Lisa Fauci Professor of Mathematics I am an applied mathematician whose research lies at the interface of scientific computing and biology and my main contributions have been in the area of biological fluid dynamics. At first glance, the neuromechanics of swimming in a fish, sperm cells moving through an oviduct, a bacterial cell moving through pores in soil contaminated by oil spills, and the implantation of a fertilized ovum in the uterus seem to be very diverse topics in biology and physics. However, their dynamics share fundamental features. Firstly, motion is driven by force-generating mechanisms --skeletal muscles in the fish, molecular motors in the sperm and bacteria, and smooth muscles in the uterus. These force-generating mechanisms are mediated by the passive elastic properties of the structure. A focus of my work has been the development of models and algorithms that capture the coupling of these elastic structures with a surrounding fluid. I have been fortunate to spend most of my career collaborating with scientists and engineers (and other mathematicians) -- and I have learned how effective an interdisciplinary approach can be. I enjoy teaching Math courses to undergraduate majors of all kinds, and I hope that I convey that mathematical modeling can be a powerful tool in whatever they choose to focus on. I am from Brooklyn, New York, and received my PhD from New York University.

Christina Kiel Professor of Practice, Political ScienceCo-director of the Mandel-Palagye Program for Middle East Peace. My main research focus is mediation and conflict management. I want to know what can be done to end devastating conflicts like the war in Syria, specifically what peaceful means are available to outsiders. My dissertation work was motivated by my experiences both in official diplomacy and as representative of a conflict resolution NGO, and considered how nonstate mediators affect conflict outcomes and dynamics. I have also done research on transnational advocacy, for example exploring the connections of LGBTQ groups across borders and the power relations between Western and non-Western organizations. In my dissertation I used quantitative (statistical) methods and case studies based on secondary sources as well as interviews. I developed my own coding scheme and collected new data. Recently I have become interested in social network analysis and hyperlink analysis. I received my undergraduate degree in Public Administration in Germany as part of my training for the German Foreign Service. After working in the diplomatic corps for eight years, I entered academia. I received a Masters of Science in International Affairs with a concentration in Security Studies from The New School in New York, and a Masters of Arts and Ph.D. in Political Science (areas: International Relations and Comparative Politics) from the University of New Orleans. My favorite class to teach is Peace Studies and Conflict Management. It is the first class that I developed from scratch (without relying on a textbook) and I keep updating it each time I teach to reflect new developments in the field of mediation and nonviolent resistance. Of course it is rewarding if something I say helps students to make better sense of the world, or inspires them to think differently about a topic. But what I enjoy most is if something students say makes me question my assumptions or challenges academic conventional wisdom. Such moments motivate me to do more research, and to do it in a way that matters to the “real world.” A book that’s had significant impact on me is “Independent Diplomat” by Carne Ross. Ross, a former British diplomat who went on to found a non-profit diplomatic advisory firm (also called Independent Diplomat), explains in the book how international diplomacy often ignores those most affected by its decisions, perpetuating inequality and injustice. I made his battle cry my own and joined Independent Diplomat in 2006 as its first United Nations Representative. For me, to be intellectual means to critically engage with the political world. Be curious and question everything; make the effort to learn about new things and be talk about them in an informed, thoughtful manner.

Matt Sakakeeny Associate Professor of Music My research is on music, race, and social justice in the United States, particularly among African Americans in New Orleans. Though I teach in the music department, my interests are broad and include anything associated with culture and relations of power. I was trained as an anthropologist at Columbia University, and use methods of ethnography to study living people, as well as historical methods for archival research.

Meena Vijayaraghavan Senior Professor of Practice Department of Cell and Molecular Biology

My PhD thesis was on environmental carvino-genesis. Since I am a professor of practice at Tulane, I do not have a lab and therefore am not currently involved in research. Yet, I do actively read articles, and post articles on a regular basis in all the courses I teach. This lets me keep myself abreast of the advancements in my field of interest. Also I do advise honor thesis and independent research which plays a role in helping me learn about the other developments in science. Cancer is a disease that has shown major breakthroughs in treatments while still being evasive.

( Vijayaraghavan cont’d.) Currently as I don’t do active research I don’t use any models, but I do offer service learning option once a year through my intro course in which the students use kits to test water quality and also titration which are really very basic, but still learning tools for analyzing the data and reflecting on the data connecting it with the subject matter taught in class. They are also encouraged to pick any topic within the parameters they test to present at the end of the testing period. This allows them to relate not only to the biological aspects of the topic but also the environmental issues related to the topic while bringing civic and social awareness as well. I was awarded the Japanese Government's Monbusho Fellowship for a post doctoral position in the Osaka Cirty Medical School to continue my study on liver carcinogenesis. Since the move from Japan to United States, I was offered a post doctoral position in the Dept. of Toxicology, University of California , Davis where I worked on epidermal growth factors and their role in breast cancer. I then moved to University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, where I worked on podocytes in the kidney. I was also an Assistant Professor in the Ritsumeikan University, Japan for four years. jolt us into new, and more ethical, ways of seeing and conceptualizing the world. I love to teach! I love both the courses I teach. Intro to Cell and Molec Biology deals with a broad intrduction to the different areas within biology while Genetics takes one deep into the realms of inheritance, mechanisms, unraveling some of the secrets our complicated genes hold. When I teach Intro I feel like telling short stories - each very different from the other while my Genetics class feels like teaching a novel that reveals clues to mysteries.. So I love to teach both - there is no favoritism .. I love seeing students understand the beautiful subject, or share the love I have for the subject. I enjoy the learning they impart to me. Sometimes when I try to explain some concepts, I hear some kids come up with a very simplified explanation and learn how to simplify from them. Life has no meaning if we are not constantly learning and I learn constantly about life from my students. Young minds and their thought processes are always fascinating and this profession allows me to reach and may be shape some... A book I have read that had significant impact was Paul Krugman's "End This Depression Now". An intellectual life is one which involves learning and adapting.

Justin Wolfe Associate Professor of Latin American History