Outreach, service, mentorship
Current community service roles
at departmental, institutional, national, and international levels
Cornell Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics
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Co-organizer of the monthly Postdoc Professional Development Workshops, 2025 -
Cornell University
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Cornell Postdoc Association Board Member, 2025 -
Genetics Society of America (GSA)
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Engagement and Professional Development Committee Member, 2025 -
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GSA Undergraduate Travel Award Committee Member, 2025 -
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Postdoc Representative to the GSA Board, 2024 -
The Drosophila Board
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Drosophila Trainee Awards Committee Member, 2025 -
Lab Equipment Access Program (LEAP)
Hands-on science education is instrumental to spark students' interests in STEM. However, many public schools lack necessary resources to incorporate science labs to their curriculum. To tackle this social issue, I founded the Lab Equipment Access Program (LEAP) at Caltech in early 2022. As the founder and president of LEAP, I worked with a team and many volunteers from across Southern California. In 1.5 years, we recycled over 1,000 pieces of lab equipment and supplies to support hands-on science education at under-funded schools in rural California. Under my leadership, LEAP obtained long-term support from a private foundation and became affiliated with the Caltech Y, a 501c3 nonprofit organization, in summer 2023. Now, LEAP continues to make tangible impacts to transform science education across local communities. To learn more, check out: leap.caltech.edu
GSA Accessibility in STEM (AiS) Workshops
I am deeply passionate about community service and making science education and research more accessible for everyone. As a founding member of the accessibility subcommittee at the Genetics Society of America (GSA), I led the effort to design a new virtual workshop series called Accessibility in STEM (AiS), which promotes accessibility for early-career scientists with disabilities. I planned, organized, and moderated the first two AiS workshops on teaching and research environments, respectively, attracting hundreds of live audience. AiS workshops are now freely available on YouTube with closed captions.
To learn more, check out: genetics-gsa.org/accessibility-in-stem-ais-workshop-series/
Research mentorship
I am fortunate to have had fantastic mentors in my scientific career. I aspire to pay it forward by mentoring the next generation of biologists. Since the graduate school, I have closely mentored many students at the bench, and I take pride in their accomplishments.
2026-
2025-
2025-
2025-
2025
2025
2022-23
2022
2021-23
2021
2019
2019
Sofia Girotti
Lilly Horowitz
Hamna Waseem
Gloria Nien **
Ivy Ng
Angelina Zheng
Eunice Park
Iván Argandona
Katherine Pan
Suchitra Dara
Victor Garcia
Kyley Burkey
mentored role
undergrad researcher
undergrad researcher
undergrad researcher
undergrad researcher
undergrad researcher
undergrad researcher
undergrad researcher
FSRI student
undergrad researcher
undergrad researcher
rotation student
Amgen scholar
subsequent position
(ongoing)
(ongoing)
(ongoing)
(ongoing)
undergrad at Cornell
undergrad at Cornell
PhD student at MIT
undergrad at Caltech
MD student at Harvard Medical School
PhD student at MSK Cancer Center
PhD student at Caltech
MD/PhD student at University of Kansas
** Gloria's research is supported by the Morley & Brody Undergrad Research Funds from Cornell.