Announcements
Winter 2020 Newsletter Volume 28 Issue 3
This issue of the Newsletter is available in PDF.
For previous newsletters, click here.
Dear AWIS-SD Members, Partners, Sponsors, and Allies,
It seems like a long time has gone by since I wished everyone a Happy New Year! When I started my term as President of this chapter, I did not realize that we would be spending most of 2020 struggling with the impacts and repercussions of the global SARS CoV-2 pandemic.
I would like to acknowledge the hard work, sacrifice and dedication of the scientists and health care professionals over these past months who have developed novel diagnostics and treatments for COVID-19, worked to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, and provided our healthcare. Many, many thanks are also due to the essential workers who have labored so hard to provide all of the services we depend upon to live and thrive.
Despite the pandemic, our chapter has persisted with its mission to support the advancement of women in STEM. AWIS-SD has shifted to a virtual organization and continued to thrive. Over the past months, we have provided virtual networking and professional development events for our members as well as virtual outreach events for the community. Please read our newsletter and visit our website at awissd.org to learn more about our organization, our recent events and our upcoming events including the 2021 Virtual Women in Science and Technology Conference.
I am also extremely pleased to announce that Lynne Friedmann, an AWIS fellow and long-term member of AWIS-SD has decided to become the first legacy donor to our chapter. Please read her inspiring words in the accompanying newsletter about her decision to include AWIS-SD in her will. Finally, I wish to thank all of the AWIS-SD members who have generously volunteered their time to make this organization what it is today and our sponsors who have made it possible for us to offer so much to our members and our community.
Warmest wishes,
Kina
Varykina Thackray, Ph.D.
President, AWIS-SD
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SPECIAL MESSAGE FROM AWIS FELLOW - LYNNE FRIEDMANN
By Lynne Friedmann, AWIS Fellow
I recently updated my family trust, will, power of attorney, and other important end-of-life documents. Included in those documents is a bequest to AWIS-SD.
It was an easy decision to make because in my nearly 40-year career, AWIS-SD has been there every step of the way providing me a risk-free environment to develop leadership skills, receive mentoring and in turn mentor others, and develop a powerful network of women in STEM leading to mutually beneficial work relationships as well as numerous cherished friendships. The chapter also gave me unsurpassed support when I came to the board 27 years ago with the harebrained idea to launch Women in Bioscience, which evolved and continues to this day as the biennial WIST conference series.
Like so many of you, over the years I have given back to AWIS-SD through volunteer, committee, and board service. I have financially supported WIST as a conference sponsor and the chapter through annual donations.
I am proud to be taking the next step up as a legacy donor and encourage you to give thought to doing the same. By the way, you don’t need to be retirement age, like I am, to set the wheels in motion. You also don’t need to hire an attorney to set up complicated legal documents to do this. Here are a few no-cost ways to create a bequest to AWIS-SD.
- Add AWIS-SD as a beneficiary of your life insurance policy.
- Name AWIS-SD as a beneficiary of your retirement plan.
- Give a tax-free gift with a charitable IRA rollover.
Decades from now, I will be long gone and people who aren’t even born yet will be running this chapter. I have complete trust that the members at large, committee chairs, volunteers, and board of AWIS-SD will continue to set the standard for advancing women in STEM. That is why AWIS-SD is in my will.
2020 Virtual AWIS-SD Open House
By Kina Thackray
The annual AWIS-SD Open House was held in a virtual format this year on Tuesday, September 15th, 2020 from 6-7:30 PM. Over 50 AWIS-SD members and non-members registered for the event. Breakout rooms were created for each AWIS-SD Committee including Newsletter, Website, Corporate Sponsorship, Public Relations, Outreach, Scholarship, Events, Academia to Industry, Career Advancement, and AWIS-SD Leadership Network. Each committee was represented by its Co-Chairs, who enthusiastically explained the committee’s goals and activities, and how new members can contribute to the success of AWIS-SD’s programming. At the end of the evening, the attendees were entered into a drawing for giftcards from Chipotle, Whole Foods, Uber Eats, Doordash and Amazon.
Although several new members were recruited to join one of our committees, we are still looking for new Co-Chairs for the Newsletter, Website, Scholarship, and Events Committees. All committees are also welcoming new members. Please read more about our different committees on our website at awissd.org and contact the current Co-Chairs for more information. In addition, we are beginning to organize for the Virtual Women in Science and Technology (WIST) Conference to be held in May, 2021. This is one of our chapter’s signature events that we host every two years. Please contact President Kina Thackray at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. if you are interested in helping with this event.
AWIS Outreach Virtual Event: Bug Genetics and Why Do We Wash Our hands?
By Michelle Muldong
Over a three day period from July 7-9th 2020, AWIS Outreach leaders and volunteers received a wonderful opportunity to demonstrate a hands-on virtual science lesson to the third graders of Language Academy Elementary School located in La Mesa. Through the connection of AWIS committee member Dr. Yessica Diaz Roman to Senora Elisa Penaloza (3rd grade dual immersion STEM teacher), Outreach was able to provide a fun opportunity for science participation remotely.
Why Do We Wash Our Hands Lesson
The first lesson, “Why do we wash our hands?” incorporated learning about surface tension, cohesion and adhesion of water molecules in addition to demonstrating the importance of hand washing to remove germs during this unprecedented time of the COVID-19 pandemic. The second lesson gave students insight into genetics by discussing recessive and dominant genes that are passed down to offspring. By using different bug traits and flipping a coin through a random coin flip tool online, students were able to create their very own unique bug, depending on the outcome of their coin flip. Each lesson plan was about 45 minutes, and the technicalities of separating six to seven students worked very well in order to increase participation and attention.
Build a Bug lesson
There was enthusiasm from each classroom as well as inquisitive questions. Through this smooth layout, all 70 third graders from Language Academy Elementary were able to prepare for the experiment beforehand with the guidance of Senora Penaloza and perform the activity at the same time as Outreach volunteer demonstrators. Students were then given follow-up activities for each experiment to try in their own home with their parents and were instructed to report their findings to their teacher and classmates at their next virtual class. For a virtual outreach event, it was fun and deemed a great success!
Top Row L to R: Senora Elisa Penaloza, Dr. Yessica Diaz Roman, Suravi Hingorani. Bottom Row L to R: Dr. Maryan Rizk, Michelle Muldong & Ivy Fernandes
Special thank you to Ivy Fernandes, Dr. Yessica Diaz Roman and Senora Elisa Penaloza for their time and planning on this event! Also a big thank you to all our volunteers who made it possible: Monique Mazaika, Dr. Maryan Rizk, Suravi Hingorani, Alex Osborne, Hao Pham, Jamillah Murtadha, Alex Bosworth, Jennifer Waters & Kamala Janiyani.
Meet Angela Macia, Ph.D.: Blending Scientific and People Skills
By Pat Rarus
Why is it that busy people always seem to get the most work done? This is certainly true of Angela Macia, Ph.D., co-chair of the AWIS Corporate Sponsorship Committee. She is a multi-tasker with strong scientific expertise as well as impressive people skills. These attributes serve Angela, a molecular biologist and UCSD post-doctoral researcher very well, as she works on brain organoids to help understand how COVID-19 impacts the brain.
A native of Spain, Angela earned her Ph.D. at Pfizer-University of Granada-Junta de Andalucia Center for Genomics and Oncological Research. She came to the United States as a result of a European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO) fellowship, which required Angela to work overseas for a certain period of time. She studied with her current principal investigator Alysson Muotri, a director of the UCSD Stem Cell Program.
“AWIS aligned with my values of contributing to a worthy cause in addition to my scientific research,” said Angela in a recent email interview. Besides the altruistic aspect of volunteering, Angela admitted that she recognized the benefits to her career as well. “In the U.S., it’s important to have soft skills as well as scientific skills,” she said in the email interview. “This is not as important in an European country such as Spain.”
She began her AWIS San Diego involvement by attending AWIS-SD Academia 2 Industry Coffee Clubs and AWIS-SD Speed Networking events. Then Angela joined AWIS’ Corporate Sponsorship Committee at the end of 2017. She became co-chair in September 2018 and then an AWIS board member in January 2020. Back then— before COVID-19— AWIS held many in-person events and needed financial backing from local companies. Funding from corporate sponsors is vital to support scholarships, outreach activities, and events such as the AWIS-SD Scholars Celebration and WIST Conference.
Companies benefit from sponsoring AWIS-SD in many ways, including recognition at events, in the newsletter and AWIS-SD website, job postings on AWIS-SD website. In addition, AWIS company sponsors get employee discounts or complimentary admissions to AWIS-SD events.
“I thought it was interesting the way that AWIS San Diego engages with local biotechs,” explained Angela. She expressed great pride in helping to raise $25,000 in 2019.
