Jonathan Butcher, Associate Professor and Associate Director of the School of Biomedical Engineering, Cornell University

Jonathan Butcher is an Associate Professor and the Associate Director of the Nancy E. and Peter C. Meinig School of Biomedical Engineering at Cornell University, where he has taught since 2007. He received his BS and MS in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Virginia in 2000, and a PhD in Mechanical Engineering from Georgia Tech in 2004. Jonathan is also the first Director of Undergraduate Studies for the undergraduate major of Biomedical Engineering at Cornell, which began in 2015. He has a passion for building student community and exploring the intersections of science, engineering, and the human condition. He and his wife Christine live in Ithaca NY with their five children.

David Lodge, Director, Atkinson Center for a Sustainable Future, Cornell University

David Lodge’s appointment at Cornell University began in May of 2016, serving as the first Francis J. DiSalvo Director of the Atkinson Center for a Sustainable Future. His academic home at Cornell is in the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology with a joint appointment in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and the College of Arts and Sciences. His research focuses on ecological forecasting to better inform environmental risk assessment, policy development, and natural resource management.  On numerous occasions Dr. Lodge has testified before the U.S. Congress, and has also served as an expert witness in federal court. He served as the first chair of the U.S. government’s national Invasive Species Advisory Committee in 2000-01, led research on freshwater biodiversity as part of the United Nations’ Millennium Ecosystem Assessment in 2000-05, and led an expert subcommittee providing advice to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on reducing invasions from the ballast water of ships in 2010-11. He is a member of the scientific advisory boards of NOAA and the International Joint Commission. He served as a Jefferson Science Fellow in the US Department of State in 2014-15, and faculty member at the University of Notre Dame for over 28 years. David lives with his wife, Andrea, and attends Bread of Life Anglican Church of Ithaca.

Praveeen Sethupathy, Associate Professor of Biomedical Sciences, Cornell University

Praveen is an Associate Professor of Biomedical Sciences at Cornell University. He received his BA degree from Cornell University and his PhD in Genomics from the University of Pennsylvania. After completing a post-doctoral fellowship at the National Human Genome Research Institute under the mentorship of Dr. Francis Collins, he moved in 2011 to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Genetics. In 2017, he returned to Cornell University as an Associate Professor. Praveen has authored over 70 publications, and has served as a reviewer for over 30 different journals. Recent honors include a faculty merit award for outstanding teaching and mentoring. Praveen’s laboratory is located in the newly renovated Research Tower on Tower Road. He lives in Ithaca, NY with his wife and three children.

Billy Riley is originally from the rolling farmlands of south central PA. He works alongside his wife, Cole, as CCO campus staff at Cornell University in partnership with Chesterton House– a Center for Christian Studies. He received bachelor’s degrees in philosophy and psychology from Washington & Jefferson College and is interested in the ways philosophy informs the Christian faith. Billy oversees much of the programmatic aspects of the ministry, as well as meets with men in the house for spiritual formation. He also advises Veritas Forum’s student chapter at Cornell.  He loves movies, playing basketball, and healthy introspection.

Zachary Lee is a sophomore in the College of Arts and Sciences studying English, Creative Writing, and Spanish. He is an active member of Claritas: A Journal for Christian Thought at Cornell, serving as Editor-in-Chief for the Spring 2018 issue. Zachary is also a recent recipient of the Evangelical Press Award, winning first place in the Student Writer of the Year category for his article, “Theology of the Undead”– a review of Danielle Strickland’s book, The Zombie Gospel. When he is not writing poetry and performing it, he can be found analyzing Summer blockbusters, reading Dostoevsky, and listening to Christian hip-hop.

Anderson Chang is a rising senior in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences majoring in Animal Science. Oncampus, Anderson helps train service dogs for children and veterans in need through Merlin’s Kids, a non-profit that recruits service dogs from animal shelters across the nation with high rates of euthanasia. He also helps lead worship with Christian Union at Cornell. When classes aren’t in session, he spends time exploring local swimming holes and hiking spots in the area, catches up on his horticulture hobby, and he also works part-time at a small, local dairy farm.