I worked to foster a sense of community among minority students across campus, as one of the only 2 black graduate students in my department. During my term as VP, the BGSA executive board worked to improve RPI’s minority recruitment and retention efforts by developing several programs and initiatives, through partnerships with faculty, administrators, and various campus offices. Most notably, BGSA spearheaded the establishment of RPI’s annual Enhancing Diversity in Graduate Education (EDGE) minority recruitment weekend and the implementation of mandatory unconscious bias training for all teaching assistants.

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Jun - Aug 2015

I developed and troubleshot the design of a rehydratable single-use bioreactor prototype for in situ production of nutrients in space, and helped to secure federal funding for this project by conducting preliminary experimental tests on the bioreactor model using an engineered yeast strain. My NASA internship was focused on Human Nutrient Production in Space, involving R&D in advanced microbial strategies for producing nutrients within crewed spacecraft and habitats. In particular, we examined the production of the carotenoids lutein and zeaxanthin in a spore-forming strain of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Carotenoids are important antioxidants required for ocular health, a problematic area for some astronauts on long-term ISS missions.

Sep 2012 - May 2013