Contributions also come from individuals, such as science writer Lynne Timpani Friedmann, an AWIS Fellow and long-time supporter of the chapter. “I have been enormously impressed with Angela’s work on the Corporate Sponsorship Committee. She's a real asset to the chapter,” said Lynne via an email interview. In addition to her generous annual giving, Lynne recently added a major bequest to AWIS-SD as part of her estate planning and credits Angela’s personal touch with donors -- meeting for coffee and sharing details of her research and personal life – in helping her to make that legacy decision.
Despite Angela’s busy work and volunteer schedule, this past April she married her husband Jon, a cell culture specialist with STEMCELL Technologies, in a scaled-down ceremony at Lake Arrowhead. “We were originally planning a big wedding in Coronado, but had to improvise due to COVID-19,” she explained.
Angela has much to look forward to – both personally and professionally. AWIS San Diego appreciates her continued interest and involvement in our chapter!
Something to be Happy About; Better Times for Women in Science
By Jean Spence
The year of 2020 will be forever etched into our memories because of the COVID-19 pandemic, racial strife and an unusual and contentious presidential election. There are reasons to celebrate however. For the first time, two women, Emmanuelle Charpentier and Jennifer A. Doudna, are sharing the Nobel Prize. Also this year, Andrea Ghez became the fourth woman to receive a Nobel Prize in physics since the prizes began in1901. Another glass ceiling was broken when Joe Biden selected Kamala Harris, a biracial black and south Asian American, as his running mate.
Charpentier (Max Planck Unit for the Science of Pathogens, Berlin, Germany) and Doudna
(University of California, Berkeley) discovered CRISPR/Cas9, a ‘genetic scissors’ for making changes in DNA with high accuracy and ease. CRISPR/Cas9 was originally discovered in Streptococcus pyogenes where it is part of a primitive immune system against viral infection by targeting the viral DNA. Doudna and Charpentier modified the bacterial proteins so that they could recognize any DNA at a designated site by changing the guide RNA. CRISPR/Cas9 has revolutionized molecular biology in the same way that PCR and restriction enzymes have. It is widely used to make changes easily in the DNA and is currently being investigated as a means of treating genetic diseases.
Ghez is a professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at UCLA. She shares half of the prize with Reinhard Genzel with the other half going to Roger Penrose. Genzel and Ghez discovered a “supermassive compact object at the center of our galaxy” popularly called a black hole. Ghez measured the gravitational pull near this supermassive black hole in order to test Einstein’s theory of relativity. In 2009, Ghez said “[A]t some point we will need to move beyond Einstein’s theory to a more comprehensive theory of gravity that explains what a black hole is.” The other women who have won the Nobel Prize in physics are Marie Skłodowska-Curie (1903), Maria Goeppert-Mayer (1963), and Donna Strickland (2018).
Left: Emmanuelle Charpentier; Middle: Jennifer A. Doudna; Right: Andrea Ghez
Unfortunately, women have historically been awarded much fewer Nobel prizes than men. Since the prizes were started by Alfred Nobel in 1901, 3.8% of the awardees were women in chemistry, 1.8% in physics, and 5.4% in physiology / medicine. The percentages are somewhat higher in literature (13.7% women) and Peace (12.6% women). These low percentages are not due to lack of talent or intelligence. In order for a problem to be addressed, it must first be identified. The culture of harassment and discrimination against women has been investigated and documented. The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine published a 312 page study entitled “Sexual Harassment of Women: Climate, Culture, and Consequences in Academic Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine” (https://doi.org/10.17226/24994). High profile lawsuits have been filed against major universities including the University of California, Berkeley, the University of Chicago, University of California, Los Angeles, Rutgers, and Princeton demanding equal treatment of women for tenure, salaries and resources. The difficulties of women in science and technology have even reached public media in The Atlantic (2016), The Guardian (2019), Scientific American (2020), National Geographic (2019), Vox (2018), the NY Times, and Vice (2019) to name a few.
On March 31, 2019, AWIS members met with members of congress to urge bipartisan support for H.R. 36 Combating Sexual Harassment in Science Act of 2019. This bill, which has passed the House of Representatives, entrusts the National Science Foundation with awarding grants to research sexual and gender harassment in STEM fields and to find ways to mitigate the incidence and effects of this harassment. The primary sponsors of this bill are Reps. Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX), Frank Lucas (R-OK) and Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA) (currently, vice president-elect). The bill still has to pass the senate and be signed by the president before being enacted into law. Legal action, publicity and greater recognition are all signs that the fight for gender equality is changing the tide for women in science and technology. And that is something to be happy about.
Member News
Congratulations to Kathleen Prosser, Ph.D. from the UCSD Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry. She is one of five finalists for the Chancellor’s Outstanding Postdoctoral Scholar Award.
Call for Volunteers
1) AWIS San Diego needs volunteers for organizing the Virtual WIST 2021 Conference. Because the conference is virtual, committee members with be recruiting speakers, registering participants and planning the program. We will also be celebrating our scholarship and science fair winners. If you are interested, please e-mail our president, Kina Thackray, at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
2) The Outreach Committee is starting a monthly Meet a Scientist virtual speaker series for students of all ages. If you are interested in being a speaker please fill out the form in this link https://forms.gle/MCehk5QBD4hJPWhw9
Renew Your Membership Today!
As the year comes to an end, please renew your membership with AWIS by going to https://www.awissd.org/index.php/membership. There are three categories of membership: Student, Junior and Professional. The Student or Chapter only membership is only $25. This allows you to attend events at member prices but you will not receive any benefits from AWIS National and provide evidence that you have recently taken a course. The Junior membership is $90 or $25 for the local chapter and $65 for the National membership. This gives you benefits for both local and national AWIS. Finally, the Professional Membership for senior leaders is $175. The Professional membership provides more career development opportunities through the local chapter and national AWIS as well as the opportunity to mentor future STEM leaders.
Committee Events
1) AWIS San Diego Event Committee Meetings
– Plan network events for AWIS members and the community.
6:00 pm on Wednesday, January 13th, 2021 and Wednesday, February 10, 2021
Zoom link will be sent out one week prior to meeting.
2) AWIS San Diego Outreach Committee Meeting
6:00 pm on Wednesday, January 6th, 2021
– Plan STEM related activities for AWIS members and the community.
1) Encorps STEM Teachers Program is launching a new virtual STEMx math tutoring program- if interested, please sign up here: https://www.encorps.org/
2) The UC San Diego Human Milk Research Biorepository,(https://mommysmilkresearch.org) is seeking donations of breast milk samples from women who have tested positive for COVID-19, have been symptomatic but not tested, or have had a high risk exposure to the virus. The study is located at the Center for Better Beginnings at UC San Diego and led by Dr. Christina Chambers in collaboration with investigators at the Larsson-Rosenquist Foundation Mother-Milk-Infant Center of Research Excellence (MOMI CORE) and also at UC San Diego led by Dr. Lars Bode, The study will examine the evidence for transmission of the virus through breast milk as well as determine the extent to which breastmilk may contain protective antibodies or other anti-viral compounds. Women who reside in the U.S. or Canada are eligible to enroll in the study. Women who are interested can contact Kerri Bertrand at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., by calling 858-246-1713 or though the self-referral form on the study website (https://mommysmilkresearch.org/participate). Financial contributions to help support the study can be made through the MOMI CORE website.
Science writer Lynne Friedmann is a biologist and journalist by training who has spent her career writing about science, technology, medicine, and environment topics for newspapers, journals, magazines, and online. Friedmann was named a Fellow by AWIS, AAAS, and the Public Relations Society of America. All three cited her “leadership and significant contributions to the public communication of science and technology.” Friedmann has been a member of AWIS since 1986. She created the chapter newsletter, initiated the chapter’s first public relations outreach, was elected to both the chapter and National AWIS boards, and was chair of the 1993 Women in Bioscience conference. Through her science-writing courses at UC San Diego Extension, she has nurtured and launched the science-writing careers of several AWIS-SD chapter members.
Michelle Muldong is a Research Associate at the University of California San Diego’s Moores Cancer Center. She works in Dr. Christina Jamieson’s lab studying bone-metastatic prostate cancer performing in vivo and in vitro experiments utilizing patient derived samples. Michelle obtained her B.S. from the University of California San Diego with a degree in General Biology. She has been involved in AWIS since September 2019 and is passionate about teaching the next generation about STEM. Outside of lab Michelle enjoys hot yoga, hiking, snowboarding, iced coffee & hanging out with her French bulldog/Boston Terrier mix pup- Stitch!
Pat Rarus is a long-term contributor of the Newsletter committee. As the owner-founder of Marcom Consulting Group, Pat has assisted clients with marketing communications projects. The goal: increase visibility, market share and ultimately sales for profit-making companies. Increase visibility and donors for non-profits. Pat specializes in writing and editing a wide variety of online and print marketing materials: Website copy, including SE0, press releases, blogs, social media, biographies, marketing plans, speeches, ad/brochure copy, taglines/slogans, PowerPoint presentations and much more.
