Dr. Wisniewski is a Professor of Neurology, Pathology and Psychiatry at NYU. Dr. Wisniewski's laboratory focuses on gaining a better understanding of conformational disorders such as AD and prion related disease. This work has led to over 180 peer-reviewed publications. Key contributions have included discovering the role of apolipoprotein E in driving amyloid β accumulation in late-onset AD. Dr. Wisniewski has pioneered a potential novel approach to treat AD-related pathology by blocking the interaction of AD and apoE. In addition, Dr. Wisniewski has been developing strategies for the prevention of amyloid β accumulation and its removal in AD using non-toxic, highly immunogenic AB homologous peptides as "vaccines". This approach has been shown to be efficacious in a number of animal models of AD. The use of this "vaccination" approach for prion disease was pioneered by Dr. Wisniewski's group. His laboratory has shown for the first time that both a passive and active vaccination approach is effective in animal and tissue culture models of prion disease. Significantly, Dr. Wisniewski's laboratory developed an oral mucosal prion vaccination, which is the first vaccine that has been shown to prevent prion peripheral infection in wild-type animals. In addition, Dr. Wisniewski's laboratory has been active in the development of diagnostic methods for the detection of amyloid deposits. These various studies by Dr. Wisniewsk's laboratory have helped direct our greater understanding of abnormal protein accumulation in the brain towards diagnostic and therapeutic interventions.              

Mark A. Smith, Professor, Case Western Reserve University, USA 

Dr. Mark A. Smith received his B.Sc. with Honors in Molecular Biology and Biochemistry from Hatfield College, Durham University, England (1986). He went on to earn a Ph.D. in Biochemistry from Nottingham University, England, in 1990. Dr. Smith spent the next two years as a Research Fellow at Sandoz Forschungsinstitut in Vienna, Austria before joining Case Western Reserve University (CWRU) in 1992. Dr. Smith is currently Professor of Pathology and Director of Basic Science Research of the University Memory and Cognition Center, and also serves as Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease and Executive Director of the American Aging Association. Dr. Smith is the recipient of several awards including the Ruth Salta Junior Investigator Achievement Award from the American Health Assistance Foundation, Young Scientist Lectureship Award from the International Society for Neurochemistry, the Nathan Shock New Investigator Award from The Gerontological Society of America, the Zenith Award from the Alzheimer's Association, the Jordi Folch-Pi Award from the American Society of Neurochemistry, the Hermann-Esterbauer Award from the HNE Society, and the Denham Harman Award from the American Aging Association. Dr. Smith has also been honored as a Fellow of the American Aging Association and a Fellow of the Royal College of Pathologists. Finally, Dr. Smith has been recognized for his contributions to teaching with, among others, the Outstanding Mentor Award, School of Graduate Studies and the 2009 J. Bruce Jackson, M.D., Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Mentoring, Case Western Reserve University. The focus of Dr. Smith’s research involves investigating the pathological mechanism(s) underlying selective neuronal death in neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease. Dr. Smith’s research involves a variety of techniques ranging from histological to molecular biology to cellular models and encompasses diagnostic, mechanistic, and therapeutic strategies. Dr. Smith has authored over 800 peer-reviewed manuscripts and chapters and, with over 18,000 citations, is recognized as one of the most highly published and cited researchers in the fields of Neuroscience & Behavior, Alzheimer Disease, and Free Radical Biology.              

David A. Lightfoot, PhD, Professor, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, IL, USA

Dr. David Lightfoot received a BS degree in Genetics and Development from the University of East Anglia, UK in 1981 and a PhD in Genetics from University of Leads, UK in 1985. In 1991, Dr. Lightfoot joined the Department of Plant, Soil, and Agricultural Systems at Southern Illinois University where he works as a Professor of Biotechnology and Genomics. He was promoted in 1997 and 2000. Dr. Lightfoot is cross appointed in the Department of Plant Biology and the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. Dr. Lightfoot co-authored the RAMP request for the Center for Excellence in Soybean Research, Teaching, and Outreach. He is the head of the Genomic Science Facility at SIUC. Dr. Lightfoot works on gene discovery by genomics, particularly methods to read and use the DNA sequences of chromosomes. He targets commercially valuable disease resistances, phyto-pharmaceuticals and crop yield boosting elements. Dr. Lightfoot is Director of a University spin-off company "Genome and Agricultural Biotechnology" LLC from 1999 to present. Dr. Lightfoot has been granted 5 patents and has 5 pending patents. He has published ninety four peer-reviewed articles in International journals of high impact factors, has many Batch Sequence Submissions Published in Electronic Databases (16), has twenty eight edited Publications, one Book, and five Chapters. Dr. Lightfoot is an associate editor for one journal and serves on the editorial boards of several others.

