Meet the faculty who will moderate the 6 student panels during the day of the conference. Faculty will offer their expertise and insight from their respective fields to inform panelists about their research topics. 

Diane Sicotte, PhD | College of Arts and Sciences
Associate Professor of Sociology

Diane Sicotte is Associate Professor of Sociology at Drexel University. She is the author of From Workshop to Waste Magnet: Environmental Inequality in the Philadelphia Region (2016), Rutgers University Press. She is the Principal Investigator of an NSF-funded study examining the views of labor unions and their members on the U.S. energy system and teaches Environmental Justice and Sociology of Disasters.

Hugh Johnson | Office of Research and Innovation
Senior Associate

Hugh Johnson is a Senior Associate in the Office of Research and Innovation and was previously the Senior Associate of the A.J. Drexel Institute for Energy and the Environment.  Prior to joining Drexel he worked in the public and private sector on ecological restoration, renewable energy and energy efficient building projects and various corporate ESG initiatives.

Korin Tantrakul | College of Engineering
Sustainability Manager, Sustainable Water Resources Engineering Lab

Korin Tangtrakul is the Sustainability Manager for the Sustainable Water Resource Engineering (SWRE) Lab under Dr. Franco Montalto in the College of Engineering. With experience in geography, urban planning, green infrastructure, community engagement and environmental activism, Korin's current role includes developing partnerships to further community-engaged research and seeking research opportunities at the nexus of climate change and green infrastructure. She is also working on a university-wide initiative with the Drexel Climate & Sustainability Working Group to elevate Drexel's climate and sustainability programs, courses and research. She received a BA in Environmental Studies and Geography & Urban Studies from Temple University and an MS in Urban Environmental Systems Management from Pratt Institute.

Leah Schinasi, PhD | Dornsife School of Public Health
Assistant Professor, Environmental and Occupational Health

Dr. Leah Schinasi is an environmental and occupational epidemiologist and an Assistant Professor of Environmental and Occupational Health at Drexel University’s Dornsife School of Public Health. Her research interests include the health effects of urban greenspace, urban heat vulnerability, and environmental justice. Dr. Schinasi earned her MSPH and PhD in Epidemiology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and conducted her postdoctoral training at the International Agency for Research on Cancer in Lyon France, and in the EOH department at the Dornsife School of Public Health.

Mira Olson, PhD | College of Engineering
Associate Professor, Civil Architectural and Environmental Engineering

Dr. Mira Olson is an Associate Professor in the Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Department and Director of Peace Engineering at Drexel University.  The broad focus of her research is on protecting source water quality, with current interests in transboundary water management and community-based research design. Dr. Olson is an editor of the International Journal of Engineering, Social Justice and Peace and is serving as a faculty fellow in Drexel’s Office of University and Community Partnerships. ​

Tristan Potter, PhD | LeBow College of Business
Assistant Professor, Economics

Tristan joined Drexel's School of Economics in 2016. His research is primarily focused on the role of information in labor markets. He has studied questions including: How does uncertainty affect workers' job search decisions? How are wages set when employers have private information? Can fears of prolonged joblessness be self-fulfilling? What are the welfare implications of non-compete clauses in low-wage labor markets? He teaches Principles of Macroeconomics, Labor Economics, Econometrics and Data Analysis and a Ph.D. Seminar on Macroeconomics.