Using Computing Power to Discover the Biological Power of 3’ Untranslated Regions Brenda Ji ’18, Biochemistry Advisor: Adam G. Matthews, Biological Sciences As biological data sets continue to grow exponentially, computational approaches to understand them have become increasingly important. As a student who is deeply interested in the intersection of computer science and biological sciences, I spent the summer designing a library of 3’ untranslated regions—noncoding sequences within a gene that play a major role in regulating gene expression—in order to gain a better understanding of the quantitative effects of unknown regulatory elements in our genome. At my internship, I gained a newfound sense of confidence in conducting research independently and a deeper appreciation for computing power in biology. Moreover, this experience showed me how I could meaningfully merge the many interests I have developed thus far at Wellesley. I hope that those who attend will also be intrigued by the immense possibilities that result from bridging disciplines and understand the necessity of advocating for the materialization of your ideas in research.
The Importance of Personal Networks SCI 270 Letters to Wendy Wellesley: Clinical Research and Enlightening Conversations With Alumnae Helena Yan ’18, Neuroscience Advisors: Connie L. Bauman, Physical Education, Recreation & Athletics; Barbara Beltz, Neuroscience “What do you want to be when you grow up?” This is a question all of us have undoubtedly struggled to answer at different stages of life. Deciding what to do after you leave the safe enclave of college often seems like an insurmountable task, yet everyone does it.This summer, I shadowed a neurologist at the Children’s Hospital s e s s i o n
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of Philadelphia and screened patients for studies focusing on rare neurological diseases. In my spare time, I spoke with many Wellesley alumnae to hear how they traversed their career paths. Reflecting on insights from alumnae, in addition to experiencing clinical and research work in a hospital setting, helped me clarify my passion for medicine and personal career plans after graduation.
The Nine Percent: Women of Color in the Tech Industry Marissa Okoli ’18, Media Arts & Sciences Advisor: Eniana Mustafaraj, Computer Science Only nine percent of all computing-related occupations in 2015 were filled by women of color, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. This summer, I had the opportunity to join the four percent of female African-American web developers as an intern at HubSpot, a startup founded in 2006 that issued its IPO on the New York Stock Exchange in 2014. During my overwhelmingly positive time at HubSpot, I was able to network with many people throughout the company; work on Hubspot.com, developing pages that received millions of views; and communicate directly with stakeholders. However, just as I am usually only one of a few African-American women in the Wellesley CS courses, I was the only African-American woman interning at HubSpot this summer. In my presentation, I will address the serious lack of women of color in the tech industry, and what companies like HubSpot can do to combat it.
Newbie in Tech Xiaofan Wu ’18, Computer Science Advisor: Orit Shaer, Computer Science After a year of interning and working in the CS field, I will share with other Wellesley students about my experience as someone new to the field. I will explain how my internship this summer at GE Digital and my current work developing the Where’s Wellesley app have shaped my perspective. I will share the opportunities I found and skills I learned along the way. Emphasizing factors besides grades, developing self-confidence and personal charisma, and networking with Wellesley alumnae were all important to my personal growth. I hope to equip aspiring CS students with skills and pointers to springboard their careers.
Medicine and the Liberal Arts SCI 274 Integrating the Humanities Into a Medical Internship
What I Learned About Thriving in College/Life After Running a Startup Mojia Shen ’18, Computer Science and Economics Advisor: Eniana Mustafaraj, Computer Science A year ago, I told Wellesley I was not coming back for the semester, and I was not sure if I would ever do so. I knew it was time for me to run my startup in Mexico, empowering stay-athome mothers to cook in their kitchens and sell t h e
their homemade food to young professionals through our web-based platform. As a foreigner and a first-time entrepreneur trying to execute a challenging business, I went through countless hardships. Through the many right and wrong decisions I made, I learned not just about how to run a startup but about who I really am, my strengths, weaknesses, passions, and fears. My desire to grow brought me back to campus in spring 2016. I learned how to embrace my “failure” and re-envisioned the education I always wanted. I wish to share with my classmates my struggles starting a business and my biggest learnings on self-development.
Victoria (Tory) Roth ’18, American Studies, and Chemistry Advisor: Amanda M. McCarthy, Chemistry This summer, I participated in a clinical research internship program. I worked on one study examining the relationship between narcotics, congestive heart failure, and readmission, and
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