James A. Saunders, PhD, Professor, Towson University, Towson, MD, USA     

Dr. James A. Saunders received a BA degree from University of South Florida in 1971 and a PhD in Botany at Miami University, OH in 1975. After that, Dr. Saunders worked as Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of California, Davis from 1975 to 1977. Dr. James joined then the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), Beltsville, MD where he worked as a Research Biochemist from 1977 to 2003. In 2004, Dr. James joined the Department of Biology, Towson University, Towson, MD where he currently serves as a Professor and Director of Molecular Biology, Biochemistry and Bioinformatics (MB3). Professor Saunders published nearly 100 manuscripts in high quality peer-reviewed scientific journals all aspects of plant sciences and holds several patents.

My Abdelmajid Kassem, PhD, Professor, Fayetteville State University, USA

Dr. My Abdelmajid Kassem received a BS degree in Plant Biology from Mohamed V University, Morocco in 1992, an MS degree in Enzymatic Engineering, Bioconversion, and Microbiology from the University of Picardie Jules Verne, Amiens, France in 1995. In 1999, Dr. Kassem joined the Center for Excellence in Soybean Research, Teaching, and Outreach, Department of Plant, Soil, and Agricultural Systems, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, IL, USA where he earned his Ph.D. in Plant Genetics, Genomics, and Physiology in December 2003. Dr. Kassem joined Kean University, NJ in 2004 and Fayetteville State University, NC in 2006. He was promoted in 2006 and 2009. Dr. Kassem's research is focused on genetic and quantitative trait loci (QTL) mapping of important agronomic traits in soybean and other plant species such as disease resistance, yield, and phyto-pharmaceuticals. Dr. Kassem co-authored several peer-reviewed articles in well respected international journals and serves as an Editorial Board and a Review Board member of Scientific Journals International (SJI), an Associate Editor of 'Journal of Forestry, Horticulture, and Soil Science', a member of the Editorial Board of 'Journal of Biotech Research', and a reviewer for several international journals. Dr. Kassem is a Co-Founder and Managing Editor of KBM Scientific Publishing, LP and serves also as Editor-In-Chief of KBM Journal of Biology.

Barry Margulies, PhD, Associate Professor, Towson University, USA

Dr. Margulies received his B.S. at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), where he did research with Drs. Eyal Ron and Robert Langer in controlled release technology. He earned his PhD at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine under the tutelage of Dr. Wade Gibson, where he studied the G protein-coupled receptors encoded by human cytomegaloviris. He did his post-doctoral studies also at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, with Dr. Janice Clements, studying CD4-Independent entry of human and simian immunodeficiency viruses. He has been a faculty member at Towson University since 2001, where he established the Towson University Herpes Virus Lab. His research encompasses studies in the molecular biology of human cytomegalovirus and human herpesvirus-6, and new methods for the long-term prevention of recurrent outbreaks of herpes simplex viruses 1 & 2 and varicella zoster virus.

Allal Boutajangout, PhD, Research Assistant Professor, New York University, NY, USA

Dr. Allal Boutajangout obtained his MS degree in Health Science at School of Medicine of Brussels (ULB), and graduated as BioMedical doctor (PhD) from Medical University of Brussels (Hospital-Erasme, ULB), where he received his Ph.D in Neuropathology and Neuroanatomy. During his Ph.D, he was focused to the development and characterization double and triple transgenic models of Alzheimer's disease in order to study various aspects of pathological mechanism of this disease, and analyzed in control subjects and in sporadic AD patients the pattern of expression of tau mRNA and tau proteins in areas unaffected, moderately affected and highly affected. He completed his Post Doctoral training between August and 2007 in Department of Psychiatry and Neurology at New York University Langone Medical Center. In 2007, he was promoted as Research Assistant Professor at NYU School of Medicine. Dr. Boutajangout research focuses on diagnosis and therapy of Alzheimer's disease and other neurodegenerative disorders. Dr. Boutajangout is a member of several scientific associations and a regular reviewer for several journals and funding agencies.

Abdelali Barakat, PhD, Research Associate, Penn State University, USA

Dr. Abdelali Barakat received a Ph.D. degree in Plant Molecular and Cellular Biology from University of Paris XI, France in 1996. Dr. Barakat held several postdoctoral fellowships at world renowned Universities both in France and United States. Dr. Barakat worked for two years as Research Associate Professor at the Institute for Research and Development, France. In 2005, he joined Penn State University where he has been working as Research Associate. Barakat has covered a wide range of projects in functional and comparative genomics. Dr. Barakat published several high quality papers in plant genomics area and received several grants. He is a standing member of several professional societies and a reviewer for several international journals and grant-awarding agencies.

