|
Hello! I am a biochemistry major working in the Oyelere Lab at Georgia Tech on the design and synthesis of therapeutic compounds for prostate cancer. From this experience I have gained key organic synthesis skills and project management skills. I have synthesized key final compounds, which have potent, selective cytotoxicity against prostate cancer cell lines! We anticipate publishing our work soon. Complementing my interest in therapeutic drug design, I am also very interested in crystallography and structural biology. I started and currently direct the nonprofit organization Structural Nucleic Acid Anticancer Research Society, Inc. (STARS) with the mission to engage and empower students in crystal-growing, crystallography, and structural biology. I produce event and club meeting materials for branches and affiliates to use. In the process, our aim is to build up local student leadership through branches while simultaneously widening our STARS student reach. I additionally make and maintain connections with sponsors and partners to make programs and collaborations possible to enrich students’ experiences. In the last year and half, I have raised over $8,000 worth of in-kind donations and direct funding for our programs, and I recently helped the organization apply for and obtain tax-exempt nonprofit status. In the last four years, through our two branches so far, we have organized 100+ club meetings and 16 outreach events, such as crystal-growing competitions and crystallography workshops, serving 425+ students, who report overwhelmingly positive feedback for our events.I have presented my STARS outreach work at the ACA on several occasions, most notably at the Engaging Students with Crystallography session (General Interest SIG-sponsored) in both 2024 and 2025. I think the kind, collaborative environment at the ACA makes attending so resourceful, because people will strike up a conversation with you, and before you know it, you are talking about common research interests, different perspectives on similar research problems, and offering each other illuminating new ideas. Quite a lot of new connections and potential collaborators for me arose through the networking fostered by sessions like the Engaging Students with Crystallography session. To contribute towards generating collaboration and communication, I co-chaired the Tips & Tricks for Modern Methods session in 2024 and co-chaired the Engaging Students with Crystallography session in 2025. I additionally applied for and was selected to be the 2024-2025 Secretary/Treasurer for YSIG, where I recorded meeting notes and helped fostered discussions there as well.If I am elected Secretary/Treasurer for the General Interest SIG, I will contribute my research, STARS leadership, and ACA volunteer experience to uniquely help drive General Interest SIG plans, sessions, and events for the next year and at the IUCr conference to ensure we produce exciting, valuable experiences for ACA members and IUCr attendees. This way, we can help our local and international community foster connections, build collaborations, and gain new insights to propel research forward for the development, health, and safety of humanity.
|
|
|