Jean Spence earned a Ph.D. from the University of Utah in microbial genetics. Subsequently, she did several postdoctoral fellowships at M.I.T., Harvard Medical School, UCSD and the University of Rochester. She pursued her interest in systems biology by developing a novel platform and publishing 3 manuscripts and a book chapter as communicating author. She has been a reviewer for the AWIS-SD newsletter since 2014 and became a co-chair this year. She was also a co-chair of the former Back to Work group in AWIS-SD.
Varykina Thackray (Kina) is an Associate Professor of Reproductive Medicine at UC San Diego. She has a comprehensive background in hormone signaling, regulation of gene expression in reproductive tissues and the role of the gut microbiome in polycystic ovary syndrome. She received her PhD at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center and completed her postdoctoral studies in reproductive endocrinology at UC San Diego. Her research accomplishments were recognized with the Endocrine Society Early Investigators Award and the Women in Endocrinology Young Investigator Award. She is an active member of the Endocrine Society, Women in Endocrinology and the AWIS-SD Outreach Committee.
Contribute to the Newsletter
If you are an AWIS-SD member, we encourage you to contribute to the newsletter. Please send articles, photographs, and member news as MS Word attachments to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. News articles should not exceed 250 words, event summaries should not exceed 500 words, and feature articles (special-interest stories and profiles) should not exceed 1000 words. The submission deadline for the next issue is Mar 15, 2021.
AWIS-SD Newsletter Committee
Co-chairs: Alyson Smith, and Jean Spence
Members: Corine Lau, Pat Rarus, Emily Bentley, and Swathi Hullugundi
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Spring 2021 Newsletter Volume 29 Issue 1
This issue of the Newsletter is available in PDF.
For previous newsletters, click here.
Dear AWIS-SD Members, Partners, Sponsors, and Allies,
I would like to wish everyone a happy and fruitful new year in 2021! Although we are still struggling with the devastating effects of the global SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, there is light at the end of the tunnel due to vaccination efforts around the world as well as continued mitigation measures including masking and social distancing. I have greatly appreciated the support and good cheer from all of the members that I interacted with virtually over the past year. This past year was incredibly challenging for many of us in our personal and professional lives. If you have any questions, concerns or just want to talk, please do not hesitate to contact me at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
AWIS-SD is one of the largest chapters in the AWIS family. Through the hard work of our volunteer members, we provide an exceptional array of committees and events to foster career development, networking and community engagement focused on improving access and inclusion for women in STEM. Our chapter has risen to the challenge and organized many outstanding virtual events in the past few months that you can read about in the accompanying newsletter.
A special shout out goes to the members of our Outreach Committee for developing several new events for our San Diego community. Our career development/networking groups are also going strong and I applaud the members of the Academia to Industry (A2I), Career Advancement (Early to Mid Career), and Leadership Network (Senior Career) for their organizing efforts. If you are interested in learning more about or joining one of these groups, please check them out at awissd.org. In addition, we are looking for new committee members to join some of our committees including Events, Public Relations, Corporate Sponsorship and more. If you are interested in learning more about our committees and what we do at AWIS-SD, please visit awissd.org.
In the beginning of my second year as President of AWIS-SD, I would like to thank all of the chapter members who have graciously volunteered many hours of their time to make this organization what it is today. I would also like to thank our sponsors who have made it possible for us to offer so much to our members and our community.
The biennial Women in Science and Technology (WIST) Conference will be hosted by AWIS-SD on Saturday, May 15th, 2021. I am looking forward to an interactive and engaging conference and encourage you to join me in "Celebrating Diversity & Overcoming Adversity". This event will be held virtually on a Gathertown video game- style platform with a keynote speaker, panels, interactive career discussion sessions, interdisciplinary networking & an award reception. For more info and to register, please go to www.WIST2021.org.
Warmest wishes,
Kina
Varykina Thackray, Ph.D.
President, AWIS-SD
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AWIS San Diego Outreach Event: Meet a Scientist Series
1/12/2021
By Jamillah Murtadha
This past January, the San Diego AWIS Outreach Committee hosted a virtual event, “Meet a Scientist,”, for San Diego high school and college students interested in pursuing STEM careers. We were joined by 24 registrants who signed up to learn about the guest speakers and their interests and career paths in coral reef ecology and reproductive sciences. The guest speakers included Sarah Mctague (oceanographer at Scripps Institution of Oceanography) and Dr. Francesca Boscolo Sesillo (Postdoctoral Fellow for Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences at UC San Diego School of Medicine).
Students learned about how each of the speakers navigated their STEM journey through engaging presentations and discussions that were followed by a Q&A session. The speakers contributed helpful resources and career advice to high school and undergraduate students. The adversities that both speakers overcame as women in STEM were interesting. The first speaker was Sarah McTague, followed by Dr. Boscolo Sesillo. Sarah McTague spoke about her career as a graduate student at Scripps Institution of Oceanography studying coral reef ecology. Sarah's love for the ocean has led her to conduct fantastic research on the Great Barrier Reef and jellyfish while sailing across the North Atlantic Ocean. Dr. Boscolo Sesillo holds Bachelor's and Master's degrees in Biotechnology from the Universita' di Bologna in Italy as well as a second Master's in Biotechnology and Bioinformatics. Dr. Sesillo spoke about how she completed her Ph.D. at the Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Research Institute in San Diego. She is currently interested in discovering the role of stem cells during pelvic floor muscle regeneration in women after vaginal delivery. Overall, students learned about the fascinating career options that STEM careers could offer them.
Special thanks to panelists: Sarah McTague, Dr. Francesca Boscolo Sesillo, and Outreach Committee members Rachel McMillan and Anamaria Ancheta for moderating the Q & A's, as well as Outreach Committee Co-Chair Michelle Muldong for organizing this event with me. Thank you to all participants for your thought-provoking questions and engagement!
2/10/2021
By Jamillah Murtadha
On February 10, 2021, the San Diego AWIS Outreach Committee hosted a virtual event, “Meet a Scientist,”, for San Diego high school and college students interested in pursuing STEM careers. We were joined by registrants who signed up to learn about an amazing guest speaker, Dr. Olivia Graeve, and her interests and career path in mechanical and aerospace engineering. Dr. Graeve received her Ph.D. in Materials Science and Engineering in 2001 from the University of California, Davis.
Students learned about how the Graeve navigated her STEM journey through an engaging presentation and discussions that was followed by a Q&A session. The speaker contributed helpful resources and career advice to high school and undergraduate students.
For example, Dr. Graeve mentioned she is the Director of CaliBaja Webinars, a research webinar series where college students in the US collaborate with college students in Mexico. Dr. Graeve was passionate about the importance of connecting students across the border to provide learning enrichment for all students. She also spoke of some of the kinetics and development of the Xtreme Materials Laboratory and how materials will one day be utilized in space. During the Q&A session, we were able to ask various questions that ranged from her Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Mathematics and Engineering Mentoring from the White house, to her favorite stress relieving hobby of baking.
Special thanks to the guest speaker Dr. Olivia Graeve, and Outreach Committee members Jamillah and Michelle for moderating the Q & A's, as well as Outreach Committee Co-Chair Michelle Muldong for organizing this event with me. Thank you to all participants for your thought-provoking questions and engagement!
3/4/2021
By Michelle Muldong
AWIS San Diego Outreach Committee’s March Meet a Scientist event featured Dr. Lindsey Burnett, MD, PhD. Dr. Burnett provided an insightful and engaging presentation on her path to becoming physician scientist. She discussed her determination, work ethic and focus through her undergraduate and high school years that led her to obtaining her PhD and completing a postdoc. She realized she enjoyed working with people immensely which led her to exploring clinical work and ultimately going back to medical school. Dr. Burnett also emphasized her balance of family and work life and showed participants of the event that it is possible to have both and that you don’t have to choose between one or another.
Participants of the event were very enthusiastic and engaged, asking questions constantly in the Zoom Q&A chat box. Dr. Burnett was very approachable and down to earth which led to a very dynamic and informative open question session for the event. Another highlight of Dr. Burnett’s advice was discussing the importance of not being afraid of failure. Through failure we learn what did or didn’t work and how we can improve. In addition, Dr. Burnett discussed time management and the importance of being able to time box and focus on the task at hand whether it be time in the lab, clinical rounds or time at home with family.
Thank you Dr. Burnett for taking time out of your busy schedule to inspire, motivate and guide the next generation of STEM! AWIS San Diego appreciates your expertise and advice. We are inspired by you! Special thanks to the AWIS San Diego Outreach Committee for putting together this fantastic event.