Ahmed M. Al-Hejin, PhD, Assistant Professor, King Abdulaziz University, Saudi Arabia

Dr. Ahmed Al-Hejin received a BS degree in Microbiology from the King Abdulaziz University, Saudi Arabia in 1996, an MS degree in Molecular Medical Microbiology from the University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK in 2001, and a PhD in Molecular Medical Microbiology from King Abdulaziz University, Saudi Arabia in 2007. In 2007, he joined the King Abdulaziz University as an Assistant Professor and in 2008 as the Vice-Dean of Library Affairs. Dr. Al-Hejin is a standing and active member of several international professional societies. Dr. Al-Hejin research interests are in the area of medical microbiology. He is particularly interested in epidemiological effects of Neisseria meningtidis in Western region of Saudi Arabia and the evaluation of the efficiency of local treatments and prophylaxis of N. meningtidis. Dr. Al-Hejin investigates also the possibility of using local medicinal plant as alternatives to antibiotics.

Booker, Juma, PhD, Professor, Fayetteville State University, NC, USA

Dr. Booker Juma received a BS in Chemistry at the University of Nairobi, Kenya in 1986 and a PhD in Chemistry at Louisiana State University in 1993. Dr. Juma worked as a Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of North Carolina  at hapel Hill (1993-1994) and as a Visiting Scientist at United States Environmental Protection Agency Laboratories, Research Triangle Park, NC (1994-1995), an Adjunct Assistant Professor at North Carolina Central University (1994-1995), and as a Visiting Scholar at Stanford University in 2002. In 1995, Dr. Juma joined Fayetteville State University where he serves as Professor. Dr. Juma was promoted in 2002 and 2009. Dr. Juma is a standing member of several professional societies, and a book reviewer for several international renown publishers such as Freeman Publishers, Wiley & Sons, Thomson Learning, Prentice Hall, and McGraw-Hill. Dr. Juma published numerous scientific articles in high impact journals in chemistry. Dr. Juma won several awards such as the Teacher of the Year, College of Basic & Applied Sciences, Fayetteville State University (2004), Marquis Who's Who in America (2002-2004), and the Outstanding Faculty Award, North Carolina Alliance Participation (1997).

Mohamed Dehbi, PhD, Senior Scientist and Head, Biochemistry & Molecular Biology Unit, Dasman Center for Research & Treatment of Diabetes, Kuwait

Dr. Mohammed Dehbi received a BS degree in Biology & Geology from Mohamed V University, Rabat, Morocco in 1985, an MS degree in Molecular and Cell Biology from Louis Pasteur University, Strasbourg, France in 1990, and a PhD in Biochemistry from University of Montreal, Montreal, Canada in 1995. After his graduation, Dr. Dehbi worked as Postdoctoral Fellow at McGill University, Montreal, Canada. In 1997, he started a Biotechnology company "Targanta Therapeutics formerly known as Phagetech Inc." in Montreal focusing in developing new classes of antibiotics based on phage genomics. Dr. Dehbi started as a Senior Molecular Biologist, then as Senior Scientist and Leader of the Proteomics group to run the Proteomics program where he played in key role in bacterial target identification and validation. Shortly after, he was promoted to Research Fellow in 2003. In December 2005, he joined King Faisal Specialist Hospital & Research Center in Saudi Arabia to set-up and run the Cell Injury & Inflammation Research Unit. His interest was to understand the effect of heat injury on the inflammatory response, organ damage, and death using animal models. In 2009, he joined the "Dasman Center for Research & Treatment of Diabetes" in Kuwait where he setup the Biochemistry & Molecular Biology program as a Senior Scientist and Head of the Biochemistry & Molecular Biology Unit. Dr. Dehbi was the Editor-In-chief of 'Reviews in Biology & Biotechnology' journal. Dr. Dehbi is a regular reviewer for J. Neuropharmnacology and the Annals of Saudi Medicine.  He received several awards, studentships, and fellowships such as the prestigious National Cancer Institute of Canada (NCIC).

