Celeste Seibel

Celeste Seibel and academic research go together like peanut butter and jelly, with one difference: Celeste wants to know if that spread contains genetically modified peanuts.

Celeste’s passion for food and research and food form a perfect match, like the peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Her current pursuit involves an examination of genetically modified foods and public opinion in Europe and the United States, and resulted in a paper she presented last Spring at a communication conference.

The paper materialized after Celeste’s interest was encouraged by the PSU faculty: “Prof. Priya Kapoor allowed me to dive into the subject and then Prof. Gerry Sussman helped me come up with the outline of the paper. My research interests have been nurtured and encouraged by the faculty.”

“Research for me means that even if your findings are unexpected, other questions arise that point you in new directions. It’s the beauty of research, really.”

Celeste is currently collaborating with Prof. Cindy Coleman on whether public opinion drives how people view treaty rights and cultural norms of Native Americans, specifically looking at the case of sea lions feeding on salmon in the Pacific Northwest. Their aim is to get to the bottom of public opinion about Native issues.

Celeste’s other partnership was celebrated formally in the winter when she married long-time beau, Geoffrey. The newlywed confesses to being a fitness junkie; she swims, takes toning classes and does step aerobics. And when she’s not burning calories, she’s either cooking a meal or watching a classic movie.

Her advice for new graduate students is to make time for your passions. “When you’re new, it can seem overwhelming at times. But the big secret is that everyone feels that way. Give yourself time to make that transition.”

Story and photo by Melissa Shavlik