By Cynthia Kuan
The 2021 Annual AWIS-SD retreat was held on January 23, 2021 with fifteen members from the Board and Committee leadership in attendance. Kina Thackray, our current president, presided at the meeting. Committees celebrated accomplishments from the past year and discussed future initiatives. A key accomplishment from the past year was the organization’s ability to pivot to virtual events/meetings during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Outreach Committee successfully organized a virtual science lab for elementary students and multiple well-attended virtual STEM career panels. The Events Committee hosted summer happy hours and a speed mentoring program virtually, providing much-needed networking opportunities for members during the pandemic. The A2I Committee brought its career advancement panels online, with a strong focus on the development of emotional intelligence. The AWIS Leadership Network (ALN) met online to stay connected and support each other during uncertain times.
The Scholarship Committee had a productive year, awarding five $1,000 scholarships, seven honorable mentions, and two UCSD Extension scholarships to women in the San Diego STEM community. The Corporate Sponsorship Committee raised $12,000 during the first half of the 2020-2021 fiscal year and is well-positioned to meet its annual target of $20,000. Current corporate sponsors include: Bristol-Myers Squibb, Beckman Coulter Foundation, Blue Nalu, BioLegend, and General Atomics Sciences Education Foundation. AWIS Fellow Lynn Friedmann, who has been our long-time supporter, formalized a charitable bequest to AWIS-SD. Her act of generosity leaves a lasting legacy at AWIS-SD.
At the retreat, the Newsletter committee announced that newsletter publication schedule will shift from quarterly to triannual due to the pandemic. The Board and Committee chairs also discussed a key initiative for 2021 - the biennial Women in Science and Technology (WIST) conference. The 2021 WIST conference will be held virtually on May 15, 2021. An organizing committee of thirteen chapter member volunteers will plan the event. The theme of this year’s WIST conference will be “Celebrating Diversity, Overcoming Adversity”. The keynote speaker will be JoAnn Trejo, PhD, MBA, Assistant Vice Chancellor, UC San Diego Health Sciences Faculty Affairs and Professor of Pharmacology, discussing “Science, Mentorship, and Leadership: Breaking One Barrier at a Time”.
One issue of concern raised at the meeting is the increased stress experienced by women during the COVID-19 related shutdown. As the pandemic persists, we continue to shoulder a disproportionate share of its burden due to women’s societal roles as caregivers. The Board and Committee leadership would remain realistic about AWIS-SD members’ balance between work and life demands and continue creative events/programs to foster a connective and supportive network among women in STEM.
AWIS-SD Virtual New Year’s Party
By The Newsletter Team
We had a blast at our AWIS-SD Virtual New Year’s Party on January 29th. Who knew one could have so much fun over a Zoom meeting! Before the meeting, the participants received a box of snacks, chocolates and sparkling pear cider to enjoy during the event.
Helen Keen, a popular science writer and award winning producer kicked off the event with an entertaining and informative presentation of the history of NASA and women’s role in it. She highlighted how far women have come and to never stop dreaming big. Helen was so kind to join us from England - (2am her time!) She definitely set the tone for a relaxing and wonderful comedy segment of the event.
Shayla Rivera, a former rocket scientist with NASA started the program by telling us how a mistake at NASA led to her career as a stand-up comedienne. She also targeted her Puerto Rican upbringing by telling us her real name which is about 20 syllables longer than Shayla. She continued to amuse us by participating in the rest of the meeting including trivia contest.
Following Rivera’s talk, Kina honored this year’s AWIS-SD outstanding volunteers:
Achievement in Innovation: Courtney Benson & Manisha Kanodia
Rookie of the Year: Anamaria Ancheta & Shanna Lavalle
Achievement in Outreach or Community Service: Shirley Ahn, Ivy Fernandes & Yessica Diaz Roman
Outstanding Volunteer: Michelle Muldong & Jean Spence
Leadership Service: Robyn Wygal & Barbara Armstrong
Board Special Award: Angela Macia
President's Award: Christina Niemeyer
For the final event, we divided up into teams for the trivia contest hosted by Sporcle Inc. The questions centered on famous women scientists and writers like Marie Curie (she was born in Poland) and Elizabeth Blackwell (first woman to receive a medical degree). The Green Flash won the contest and all of us learned new things. Kudos to Michelle Muldong for organizing such a great event and getting an all-star lineup!
Virtual Science at Home: AWIS San Diego Outreach Collaboration with San Diego Public Libraries and UCSD’s The Science Initiative
By Michelle Muldong
On February 28, the Science at Home Virtual series kicked off with two experiments, “DIY Popsicle Catapults” and “The Wonders of Friction Book Experiment,” and a density column demo. Take home science kits for the event were made by the AWIS San Diego Outreach committee, and advertising and networking for the event was provided by the San Diego Public Libraries. The experiments were led and performed by UC San Diego’s student organization The Science Initiative. Over 50 students participated in the event and had a wonderful time learning different scientific concepts through the virtual platform Zoom.
DIY Popsicle catapults provided lessons on engineering and the concepts of force and projectile motion. Students enjoyed catapulting the mini poof balls that came along with their kits in addition to adding an artistic touch to their catapults with colored markers. The Wonders of Friction Book Experiment focused on the concept of friction. Two books were provided in the take home kit to use for this, which students were able to keep. The density column demo highlighted that the same volume of two different liquids will have different weights because they have different masses. The liquids that weigh more (have a higher density) will sink below the liquids that weigh less (have a lower density).
Overall, the science lessons went very well and the students were engaged and asked very interesting and thoughtful questions. One young student with a big smile was interested in seeing what would happen if all the materials in the density column were shaken up and leaned in close to the screen to see the result. Many were not shy and were willing to say their thoughts and ideas in front of the large group of students.
This was the first event out of a series of four. If students complete all four science at home events, they will be eligible for an award at a virtual award ceremony. We look forward to honoring and recognizing these eager and inquisitive young minds!
Special thanks to the San Diego Public Library community , especially Mission Valley youth librarian Marika Jeffery, branch manager of Mission Valley Library Karen Reilly, branch manager of Rancho Peñasquitos Library Adrianne Peterson, and branch manager of Logan Heights Library Kathryn Johnson. Thank you to UCSD San Diego Science Initiative members , including Shibangi Pal, Ben Boyarko, Andrea Biju, Madelene Wang, Jessica Jiang, Malcolm Hsiu and Becca Samuels. Also, a big thank you to AWIS San Diego Outreach Member Anamaria Ancheta for initiating this collaboration and creating this fantastic new outreach series. This successful event was the result of a fantastic collaboration!
AWIS-SD Happy Hour Exploring Gather Town
By Shirley Ahn
The AWIS-SD Happy Hour Exploring Gather Town was held in a virtual format this year on Thursday, March 4, 2021, from 5 to 6 pm. The purpose of the event was to explore the virtual platform Gather, which will be used for our Women in Science and Technology (WIST) Conference this year in May. WIST is one of our chapter’s signature events that we host every two years. Almost 20 AWIS-SD members registered for the event, which was greatly enjoyed by all.
The attendees found Gather to be refreshing as it was a different platform from Zoom and was the closest virtual platform mimicking an in-person interaction. In the middle of our Happy Hour, the attendees were entered into a drawing for a $50 gift card from a local San Diego cheese shop called Venissimo Cheese. Shijia Liu, one of the Scholarship Committee members, was the lucky winner. We anticipate that we will use Gather for our future virtual events.
Career Advancement with Dr. Christina Niemeyer
By Jill Slaboda
On March 22, the AWIS-SD Career Advancement Committee held its first meeting of the year. We enjoyed a discussion with Dr. Christina Niemeyer, who spoke about her career journey and how she navigated changing roles in her career. Christina started her career in academics, transitioned to corporate scientist then took a role as the Laboratory Director at Sanford Burnham Presby Medical Discovery Institute and finally became an owner of i2 Grants Associates. In her current role, she specializes in identifying and securing grants for emerging companies and nonprofit organizations in the life sciences. During our conversation, Christina emphasized the keys to her success have been volunteering to take on writing roles within her organization or company, speaking with and learning from people in different departments of the organization and utilizing connections for career advancement. AWIS-SD members were able to gain career advice in how to transition into a writing role and how to promote your skill set when seeking new opportunities. We all enjoyed the evening discussion and lost track of time—staying on a Zoom call an additional 20 minutes! Our next speaker series will be on June 14 at 6pm with Michaele Antoine who will discuss how to navigate conflict. We hope you can join us!
AWIS-SD A2I Virtual Coffee Clubs
By Shanna Newton
AWIS-San Diego’s Academia to Industry (A2I) committee ended 2020 with a series of virtual Coffee Clubs featuring Dr. Sameera Bilgrami, Dr. Bridget Kohlnhofer, and Dr. Erica Schoeller. They shared their experience landing jobs as scientists in the San Diego biotechnology industry.
Dr. Sameera Bilgrami is a scientist at Aethlon Medical, a medical device company that specializes in designing cancer diagnostic devices. She spoke to us about her experience being in the job market, the importance of networking, and her experience as a scientist in a small company. An added bonus to the event was her offer to review the CV’s of attendees who would soon be looking for work.
