|
I am writing to express my interest in serving on the American Crystallographic Association's Education Committee. I'd like to briefly introduce myself and share how the ACA has had a profound impact on my career path. I am a recent Ph.D. graduate and currently a research and beamline scientist at the Advanced Photon Source (APS) - a position that truly represents a dream come true. None of this would have been possible without the support, resources and opportunities provided by crystallographic conferences including the ACA Meeting.
My introduction to crystallography began during my master's studies, when my biochemistry professor invited me to work in her structural biology lab. After months of protein purification and crystal growth, I collected my first dataset at APS. The experience was transformative - not just the data collection itself, but witnessing the infrastructure, collaboration, and expertise behind a synchrotron beamline. My passion for the field deepend and with encouragement from my PI, I attended my first crystallography conference in 2020. There, I met Dr. Celestino Padeste at the conference dinner, and after discussing our mutual interest in crystallography, he encouraged me to apply for a Ph.D. position in his lab. That conversation changed the course of my life and opened many opportunities to work at XFELs and synchrotrons around the world, leading me to meet many crystallographers, learn different techniques and perspectives and ultimately allowed me to gain the knowledge and experience to land my dream job.
Mentorship and opportunity were pivotal to my journey, and I strongly believe in paying it forward. I am passionate about helping early-career scientists find their path in crystallography, just as I was guided and supported. Serving on the Education Committee would allow me to contribute meaningfully to that ACA by supporting educational programming and travel awards that can shape students' careers in the same way mine was shaped.
With a clear understanding of the committee's responsibilities - reviewing workshop proposals, evaluating the ACA Small Molecule Crystallography School submissions and selecting recipients for Student Travel Awards - I am eager to offer my perspective and experience to uphold the ACA's commitment to education, mentorship and professional growth.
Thank you for your consideration.
|
|
I have been a member of the ACA for nearly a decade now. IN that time I have benefited greatly in my professional career and technical development by both attending and organizing workshops put forth by the ACA. I have learned new technical skills related to both the field in which I most practice, small angle scattering, and emerging fields like microED. These workshops gave me hands on time with experts in the field to learn not only the theory and outcomes but the often overlooked operation of various software packages. In the workshop I organized on small angle scattering for materials science, I hope that we provided the same experience. This is a key differentiator of the ACA from some of the other professional societies in which I am a member. These workshops, often occurring on the opening day of an ACA meeting, really allow for interaction between the students and instructors. They are driven by the leaders in their fields and I hope that they remain a key part of the ACA experience. My goal as a member of the education committee is to find ways to preserve and expand upon these opportunities. I would like to make sure that folks have a better opportunity to attend these workshops through seeking sponsorship of the workshops to cover the cost of attendance. By bringing new practitioners into the field is the way to keep our society alive and thriving. I hope that you will join me in finding ways to maintain this key activity associated with the ACA. |
