Meet the Sewer Scholarship Winners for 2023

With great pleasure, the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology announces the Marion B. Sewer Distinguished Scholarship for Undergraduates awardees for 2023.

This prize was established in 2016 by the ASBMB’s Maximizing Access Committee, which was formerly the Minority Affairs Committee, to encourage undergraduate students who show a desire to pursue careers in biochemistry and molecular biology and who broaden the scientific community. A substantial contribution from New England Biolabs has made it possible for the ASBMB to grant ten $2,000 scholarships, which will be used for undergraduate tuition.

The 2023 scholarships went to Rachel Rivera, Michelle Wambui, Omar Afifi, Hannah Barsouk, Kevin Li, Diego Pomales Matos, Antonio Rivera, Dabne Herrera Guerra, Sangita Chakraborty and Sophie Anderson.

The prize honors Marion B. Sewer, a 43-year-old woman who passed away in 2016. Sewer served as the primary investigator on programs aimed at advancing student training and boosting participation from historically disadvantaged groups. She coordinated the MAC’s Interactive Mentoring Activities for Grantsmanship Enhancement workshop, which tackles differences in scientists’ capacity to get federal research funds, for postdoctoral fellows and early career scientists within the ASBMB. She also discussed topics like imposter syndrome that historically underrepresented scientists have to deal with in their writing.

The ten beneficiaries of the 2023 Sewer scholarship outline their individual objectives and methods for advancing diversity in this section. Edits were made to their assertions.

Rachel Rivera, Yale University

As a third-year student, Rivera is concentrating in chemical biology while majoring in biochemistry and biophysics. She plans to pursue a cardiology-focused M.D./Ph.D. after graduating. Her research focuses on the connection between gene regulation and hypertension.

As a physician-scientist, Rivera wants to make science and medicine more approachable while also making sure that people of color feel supported when navigating the healthcare system. She is also committed to increasing the representation of minority students in higher education and diversifying STEM fields through STEM education programs.

Michelle Wambui, Oregon State University

Wambui hopes to obtain experience in clinical work and research as an undergraduate before enrolling in an M.D./Ph.D. program with the aim of becoming a clinician-scientist. With a degree in molecular biology and biochemistry, she intends to apply to the National Institutes of Health Medical Research Scholars Program after graduating.

Wambui’s experiences as an immigrant and a black female student have influenced her essential beliefs and are a constant source of motivation. She is dedicated to broadening the scientific community by supporting underrepresented students’ perspectives and advocating for their needs. She places a high importance on community service.

Omar Afifi, College of the Holy Cross

Afifi is motivated to pursue a profession in health care by her love of science, the arts, and helping people. Through his involvement in his institution, where he plans campus events with different organizations, helps in the Worcester community, and conducts research in organic chemistry, he discovered these interests.

Afifi intends to attend dentistry school after earning her degree in chemistry with the goal of helping people feel better about their teeth and their general health. Afifi wants to close the gap between oral and systemic health and expand access to fair oral care as a future dentist.

Hannah Barsouk, Yale University

Barsouk is interested in studying molecular evolution and the many roles played by noncoding RNAs. He is pursuing a combination bachelor’s/master’s degree in biophysics and biochemistry. Their goal, as a first-generation Ukrainian American and alum of a public school, is to provide opportunities for underrepresented students and those with difficult life circumstances—such as displaced overseas students—to develop a passion for research and the sciences.

In addition to volunteering for a mental health helpline for STEM students with underrepresented identities, Barsouk has worked as a teaching intern. Barsouk is a gender nonconforming biochemist who aspires to pursue a career in outreach, education, and research while also working to increase accessibility to academia.

Kevin Li, Emory University

Li is a third-year student majoring in comparative literature and chemistry. He intends to pursue an M.D./Ph.D. in cancer biology after graduation, building on his current work in tumor immunology and breast cancer immunotherapy. He also intends to explore other areas of passion, including diversity and pedagogy, with a focus on eliminating the stigmatization of minorities in the hard sciences as a deterrent to entering the field.

Li captains the Club Swim Team, works as a first-year orientation leader, and performs research at Yong Wan’s lab in the Department of Pharmacology and Chemical Biology.

Diego Pomales Matos, University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras

Pomales Matos intends to seek a Ph.D. in biochemistry and molecular biology after earning a bachelor’s degree in cellular and molecular biology. He also wants to keep researching the mechanisms underlying disease-associated genetic variation and the role that race and ethnicity play in its frequency and incidence.

Pomales Matos wants to continue his mentors’ support for diversifying the scientific community by exposing underrepresented students to research, as well as to take part in initiatives that will have positive translational benefits, particularly in poor and marginalized communities. Through his graduate studies and beyond, he will remain dedicated to the goal of expanding and diversifying science.

Antonio Rivera, Wesleyan University

Rivera has a double major in molecular biology, biochemistry, and science in society. He intends to do out research during his undergraduate studies in order to fulfill his objective of earning a Ph.D. in biochemistry.

Rivera intends to join the life sciences commercial sector and incorporate the inclusion of underrepresented communities. After working in industry for a while, he wants to become a professor so that he can guide students from underrepresented groups through college and the private sector.

Dabne Herrera Guerra, University of Rochester

Herrera Guerra intends to pursue an M.D./Ph.D. with a Ph.D. specialization in biochemistry and biophysics after finishing her undergraduate education. She intends to do her postdoctoral training and a neurosurgery medical residency at the same time. Her area of interest in study is RNA-guided gene regulation, and she wants to employ microfluidics to create a tool for early disease and medical condition identification.

Having received an NIH Undergraduate Scholarship, she intends to dedicate her life to scientific research, assisting people by advancing science, and solving challenging scientific issues.

Sangita Chakraborty, City University of New York – Hunter College

Chakraborty plans to enroll in an M.D./Ph.D. program after receiving her degree with a double major in biological sciences and interdisciplinary studies. Her goal is to become a group leader and mentor to upcoming generations of scientists. Her goal in researching the molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying stem cell biology is to create treatments for tumors that are challenging to treat.

Chakraborty wants to improve the quality of life for patients, particularly those who reside in underprivileged areas. In addition to her goal of training and mentoring the next generation of scientists in the transformative manner of her own teachers, she is passionate about campaigning for diversity, equity, and inclusion within STEM fields.

Sophie Anderson, Vassar College

Anderson wants to work in pediatric oncology research and become a physician-scientist. Through her volunteer work with pediatric patients through Project Sunshine and her father’s late-stage cancer diagnosis, she witnessed the life-saving value of prompt medical treatment and intervention. As a result, she wants to contribute to scientific advancements with the aim of finding better ways to treat and prevent disease.

Fostering increased diversity, accessibility, and inclusion in the sciences is another of Anderson’s main passions. After graduating, she plans to spend her year of leave at Columbia University completing an expedited master’s degree in public health before applying to M.D. and Ph.D. programs.