Ask the Professors
Westminster professors weigh in on their research and the futures of their fields
During the season of Westminster’s sesquicentennial, we reflect on the past while looking toward the future. In the spirit of what’s next, we reached out to Westminster professors to learn more about how their fields are evolving and how they are adapting their research and classroom practices to keep up.
What does the future hold for your field?
“AI tools are evolving in their capacity to automate a significant chunk of the data
scientist’s workflow. We need to be intentional about the ways humans can add value.
An especially undervalued area is data ethics. With humans in the pipeline, we can
evaluate the provenance of our data sources, audit our algorithms for bias, and reach
sound conclusions that center the well-being of the humans on the receiving end of
our data products.”
Sean Raleigh, PhD
Professor, Mathematics and Data Science
“The Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope is scheduled to launch by 2027, and here on
Earth, “first light” at the Vera C. Rubin Observatory is expected in early 2025. Rubin
will image enormous areas of the sky every night, creating an astronomical catalog
thousands of times larger than ever before. Both of these observatories will explore
the mysteries behind dark matter, dark energy, planet formation, galactic structure,
and cataclysmic events like supernovae.”
Julia Kamenetzky, PhD
Associate Professor, Physics
“The future of dance research is increasingly intertwined with neuroscience, exploring
how movement impacts brain function to enhance cognition, emotional regulation, creativity,
and neuroplasticity. Creative works like epiphany machine (2024)*, a neuroballet using
live EEG to visualize dancers’ brain activity, performs this innovation in real time.
The brain can now be explored in motion through advances in Mobile Brain Body Imaging
(MoBI), opening a multiplicity of possibilities for the dance field.”
*The research team for epiphany machine (2024)* comes out of The Institute for Creativity, Arts, and Technology at Virginia Tech.
Meghan Wall, MS, CCC-SLP, MFA
Chair and Associate Professor, Dance
“Environmental microbiology is exploding right now as microbiologists all over the
world are literally digging into the soil to catalog what microbes live there and
what kinds of compounds those microbes are making. This could have a big impact on
future antibiotics and other important drugs.
David Parrott, PhD
Associate Professor, Biology, and Assistant Director, Great Salt Lake Institute
How are your research and classroom practices influenced by current developments in your field?
“The future of public health is increasingly focused on addressing complex, interconnected
health challenges: for example, the impact of climate change on human health. My research
is focused on women’s and reproductive health. I’m examining the relationship between
conditions like endometriosis and infertility and later-in-life risk of chronic conditions
such as heart disease and dementia.”
Rachel Myrer, MPH
Assistant Professor, Public Health
“Acknowledging that theatre history predominantly highlights those with means to produce
and write, theatre historians are looking at incorporating marginalized scripts and
practitioners into theatre study. The goal is to include voices from many identities
and to highlight the art form of theatre as a universal practice. I have been working
on diversifying the theatrical canon in my class “Global Stages and Stories,” researching
practices of ancients from different continents and spotlighting marginalized playwrights
who have incorporated storytelling structure from around the world.”
Stephanie Stroud, MFA
Co-Chair and Associate Professor, Theatre
About the Westminster Review
The Westminster Review is Westminster University’s bi-annual alumni magazine that is distributed to alumni and community members. Each issue aims to keep alumni updated on campus current events and highlights the accomplishments of current students, professors, and Westminster alum.
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