Dr. Bridget Kohlnhofer shared her experiences as an academic postdoc, an industry postdoc at Janssen, and as a Scientist II at Takeda, where she works to develop cell therapies for gastrointestinal disorders. She talked about the benefits of each position and how her responsibilities helped her progress through each phase of her career.
Dr. Erica Schoeller is a Research Scientist at Ferring Pharmaceuticals, where she works to identify novel drug targets in the reproductive medicine and maternal health field. She shared tips on the entire process of landing a job including: using the “buddy system” for networking, tailoring your resume to the job ad, practice interviews and salary negotiations.
The A2I Committee has begun its 2021 events with an Industry Postdoc Panel. This session will cover the differences between academic and industry postdoc positions. It will also include the interview process for landing an industry postdoc position. These events will be great opportunities to network and learn from amazing women who held industry postdoc positions at Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and Merck & Co., Inc.
AWIS San Diego Outreach Event: Expanding Your Horizons
By Michelle Muldong
On Saturday morning March 13th, AWIS San Diego Outreach Committee members Bridget Kohlnhofer, Yessica Diaz Roman and Rachel McMillan led a virtual genetics and heredity workshop which included a Punnett square lesson and traits bingo. The target audience was 6-7th graders with a total of around 30 students that registered. The workshop was an hour long and was taught twice for ~15 students in each session.
Students were taught about a trait and allele through fun and entertaining Punnett squares which included themes of determining yellow or green beans, chances of a Morton’s toe and different colored eyes. The Punnett square lesson concluded with students creating their own alien trait Punnett square. Participants were able to be creative and decide which trait on the alien was recessive or dominant and assign the alleles accordingly.
In addition, the event also included an interactive game of traits bingo that consisted of traits such as “can roll tongue”, “widow’s peak” and “detached earlobes”. Students had fun displaying their unique traits on the Zoom camera and finding out who else in the room they shared their traits with. Overall, both activities proved to be engaging, dynamic and fun way to learn genetics virtually.
A big thank you goes out to AWIS Outreach Committee members Bridget Kohlnhofer and Yessica Diaz Roman for executing, designing and preparing the wonderful lesson and to Outreach Committee member Rachel McMillan for providing technical support, keeping the lesson on track in terms of timing, assisting with question and answers from the participants and capturing fantastic photos of this memorable event!
1) AWIS-SD Board Updates
By Michelle Muldong and Cynthia Kuan
The new year brings some new faces to AWIS-SD’s executive board! We’ve added Cynthia Kuan and Michelle Muldong to the group. From business leadership to oncology research, Cynthia and Michelle both have a passion for advancing women in science and science-related fields.
Secretary: Cynthia Kuan
Cynthia Kuan, who is the new secretary to the AWIS-SD board, is Program Director at the ARM Foundation for Cell & Gene Medicine. She is passionate about the development of regenerative medicine therapies and advancing patient access solutions in a coherent and credible manner. She has over 13 years of experience in building/managing innovative programs and is seasoned in alliance management, strategic planning, program development, and financial oversight. From 2014 - 2021, she was the founding business operations manager of the Sanford Stem Cell Clinical Center at UC San Diego and helped secure over $70 million funding for stem cell research. Prior to her work at UCSD, she helped build a Chinese immersion charter school in Washington DC and a social service program in Los Angeles. Outside of work, she enjoys her role as a “crazy cat lady.” (She has three adorable feline troublemakers!) She also volunteers through ElderHelp San Diego, providing seniors with access to fresh produce and groceries to mitigate the impact of social confinement caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Member at Large: Michelle Muldong
Michelle Muldong was recently appointed to be a member at large on the AWIS-SD board. She is a Research Associate at the UC San Diego Moores Cancer Center. She works in Dr. Christina Jamieson’s lab studying bone-metastatic prostate cancer by performing in vivo and in vitro experiments utilizing patient derived samples. She obtained her B.S. from UC San Diego with a degree in General Biology. She has been involved in AWIS since September 2019 and is passionate about teaching the next generation about STEM. Outside of lab, she enjoys yoga, hiking, snowboarding & hanging out with her French bulldog/Boston Terrier mix pup- Stitch!
The 2020 - 2021 AWIS-SD executive board consists of eight members.
- Varykina Thackray, PhD, President
- Cynthia Kuan, Secretary
- Kat Chang, PhD, Treasurer
- Angela Macia, PhD, Member at Large
- Robyn Wygal, PhD, Member at Large
- Sigrid Katz, PhD, Member at Large
- Michelle Muldong, Member at Large
- Kamala Janiyani, Member at Large
2) WIST registration is open!
The theme for this year’s event is "Celebrating Diversity & Overcoming Adversity". This event will be held virtually on a Gathertown video game-style platform with a keynote speaker, panels, interactive career discussion sessions, interdisciplinary networking & an award reception.
Discounts for all AWIS members. Not an AWIS member? Bundle AWIS membership with WIST to save more!
Registration and information
3) AWIS-SD Leadership Network (ALN) Event: Walk on Beach
By Christina Niemeyer
On Sunday February 21, eight AWIS-SD Leadership Network (ALN) Members walked from Torrey Pines Beach to Del Mar and back. It was a chance to catch up with each other and to see each other in a way besides Zoom. Masks were worn by all, so we did not get to see smiling faces but by the conversations a good time was had by all.
4) Member News
Suzanne Till became the first woman to be elected to become a director of the Padre Dam Municipal Water District Board. She is currently employed as a Coordinator and College Instructor at Mater Dei Catholic High School in Chula Vista, CA. She advises that water resources offers great STEM field opportunities for employment as many older workers are retiring.
Congratulations to Anamaria Ancheta for winning a Carmen Reyes MCAT scholarship from the Latino Medical Student Association (LMSA) in February of 2021. In December of 2020, she also received a $1000 scholarship as part of the Triton Research and Experimental Scholars (TRELS) program at UC San Diego to conduct a food insecurity research project under the guidance of urban planning professor, Dr. Leslie Lewis. She is a graduating senior at UC San Diego studying Biochemistry and Cell Biology and a member of the WIST, Outreach, and Public Relations Committees.
5) AWIS San Diego Leadership Opportunities
All committees are seeking new members. Current committees are Academia 2 Industry (A2I), Events, Public Relations, Newsletter, Scholarship, Career Advancement, Outreach, Website and Corporate Sponsorship.
Jamillah Murtadha grew up in West Virginia, but she has lived in San Diego for seven years. She transferred to UC San Diego as an undergraduate from Southwestern College. She is the first out of ten children to go to graduate school. Currently, she is a Biological Sciences major in the BS/MS program. She enjoys being the Co-chair in the Outreach Department of the Association of Women in Science (AWIS) organization. And she is always striving to seek knowledge outside her field to become a well-rounded scientist. She believes it the duty of scientists to communicate the importance that their research has for our society.
Michelle Muldong is a Research Associate at the University of California San Diego’s Moores Cancer Center. She works in Dr. Christina Jamieson’s lab studying bone-metastatic prostate cancer performing in vivo and in vitro experiments utilizing patient derived samples. Michelle obtained her B.S. from the University of California San Diego with a degree in General Biology. She has been involved in AWIS since September 2019 and is passionate about teaching the next generation about STEM. Outside of lab Michelle enjoys hot yoga, hiking, snowboarding, iced coffee & hanging out with her French bulldog/Boston Terrier mix pup- Stitch!
Cynthia Kuan, who is the new secretary to the AWIS-SD board, is Program Director at the ARM Foundation for Cell & Gene Medicine. She is passionate about the development of regenerative medicine therapies and advancing patient access solutions in a coherent and credible manner. She has over 13 years of experience in building/managing innovative programs and is seasoned in alliance management, strategic planning, program development, and financial oversight. From 2014 - 2021, she was the founding business operations manager of the Sanford Stem Cell Clinical Center at UC San Diego and helped secure over $70 million funding for stem cell research. Prior to her work at UCSD, she helped build a Chinese immersion charter school in Washington DC and a social service program in Los Angeles. Outside of work, she enjoys her role as a “crazy cat lady.” (She has three adorable feline troublemakers!) She also volunteers through ElderHelp San Diego, providing seniors with access to fresh produce and groceries to mitigate the impact of social confinement caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Surl-Hee (Shirley) Ahn is a postdoctoral scholar advised under Prof. J. Andrew McCammon and Prof. Rommie Amaro in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at UCSD. She is a computational/theoretical chemist and focuses on developing methods for computer simulations and using them to study proteins and biomolecules. Prior to moving to UCSD, she was at Stanford working on her Ph.D. in Chemistry (Chemical Physics). Outside of work, she enjoys training for marathons, visiting national parks, and learning how to play golf and surf.
