Category: social

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Joseph Brown (he/him/his) is a chemical biology postdoc in the Pentelute Lab and a member of the CADI board. He grew up in Pilot Mountain, NC and did his undergrad at NC State University. Joe graduated with his PhD from Cornell University and joined the Pentelute Lab in 2019. Joe’s research focuses on expanding beyond the twenty canonical amino acids to make potent protein and peptidomimetic therapeutics.

We sat down with Joe over Zoom this week and asked him a few questions about his choice to postdoc at MIT, his favorite parts of Cambridge, and why CADI is important to him.

Why did you want to get a graduate degree?

I wanted to get a PhD because I wanted career in research and development. Of the exposure I had as an undergrad, R&D stood out because it meant working with new ideas and new technologies.

Plus, a PhD is like a certificate that says I don’t give up easily, and I can do research.

Why did you choose biomolecular engineering? Why postdoc in the Pentelute lab, in particular?

I wanted to choose a field that would be useful for the world, use my skills, and allow me to have a financially stable life. Biomolecular engineering needs chemistry, physics, biology, engineering, all of the cool stuff.

Within biomolecular engineering, the Pentelute lab specializes in peptide chemistry. In my PhD I worked on sequence-defined polymers, and specifically oligothioetheramides, but they’re not well known, and I always had to explain them to everyone. Peptides and amides are ubiquitous, and you can do so much with them. I wanted to work with a well-known system with a well-known PI like Brad.

Why did you decide to come to MIT for your postdoc?

MIT has actually been a dream since I was a kid. Postdoc-ing here is hands-down an excellent opportunity that I am very grateful and lucky to have. Everyone’s got this attitude like, “we have to do this.” There’s an internal pressure to do really big things, which is a good thing. It’s got this edge of creativity in a really empowering environment.

What’s on your MIT bucket list? What’s your favorite item you’ve checked off so far?

A couple of things are still on my list: Run a bridge loop around the Charles river, Take a picture with Tim the Beaver (he was going to be at visit weekend, but maybe next year…), and have Dim Sum in Chinatown.

My favorite thing so far was joining an a cappella group, The Pow! Arrangers, a semi-professional group, in the Boston Area. It’s just a great community of friends, and a great outlet for me. It’s also nice to have that space from MIT and an identity separate from research. It reminds to me to be a human, and not work myself to death.

What’s been your biggest challenge since coming to MIT?

Imposter Syndrome. I often think it’s really crazy that I’ve come from a very small rural town of just <2000 people and now I am here at one of the best universities in the world.

I had this a little bit during my PhD at Cornell, but MIT is somehow even more intimidating.

When the imposter syndrome rears up, I feel it is really important to talk to your friends and family, and get some perspective to remind yourself the things you’ve done that brought you to this point. When you get down to it, being good at research is just putting in the time and getting the positive attitude.

Also, shout-out to Science Blender, the podcast I co-founded at Cornell, for a wonderful imposter syndrome episode. We had people from the dean of engineering all the way down to a graduate student talking about their imposter syndrome. It doesn’t go away on its own, , no matter what career stage you’re at.

What part of the chemistry department are you most proud of/excited about?

Compared to other departments, there are a lot of large lab groups, and things are well organized. There’s a lot of freedom for creativity (graduate students can try thing out and have some space to explore) It’s a fragile part of research that isn’t always encouraged, but it’s here at MIT in a lot of labs.

How did you find out about CADI?  Why did you join CADI?

I learned about CADI largely from other Pentelute lab members. I joined because both diversity and inclusion are important. Aside from it being the right thing to do, diversity of perspectives and people are critical for problem solving, and we need every advantage with the challenging problems we face! And inclusion is similar; all of us can think of a time we felt excluded unfairly. It is easy for people to be excluded without any conversation, given the status quo. So, we need to actively consider and bring awareness to inclusivity, in order to bring out the best in our society and in science. Exclusion isn’t helpful when we’re trying to solve these grand challenges.

Why is CADI important to you? How has it impacted your life?

CADI is important to me because it is such a genuine community of people that are serious about supporting each other and improving the department.

As a postdoc, you don’t really fit in any one place in a university. CADI was one of the organizations that made me feel really welcome. I just really appreciated the community and the directness from the board. I was there to help, and everyone on the board just put me straight to work. It really made me feel welcome.

What are you doing to stay sane in quarantine?

