Mentorship & Outreach

I have taken on a number of teaching, mentoring, and outreach roles as a graduate student to improve my science communication skills and share my passion for science with people of all backgrounds.

Mentoring

Bioinformatics Challenge Project Mentor
(Fall 2024 – Summer 2025)
I am guiding two teams of three students through a year-long bioinformatics research project. I meet with them weekly to advise on their work on my fungal metagenome prediction pipeline.

Undergraduate Research Mentor
(Fall 2021 – Spring 2024)
I have mentored six undergraduate students in molecular and chemical techniques. I provided guidance not only in research techniques but also in choosing a career path. Mentees have received three Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP) awards ($8,250 total), one Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF), and two have earned Senior Honors Theses under my mentorship.

Where are my mentees now?

• Sofia He (Class of 2022) was accepted to pursue her Master’s in Biotechnology in at the National University of Singapore
• Isabelle Frenette won the 2023 Biology Department Undergraduate Research Award for her senior thesis project performed with me. After graduating (Class of 2023), she was hired as a Technical Assistant at the Whitehead Institute
• David Heaton completed his senior thesis with me and graduated in 2024. He was recently accepted to pursue his Doctor of Dental Surgery (DDS) at the Medical University of South Carolina School of Dental Medicine

Greater Boston Research Opportunities for Young Women (GROW) High School Student Research Mentor
(Summer 2022)
I mentored a rising high school senior, Nicky Mosharaf, through an independent summer research project in both computational biology and molecular wet lab techniques.
Following her work with me, Nicky was accepted to Northeastern University to study Computer Science.

Research in Science and Engineering (RISE) High School Student Research Mentor
(Summer 2021)
I mentored a rising high school senior, Ryan Huang, through an independent summer research project in computational biology.
Following his work with me, Ryan was accepted to the Brown University Program in Liberal Medical Education.

Broadening Participation in STEM

Teen Urban Tree Corps
(Summer 2021, 2024)
I was a guest speaker for a Speak for the Trees Boston summer internship for Boston high schoolers. I gave an informational talk about my path from high school to graduate school and my research interests. I then performed a demonstration in which students looked at soil samples from urban and rural green spaces and hypothesized how the differences in their observations could impact tree health.

Letters to a Pre-Scientist Pen Pal
(2022 – 2023 School Year)
I was paired with a 6th-grader pre-scientist pen pal to serve as a scientist role model for the student and help them connect more personally to their science curriculum throughout the school year.

Bioinformatics Program Recruiting at Conferences
(October & November 2022, 2023)
I attended the SACNAS National Diversity in STEM conference and Annual Biomedical Research Conference for Minoritized Scientists as a program ambassador for Boston University Bioinformatics.

oSTEM Conference Workshop collaboration with Union of Concerned Scientists
(November 2022)
Worked with the Union of Concerned Scientists to develop a workshop about engaging policymakers about science policy issues that was presented at the 2022 Out in STEM conference in Boston for LGBTQ+ scientists.

Artemis Project
(Summer 2022)
I was a guest speaker for Boston University’s Artemis Project for girls going into high school interested in computer science and engineering. I gave a talk about my path from high school to graduate school and a brief talk about my research.

Boston University Bioinformatics Research and Interdisciplinary Training Experience (BRITE) NSF REU
(Spring 2020, Spring 2021, Spring-Summer 2022)
I have helped Dr. Gary Benson review applications to the BRITE REU, with a focus on providing Bioinformatics research opportunities for women, minorities, students with disabilities, veterans, and those in schools with limited research opportunities. I have also helped to execute social activities, such as a visit to the Museum of Science and a board game night, to get students familiar with Boston, each other, and the current Ph.D. students in the BU Bioinformatics program.

International Genetically Engineered Machine Conference Judge
(Fall 2019, 2020)
I reviewed high school and undergraduate student team synthetic biology projects and provided feedback and encouragement for future research projects.