Billo Diallo, PhD, Researcher, Universite Libre de Bruxelles (ULB), Belgium

Dr.  Billo Diallo received a Pharmacy Degree from Gamal Abdel Nasser University (Guinea) in 1974. He was then appointed by the Guinean ministry of industry as researcher where he was involved in research activities related to medicinal plants and traditional medicine.  In 1980, he joined the [Laboratoire Central de Matoto] as head of research and quality control.  In 1983, he received a research fellowship from the World Health Organization (WHO) to perform further researches on some plants in African traditional medicines in the Department of Pharmacognosy and Bromatology, Pharmaceutical Institute, Universite Libre de Bruxelles, Belgium. In 1989, he earned a PhD in Pharmaceutical Sciences from Universite Libre de Bruxelles] In 1990, Dr. Diallo was appointed as Researcher in Universite Libre de Bruxelles and Laboratoires Debat, a French Company. Dr. Diallo was also appointed as a Pharmacist in the University hospital Saint-Pierre in Brussels (Belgium) in 1994. In 1996, He was involved in a research project on conotoxins from Conus sp. in the Department of Biochemical and Molecular Pharmacology of the [Vrije Universiteit Brussel] (VUB, Belgium)].  In 1998, he joined the Department of Plant Biotechnology (Universite Libre de Bruxelles) as researcher on medicinal plants and on plants-microbes interactions. In 2004, he was appointed as Team Leader at (BioVallee), a research center of ULB, where his researches focused on inhibitors of bacterial quorum sensing. Since 2007, Dr. Diallo serves as Scientific Collaborator in the Department of Plant Biotechnology of the [Universite Libre de Bruxelles].

        Dr. Sherrice V. Allen received a BS degree in Medical Technology from East Carolina University in 1988, an MS degree in Biology at Fayetteville State University in 1995, and a PhD degree in Microbiology from North Carolina State University in 1999 and joined FSU in 1999. In fall 2000, Dr. Allen was accepted into the SPIRE (Seeding Postdoctoral Innovators in Research and Education) Postdoctoral Research and Teaching Fellows program at UNC-Chapel Hill.  Dr. Allen joined the faculty at FSU for a second time as an Assistant Professor in spring 2002. Over the last seven years, she has trained more than twenty high schools, undergraduate and graduate students in her research lab. Several of these students have presented their research at local, regional and national conferences.  Her current research investigates if key enzymes involved in the de novo synthesis of folic acid in Pseudomonas aeruginosa could serve as targets for novel antimicrobial agents.  She also investigates if arylsulfatase enzymes encoded by ceramide synthesis genes in Magnaporthe grisea play a role in pathogenicity and development. Dr. Allen is committed to train and mentor students to become the next generation of scientist. She works diligently to acquire funding to support STEM enrichment and research programs at FSU. She served as the Co-Principal Investigator for the NIH-funded Research Initiative for Scientific Enhancement (FSU-RISE) grant, serving as the Assistant Director and Director of the program.  In addition, she is the Principal Investigator of a National Science Foundation Research Initiation Grant.  Finally, she is the Director of the Center for Promoting STEM Education and Research, (CPSER); funded by Title III.  Housed in the College of Arts and Sciences, CPSER promotes academic excellence, research, and public service in STEM disciplines and it serves as an umbrella program for STEM minority enrichment programs that have the mission of increasing the number of well-prepared minority students that excel in, and pursue advanced degrees in STEM fields.             

Dr. Todd P. West received a BS degree in Biology from the University of Wisconsin – Platteville in 1996, an MS in Horticulture from Southern Illinois University in 2000, and a PhD in Plant Biology, Horticulture and Plant Physiology in 2004.  Dr. West joined West Virginia University as an Assistant Professor of Horticulture in 2004. The primary focus of his research is in three key areas: plant propagation protocols, germplasm storage including synthetic seed development utilizing non-embryogenic propagules, and genomics of native plants from the United State’s Appalachian Region. .  Associated research goals include: developing propagation protocols by determining the feasibility of creating clonal populations using plant tissue culture techniques for multiplication of desired plant species; determining the feasibility of using alginate encapsulation for germplasm preservation as a means of low cost germplasm storage of native plant populations; and screening clonal populations for increased secondary metabolite production.  Dr. West has published in several international journals; a book chapter and several trade journal articles. He is a also a reviewer for several international journals and granting agencies.

