Faculty Spotlight: Dr. Jacqueline Nesbit, Delgado School of STEM

July 24, 2024

"Teaching at Delgado is an incredibly rewarding experience, because I'm constantly meeting new faces and learning from each student's unique perspective,” said Dr. Jacqueline Nesbit, biology instructor at Delgado in the School of Science, Technology, Engineering and Math.

During the three years she has served at Delgado, Dr. Nesbit has been actively engaged inside and outside of the classroom to enhance teaching and learning opportunities for students at Delgado, across Louisiana and beyond.

“Every day brings fresh energy and opportunities to inspire and be inspired, making it feel less like a job and more like a shared journey of discovery,” Nesbit said.

Through a federal grant awarded to the Louisiana Library Network (LOUIS) and Board of Regents, Dr. Nesbit together with Delgado Assistant Professor of Biology Charlene Shunick are participating on the Open Educational Resources (OER) Course Development Faculty Team for the three-year initiative “Building a Competitive Workforce: Career and Technical Education (CTE) OER with Embedded Digital Skills.” Nesbit and Shunick are developing a nutrition textbook for free usage by all Louisiana colleges and universities. The Building a Competitive Workforce project is projected to save Louisiana students more than $6 million annually and provide greater access to higher education.

In July 2024, Dr. Nesbit participated in a Bioindustrial Manufacturing Workshop as part of Delgado’s partnership with BioMADE. The workshop featured a pilot test of new educational modules to be incorporated in Delgado’s biology curriculum to train students for technician-level career pathways in bioindustrial manufacturing. Workshop participants provided feedback on the modules and received final versions of all materials, while industry representatives were present to discuss career opportunities for students.

Dr. Nesbit is also mentoring Angela Graham, a student in Delgado’s science laboratory technician program, through grant support from the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE). ORISE’s internship and sabbatical programs enable faculty members like Nesbit to broaden their professional outlook on the classroom by allowing students to take part in impactful laboratory research projects. Dr. Nesbit, in collaboration with Dr. Soheila Maleki at the USDA, studies peanut and tree nut allergy. Under Dr. Nesbit’s guidance, Graham has isolated pistachio and cashew proteins to determine their role in cross-reactivity among legumes and nuts to help develop better ways to diagnose and treat food allergies.

“I am extremely grateful for the chance to help students realize their potential and achieve their dreams," said Nesbit.

Dr. Jacqueline Nesbit