2024 Keynote Speakers



Jessica Carlotti


Jessica Bone

Krista Riggins

Lucy Jones

Spotlight on STEM Career Paths

Friday, Nov 1
4:15  - 5:45pm
Bradford Auditorium Room 122


Kurt Thaxton

More than your two scents worth:  using your nose and olfactometry to make sense of mass spectral data

Kurt Thaxton is an International Product Manager for GERSTEL, a German manufacturer of thermal desorption, pyrolysis, and other means of sample preparation and sample introduction for GC- and LC-MS.  For over twenty years, Kurt has been a user of thermal desorption and pyrolysis as a research scientist at International Paper and later as a Product Specialist for Varian Inc.  Later Kurt became involved in both the commercial and technical aspects of these techniques at Markes International and now GERSTEL.

Kurt also serves actively in different capacities at SAE, ASTM, and ISO.  Kurt has an M.S. in Analytical Chemistry form The Ohio State University where he focused on using mass spectrometry to solve analytical problems; MS remains a central interest and focus of Kurt's work today.

Women in Science Panel
Moderated by Dr. LiLi Zyzak, KAS President-Elect

Jessica Carlotti, MS is a Chemist at the National Forensic Chemistry Center with the US Food & Drug Administration (FDA). She conducts and evaluates analytical methods and procedures to enforce and protect food and drug products consumed by the public. Specifically, she uses ion chromatography and HPLC-UV to determine tampering and/or economic adulteration of products. 

Jessica Bone is a second-year PhD student in Dr. Kenneth Graham's chemistry lab at the University of Kentucky. Work thus far has involved using electrochemistry to investigate the stability of semiconducting polymers on modified gold electrodes. The goal is to understand degradation reactions at the polymer/electrode interface and how they affect the stability of organic electrochemical transistors. 

Krista Riggins, MS is the Lab Manager for the EKU Chemistry Department. She coordinates and assists in General, Organic, and Non-major Chemistry labs. She also oversees all purchases for the department of Chemistry along with being part of the budget committee. 

Lucy Jones, BS is a Laboratory Technician II at  Gravity Diagnostics. She oversees daily maintenance on LC-MS, and prepares urine samples for alcohol and/or barbiturate confirmation. 

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