For a while I was writing a fellowship, but that’s thankfully finished. Now I’m working on digital consolidation. I have so many hard drives, flash drives, and files I have saved that I said I would look at eventually, and I finally have the time. I haven’t gotten there yet, but honestly the video games will also start soon.

How are you keeping in touch with family and friends?

Video and phone calls are so important and wonderful. I have seven nephews and nieces and I am just trying to keep track of what they are doing! I’ve got to keep up my Uncle of the Year streak.

Have questions/want more CADI?

Follow CADI on Twitter!

Please email the CADI board with any questions!

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Francesca Vaccaro (she/her/hers) is a 3^rd year chemical biology graduate student and the co-president of CADI. She grew up in Yorba Linda, California and came to MIT in 2017 after receiving her bachelor’s degree from Loyola University, New Orleans. Francesca’s research in Professor Cathy Drennan’s group focuses on understanding the structural and molecular basis of how proteins transport, deliver, and repair metal containing cofactors to ensure the correct reactivity of various metalloenzymes. 

We sat down with Francesca over Zoom this week and asked her a few questions about her choice to come to graduate school, her experience in the chemistry department, and why CADI has been so important to her.

Why did you want to get a graduate degree?

I grew up always really liking science. When I went to college, I was premed because the only people I saw that did science were doctors. But I had a really good advisor in undergrad, who realized I had the potential for a research career before I even really knew what research was.

After undergrad, I still wasn’t sure if I wanted to do graduate school, or if it was just what everyone was telling me to do, so I took a year away from science to teach kindergarten. After only a month of teaching, I missed science so much that I took the chemistry GRE and applied to grad school. I knew I had to get a PhD to do what I really wanted to do.

Why did you choose bioinorganic chemistry? The Drennan lab in particular?

My undergrad research was in computational studies (making a set of compounds to mimic DNA bases and seeing how subtle changes in structure affect crystal packing and non-covalent interactions). Every time I talked to a professor, the structural work was always the most interesting to me – I have always had an interest in what these things look like on a molecular level, that’s how I comprehend things.

I clicked with Cathy Drennan because we both really just want to see what everything looks like. Having a female PI is really important to me, because she shows me what it means to be a woman in academia and how to navigate the academic space. Ultimately joining the Drennan was a gut feeling thing, from conversations with her and people in the lab. It was a huge leap of faith, and it ended up working out really well.

Why did you decide to come to MIT?

The main draw was that I could see myself working for the most people here. A lot of the research was really cool and I felt excited about it, and there were a lot of projects and groups to pick from. I wanted to move to the east coast, and MIT definitely felt like a safe option.

What’s your favorite thing to do in Cambridge?

I truly love the Charles river esplanade. I love that I can be close to water on-campus (I grew up close to the beach, and I’ve always lived by water). Being able to run along the river is really nice (especially during the work-at-home period, the river loops are anywhere from 2 to 20 miles!).

What’s been your biggest challenge since coming to MIT?

My biggest challenge has been feeling imposter syndrome and not always feeling like whatever I’m doing is enough to be here. But I’m aware of it – I even have a poster in my room that says “you are not an imposter, you are for real.”

The biggest help here has been the community. Community makes you brave enough to do really hard things. Having moments of vulnerability about how difficult grad school can be has been really helpful. It’s been really important to have people around who can remind me that I’m not alone. That’s the PhD – you find the people who make it better and hold on for dear life.

What part of the chemistry department are you most proud of?

I want to highlight the people that have been doing really hard work to make this a better and more inclusive place for a really long time, especially all of the people who did hard work before CADI even existed.

I’m always really excited to see how people being themselves and living their identities are expanding the idea of what a chemist is. If MIT chemistry wants to be the best, that includes being the best at supporting their students and community. I think they’re making progress which is exciting.

How did you find out about CADI?  Why did you join CADI?

I went to Jesús’ first introductory meeting and immediately joined the board (and recruited Tony and Dio to join with me).

I consider myself a very logistical, behind the scenes person, so I think Jesús and I complement each other very well as copresidents (he has the grand ideas and networking).

Why is CADI important to you? How has it impacted your life?

CADI has impacted my life in forming community here and helping form connections with people that I wouldn’t have met otherwise. It’s really exciting to feel like parts of my identity that aren’t always celebrated are actually acknowledged in CADI. CADI is important because it gives people a place to celebrate those identities and exist in them. You don’t have to put your identities on the backburner to be a chemistry student – you can be all of you in CADI.

