Category: Get to Know WIC

Jessica is a third year grad student and the current secretary of WIC. She grew up in Rockford, Illinois, and received her bachelor’s in chemistry in 2017 from Northwestern University, where she was an undergrad researcher in Prof. SonBinh Nguyen’s lab.  Now in the Swager group at MIT, she works on fluorescence-based sensors for environmental pollutants.

Why did you pick MIT?
There were a few reasons, but a large part of it was I really liked a lot of the students I met during my visit and it seemed like a community I could fit in at (which has turned out to be accurate). I also really liked the Boston area.

What are your favorite things about the Cambridge/Boston area?
The history, for sure! I love walking around and seeing the old architecture, and how even in super modern areas you can see glimpses of the past. I also like that I don’t need a car to get around (the drivers are nuts). I’m also a big fan of the local breweries here.

What’s something that surprised you about life here?
That I can’t seem to buy fried cheese curds here? (Or as I’ve always called them, just “cheese curds.”) I never thought of cheese curds as being particularly midwestern, but they apparently just don’t exist here, which is a bummer because they pair well with beer.

Real Talk: What’s been your biggest challenge since coming to MIT?
I’ve definitely struggled with finding a balance between being confident in my own abilities as a chemist, and being aware that I still have a lot to learn from others. I can have a hard time being confident enough to defend myself when I’m right without being too stubborn to listen when I’m wrong. Both self-doubt and overconfidence have led me to waste time, and I’m still working on finding a happy medium.

What was your favorite part of your first year at MIT?
Probably TA-ing, actually. Don’t get me wrong, it was a lot of work and I’m happy that I don’t have that responsibility anymore, but TA-ing is likely to be the most time you’ll get to interact with the undergrads at MIT. I really liked trying to convince the students that organic chemistry didn’t exist solely to ruin their GPA, and it was rewarding to see students I’d helped in office hours slowly improve over the term. Also, MIT undergrads are a weird bunch and getting to know them is An Experience.

What is your favorite thing about your cohort?
That a bunch of us still get on stage and sing Taylor Swift’s “Style” for karaoke at the department holiday party every year. At this past party, I couldn’t even talk (laryngitis) but still got pulled onto the stage for the song.

Why did you join WIC?
I initially came to meetings because a few of my friends were, but I kept coming and became more involved because I wanted to be active in supporting the women of the department. I’ve really benefited from the mentorship program (thanks, Cassie!) and the orals support, and I love the social activities; I wanted to help continue all these things.

What’s your favorite WIC program or event?
Our experiment-filled day camp for girls, Scientist for a Day! I’ve helped out with it twice, and while children are exhausting, there’s also something really refreshing about seeing young girls be curious and have fun with chemistry. (Unfortunately, due to the pandemic, we’re going to have to delay this summer program until the world returns to semi-normal.)

What’s your go-to for self-care in quarantine?
Annoying my cat, Hera, and reading books.  Also, wine.

 

Our series “Get to Know WIC” was inspired by MIT CADI, who did a similar series for their members. Thanks for the idea!

Cassie is a Pittsburgh native who received her B.A. in Chemistry in 2013 from Oberlin College. Cassie moved to Boston after graduation and joined QD Vision, Inc. as an R&D Chemist. She then joined C2Sense, Inc. as an R&D Scientist, developing chemiresistive gas sensors for food, agriculture, and industrial safety. In Fall 2016, Cassie joined the Swager lab as a graduate student in organic chemistry, and is currently a 4th year student in the group studying complex emulsion systems. Cassie has been a part of the WIC board for 4 years and has served as the Mentorship Chair (and various other roles) for 3 years.

Why did you pick MIT?
I plan to return to the startup world after graduate school, and MIT and the Boston area is the perfect place for entrepreneurship. I also loved living here and it was hard to imagine moving away for school.

What are your favorite things about the Cambridge/Boston area?
My favorite place in the city is the Boston Public Library. I have written all my manuscripts and reports sitting there. Who wouldn’t want to be surrounded by books? I have also found a couple diners and bars that feel like “neighborhood” places where everyone knows you. It’s nice to get that small town feel in the city.

What’s something that surprised you about life here?
You almost never hear the Boston accent in the city. If it wasn’t for our lab manager, I could go a week without hearing a Boston accent and I live in Boston.

Real Talk: What’s been your biggest challenge since coming to MIT?
Since I did not come straight from undergrad to grad school, I had forgotten what it means to study. Trying to get back into those habits and doing homework again was eye opening. Being thrown into Organic Tutorial after not thinking about reaction mechanisms for 3 years was a challenge to say the least.

What was your favorite part of your first year at MIT?
I really enjoyed getting to know my labmates! And it was nice having them there for support during the year.

What is your favorite thing about your cohort?
My cohort are all super easy to get along with and that helped when we tried to work through homework problems or studied together. But I have to give a special shout-out to Katie McGeough, who has been there for me from orientation.

Why did you join WIC?
I had such a fantastic WIC mentor (hello Julia!) that I wanted to know more about the organization that helped me out so much in my first year. I ended up starting to come to meetings in my first semester and have been working with WIC ever since.

