Category: social

• 

• 

Gisele Andree (she/her/hers) is a 1^st year chemical biology graduate student and a member of the CADI board. She grew up in Hampden, MA and came to MIT in 2019 after receiving her bachelor’s degree from UMass Amherst. Gisele’s research in Professor Cathy Drennan’s group focuses on studying the structures of different ribonucleotide reductase enzymes with the goal of understanding the molecular basis for substrate and inhibitor binding, allosteric regulation, and radical generation/radical transfer.

We sat down with Gisele over Zoom this week and asked her a few questions about her choice to come to MIT, her favorite parts of Cambridge, and what being part of CADI means to her.

Why did you want to get a graduate degree?

I want to always be learning and discovering new things. But more specifically, I want to push our current knowledge of proteins forwards, even just a little bit. Also, a PhD opens a lot of doors career-wise.

Why did you choose structural biology? Why the Drennan lab in particular?

I fell in love with structural biology during an undergraduate summer program in the Drennan lab. I was always interested in proteins, but what is cooler than actually being able to discover their structures and see how it directly effects the protein’s function and chemistry? Structural biology can be pretty interdisciplinary (involving many different biochemical, biophysical, and computational techniques), and you can learn a lot of different things by studying protein structure.

The Drennan lab is full of supportive, accepting, and wonderful individuals who I love to work with. Cathy cultivates a great lab environment and she also deeply cares about education and diversity initiatives as well as the science, which were extra things that I knew I wanted to also focus on in my PhD.

Why did you decide to come to MIT?

I really loved the MIT environment, the city, and especially the people. The students here do great science, but they’re passionate about so many other things, too. Everyone’s kinda a nerd (like me), so it feels very welcoming.

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

My bucket list is essentially to take advantage of all the MIT student ID discounts. I love going to all of the free and discounted museums, especially the New England Aquarium (tickets are 60% off for students!). I’m looking forward to visiting the Isabella Stuart Gardener museum in the summer when the gardens are in bloom and trying out more of the cool breweries in the area.

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

The biggest challenge has been imposter syndrome and worrying that I’m not qualified to be here. I’m the first person in my family to go to grad school or do anything in STEM. But ChemREFs had an imposter syndrome-focused discussion in the fall that was really nice. It’s helpful to have a group discussion about it and know everyone in the room feels the same way.

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

The student groups here are very passionate, and the students are really involved with making changes and trying to improve the character of the department, which is really nice.

Why did you join CADI?

I wanted to join because it’s important to me to increase all kinds of diversity in science and chemistry. Everyone who comes here should feel like they belong here and can do good work here. A lot of people helped me on the way to college and graduate school, and CADI helps me pay all of that help forward. Everyone should feel like they can get a PhD and be a successful scientist if they want to.

What are you doing to stay sane in quarantine?

I’ve been doing online yoga videos and playing a lot of video games (I just started the Witcher 3, which I would definitely recommend so far). I’ve also had time to get more creative in the kitchen, which has been fun.

How are you keeping in touch with family and friends? The Drennan lab zooms together every day for a coffee break (I look forward to 3pm every day!). Zoom has been nice because you can actually see people (MIT gave us all free accounts for the quarantine). Also, my lab has an Animal Crossing group chat, since a lot of people have been playing the new game, and it’s been really fun to play with others.

Have questions/want more CADI?

Follow CADI on Twitter!

Please email the CADI board with any questions!

• 

• 

Tony Scott (he/him/his) is a 3^rd year organic chemistry graduate student and the treasurer of CADI. He grew up in The Bronx, NY and came to MIT in 2017 after receiving his bachelor’s degree from the Yale University. Tony’s research in Professor Mo Movassaghi’s group focuses on stereocontrolled complex alkaloid total synthesis.

We sat down with Tony over Zoom this week and asked him a few questions about his choice to come to MIT, his time here in the chemistry department, and what being part of CADI means to him.

Why did you want to get a graduate degree?

By the end of undergrad I was really interested in chemistry, loved doing research, and felt that I had a lot to learn. I saw graduate school as an apprenticeship of sorts, one that would allow me to train my mind. Organic chemistry doesn’t necessarily come naturally to me, but I knew that it was interesting enough to sustain my excitement and that it would better me in the long run.

Why did you decide to come to MIT?

In the end, my decision mostly came down to location. I wanted an east coast school in a big city, so I could be near family in NYC. I don’t know how to drive so I definitely wasn’t about to make that a central part of my life (ha ha). I was excited about the prospect of working for Mo so in the end the decision was easy.

What have been your favorite parts of Cambridge so far?

I have been tap dancing since I was 10, and as soon as I moved to Boston I was blown away by the concentration of talent. Training and developing my passion for tap dance along-side chemistry has been an amazing opportunity I never expected to have.

I also love rollerblading, and I can actually commute into MIT by rollerblading most days.

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

My biggest challenge has been maintaining a healthy work-life balance (or at least work-not-work balance). When things aren’t working in the lab, especially, it tends to bleed out into other aspects of life, which isn’t great. I’m trying to make sure I’m living a healthy life outside of work.

What’s the most fun thing you’ve done since coming to MIT?

I’ve developed a really good group of friends since coming here. I come into lab every day excited to see my labmates and talk about chemistry and everything else. Honestly, I can’t think of a specific moment that’s better than that (except maybe the bouncy house we had at one of the summer CGSC events).

What is your favorite part of the MIT Chemistry Department?

The DCIF (Department of Chemistry Instrumentation Facility) is pretty cool. They’re super helpful and the whole facility was just upgraded dramatically.

Also, MIT really values its student groups and seems to want to help the students find ways to improve their time here. The coffee hours, pizza nights, and CADI events are all things that are easy to take for granted, but I look forward to them every month.

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

I found out about CADI when it was first advertised by Jesús and just starting out. I didn’t expect there to be a group for people with marginalized identities in chemistry grad school, but it’s a community that everyone should have access to. I joined because I really wanted to see it succeed, and it has become really important to me.

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

CADI is a bunch of thoughtful, funny, fun people and a great community. Having a bunch of POC friends and events that create a welcoming space makes me feel less isolated and improves my day-to-day in a way I never realized I was missing.

We are given a platform to do good things for the campus community, and it feels great that the department appreciates CADI and the impact we can have.

What are you hoping to see from CADI in the next few years?

As the treasurer, I’m hoping to see us spend more money soon. But more importantly, I’m excited to start inviting more speakers to campus as part of the new speaker series we hoped to roll out this spring. Overall, though, I want to see more generations of graduate students get involved and get excited to shape the community. I’m excited to see how CADI evolves.

What are you doing to stay sane in quarantine?

I don’t know if I’m staying sane, but between the long hours of working at home, I’ve been sleeping, reading, and exercising (My roommates and I are using the Wellbeats app, which we get for free from MIT recreation).

The work-from-home period is giving me time to re-imagine what I want to prioritize when I gets back to work. It’s been a good time to reflect about work-life balance.

Have questions/want more CADI?

Follow CADI on Twitter!

Please email the CADI board with any questions!