Abdelfattah Nour, DVM, MS, Ph.D., is Full Professor of Basic Medical Sciences at the Department of Basic Medical Sciences and Founding Director of International Programs In Veterinary Medicine (1994-May 1, 2009) at Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana, USA.  After earning his M.S. and Ph.D. from Cornell University, USA, Professor Nour returned to Sudan and participated in  building a new university, now the second largest in the country. He served for twenty seven years in academic institutions in different countries (USA and Sudan) and in Jordan as a Fulbright Scholar. He loves teaching face-to-face classes and distance learners. Professor Nour is an author of more than 50+publications and received 40 grants. He is a pioneer in development of Internet-based DL courses in basic medical sciences, and in the use on educational technologies in teaching. In USA Prof. Nour served as item writer for National exams, a reviewer for scientific journals, member of editorial boards, and reviewer for grant applications. Prior coming to Purdue, Prof. Nour served as assistant professor, associate professor, Head of the Department of Animal Science at Gezira University in Sudan, and chairman of the graduate and undergraduate curriculum committee. He designed the undergraduate degree structure and established the graduate training program in the newly founded University of Gezira, Sudan, and advisor to the Regional Secretary of Agriculture. Dr. Nour was also adjunct professor of Basic Medical Sciences in Schools of Nursing and Veterinary Medicine at Benha University, Egypt. As Head of Department, Dr. Nour established national and international relationships that helped with three missions with the university: Teaching, research and extension. It increased the national and international visibility of the department and its teaching and research programs. This helped in getting local and external funding for research, and placement of the graduates of its programs. Prof. Nour has experience working with institutions of higher learning in the Middle East, Africa, and Eastern Europe and Japan for the last fifteen years. His contributions to the development of international programs at purdue is uniformly recognized and praised by the external reviewers and the university. His efforts helped the Veterinary School at Purdue to receive Purdue’s Internationalization Award. He  succeed in getting participation of students in study abroad and service learning programs from 0% to 30%.  On the other hand, Prof. Nour demonstrated excellence in infusion of educational technology in teaching and development of interactive learning, and in assessment of learning.  He collaborated on projects with Computer sciences and Education. Dr. Nour has been recognized internationally for his work in distance learning and multimedia development, and the development of Interactive learning environments. He was a key note speaker in Tokyo, Romania, Slovakia, Egypt, Hungary,  and several countries in Africa.  Prof Nour was a visiting associate professor at Cornell University, Ithaca, New York. He has been serving as coordinator of UNESCO UNITWIN Biological Network, Director of International Program in Veterinary Medicine at Purdue, member of Purdue’s International Programs Advisory board, and member of the Advisory Committee of International Programs in Agriculture at Purdue, a member of Purdue’s Globalization task force. In 2009 Prof. Nour was elected as a member of the Purdue Community of Service Learning Faculty Fellows (CSLFF), and received an Award. Prof. Nour believes that "education equals opportunity".

Dr. Stella K. Kantartzi is a graduate of Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece, earning her BSc. in Biology in 2000, MSc. in Plant Breeding, Agronomy and Weed Science in 2003, and PhD. in Genetics and Plant Breeding in 2006. She was a recipient of the Hellenic State Scholarship Foundation (I.K.Y.) for four years. Concurrently with her Ph.D. studies, she conducted research on cotton cytogenetics and molecular fingerprinting in the Dept. of Soil and Crop Sciences at Texas A&M University, College Station, TX as a visitor scientist. She subsequently spent two years as a post-doctoral associate, in the laboratory of Prof. James McD. Stewart at the University of Arkansas, investigating diploid cotton germplasm. Since 2008, Stella Kantartzi is an Assistant Professor of plant breeding in the Department of Plant, Soil and Agricultural Systems, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, IL. Her research in cotton has been focused on the development of partial inter-specific hybrids, in-vitro gynogenesis, assessment of molecular diversity, and gene mapping. Her professional memberships include the Agriculture Honor Society Gamma Sigma Delta, the Crop Science Society of America, and the International Cotton Genome Initiative.

Dr. Vonnie Shields received both BS and PhD degrees in Biology from the University of Regina, Regina SK, Canada. Her Ph.D. degree focused on the ultrastructure, feeding behavior, and gustatory physiology of lepidopteran insects. She carried out a post-doctoral study at the University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ in the Department of Neuroscience (formerly known as the Arizona Research Laboratories, Division of Neurobiology) in the area of insect olfaction. She accepted a faculty position as Assistant Professor in the Department of Biological Sciences at Towson University in 2000 and was promoted to Associate Professor in 2006. The overall aim of her research has focused on determining the manner in which chemosensory information is processed in the brain of an insect, as well as to understand how nervous systems analyze, recognize, and respond to complex sensory stimuli. Topics of research and methods applied in her research laboratory include neuroanatomy, neurophysiology, insect taste and olfaction, ultrastructure of insect sensory organs, neural mechanisms of behavior, insect-plant interactions, brightfield-light and electron microscopy (scanning and transmission), and histological techniques. She has mentored a large number of undergraduate and graduate students and has received research funding from the National Institute of Health and the American Philosophical Society. She is a member of scientific associations, including the Association for Chemosensory Sciences, Society for Neuroscience, American Physiological Society, Microscopy Society of America, and American Association of Anatomists. She has published in international peer-reviewed journals and has written several book chapters. She currently serves as a regular reviewer for many international journals.