About Our Speakers

The key points are:

• Explain the role of empathy and relationship-building in communicating about science

• Adjust the length, complexity, and language of a scientific message for a variety of audiences

• Use storytelling strategies to make scientific messages vivid, compelling, and understandable

About Krista Longtin:

Assistant Dean for Faculty Affairs and Professional Development

Associate Professor of Obstetrics & Gynecology

Associate Professor, Communication Studies, School of Liberal Arts

• Read about Krista Longtin

• View a video of her talking about communicating science and health.

Dr. Lee Cambrea's presentation, "A Flare's Life," provides a comprehensive overview of the lifecycle of expendable infrared countermeasures, highlighting the critical role of rigorous acceptance testing in ensuring their reliability.

About Lee Cambrea:

Dr. Lee Cambrea graduated from Purdue University in 2007 with a PhD in Analytical Chemistry and began her career at the Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division in China Lake, CA. As a research chemist, she had many projects including developing chemical sensors for the detection of Improvised Explosive Devices, fingerprint powders for CSI applications, and next generation missile domes and infrared windows.  She was a program manager for an extensive Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) portfolio and the In-house Laboratory Independent Research (ILIR) and Independent Applied Research (IAR) program administered through the Office of Naval Research (ONR). Dr. Cambrea has published over 40 papers in scientific journals and has 10 awarded patents.  In 2018, she joined NSWC Crane working in the Countermeasure Assessment branch (WXRP) and most recently as the manager in the Emerging Technologies branch (WXRX).  The focus of her work has been developing new test procedures and methods for infrared and RF countermeasures. She is currently serving on a rotational assignment as a university liaison and command lead for the Indiana Research Consortium.

• Read about Catherine Pilachowski

• See a video of her work

Timothy Reinholz composes music that builds upon classical tradition while addressing contemporary issues, incorporating the philosophical and production techniques of electronic music into the concert hall. With a passion for confronting climate change, his work engages complex scientific data and reveals hidden narratives within scientific literature. His piece Wave Decay – Papakōlea was a 2024 finalist for The American Prize in Chamber Music and was featured at the Performing Media Festival at the South Bend Museum of Art. In January 2023, his orchestral work Aspects of the Thaw was a finalist for the Crossroads of America commissioning competition with the South Bend Symphony Orchestra and is also a 2024 finalist for The American Prize in Orchestral Music. His music has been toured throughout the Midwest by Milwaukee’s Tontine Ensemble, and he has been commissioned by Romus Kulturskole in Norway. He holds degrees from the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music and the Cleveland Institute of Music and is currently pursuing a Doctor of Music in Composition at Indiana University.

• Read about Timothy Reinholz

• See a video of his work

Dr. Orie Shafer is a chronobiologist, sleep scientist, and neuroscientist who studies the biological "circadian clock." Using the fruit fly—a powerhouse of genetic research—his lab investigates how small, specialized networks of neurons in the brain create an internal sense of time and coordinate sleep and wakefulness. His research also studies "sleep homeostasis"—the internal mechanism that tracks how long an organism has been awake and signals the need to sleep. Though his lab studies the fruit fly, its work is directly relevant to understanding human sleep disorders and how our modern world disrupts circadian rhythms and sleep. In his talk, he will discuss how biological clocks control sleep, how modern light environments lead to sleep loss, and how the fruit fly has been indispensable for understanding living clocks.