What are you doing to stay sane in quarantine?

Am I sane? I haven’t really gone outside much, but I can see it through the window, at least. I think my extensive collection of plants is keeping me sane, because they just keep growing and they give me a nice set of defined tasks every day. And I’ve been connecting with people, old friends and the friends I’ve made here.

Have questions/want more CADI?

Follow CADI on Twitter!

Please email the CADI board with any questions!

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Maria Castellanos Morales (she/her/hers) is a 2^nd year theoretical chemistry graduate student and a member of the CADI board. She grew up in Cali, Colombia and came to MIT in 2018 after receiving her bachelor’s degree from Icesi University. Maria’s research in Professor Adam Willard’s group focuses on study the dynamics of dye molecules in exciton molecular circuits with applications in quantum computing.

We sat down with Maria over Zoom this week and asked her a few questions about her choice to do theoretical chemistry, her experience in the chemistry department, and why CADI has been so important to her.

Why did you want to get a graduate degree?

I wanted to go to graduate school since I started undergrad and discovered what a PhD was. I thought it was cool that I could do my own research and make important discoveries for humankind. It’s really the next step if I want to do impactful science.

Why did you choose theoretical chemistry? Why the Willard Lab in particular?

When I was in undergrad, I enjoyed physics and math, and I really liked my first quantum chemistry class. Theory is the field that mixes everything I like (plus computers, which I love). And you can do a lot of important and impactful stuff with theoretical chemistry.

I was convinced to join the Willard group after talking to Adam during my first semester. Adam told me about his new research project in quantum computers, which is something I’ve wanted to do since undergrad. I joined the group because of this project, but also because he’s a really cool person and a really good PI. Just by talking to the other students, I could tell the group dynamics were really great.

Why did you decide to come to MIT, in particular?

I decided to apply to MIT pretty last-minute, since I wasn’t sure of my possibilities of being accepted, coming from an undergrad in a different country. But when I got accepted, I didn’t think twice about coming here. MIT has a lot of opportunities, and it opens a lot of doors. Plus, the chemistry department has really good research groups, and the science was definitely cool.

What’s your favorite thing about MIT? What are you still looking forward to doing here?

I’m part of an MIT association of Colombians, where we do a lot of fun events with members of the Colombian community in Boston. That’s a huge part of what I like about MIT: that even away from my country, I have the opportunity of having a part of my culture here. I also love the research I’m doing here at MIT, of course.

I’m excited for summer in general, and I’m planning to go to the beach more often this summer. And there are a lot of restaurants I want to go to (especially going out for Italian food in the North End).

What’s been your biggest challenge since coming to MIT?

Academically the first semester was initially really hard for me, especially with the language barrier. It was challenging to adapt, and there were definitely gaps in my knowledge from undergrad. It felt like I was learning everything from scratch. But the other students in theory were actually really helpful. It didn’t feel like anyone was competitive or selfish at all, we were all working together (or suffering together). It was actually a good bonding experience in a way.

What part of the chemistry department are you most proud of?

I feel like there are a lot of people who really try to support us in the chemistry department. The chemical education office does a lot of wellness activities and really pays attention to the graduate student wellbeing. They actually know us all by name and check in with us, and they make sure funding and the stipend are never a source of stress. And we have the opportunity to have a lot of student groups – not every department has a CADI. I like that people in the department are trying to make it better for everyone.

How did you find out about CADI?  Why did you join CADI?

I initially found out about CADI during the orientation. In my first year I tried to go to as many events as possible, and in my second year (when I had more time) I joined the board.

As an international student, I think it’s really important to promote diversity and create a safe space for everyone to be a part of.

Why is CADI important to you? How has it impacted your life?

I think it’s really important for the department that there’s a student group making sure that everyone is feeling accepted.

It can be hard to be an international student when no one is talking about diversity, as you feel like you stand out. CADI is important because it makes people feel like the department really cares about diversity. It’s been impactful just knowing it exists, and the events are really fun. I feel like I’m working towards a better department.

What are you doing to stay sane in quarantine?

Because my work doesn’t really require a lab, I’m basically doing the same as always from home.

But I’m trying to keep a work schedule and build more structure into my day. Going outside for runs is nice though, because I feel a bit locked inside otherwise.

How are you keeping in touch with family and friends?

I’m trying to talk to my parents every day (I want to know how they’re doing in Colombia), and I’m still seeing my boyfriend and my roommate. The weekly CADI meetings have also been a great way to stay in contact with a lot of friends.

