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Meet CADI: Jesús Dones

Jesús Dones (he/him/his) is a 6th 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 3rd 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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Meet CADI: Amanda Cowfer

Amanda Cowfer (she/her/hers) is a 2nd 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!

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Meet CADI: Gisele Andree

Gisele Andree (she/her/hers) is a 1st 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!

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Meet CADI: Tony Scott

Tony Scott (he/him/his) is a 3rd 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!

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CADI and WIC co-host a professional development lunch on intersectionality

On November 19th, as part of the professional development lunch series funded by a School of Science Quality of Life Grant, WIC and CADI co-hosted Alessandra Robinson, Assistant Director of Multicultural Programs at MIT, and Lauryn McNair, Assistant Director of Intercultural Engagement and LBGTQ+ Services at MIT, to facilitate a discussion how various identities intersect to influences experiences in systematic ways.

The lunch began with Lauryn and Alessandra describing the resources available at MIT and providing definitions of identity and intersectionality in order to have a shared vocabulary.  Then, in smaller discussion groups, we had a chance to learn more about various terms and identities regarding intersectionality, diversity, and inclusion by playing the SPXCE game. Finally, we had a chance to brainstorm various actions that we as graduate students and postdocs can do in order to make the department more inclusive spaces for all identities. This lunch gave members of the department an introduction to the language necessary to start the conversations regarding how the identities of the various members of the department intersect and how we can work together to create a more inclusive and supportive space. Stay tuned for the next professional development lunch in the coming months!