What’s your favorite WIC program or event?
As the Mentorship chair, this may not be much of a shock that I truly love the WIC mentorship program and am so happy to have been a part of it. Outside of the mentorship program, I really like Scientist for a Day, which is an outreach event for 5-6 grade girls to come and do hands-on science!

What’s your go-to for self-care in quarantine?
Is it okay to say wine? Because wine and reading are a lovely combination while sitting at home. But also organizing virtual game and D&D nights to stay connected to people.

 

Our series “Get to Know WIC” was inspired by MIT CADI, who did a similar series for their members. Thanks for the idea!

Christine is a fifth year in the Kiessling group and current co-president of WIC. She grew up in Salt Lake City, Utah and did her undergrad at the University of Puget Sound in Tacoma, Washington. As an undergrad, she played varsity soccer, majored in molecular and cellular biology, and grew interested in carbohydrates through her thesis research. After undergrad, Christine worked as a technician at the University of Washington for three years and built a love for exploring the outdoors. She then started her graduate studies at the University of Wisconsin, where she joined Prof. Laura Kiessling’s research group to follow her passion for carbohydrates. In the Kiessling Group, she studies the recognition of microbial glycans by human lectins. Christine moved to MIT with the Kiessling group in 2017, and has loved the new collaborations and new directions it has allowed for her research!

What are your favorite things about the Cambridge/Boston area?
I really like how bikeable Cambridge and Boston are. I love the local breweries and restaurants, and the nearby mountains and beaches!

What’s something that surprised you about life here?
The number of different backgrounds people in our program come from, be it cultural, geographical, research experience, or life experience.

Real Talk: What’s been your biggest challenge since coming to MIT?
Moving in the middle of grad school was a unique challenge that few can relate to. It was a big change and I had to adjust to the often intense atmosphere of MIT while also facing a decent level of imposter syndrome. However, I have found that many people face these challenges and they can be uniting.

Why did you join WIC?
I joined WIC to meet people, have more community, and be involved in the department initially. I became a co-president of WIC because I was excited to have more involvement in our events and behind the scenes interactions with our department leaders, while contributing to the continual evolution of our student group!

What’s your favorite WIC program or event?
I have enjoyed our collaborative events with other groups and departments: Our lunch with Women in Chemical Engineering on academic careers, the lunch with CADI on intersectionality, and the department-wide celebration of International Women’s Day.

What’s your go-to for self-care in quarantine?
I have been working on making a habit of a morning yoga practice and have taken a lot of baths!

 

Our series “Get to Know WIC” was inspired by MIT CADI, who did a similar series for their members. Thanks for the idea!

Katherine is a third year in the Kiessling group and current co-president of WIC. Originally from St. Louis, Missouri, Katherine completed undergrad at UChicago working with Professor Scott Snyder towards the total synthesis of brominated labdane natural products. Here at MIT, she focuses on structure function relationships of bacterial polysaccharides.

Why did you pick MIT?
I picked MIT for the wide range of research opportunities and different types of groups. I also love the Boston area, it is really compact, and there is a ton of research going on. It’s really exciting to have so many seminars and supergroups so close by.

What are your favorite things about the Cambridge/Boston area?
I love how close we are to so many different types of nature. In Chicago and St. Louis, everything is flat. Here, we’re less than two hours from mountains, beautiful beaches, and other really cool cities. When I’m not in lab, there’s always somewhere exciting to go outside.

What’s something that surprised you about life here?
I was surprised about the art classes that MIT offers. They offer oil painting, ceramics, drawing, and photography. I take ceramic classes, and the studio access and different community are really important to my MIT experience. Going to the studio gives me time to think, either about my science or about nothing at all, and serves as a welcome respite from lab frustrations.

Real Talk: What’s been your biggest challenge since coming to MIT?
I often get frustrated with my research progress, and it can ruin even exciting moments in lab. Sometimes when I finally get an experiment to work, instead of feeling excited, I am frustrated that I hadn’t figured it out earlier or more quickly. I’ve spent a lot of time working on how I relate to my research and science at large, and my advisor and colleagues have been incredibly helpful as I develop resilience as a scientist.

What was your favorite part of your first year at MIT?
I really loved TA-ing 5.12 (organic chemistry). My students were so engaged and I had a great time preparing lectures and practice problems. I loved getting to know my students more personally as well. Three of the students from the class now work in our group!

What is your favorite thing about your cohort?
I love how engaged everyone was! We had a ton of themed parties (“Taco Tuesday,” Mardis Gras, St. Patrick’s Day, the Fourth of July, etc) and those were a ton of fun. It was nice to see people from all divisions, and go through our first year together, outside of the university.

Why did you join WIC?
I joined WIC because I really value communities by and for women. The commitment to providing opportunities, both social, mentoring, and professional for women in the department is my favorite part of the organization.

What’s your favorite WIC program or event?
We did a plant potting event last year that I loved! Everyone got to go home with one or two new plant friends for their desk or work.

What’s your go-to for self-care in quarantine?
1. Baking sourdough (like everyone else)
2. Drawing and painting (oil, watercolor, etc)
3. Chilling out with my cat!

 

Our series “Get to Know WIC” was inspired by MIT CADI, who did a similar series for their members. Thanks for the idea!