Have questions/want more CADI?

Follow CADI on Twitter!

Please email the CADI board with any questions!

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Jesús Dones (he/him/his) is a 6^th year chemical biology graduate student and the founding member of CADI. He grew up in Caimito, Puerto Rico and joined the Raines Group at the University of Wisconsin, Madison in 2014. Jesús then transferred to MIT with the rest of the Raines lab in his 3^rd year. Jesús’ research focuses on the development of a collagen-mimetic peptide that can act as a vehicle for the detection of mammalian collagen that has suffered damage.

We sat down with Jesús over Zoom this week and asked him a few questions about his choice to come to graduate school, his favorite parts of Boston, and why he decided to start CADI.

Why did you want to get a graduate degree in chemical biology?

I started undergrad doing research in marine biology, and that sparked a passion for science and research. Then throughout that experience I developed more interest in chemistry, and I wanted to see the research we were doing through a chemist’s perspective. I switched to chemistry and really enjoyed the experience. Graduate school felt like the next step to develop my professional career in research and science.

What drew you to the Raines Lab in particular?

Back in my junior year of undergrad I went through a bunch of universities and emailed interesting professors. I really liked Ron’s research, especially his work with peptides at the interface of chemistry and biology. Once I met Ron, I saw right away how excited he was about his science. I clicked with the lab really well, the environment that he creates is really my style, and his excitement really shows through the research.

Why were you excited to transfer to MIT?

MIT is in a cool city surrounded by many historic and exciting places, so I was excited to learn and get to know more about Boston (especially as a sports fan). I was looking forward to a new experience and to broaden my scientific scope. And of course, MIT is a great university in itself.

What’s on your MIT bucket list? What’s your favorite item you’ve checked off so far?

I’m a big sports fan, so number one on the list was to go to the professional sports games in town and meet the Boston fans. Ron took us to a Bruins game, and I live next to Fenway so I can hear the Soxs fans at every home run.

Before I graduate, I’m hoping to complete the pirate certificate (I’ve done the sailing classes, but I still need pistol and fencing classes).

What’s been your biggest challenge since coming to MIT?

For me, coming in from another school in the middle of my PhD career and building a new community was a big challenge. I lost a group of friends from Wisconsin, and so coming here not knowing anyone was really hard. It was a very slow process, but everyone has been amazing. I think the MIT community is a very friendly environment. Obviously it’s not perfect, but I think the community I’ve built around myself is full of very positive and energetic people who keep life interesting around MIT.

What part of the chemistry department are you most proud of?

Our department does a great job of supporting students and developing their ideas on how the department can do better. They’ve really supported the students who take community building on their shoulders. Professors donate their own money to help groups like WIC and CADI become endowed and stay at MIT forever. I’m very proud and happy that MIT supports those ideas.

Why did you decide to start CADI?

When I came to MIT, my biggest challenge was building a community. As a Puerto Rican, I felt very different when I came to the US, and I put a lot of work into integrating into US cultural communities. When I was at Wisconsin, there were a lot of people in the department that helped me integrate into the community. Here at MIT, a lot of students didn’t have a place within the department to reach out to for help. I wanted to create a platform that can build that kind of community at MIT chemistry (and find myself a strong group of friends).

What kind of support have you gotten for CADI?

I love my CADI board crew. Everyone is so amazing and helpful. I love that they’re taking time out of their research to work on a thing that’s bigger than us. The community that I’ve found in CADI is very unique, and I feel more comfortable being myself. Within two years we’ve almost reach endowment, which means alumni and professors also see the value of CADI.

I love seeing new people join and change the path of CADI, because I want CADI to be a platform that supports people’s ideas for change.

I want to say thank you to all of the CADI board members that keep CADI going, and to the CADI members for supporting the idea and building this community.

Why is CADI important to you? How has it impacted your life?

CADI is important to me because it shows me that I’m not the only one thinking that we need to improve diversity and inclusion. The idea of CADI existing helped me understand that my feelings are valid and shared with an entire community. With CADI in place, there’s a route to community and inclusion. It’s a place that’s always there for you, to kick-start your transition into the community. I see so many people come to the events who I don’t see in other places, and I’m glad we can make them feel welcome.

What are you doing to stay sane in quarantine?

