parametric and Sensitivity Analysis of a Vibratory
Automobile Model.
Minithesis completed? Yes.
Current career objective: Industry first, eventually Professor
Hobbies: Reading, Bowling and Skating.
John K. Whitehead
Major: Chemistry
Home: Texas
Undergrad: Texas A&M branch campus
Years at LSU: 2
CMC-IGERT Rank: Apprentice
Faculty Team: Hammer-Fields-Newcomer
Off-campus: TBA
Project: Peptide design characterization
Apprenticeship Project: Synthesis and Characterization of
Fmoc-aminomethylphosphinate
Minithesis completed? Yes
Current career objective: Synthetic Chemist
Hobbies: Reading and Sports