Nichols Award Recipients Reflect on Their Award & Research

by Phyllis M. Webb, Program Coordinator Women’s Center/Success Coach, BAE

Two University of Louisville graduate and professional school students received the 2024 Dr. M. Celeste Nichol Professional Development Award and were honored this past March at the Women’s Center Empowerment Luncheon

Mrs. Geiser graduated this past May with a Ph.D in English, Rhetoric and Composition from U of L and will start a new role this fall as an Assistant Professor of English at Fayette State University in North Carolina. Ms. Razaei, is working on a Ph.D  in Industrial Engineering.

These are their reflections on the award and their research projects.

Gratitude and Impact: Reflecting on the 2024 Celeste Nichols Award

by Taylor Riley Geiser

I am honored to have been selected as the recipient of the 2024 Celeste Nichols Award from the University of Louisville Women’s Center. This support has been instrumental in furthering both my academic and professional development, and I want to extend my heartfelt thanks to the Nichols family, the award committee, and the Women’s Center for their recognition and generosity.

With the support of the award, I traveled in April to New York City to present at Feminisms in Motion: Approaches to Transit, Contagion, and Movement, a conference hosted by Columbia University. There, I shared a chapter from my dissertation titled “Insanity on the Inside: Deconstructing the ‘Mad’ Trope and TikTok as a Platform for Activism.” This was my first opportunity to present this research publicly, and the experience allowed me to connect with scholars in my field, receive constructive feedback, and expand my academic network.

This opportunity has reaffirmed my commitment to research and teaching at the intersection of Women’s and Gender Studies and Rhetoric and Composition—particularly focusing my research on how incarcerated women use digital platforms to advocate and share their stories. I am truly grateful to the University of Louisville Women’s Center and the Nichols family for their investment in this work.

Conference Reflection: IISE Annual Conference & Expo 2025

by Marziehsadat Rezaei

I had the opportunity to present my research at the 2025 IISE Annual Conference in the “OR for Societal Good I” session this past June, in Atlanta, GA. My presentation, titled Strategic placement of drone platforms in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest, focused on using optimization methods to improve emergency response times in Jefferson County, Louisville, KY, through drone-based delivery of automated external defibrillators (AEDs).

Approximately 20 attendees were present in the session, which included four presentations. Mine was the third, and I had about 18 minutes to deliver my talk, followed by a brief Q&A. The audience was engaged and asked thoughtful questions, particularly about the assumptions of the model and potential implementation challenges.

Sudden cardiac arrest is the third leading cause of death in the U.S. Every year, Emergency Medical Services (EMS) respond to over 357,000 out-of-hospital cardiac arrests—but nearly 90% do not survive, making it a major public health concern, according to the American Heart Association.

In my talk, I explored how emerging technologies—specifically drone-based delivery of defibrillators—can help reduce response times in such emergencies. I discussed my collaboration with local EMS and emergency medicine experts, how we used real-world data to understand current challenges, and how operations research tools can support better planning and system design to improve outcomes.

This conference provided valuable exposure for my research and helped me connect with others interested in the intersection of operations research, healthcare, and technology. I look forward to continuing this work and exploring how it can inform emergency response policy, potentially with recognition from organizations such as the American Heart Association.

NOTE: The Dr. M. Celeste Nichols Professional Development Award is intended to honor the memory of Dr. Margaret Celeste Johnson Nichols and to further the mission of the University of Louisville Women’s Center “by offering support and resources with the goal of promoting an inclusive campus community for all students and to develop engaged and compassionate leaders.  For more details about the award, email womenctr@louisville.edu