Looking ahead, looking back
The is named in honor of a member of the 91影库 and Molecular Biology who passed away in 2016.
Throughout her education and career as a researcher, Marion Sewer promoted diversity and inclusivity within the scientific community. As a member of the 91影库Minority Affairs Committee, she founded the society’s grant-writing workshop and mentorship program to help support early-career scientists from underrepresented minority groups. That program evolved into Interactive Mentoring Activities for Grantsmanship Enhancement, or IMAGE.
The mission of the committee is “to increase cultural diversity in fields of biochemistry and molecular biology by increasing participation, visibility and status of minorities within ASBMB.” This scholarship (formerly the Distinguished Undergraduate Scholarship) was created to provide financial support for students who demonstrate an interest in these fields and enhance the diversity of science.
Each year, the MAC and the Student Chapters Steering Committee select up to five undergraduates to receive up to $2,000 toward tuition. Applicants provide statements about significant barriers they have faced and their commitment to promoting diversity on campus and in the scientific community.
Here, the 2018 Sewer recipients introduce themselves, and we take a look back at the 2017 recipients and find out how some of them benefited from this scholarship. Their comments have been edited for length and style.
2018 recipients
Vidal ArroyoChapman University (Orange, California) After completing my undergraduate degree in biochemistry and molecular biology, I will pursue an M.D./Ph.D. dual degree in biomedical informatics so I can serve society as an oncologist, cancer researcher and mentor of students from disadvantaged backgrounds. With my research, I hope to advance the field of oncology by building computational tools that can be used by physicians. Specifically, I wish to develop clinical support tools that can be used to partition certain cancer treatments based on a patient’s genetic and clinical characteristics. With this work, I will reduce the late effects seen among survivors of pediatric cancer by bettering how we treat children with cancer. |
Vidal Arroyo
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Mauricio FloresUniversity of California, Riverside I plan to go to graduate school to pursue a Ph.D. in molecular biology for biomedical research to help develop new forms of treatment to combat illnesses and disorders that affect millions of people every day. This is mostly due to my experience growing up in a lower-socio-economic community and watching sick people suffer because they were unable to afford healthcare. Finding effective and cheaper forms of treatment would be my way of giving back to the community that raised me. |
Mauricio Flores
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Tanya PierreAgnes Scott College (Decatur, Georgia) I want to pursue a career in biomedical research that allows me to work with my research interests in the disciplines of genetics, molecular biology, immunology and toxicology. Although I am not entirely sure what my future career will look like, I know that I want the flexibility to interact with young scientists in my community through mentoring and volunteering programs. |
Tanya Pierre
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Danyal TahseenTrinity University (San Antonio) I aspire to work in academic medicine so I can see patients in a teaching hospital while mentoring students and residents, while also participating in research and delivering lectures. Within that framework of academic medicine, I want to choose a specialty like dermatology that has a large scope for research as well as long-term doctor-patient relationships so I can accompany my patients on their medical journey from both emotional and physiological perspectives. I would love to do research on diseases like vitiligo, the differing perceptions of those diseases in various cultures and how that affects patient care, as well as more wet lab projects exploring the molecular pathways of novel drugs targeted toward these diseases. Lastly, I want a facet of my career to involve inspiring young students from minority groups that don’t think being a physician is a possibility for them. This would let me do my part in diversifying the future medical workforce by showing first-generation students the steps to becoming a doctor and/or researcher and that it’s awesome to dream big. |
Danyal Tahseen
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Francisco ZepedaMassachusetts Institute of Technology (Cambridge, Massachusetts) I am a second-year bioengineering student with experience in cell culture, histology and immunology. I love biology because it is such a multifaceted discipline and has limitless possibilities for collaborations with individuals from other fields. Recently, I have been working on building a robust set of electrical engineering techniques to help solve the problems I come across in lab. Outside of science, I am involved with cultural |