Community Outreach

Speak for the Trees Internship
(Summer 2024)
As an Intern, I developed a filter for Speak for the Trees’ Boston’s Internal Parcel Decision Tool which identifies the front yards of the City of Boston. The filter was used to secure a Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation grant which requires the organization’s private tree planting programs to provide shade for the public right of way. More information about the internship can be found here.
My internship was funded by the Boston University Marion R. Kramer Scholarship for Outstanding Achievement by Female PhD Candidates in Biology.

Community Tree Stories: Exploring Healthy Environments in Three Boston Environmental Justice Neighborhoods
(Summer 2022)
I am collaborating with Speak for the Trees Boston to increase awareness surrounding inequitable tree canopy cover and its importance to the health of residents living in Boston. I am working with residents and organizations in Mattapan, Dorchester, East Boston, Roxbury, and Hyde Park to develop a Community Tree Walk that infuses community stories, wisdom, and needs with my scientific expertise on tree-associated microbiomes and their importance to both tree and human health!

Arnold Arboretum Summer Institute
(Summer 2022)
I worked with my lab and Arnold Arboretum staff to create a curriculum for the final day of the Summer Institute with the theme “Science Is … Interconnected”. I worked hands-on with local K-12 teachers to teach them how to bring fungi into their science curriculum.

Academic Involvement

In recognition of my academic service, I won the 2024 Boston University Bioinformatics Graduate Program Student Service Award.

Microbiome Day Planning Committee
(Fall 2022 – Summer 2025)
I helped to select keynote, faculty, and panel speakers as well as student lightning talks for the 2023, 2024, and 2025 symposia. I organized the keynote talk from Dr. Sue Ishaq (University of Maine) for the 2023 event and served as the MC and keynote speaker liaison in 2024.

Manuscript Reviewer
(2023)
I served as a reviewer for both Nature Ecology & Evolution and Journal of Applied Ecology.

Biology Department Retreat Planning Committee
(Spring 2023)
I helped to plan the mixer social event for the department-wide annual retreat.

Non-Academic Career Panel
(Fall 2022 – Spring 2023)
I organized and moderated a panel for the Biogeoscience Program. The panel consists of PhDs who are now working in non-academic careers. I am the point-of-contact for a panelist and organized event advertising.

Student-Organized Symposium Committee (SOS)
(Summer 2022 – Summer 2023)
I am on the organizing committee for the 2023 Bioinformatics Student-Organized Symposium. As a committee member, I coordinate nominations of speakers and serve as the point person for catering and one of the symposium keynote speakers.

Lab Tour Guide
(2022 – 2023)
I gave lab tours to prospective Bioinformatics Students and to first-year URBAN Trainees. During the URBAN tour, I lectured on the research methods performed in the lab and how they intersected with their practicum course curriculum.

Bioinformatics Organized Students (BiOS)
(Fall 2020 – Spring 2023)
I served as the Support Branch Chair of BiOS (2021-2023). As the Chair, I wrote a weekly newsletter about program happenings and planned events for first- and second-year PhD students to help them adjust to graduate student life, choose a lab to join, select their thesis advisory committees, and prepare for qualifying exams. I also previously served on the Social Committee of BiOS (2020-2021).

Bioinformatics Interview Open House
(Spring 2021, 2022)
I coordinated over 15 hours of 20-minute interviews between prospective students and faculty, organized lab and campus tours, Q&A panels, lightning talks, and social events for current students to interact with interviewees and give perspectives about being a Boston University graduate student, and assigned mentors to prospective students to provide them with support during the interview process.

Teaching

Teaching Fellow: General Microbiology Lab (CAS BI 311)
(Fall 2021, Fall 2022)
Fall 2021: I taught microbiology techniques to two classes of 20 students (8 hours per week). As the lab teacher, I guided students through their own research projects identifying bacteria from soil samples and estimating water quality.
Fall 2022: I was the head TF of BI 311. In addition to teaching the microbiology lab, I helped to prep the classroom materials and lecture content for the rest of the lab teaching team.

Teaching Fellow: Applications in Translational Bioinformatics (CAS BF 528)
(Spring 2022)
I mentored four groups of 3-4 students through group projects replicating bioinformatics analyses from journal articles.