Jill Slaboda is a Principal Investigator on the Clinical Research team at the Gary and Mary West Health Institute. Jill works closely with health system collaborators across the country to identify and prioritize applied research studies that can demonstrate innovative ways in which healthcare can be delivered to better enable successful aging. She has academic research experience in rehabilitation engineering working on identifying differences in postural responses in patients with stroke as a postdoctoral training at Temple University and identifying differences in treatment outcomes of chronic lower back pain patients as a graduate student at University of Pittsburgh. Jill holds a Doctor of Philosophy degree in bioengineering from the University of Pittsburgh.
Shanna Newton Lavalle is a Ph.D. candidate in the Biomedical Sciences Ph.D. program at the University of California San Diego. She joined the laboratory of Dr. Pamela Mellon in July 2015 where she is currently using a combination of cell culture and genetic mouse models to study the roles of several homeodomain transcription factors within kisspeptin neurons. In 2018, she completed the Rady’s School of Management MicroMBA program and was accepted into the Future Leaders Advancing Research in Endocrinology (FLARE) program. She was an active member of the Endocrine Society’s Trainee and Career Development Core Committee from 2018-2020 and served as Chair of the society’s Summer Research Fellowship program in 2019. In 2020 she became a Co-Chair for the Association for Women in Science (AWIS) Academia to Industry committee, where she connects industry professionals to early career individuals.
Christina Niemeyer is an Associate at i2 Grants Associates, a woman-owned and operated, California-based team with years of experience identifying and securing grants for emerging companies and non-profit organizations in the life sciences. Christina has served as Laboratory Director at both Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute and Salmedix, where she played a critical role in developing the approved oncology drug Treanda. Christina earned her Ph.D. at Bayor College of Medicine in cell biology and her B.S. from Texas A&M University in microbiology, where she graduated magna cum laude.
Contribute to the Newsletter
If you are an AWIS-SD member, we encourage you to contribute to the newsletter. Please send articles, photographs, and member news as MS Word attachments to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. News articles should not exceed 250 words, event summaries should not exceed 500 words, and feature articles (special-interest stories and profiles) should not exceed 1000 words. The submission deadline for the next issue is Jun 10, 2021.
AWIS-SD Newsletter Committee
Chair: Jean Spence
Members: Corine Lau, Pat Rarus, Emily Bentley, Swathi Hullugundi, and Alyson Smith
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The San Diego Chapter of AWIS thanks the corporations and organizations for their support.
Spring 2023 Newsletter Volume 31 Issue 1
This issue of the Newsletter is available in PDF.
For previous newsletters, click here.
Happy Spring AWIS-SD!
Although the rain was much needed, it is nice to finally see the sun again. We have been busy these first few months of 2023. Our New Year party was a major success. We had over 60 registrants and I had the pleasure of meeting a lot of new members who were all excited to get involved. I would like to thank JLabs for hosting us and our Events Committee for putting it all together.
Our Outreach Committee has been involved in several events so far this Spring. Both the Greater San Diego Science and Engineering (GSDSEF) Fair and Expanding Your Horizons (EYH) events were in-person again after COVID-19. We were able to award several middle and high school student researchers cash prizes for their work as presented at GSDSEF. At the EYH event, volunteers held a CSI themed workshop that taught students about DNA analysis via gel electrophoresis and chromatography. This past weekend, Black San Diego held its first Spring STEAM for Pre-K through 12th grade students. We discussed the life cycle of plants and how light is an important aspect of it, while the kids planted their very own flowers in a pot that they painted themselves.
The next few months are all about scholarships. Every spring our Scholarship Committee gives out five $1000.00 scholarships to women at the undergraduate and graduate levels from schools in San Diego. If you would like to be involved in the selection process, please reach out to the Scholarship Committee chair, Bharti Garg, at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for more information.
If you are interested in becoming more involved in our chapter's activities, check out the description of all our committees here. All committees are actively recruiting new members and we would love to get more people involved. Meetings and any upcoming events can be found on our website calendar.
Best,
Rose
Rose Presby, PhD
President, AWIS-SD
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By Suzana Hossain
On Wednesday, April 19, 2023, AWIS-SD hosted our Spring Happy Hour at Hera Hub, La Jolla. I was one of the first members to arrive which meant that I could take a peek at the process of setting up events like this happy hour event. I came across Agnes Antwan, the co-chair of the Events Committee, who was busy arranging the carefully thought-out selection of appetizers and drinks and placing vines of faux flowers in various locations around the venue to commemorate our spring-themed event. I offered my help out of courtesy, but I knew that Agnes already had a vision in mind.
Our happy hours are meant to offer women of all stages in their scientific careers a social space to casually mingle, network, give and/or take advice, vent about graduate school coursework, talk about transitioning from postdoc to early career, and in this case, express how fitting the spring-themed decorations are (which was mostly my personal conversation starter).
This evening, I was able to catch up with some members of the Communications Committee, where I am the Chair of Public Relations (PR). I saw Sarah Narehood and Shannon Chan (PR Committee) and Jennifer Swindlehurst Chan (Chair of Website). Unless planned to be in-person, most of our Communications Committee work is done virtually (meetings on Zoom, chatting through Slack, etc.). So, events like our happy hour really bring us together in-person – a very refreshing and much-needed change of setting. This happy hour is likely be the last AWIS-SD event that I attend as I am moving out of California to start my next chapter of getting my Ph.D. If there is one thing I carry with me, it is that I made so many supportive connections at AWIS-SD and could celebrate these connections at our event.
Attending an AWIS-SD happy hour means that you can build new relationships or catch up with a colleague you worked with for months or even years. You can transition from being a member of AWIS to joining a committee. You can offer job opportunities or seek advice for graduate school applications. You can talk about the carefully thought-out selection of appetizers and drinks and vines of faux flowers. From Agnes’ perspective, you can sit back and enjoy what once were ideas of a spring-themed event, but can now be an evening some people never forget.
AWIS-SD Spring Outreach Events
1) Spring STEAM Resource & Career Fair
By Rose Presby
The first annual Spring STEAM Resource & Career Fair held by Black San Diego Empowering our Community was held on April 8, 2023, at the Fleet Science Center in Balboa Park. Black San Diego Empowering our Community is a group dedicated to “empower our community by providing a platform for Black businesses, entrepreneurs, and professionals to engage in best business practices that increase economic growth and equity.” This event was a free Pre-K through 12th grade event with interactive activities and resources for the entire family.
AWIS-SD hosted a table dedicated to teaching individuals about phosphorescence and the role light plays in plant growth. Table attendees painted a small plant pot with acrylic and phosphorescent paint, and then they planted in a seed of their choice. Volunteers discussed the light’s role within the plant life cycle along with the properties of phosphorescence as attendees worked on their pots. We had a total of 10 volunteers who helped approximately 100 kids paint and plant their own pot. The overall event was a success with several different activities for everyone to take part in. Kids were given a sticker passport that encouraged them to go to a variety of different booths that encompassed either Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, or Math. The more stickers they had, the better prize they received at the end of the event. We look forward to taking part again next year!
By Jamillah Murtadha
AWIS Outreach Committee joined Expanding Your Horizon’s (EYH) to present an event on March 18, 2023. The Expanding Your Horizons conference registers 300 young girl participants from all over San Diego County to participate in STEM workshop activities. The participants were split up by age into groups of 15. The workshops were approximately 1-hour sessions. Ultimately, they were given time to reflect on their experience before rotating to the next workshop.
Pictured below: The Crime Scene setup with the victim, Anita Clue.
The workshop that AWIS-SD Outreach Commitee orchestrated was a Crime Scene Investigation that included several stations. The girls had hands-on experience with DNA analysis/gel electrophoresis, ink chromatography, liquid identification, and microscopic hair analysis. For each session, we prepared the stations and gave the girls the background information for the crime scene they were investigating.
The background story of the investigation entailed a victim named Anita Clue, a poisoned student researcher. The participants had to utilize every station to collect more evidence to investigate which suspect committed the crime. For the DNA analysis station, it was the first time for many participants to work with a pipette. The participants enjoyed using ink chromatography to identify the pen used for the note at the crime scene. Additionally, they applied scientific method to identify the three clear liquid samples at the crime scene. For the hair analysis, the participants practiced using a microscope and compared the hair at the crime scene with the suspect's hair. If the girls had extra time, they would use a black light to see if they could find additional evidence.
Pictured Above: EYH participants using scientific deductions to identify unknown liquids.
The participants had a lot of fun investigating the crime scene and had many impressive questions. Amusingly enough, some girls even became suspicious of the Outreach presenters as a suspect. Some participants said that AWIS Outreach’s workshop was their favorite of the whole EYH event. Overall, this event would not have succeeded without the point leads Christine Stephen and Jamillah Murtadha, and the volunteers: Emily Chen, Helen Wedegaertner, Aiyana Adams, Valeria Guglielmi, and Ervey Del Rosario. A special thanks goes to the hard-working participants at this event.
