Dr. Leona Harris delivered the lecture for Wednesday’s Research Week event. Dr. Harris is currently an Assistant Professor at The College of New Jersey in the Department of Mathematics and Statistics. She specializes in mathematical biology and enjoys applying mathematical and computational techniques to solve real-world problems, particularly in the sciences. Dr. Harris attended Spelman College where she participated in the Scholars in Mathematics at Spelman Program. She graduated with a B.S. in mathematics and earned her M.S. and Ph.D. in applied mathematics from North Carolina State University. Dr. Harris presented the MAA-NAM David Blackwell Lecture on her work in Mathematical Biology at the 2005 Mathfest in Albuquerque, New Mexico. She has also worked with EPA scientists in the National Center for Computational Toxicology on her research involving the development and utilization of mathematical models that describe the fate of a toxic chemical in the body following some sort of external exposure to the chemical.