Get to Know WIC: Cassie Zentner

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!

Get to Know WIC: Christine Isabella

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!

Get to Know WIC: Katherine Taylor

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!

WIC Travel Grant Summary – Carly Schissel – GRC on Chemistry & Biology of Peptides

Gordon Research Conference on the Chemistry and Biology of Peptides (Ventura, CA)

I would like to thank MIT WIC for their support, which helped me attend the Chemistry and Biology of Peptides Gordon Research Seminar and Conference, held in Ventura CA in February 2020. The theme of this year’s Peptide GRC was The Next Generation of Peptide Tools and Therapeutics, and attracted 200 participants in the field.

Shortly after registering for both the GRS and GRC, I was notified that my abstract was selected for an oral presentation at the GRS, the student-organized seminar held just before the conference. My project focuses on designing cell-penetrating peptides to deliver macromolecular cargo using machine learning. I had a fantastic time presenting to and learning from my peers. Other participants were also studying cell-penetrating peptides and small cell-permeable cyclic peptides, and we had excellent conversations regarding the translational applications of peptides. I received valuable feedback and interesting ideas to pursue in the future.

At the end of the seminar, we all voted for our favorite talks, and I was selected as one of two speakers to present at the GRC. I was immensely grateful for this opportunity to present to experts in my field and for the discussions that followed. Presenting alongside professors significantly lowered the barrier to initiating discussions during the evening sessions. I gained valuable insight regarding cell-penetrating peptides in the field, and even sparked a collaboration with a nearby lab.

Attending the conference was also of great personal benefit. Each afternoon had several hours of free time, which allowed me to socialize with my peers on beach hikes and other outings. A large number of us connected through our passion for peptides and chemical biology, and we look forward to crossing paths again in the future. Overall, I would say that attending this conference has been the best experience so far in grad school. I was so grateful for the opportunity to give a talk at the GRC and to have valuable discussions with leaders in the field. I am also especially grateful for the connections I made with other students, postdocs, and professionals, and I look forward to staying connected in the future.

2020 Welcome Back Happy Hour

On Tuesday, February 3rd, WIC hosted a Welcome Back Happy Hour at Vester for first years, their WIC mentors, and general members of WIC. We were happy to catch up with our friends and touch base with our mentees before the spring semester picked up. WIC would like to thank 3rd year Grace Ahlqvist for planning the event.

From left to right, Francesca Vaccaro, Alison Biester, Grace Ahlqvist, and Gisele Andree.
From left to right, Elaine Reichert, Merjema Purak, Mikaila Hoffman, Katherine Walker, and Kristyn Flynn.
From Left to right, Jessica Beard, Kayla Storme, Christine Isabella, Sophia Weng, and Cassandra Zentner.

Joint Lunch Panel with GWiChe!

WIC was awarded a Quality of Life grant by the School of Science for a collaborative professional development lunch series throughout the year. The first event was held on 10/30 with the Graduate Women in Chemical Engineering (GWiChE). The topic of this lunch was networking and a panel with professors from local institutions with different types of research environments and student populations. We had six professors at different stages of their career and with different paths to getting there join us: Profs. Nav Nidhi Rajput (Tufts), Eranthie Weerapana (Boston College), Deborah Perlstein (Boston University), Sara Rouhanifard (Northeastern), Heather Clark (Northeastern), and Abigail Koppes (Northeastern). Attendees enjoyed meeting professors and peers over lunch, followed by a very informative panel with the professors to learn more about their career paths and experiences. A huge thank you to the local professors who came over to MIT for this event, and to Christine Isabella (WIC) and Maddie Dery (GWiChE) for organizing!

Cassandra Zentner and Francesca Vaccaro honored with inaugural Department Service Award

WIC was proud to see two of our active members honored with the inaugural Departmental Service Award, which seeks to recognize outstanding contributions to the department. In an effort to recognize often invisible labor and celebrate the students who go above and beyond to make the department a welcoming place for all students, we are sharing the nominations for both Cassie and Francesca.

 

Cassandra Zentner (Swager) currently serves as the WIC Mentorship Chair.

About Cassie, Christine and Katherine write:

Cassie Zentner is a ubiquitous presence during the first two years for many graduate women in the department. Whether you can put a face to her name or not, she has a hand in helping you through your first year at MIT, your second year orals, and helping you become established in the department. Cassie revamped the Women in Chemistry mentorship program beginning two years ago, as a second year. She has implemented better matching criteria and new events to build community, and carried on the tradition of a first year dinner. She is engaged in individual department members’ growth and struggles, and is always willing to volunteer her time or knowledge for new projects. Outside of Women in Chemistry, Cassie has served as an excellent support to TAs, providing them with the tools they need to effectively teach 5.12. She was always happy to meet when I was a first year Head TA for fall and spring 5.12 and gave me helpful notes on what to expect. With all that she does for the department, as both an individual and a member of WIC, Cassie never wants to be singled out for praise, and is exceedingly humble. She does many types of invisible service, where only those who work with her directly might notice. This type of service is invaluable, yet is not often enough recognized, and through this service Cassie has enhanced her lab, WIC, and the department as a whole.

Francesca Vaccaro (Drennan) is a WIC Member as well as a co-president of the Chemistry Alliance for Diversity and Inclusion (CADI).

About Francesca, Mani Mengiste writes:

Simply put, my first year at MIT would not be the same without the constant support and friendship of Francesca. I know that many fellow first years would agree.
 
In addition to constantly taking the time to meet with many of us over a meal (one-on-one), she helped welcome us to WIC and CADI by independently organizing hangouts. In October, she organized a pumpkin carving party at her place of residence and brought together many graduate students and post-docs over a fun activity. That night was particularly important for many of us (first-years) because we got a chance to talk to older graduate students about the groups that we were thinking about joining in a way that did not feel very forced. She introduced us to other members of the MIT Chemistry community who have since become part of our larger support network. She has also constantly worked to build/improve CADI. As a student of color, the events that Francesca helped organize have made me feel welcome and loved.
Thank you both for all of your time and efforts, both in our WIC community and beyond. We are so lucky to have you!

WIC Lunch with Cynthia Parrish from GSK

On Monday August 19th, Cynthia Parrish from GSK hosted a lunch with WIC. Members learned about her experiences in industry, working for a large pharma company, and what life is like after 18 years postgrad. Cynthia discussed her efforts to elevate women at GSK, stressed continual focus on growth throughout your career, and discussed opportunities that GSK provides in both of those areas.