From Left, Helen Wedegaertner, Christine Stephen, Aiyana Adams, Valeria Guglielmi, Jamillah Murtadha. (not pictured) Ervey Del Rosario and Emily Chen
3) AWIS-SD Award Winners in 2023 Greater San Diego Science & Engineering Fair (GSDSEF)
By Kristen Brañes-Guerrero
It was going to take a lot more than rain and a gloomy day to stop our AWIS-SD group from being involved in supporting our young scientists at the GSDSEF! On March 15th, 2023, we gathered 18 AWIS-SD members and volunteers from science and non-science backgrounds to help judge the first GSDSEF since the pandemic. The entire event was filled with excitement! Hundreds of anxious young scientists were ready to share their knowledge. Our judges were fascinated by all the posters presented and quickly realized how difficult judging can be. Innovations, scientific processes and the ability to critically think and respond to questions asked were challenging but valuable experience for the students. As a result, 14 total prizes were awarded to 7 middle and 7 high school female students (see below). We were all so happy to be a part of this event and are excited for how things will evolve next year.
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Junior Category |
Senior Category |
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Anabia Ehsan ● Impact of Vitamins on Planaria Regeneration: A Model for Regenerative Medicine |
Tanya Mandyam ● Circadian Rhythm Disturbance Affects Running Activity and Gut Microbiome in Rats |
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Lily Long ● Exploring Academic Setting Applications of a Turing Test Derivative |
Daanya Hussain ● Sugars vs Sweeteners: Detrimental Effects on Bodily Functions |
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Aminah Siddiqui ● Vitamins Against Free Radicals |
Shivani Ramesh ● Predicting Right and Left Hemisphere Damage in Aphasia Patients Using NLP and Machine Learning |
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Kayley Xu ● Respiratory Sound Classification Using AI |
Sophia Guan ● A Machine Learning Approach to Understanding the Determining Factors of the Gender Wage Gap |
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McKayla Matkov ● The Effect of Particle Size on the Rate of Erosion through Wave Action |
Sanjana Kumar ● Utilizing 3D-Printed Engineered Living Materials to Break Down Environmental Pollutants |
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Zoey Chen ● Circling around Earth or the Sun? Using a Cell Phone APP to Reconstruct Orbits of the Moon and Planets in the Sky |
Nicolette Luna ● How Does Water Quality Differ in San Diego Lakes in Densely Populated Areas as Opposed to Less Populated Areas? |
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Charlotte Birch ● The Effect of pH on Growing Cress in Lunar Soil Simulant |
Cherise Magtoto ● The Effects of Ibuprofen on the Growth and Germination of Lactuca sativa. |
February A2I Coffee Club Featuring Dr. Lori Yang
By Shanna Newton Lavalle
For the February Academia to Industry (A2I) coffee chat, AWIS-SD hosted Dr. Lori Yang, CEO and CSO at Lectenz Bio, a biotech company providing reagents and tools for glycoscience research. It was a highly attended and engaging event!
Dr. Yang was born in Virginia Beach, earned her BS in Chemistry from the University of Virginia and received her PhD in Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry from Yale University. She has been a member of AWIS-SD since 2012. She served on the AWIS-SD Board as the Treasurer from 2016 to 2017, was co-chair of the Women in Science and Technology (WIST) conference in 2017, and has been the co-chair of the AWIS-SD Leadership Network since 2018.
With a wealth of knowledge, she shared her journey from graduate school all the way to Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and Chief Scientific Officer (CSO) of Lectenz Bio. After moving to California to attend graduate school, she quickly realized that she wanted to go into industry, but found that most companies expected postdoctoral experience. For that reason, she took a position as a postdoctoral researcher at the La Jolla Bioengineering Institute. When Dr. Yang finally landed a job, her Principal Investigator proposed a counteroffer for her to stay on as a research scientist. This opportunity eventually led to a collaboration that spun out into a company.
Despite having no prior experience running a start-up company, Dr. Yang stepped in as the CSO. She discussed the challenges, mistakes, and how she had to learn most things on the fly. When the former CEO left the company several years ago, she then stepped up as the CEO and took on the “bull’s eye.”
When asked about imposter syndrome, Dr. Yang admitted she still experiences it, but emphasized the importance of being brave and breaking down large endeavors into small, manageable steps. She also highlighted the importance of work-life balance, acknowledging that nobody can sustainably work all day all of the time.
Overall, Dr. Yang’s talk was inspiring, informative, and highlighted the challenges and rewards of transitioning from academia to industry.
Ringing in the New Year with AWIS-SD!
By Rose Presby
The New Year event that took place on February 1st at JLABS @ San Diego in La Jolla was the first event organized by our re-established Events Committee. A big shoutout to Taylor Kredel and Agnes Antwan, with generous help from Lori Yang, for spearheading the organization of this fantastic event. Recognition must also be made to Juliane Morris, an Innovation Activation Specialist with JLABS @ San Diego, for helping with all the behind-the-scenes activity during the event.
The food was a buffet style nosh station with crispy egg rolls and delicious desserts, all thanks to JLABS onsite catering service The Fresh Fork. An open bar was hosted by Barworks and provided a great selection of wine, beer, and non-alcoholic drinks. There were 65 registrants and 40 attendees. Attendees were a mix of established AWIS-SD members along with new and prospective members. Goodie bags were provided to all attendees which included an AWIS-SD bag and T-shirt along with a science themed Nalgene water bottle.
Prior to the New Year awards ceremony, Nick Mourlas, the Head of JLABS @ San Diego, gave a short speech about JLABS and their goal in helping individuals within the scientific community develop their own start-ups.
Acknowledgement was also given to those AWIS-SD members who have been with the organization for five or more years, and those who make AWIS-SD successful:
5 Years: Angela Macia and Courtney Benson
10 Years: Castle Funatake, Lori Yang, and Lori Payne
15 Years: Kellie Church and Linda Manza
25 Years: Christina Niemeyer
30 Years: Donna Perdue
35 Years: Barbara Armstrong
Achievement in Innovation Award: Suzana Hossain
Rookie of the Year Award: Jennifer Swindlehurst-Chan, Sarah Narehood, Taylor Kredel, Agnes Antwan, and Eulalia Coutinho
Achievement in Outreach or Community Service Award: Bharti Garg
Outstanding Volunteer Award: Kayal Madhivanan
Leadership Service Award: Lori Yang and Satarupa Bhaduri
Board Special Award: Cheyenne Camp
President’s Award: Varykina Thackray and Jill Slaboda
Congratulations to all our AWIS-SD chapter awardees!
A2I: Industry Bioinformatics Senior Scientist Dr. Sabah Ul-Hasan
By Rose Presby
January’s Academia to Industry (A2I) Coffee Club featured Dr. Sabah Ul-Hasan discussing her transition from academic research to industry as a bioinformatics senior scientist. We had a total of 24 participants, including Dr. Ul-Hasan, who was extremely enthusiastic about her transition and generated a lot of excitement about industry scientist positions. Dr. Ul-Hasan is a first-generation college graduate who received her master’s in Biochemistry in 2014 from the University of New Hampshire and her PhD in Quantitative and Systems Biology from the University of California, Merced. Her decision to transition into bioinformatics for her PhD was due to her understanding of how important this field was becoming. She completed an internship within the bioinformatics field prior to her PhD program that really helped with her transition. Dr. Ul-Hasan did not limit herself in regards to future career paths by only focusing on academic or industry positions upon completion of her graduate training and completed a 3-year postdoc at Scripps Research before her transition to industry.
At the time of her talk, Dr. Ul-Hasan was 5 months into her senior scientist position within Hologic’s Bioinformatics team of Research and Development. Dr. Ul-Hasan is currently working on Hologic’s mutational surveillance program which determines mutation rates of certain diseases and infectious organisms, e.g., Covid/Flu, certain types of cancers and sexually transmitted infections. When asked about how she found her current position, Dr. Ul-Hasan said it was hard to find and took about 6 months. One difficulty she stated in finding industry positions related to her field was the lack of cohesive job titles across companies. Her suggested resources for finding positions were talking to different people about available opportunities, and searching for positions on Twitter (although postings tended to be more academic) and LinkedIn. LinkedIn was her number one resource and where she primarily did her job search. Through LinkedIn she learned how to write an industry related resume, asked questions from people within her network and followed up on any referrals she was given. She was adamant about not being afraid to apply for positions you may feel unqualified for. She said to play up your strengths, admit when you do not know how to do something, but that you are open to learning.
Financial stability was a major factor in Dr. Ul-Hasan’s decision to transition to industry. She was open to discussing her salary which at the time of the meeting was $130,000.00 with a bonus of 10-15% and stock options. Although her new position was stressful, due to her still getting used to the company and her new colleagues, she does not regret leaving academia. She loves the normal 8am to 5pm working hours with no weekends, the structure in her day-to-day workload, and the feeling of a much better work-life balance.
Dr. Ul-Hasan was extremely excited to share her experience and was a joy to learn from. She was open to sharing her contact information and willing to discuss transitioning from academia to industry in more detail with anyone interested.
