Academic Cannabis Conference sets presenter schedule
The Academic Cannabis Conference, produced by News Joint Events, is pleased to announce its full presenter lineup and schedule. Professors and professionals in the cannabis field will deliver research and educational presentations from 12:30-4:20 p.m. at the Garden Grove Event Center in Carbondale on May 4. Presenters include representatives from Southern Illinois University, Female Orgasm Research Institute, St. Louis University, University of Illinois, and Armintia. The following bios explain more about each presenter and their presentation. Each presentation is scheduled for 20 minutes.
1:00 p.m. – 1:20 p.m.
Dr. Jose Leme is an Assistant Professor of Cannabis Biology and Controlled Environment Agriculture and Executive Committee member of the Southern Illinois University Cannabis Science Center. Dr. Jose Leme’s main research interests focus on controlled environment plant physiology, biochemistry, and production, particularly plant production in greenhouses and controlled environment agriculture settings. The overall goal is to determine how to leverage environmental controls (light intensity, duration, quality, temperature, and CO2), plant nutrition, and plant growth regulators and hormones (biostimulants) to improve plant production efficiencies, yield, and crop quality.
1:30 p.m. – 1:50 p.m.
Dr. Suzanne Mulvehill is a Clinical Sexologist, Orgasmologist, and the Executive Director of the Female Orgasm Research Institute, which is dedicated to conducting research and identifying scientifically based treatments to reduce the persistently high percentage of women suffering from orgasm difficulty and its co-morbid conditions. Dr. Mulvehill’s recent research evaluated cannabis for the management of female orgasm disorder (FOD), and in September 2023, she launched the Women’s Cannabis Project, an initiative advocating for FOD to become a condition of treatment for medical cannabis, which she successfully did at the Illinois Medical Cannabis Advisory Board meeting March 11, 2024.
3:30 p.m. – 3:50 p.m.
Marialle A. Bell, J.D. is a business attorney and an Adjunct Instructor at Saint Louis University. Bell teaches Cannabis Law & Entrepreneurship in SLU’s Cannabis Science and Operations program. Bell’s academic work focuses on cannabis business law, policy, and the expansion of cannabis legal education. Her presentation will discuss the importance of education across the legal cannabis industry.
2:00 p.m. – 2:20 p.m.
LaTonya Warren is CEO and Founder at Armintia. Warren will be speaking about advancing cannabinoid education and logistics with interest in fostering understanding and promoting efficient systems within the cannabinoid industry and believes a joint effort on cannabinoids through education is essential. Warren also is a Fellow at Commonwealth Center for Advance Logistics and on the Cannabis Advisory Task Force Board Member in Virginia Beach.
12:30 p.m. – 12:50 p.m
Gorman Saunders is pursuing a master’s degree in plant biology from Southern Illinois University. Saunders earned a bachelor’s degree in agriculture from UT-Martin with a focus on crop and soil management. His research for the Cannabis Biology and Controlled Environment Agriculture Lab explores mechanostimulation in cannabis and how we might utilize those stressors to maximize growth and optimize our use of inputs. His indoor study utilizes vibration and high-stress training to illicit stress responses in the plant that will potentially improve the growth pattern and cannabinoid concentrations. His outdoor study is investigating the use of biostimulants that contain humic and phytic acids to manage stress responses in cannabis to better help them respond to high-stress training, as well as quantifying their impact on yield and cannabinoid concentration.
3:00 p.m. – 3:20 p.m.
Shiksha Sharma is a graduate student at Southern Illinois University Carbondale. Sharma earned a bachelor’s degree in Horticulture with research focused on cannabis and its cultivation, including recent research on drought stress in cannabis that investigates how different frequencies of induced drought stress during the flowering stage affect cannabinoid yield and cannabis development compared to well-irrigated controls. Sharma’s studies aim to offer strategic insights to inform cultivation practices and optimize cannabinoid production.
4:00 p.m. – 4:20 p.m
Jung Woo Lee is a graduate student from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Lee is currently a Ph.D student in Lee Lab and has been doing research on hemp plants since 2022. Lee was involved in multiple hemp trials in the field and participated in extensive publications that are part of the Midwestern Hemp Databases and also is conducting indoor CBD hemp experiments focused on light and fertilizers. Lee Lab focuses on hemp plants that produce grain, fiber, and CBD as a final yield and research on basic agronomic knowledge, such as planting dates, nitrogen fertilizer rates, seeding rates, and variety testing to provide information to hemp farmers, as well as conducting a breeding project focused on grain and fiber production and indoor experiments focused on CBD production.
Gabrielle Barnvos earned a B.S. in Crop Sciences with a concentration in Plant Biotechnology & Molecular Biology from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and certificates in Horticulture and Cannabis Production & Management. Barnvos joined Dr. DoKyoung Lee’s research group December 2021, starting as a greenhouse volunteer and eventually earning a position as a full-time academic hourly research technician. Barnvos cofounded co-found The Hemp Club, UIUC’s first cannabis-related RSO.
Academic Cannabis Conference is set to attract attendees from across the Illinois cannabis industry, including professionals, longtime enthusiasts, and newcomers, to the Garden Grove Event Center, located at 1215 East Walnut St. in Carbondale, for two conjoining networking experiences, the Education Center & Job Fair and the Entertainment & Cannabis Community. The event is runs from 12-5 p.m., and free tickets can be reserved here.
Full Schedule:
12:00 p.m. – 12:20 p.m. Presenter Meet & Greet
12:30 p.m. – 12:50 p.m. Gorman Saunders
1:00 p.m. – 1:20 p.m. Jose Leme
1:30 p.m. – 1:50 p.m. Suzanne Mulvehill
2:00 p.m. – 2:20 p.m. LaTonya Warren
2:30 p.m. – 2:50 p.m. Break
3:00 p.m. – 3:20 p.m. Shiksha Sharma
3:30 p.m. – 3:50 p.m. Marialle A. Bell
4:00 p.m. – 4:20 p.m. Jung Woo Lee
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