A bouncy ball chair and a standing desk have been helping me with work. But outside of that, I’m running every day for my mental health (with social distancing, of course). And I’m cooking a lot – before everything went intense, I went out and did a huge shopping trip and bought a bunch of different things (I’ve made lots of fun tacos, a fig and prosciutto pizza, and tonight is Indian night!)

Have questions/want more CADI?

Follow CADI on Twitter!

Please email the CADI board with any questions!

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Amanda Cowfer (she/her/hers) is a 2^nd year chemical biology graduate student and a member of the CADI board. She grew up in Manhattan, IL and came to MIT in 2018 after receiving her bachelor’s degree from University of Illinois, Urbana Champaign. Amanda’s research in Professor Brad Pentelute’s group focuses on leveraging flow-based chemistry to rapidly produce polypeptide sequences of over 150 amino acids via solid-phase peptide synthesis for biophysical and biochemical characterization with applications in the development of next-generation therapeutics.

We sat down with Amanda over Zoom this week and asked her a few questions about her choice to do chemical biology, her experience in the chemistry department, and why CADI has been so important to her.

Why did you want to get a graduate degree?

I knew that I wanted to have lot of independent scientific thought in my future, and getting a PhD is really the only way to do that. It’s the next step in my scientific career.

Why did you choose chemical biology? The Pentelute Lab in particular?

I started out as a premed (like a lot of us, I think), and then I really ended up enjoying my freshman year chemistry courses. I did research in a fully synthetic organic lab in undergrad, but I was always more drawn to the biological testing going on in the other subgroups. When I got to MIT, I joined Brad’s group because peptide chemistry leverages a lot of synthetic chemistry to answer interesting biological questions. I really like translational science with a clear end goal or real-life application, rather than molecules for molecules’ sake.

Why did you decide to come to MIT?

I did the DOW-MIT ACCESS program, which brings underrepresented minority students to MIT for a weekend to learn about graduate education. The research was really interesting, and I felt like I could actually fit in here. It also felt like MIT had the most options for me – hardcore synthetic chemistry, catalysis, and especially a really wide range of chemical biology labs. MIT as a whole may have some issues, but the chemical biology department is a great place.

What’s on your MIT bucket list?

I really want to get my pirate’s license (just a few fencing, shooting, and sailing classes away!).

What’s your favorite part of Cambridge?

I love exploring – the Cambridge architecture changes a lot depending on which part of the city you’re in, and I really enjoy looking around and seeing what’s there. I have a dog, so of course I love the Cambridge parks, and during the summer the Boston Common and the esplanade by the river are great.

What’s been your biggest challenge since coming to MIT?

It’s not necessarily since coming here, but the biggest challenge for me was coming up here with an ESA (emotional support animal). Getting pet-friendly housing in a new city and dealing with moving were really challenging. I didn’t reach out for departmental support, since I wasn’t sure who to approach. I would encourage anyone else in this situation to reach out to the chemical education department (or me!) because they’re actually really helpful for this sort of thing (I wish I had done that during my move).

What part of the chemistry department are you most proud of?

I’m really proud of our chemical education department and our department head. I’ve been working on the graduate mental health campaign, and the department leaders here really care, want to do better, and want to push the department to do better. Every department has their issues, but I’m proud that ours is actively trying to do better.

Why is CADI important to you? How has it impacted your life?

I think CADI is important because there are a lot of organizations that can be welcoming to some people, but a lot of folks can be lost in the weeds. CADI gathers everyone up and fills up a hole that was in the chemistry department. I think we complement the other organizations (like WIC and ChemREFs) well, and there are a lot of people who involved in two or three.

It’s great being a part of CADI, there are a lot of people I really care about in it, and we help each other accomplish great things for the department (especially considering how young the organization is).

What other groups are you involved in at MIT?

I’ve been active in the Graduate Students for a Healthy MIT campaign. It’s really important for both the students and the faculty and staff to acknowledge the stress and pressure students can be under. I’d like to encourage a healthy balance in our lives: it’s important to have a hobby or something (I have a dog, which really helps) coming in to graduate school, so you don’t feel lost when things get tough.

What are you doing to stay sane in quarantine?

I’ve been trying to have some level of schedule, spend a good amount of time doing desk work, and walk my dog Stella 7-8 miles every day. It’s been a great time to hang out with my partner and check in on all of my friends. I’m starting up painting, working on coding skills, playing some video games, and working out at home.

Have questions/want more CADI?

Follow CADI on Twitter!

Please email the CADI board with any questions!