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sabahulhasan/
Happy Hour Recap: A Night of Good Company and Great Drinks
By Sameera Bilgrami
Organizers: The A2I and Corporate Sponsorship committee at AWIS-SD
Venue: The Hera Hub, located at 11011 N. Torrey Pines Rd.
Date: Thursday, November 10, 2022
Time: 5:00 PM to 7:00 PM
Last November, the AWIS-SD A2I and the Corporate Sponsorship Committees hosted a happy hour celebration at Hera Hub, and it was a great success! Attendees enjoyed a wide selection of drinks and appetizers, while catching up with coworkers and meeting new people in a relaxed and fun atmosphere.
The Hera Hub, located at 11011 N. Torrey Pines Road, proved to be the perfect venue for the event. The Hera Hub host was friendly and attentive. She provided water, ice, and candy for all guests. We also had access to the kitchen where attendees could wash/sanitize their hands and access to a refrigerator and shelves to store fruits, drinks and snacks. The internal space was decorated with soft comfortable chairs and colorful paintings of peacocks with the picturesque backdrop of the Pacific Ocean seen from the huge plate-glass windows. The space was perfect, and the vibe was just right for a casual after-work gathering.
We had a great turnout, with many of our team members in attendance. We had 34 registrants and about 20 attendees. The attendees were post docs, research scholars and graduate students from University of California, San Diego (UCSD), The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) and Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute. There were also professionals from Industry. The guests signed in when they initially arrived, and after washing their hands, they were offered pizza and drinks. There were discussions around the differences between academia and industry work culture, personal and professional journeys, and ways to transition from academia to industry careers. Some guests even tried their luck at Jenga!! It was a wonderful opportunity to unwind and network after a long week, and we're already looking forward to hosting more events like this in the future.
The night was filled with good company, great drinks and a lot of fun. The team would like to thank everyone who came out to celebrate with us.
If you missed this event, don't worry, we will definitely be hosting more of these in the future. Stay tuned for our next Happy Hour announcement.
We would like to congratulate Elizabeth Munguia Trujillo on the birth of her son, Ezra Levi Trujillo. Ezra was born on December 9, 2022. Elizabeth is a 5th year PhD candidate in the Cell and Molecular Biology joint-doctoral program at San Diego State University and the University of California San Diego.
1) AWIS-SD Scholarship deadline has now passed, thank you to all the STEM students who applied. Scholarship recipients will be honored at an award luncheon later in 2023.
AWIS-SD Scholarship Program now in its 23rd year, annually supports community college, undergraduate, and graduate student women in San Diego County pursuing degrees in STEM fields where women are underrepresented. Scholarship funds help support their research projects and/or assist with additional educational expenses. The fields of study of previous AWIS-SD Scholars include biology, chemistry, physics, computer science, engineering, mathematics, and experimental psychology. Each AWIS-SD Scholar receives a $1000 Scholarship Award.
2) Postdoctoral fellowships for careers in industry
https://www.seattlechildrens.org/research/research-institute/careers/invent-at-seattle-childrens/
Here is a summary of the program from the website.
- $45 million committed to educating postdoctoral scholars, with a pledge by Seattle Children’s to raise an additional $10 million
- Approximately 50 postdoctoral scholarships will be offered during the first five years
- More than 80% of recruiting efforts focused on building a diverse community of scholars
- $70,000/year starting salary plus benefits
- Relocation support within policy guidelines
- $10,000 professional development fund for each scholar
- Formal entrepreneurship classes through the University of Washington, University of California San Diego and Invent at Seattle Children’s programming
- Each scholar has a laboratory, clinical and biotech mentor
- $5 million available for technology commercialization grants
- Initial appointment is for three years
- Funding opportunities in years four and five to bridge to company formation or faculty positions
- Support for patenting, licensing and biotech company formation
Newsletter Committee open meeting
Date: Sunday, May 21, 2023 01:00 PM - 02:30 PM
Venue: Cote D'Azur Cafe & Bistro
8935 Towne Centre Drive, San Diego, CA, 92122
All AWIS-SD members interested in the Newsletter Committee are welcome to join this in-person meeting. We will discuss our process of publishing our quarterly newsletter, and how you can gain technical writing and editing experience while serving on the committee.
A2I Coffee Club with Kathryn Zavala
Join us Tuesday, May 23rd, 2023 at 5 pm PT and come with questions for Kathryn Zavala, PhD, the Chief Operating Officer of MedTech Innovator. Join us, as she discusses her career and transition from academia to industry!
Suzana Hossain received her B.S. and M.S. from the University of California San Diego. Under the mentorship of Dr. Manuela Raffatellu, she investigated the efficacy of siderophore-based immunization in a genetic mouse model of Inflammatory Bowel Disease. She joined Association for Women in Science (AWIS) in 2021 and became the Chair of Public Relations where she continues to promote AWIS resources for career development and act as a voice for women in STEM to the broader community. Suzana will be starting her Ph.D. at the University of Pennsylvania in Fall 2023 and she plans on joining the AWIS Philadelphia chapter there.
Rose Presby, current President of AWIS-SD, is a recent transplant to sunny San Diego from the snowy Northeast. She received her undergraduate degree from the University of Maine in Biology with a minor in Psychology. She went on to work for a few years as an animal care technician turned lab technician at the Jackson Laboratory. In the fall of 2016, she started her graduate school career in the lab of Dr. John Salamone at the University of Connecticut where she received both her master’s and PhD studying the motivational aspects and pharmacological manipulation of a rodent model of binge like eating. She, her husband and their two cats Salem (guess what color he is...) and George, moved to San Diego in August for her postdoc position at the Scintillon Institute in the lab of Dr. Albert Chen studying neural circuits of food intake. She has been a member of the Outreach, Corporate Sponsorship and A2I committees, along with one of the new Co-chairs of the Scholarship committee. She is an avid sewist, hiker and chocolate lover. Feel free to reach her at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or on her LinkedIn profile https://www.linkedin.com/in/rose-presby-07021088/.
Jamillah Murtadha grew up in a small town in West Virginia. She transferred to UC San Diego as an undergraduate from Southwestern College. Now, she works in the Moores Cancer Center in a Prostate Cancer Laboratory. As the AWIS Outreach Co-chair, she enjoys inspiring future generations toward STEM careers/activities, and she is always striving to seek knowledge outside her field to become a well-rounded scientist. It is the duty of scientists to communicate the importance of their research for our society. Her small-town upbringing has instilled in her the affinity for being an active part of the community.
Kristen Brañes-Guerrero has been working as both a research assistant and lab manager for Subhojit Roy’s lab for nearly 4 years. She began her studies at UCI then transitioned to UCSD in pursuit of neuro-related research opportunities. After joining AWIS-SD, she quickly became a corporate committee member and outreach co-leader. When not in the lab, Kristen will probably be found climbing a rock or in the ocean… or just getting into something totally random.
Shanna Newton Lavalle is a Ph.D. candidate in the Biomedical Sciences Ph.D. program at the University of California San Diego. She joined the laboratory of Dr. Pamela Mellon in July 2015 where she is currently using a combination of cell culture and genetic mouse models to study the roles of several homeodomain transcription factors within kisspeptin neurons. In 2018, she completed the Rady’s School of Management MicroMBA program and was accepted into the Future Leaders Advancing Research in Endocrinology (FLARE) program. She was an active member of the Endocrine Society’s Trainee and Career Development Core Committee from 2018 to 2020 and served as Chair of the society’s Summer Research Fellowship program in 2019. In 2020 she became a Co-Chair for the Association for Women in Science (AWIS) San Diego Academia to Industry committee, where she connects industry professionals to early career individuals.
Sameera Bilgrami was recently appointed to be member at large on the AWIS-SD board, and currently serves as the interim President. Sameera is a senior scientist at Aethlon Medical, a company that captures pathological disease targets using medical devices as adjuncts to traditional drug therapies. Her career as a researcher started in India at the National Centre for Biological Sciences, TIFR Bangalore, where she studied protein-lipid interactions in live cell membranes. She was a postdoctoral fellow in the late Dr. Gary Bokoch’s lab at Scripps Research before moving to UCSD. Her research focused on organelle movement, angiogenesis, and cancer cell movement. Sameera has a strong background in cell biology and expertise in imaging techniques, image analysis and programming. She likes to spend time with kids, hike, and volunteer at AWIS-SD.
Contribute to the Newsletter
If you are an AWIS-SD member, we encourage you to contribute to the newsletter. Please send articles, photographs, and member news as MS Word attachments to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. News articles should not exceed 250 words, event summaries should not exceed 500 words, and feature articles (special-interest stories and profiles) should not exceed 1000 words. The submission deadline for the next issue is Jul 15, 2023.
AWIS-SD Communications Committee - Newsletter
Co-chairs: Jean Spence and Corine Lau
Members: Pat Rarus and Juliati Rahajeng
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
The San Diego Chapter of AWIS thanks the corporations and organizations for their support.
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