As Arkansas Biosciences Institute celebrates its 20th anniversary, its 2021 annual report features researchers who have contributed to its success, including eight ABI faculty at A-State. Congratulations to ABI veterans Dr. Fabricio Medina-Bolivar (p. 18), Dr. Argelia Lorence (p. 20), and Dr. Maureen Dolan (p. 32), along with newer faculty Dr. Emily Bellis (p. 34), Dr. Sudeepa Bhattacharyya (p. 47), Dr. Kyle Gustafson (p. 35), Dr. Scott Mangan (p. 36) and Dr. Andrew Sweet (p. 37). The report is now online.

Dr. Brandon Kemp, professor of electrical engineering, and colleagues presented a theoretical demonstration of tunable, non-touching particle systems based on inverted dielectric particle systems. This tunable feature provides potential to design novel tunable photonic materials with a wide range of applications. The team includes Cheyenne Sheppard, instructor in electrical engineering, and lead author Tamal Sarkar, whose work was part of his master’s thesis. Their results are published in the Journal of Applied Physics.

Dr. Nairam Simoes, assistant professor of music, competed in the North American Brass Band Competition as a solo cornet player with the Fountain City Brass Band. The 28-member group placed first in the contest. The competing ensembles include a mix of professors, soloists, orchestral players, military bands and even college students. This was Simoes’ first time to compete with the band, which he joined in January.

Dr. Lori Neuman-Lee, assistant professor of physiology, was recently awarded a grant from the Arkansas IDeA Network of Biomedical Research Excellence (Arkansas INBRE), along with two collaborators from Southern Arkansas University. Their grant, titled “Characterization of Snake Immunity in a Novel Animal Model,” examines the role of immune cells in snakes, which have a unique immune strategy. Neuman-Lee joined the faculty in 2017.

Dr. Jonathan A. Merten, associate professor of chemistry, has been appointed to the editorial advisory board of Spectrochimica Acta Part B: Atomic Spectroscopy, a journal in which his work has frequently been published. The journal was initially established in 1939 by the Vatican's astronomic observatory. The editorial board of the publication includes 46 editors and editorial advisory board members in 13 countries or regions.