#BlackinChem Feature: Kayla Storme

Happy #BlackinChem Week! For #BlackinOrganic day we would like to feature one of our own awesome chemists here at MIT. 

Meet Kayla Storme, a second year Organic/PPSM student who is co-advised between Prof. Tim Swager in Chemistry and Prof. Zach Smith in Chemical Engineering. Kayla works to synthesize and characterize novel microporous polymers for gas separations. 

Her favorite thing about being a scientist is being able to use her creativity to expand knowledge and promote learning in her community as well as learn so many new and exciting things from her peers. Kayla’s favorite technique is Prep-Gel Permeation Chromatography (Prep-GPC) or gas permeation system. 

During quarantine, Kayla has been having the most fun riding her motorcycle! 

You can follow Kayla at @KaylaStorme on Twitter and CADI at @MIT_CADI18

CADI Support and Resources for Allies in Response to Minneapolis Events

The members of CADI represent a diverse coalition of individuals that are committed to making the Chemistry Department a more inclusive space. We recognize that our identities as scientists cannot be uncoupled from our other identities. We aim to support our chemistry community and the Black & Indigenous People of Color (BIPOC) communities of heavily impacted by systemic racism and injustice. Given the recent events of police brutality that have captured national attention, with the recognition that these events occur far more often than reported in the national media, we as CADI want to provide resources to individuals that identify as allies to the BIPOC community.

Below we share a non-exhaustive list of resources that can help to educate and enable our community to begin to do the work to enact change. As part of our mission, CADI seeks to facilitate the difficult conversations necessary to create a more inclusive and just department. We, like you, are learning and growing in our understanding to diversity, equity, and inclusion in our ever-changing society. We encourage you to engage with the following resources and to reach out to the CADI Board at cadi_mit_board@mit.edu to continue the conversations.  

Articles:

Podcasts:

Books:

Films and TV series to watch:

  • 13th (Ava DuVernay) — Netflix
  • American Son (Kenny Leon) — Netflix
  • Dear White People (Justin Simien) — Netflix
  • I Am Not Your Negro (James Baldwin doc) — Available to rent or on Kanopy
  • If Beale Street Could Talk (Barry Jenkins) — Hulu
  • King In The Wilderness — HBO
  • See You Yesterday (Stefon Bristol) — Netflix
  • The Hate U Give (George Tillman Jr.) — Hulu with Cinemax
  • When They See Us (Ava DuVernay) — Netflix

Organizations to follow:

Other:

For a more extensive list of anti-racism resources please visit the other resources on this website and the following collection

CADI General Meeting 9/20 at 3:30 pm

Are you interested in becoming more involved with the Chemistry Alliance for Diversity and Inclusion (CADI)? Would you like to learn more about who we are and what we do? Then come to the CADI general meeting on Friday, September 20th at 3:30 pm in the Moore Room (6-321) with coffee and donuts. Anyone who is interested in making the department a more supportive and welcoming place is encouraged to stop by! Stop by and sign up for the mailing list, or stay awhile and hear more about how to become involved with CADI. The CADI board will be there to introduce ourselves and talk about the existing events we have in the works. 

Have suggestions or events you’d like to see in the future? We’d love to hear about them at the general meeting.

Can’t make the meeting but still want to know what events are in the works, sign up for the mailing list by emailing cadi_mit_board@mit.edu

Please email the board with any questions.

 

CADI holds its inaugural meeting!

 Photo: Danielle Randall

On September 7, 2018, the inaugural meeting of Chemistry Alliance for Diversity and Inclusion was held in the Moore Room (6-321). Jesús M. Dones, a graduate student in the Raines lab and founder of CADI, led the meeting attended by approximately 35 postdocs, graduate students, and staff members of the department. In the meeting, Jesús outlined his goals for the organization and called for the creation of a board in order to begin planning events towards the goals.