Fran Harrison is CMO of SMRT Architects and Engineers, a full service firm practicing nationwide in  Science/Technology/Industry (STI), Healthcare, Justice, Government and Education ( smrtinc.com ). The firm's STI practice specializes in designing and engineering controlled environments for research and manufacturing, including cleanrooms, dryrooms and laboratories.  Previously, Fran led the communications, government relations and corporate philanthropy functions globally as a member of the CEO's staff at Fairchild Semiconductor (now ON Semiconductor), beginning with its spinout as the industry's first management led LBO, through eleven acquisitions, its IPO, and growth to the leading provider of power semiconductors worldwide. Fran is on the board of the Massachusetts Building Congress, and sits on the biopharmaceutical implementation team for FocusMaine.

Kristy Townsend, Ph.D. trained as a neuroscientist and has been investigating how the brain and nervous system affect physiological energy balance for more than 15 years.  Currently an Assistant Professor of Neurobiology at University of Maine, Townsend oversees a laboratory of 15-20 students at various levels of study, and also teaches Introduction to Neuroscience and an upper level Cell Biology course.  Research in the Townsend Laboratory is focused on mechanisms of adult neural plasticity and neurogenesis, as well as how the brain talks to adipose (or, fat) tissues via peripheral nerves.  These investigations inform the prevention and treatment of metabolic diseases such as obesity and type 2 diabetes. The lab recently became more interested in the impacts of dietary fats and aging on energy balance and peripheral nerve function.  Prior to joining the faculty at UMaine, Townsend was a postdoctoral fellow and then junior faculty member at the Joslin Diabetes Center at Harvard Medical School in Boston.  While there, she was the recipient of the American Diabetes Association's Junior Faculty Award.  

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