The Advancing Women in Science Scholarship (AWS) demonstrates the commitment of the College of Science to increase the representation and advancement of women in science majors and careers. Eligible candidates include full-time undergraduate women enrolled in the college. As part of the Advancing Women in Science community, scholarship recipients participate in quarterly meetings with a cohort of fellow awardees focused on professional development and mentoring skills.   

This year, ten outstanding women are 2024 AWS scholars! Congratulations to the following students: 

Warda Ahmed ’26   Biochemistry     

Warda is on the Pre-Med track and plans to take full advantage of all the opportunities Northeastern affords her. In addition to her studies, she has been a teaching assistant for both math and chemistry courses. Currently, she is a research aide in the Lab of Aging and Infertility Research where she conducts stem cell research, and she is a peer mentor for students enrolled in Introduction to Biochemistry. She recently completed a co-op as a biology research assistant at Larkspur Biosciences. 

Camille Amaditz ’26   Psychology   

Camille is a psychology, Spanish, and ethics student interested in pursuing a career in genetic counseling. She is eager to apply the critical analysis skills she has learned to develop genome sequencing and editing technologies. She is a member of Northeastern’s Genetic Counseling Student Interest Group (GCSIG). Currently, she is completing an internship at Genomes2Veterans where she is a clinical research coordinator, and is working alongside genetic counselors doing clinical research. 

 Alexandra (Sasha) Aranovich ’26   Applied Physics            

Sasha began volunteering and working as a research assistant at Pledge Therapeutics before she had even started her first year at Northeastern. Since then she has worked as a bioinformatics intern at Sandia National Laboratories, where she developed a software pipeline on Linux for automated genomic island identification from next-gen sequencing data. Currently, she is a research assistant at the Network Science Institute where she studies the underlying network structure of trained and untrained deep learning models. 

 Tiffany Chen ’26   Biochemistry                                            

Tiffany aspires to drive change and innovation in the community through scientific research. She recently completed her first co-op at Arbor Biotechnologies, where she led two projects within the bioanalysis group, working primarily independently she developed protein-based, cell-based, and immunotoxicity assays. Currently, she is an undergraduate research assistant at the Lab for Aging and Infertility Research, where she investigates the role of hypoxia in ovarian function and stem cell differentiation. 

 Ashleigh Chiwaya ’26   Data Science and Psychology      

Ashleigh is interested in becoming a psychiatrist focused on Black women’s wellness and working in industrial psychology. As a second year she co-founded Nuly Root’d, a beauty supply vending machine venture for college campuses. She developed an interest in entrepreneurship, empowerment, and wellness for girls and women of color early in life. She has pursued her interests by being involved in the Entrepreneurship club, COS Connections to Innovation, IDEA, and the Black Student Association. 

Saray Gallo ’26   Behavorial Neuroscience                     

Saray’s main interests lie within cell and molecular biology. Her hope is to break into the pharmaceutical industry, where she can contribute to the advancement of healthcare through innovative biotechnological techniques. She is currently on co-op with Biogen, working in the Genetic and Neurodevelopment Disorders Unit. She was a research assistant at the Center for Translational Neuroimaging at Northeastern, as well as at Harvard Medical School’s Johan Paulsson lab. 

Sadhana Gopinath ’26   Behavorial Neuroscience    

Sadhana is an active member of the Northeastern community and is readily pursuing the array of opportunities presented to her. She is a part of multiple campus organizations such as the Neurons Club, Alpha Epsilon Phi, and is on the G-Board for the National Marrow Donor Program Club. Currently, she is a research assistant at both the Northeastern University Brain Game Center and the Center for Translational Neuroimaging. The first co-op she completed was as a clinical trials operations intern at BioSensics. 

Eshna Kulshreshtha ’26   Marine Biology                          

Eshna is passionate about bringing awareness to the pressing topics that are impacting our planet. She joined the Stubbins lab as a ROUTES Scholar co-op where she studied safe drinking water and the impacts of chlorinated disinfection byproducts. She recently accepted a role as an undergraduate research assistant in the Stubbins lab, where she will continue her research. In addition to her work at the Stubbins lab she volunteered as an ecological cognition research assistant in the CORE lab with John Coley. 

Josie Kummer ’26 Computer Science and Physics            

Josie is fascinated by understanding the mathematical laws governing our universe, and enjoys learning how equations describe everyday phenomenon, and also more advanced topics that cannot be intuitively understood by everyday phenomenon. She completed an electromagnetics engineering co-op in the R&D division of Rogers Corporation. Currently, she is a research assistant in the lab of Nathan Israeloff studying graphene based sensors, and is a software developer at Code for Community. 

Siima Machayo ’26   Behavorial Neuroscience                     

Siima is a former White House intern in the Office of Science and Technology Policy. She is the Mentorship Coordinator for the COS Student Diversity Advisory Council where she maintains communication with the Harvard Medical School to coordinate the Mediment mentorship program. She is currently an undergraduate research assistant in the lab of Rebecca Shansky, where she studies the relationships between neural structure and function when both males and females experience aversive events. 

Before the aftermath of Hurricane Helene dumped more than 30 inches of rain on some parts of western North Carolina and led to historic flooding that has killed more than 30 people in the mountainous region, Asheville was known as a “climate haven.”

News reports say people were moving to the city that houses the historic Biltmore Estate to escape extreme heat in the summer, sea level rise and hurricanes.

The mudslides and floods that have swept away children and their grandparents and others  in the foothills and mountains of North Carolina were a risk that few saw as imminent, say Northeastern University professors Auroop Ganguly and Samuel Munoz.

Read more from Northeastern Global News

Photo by Melissa Sue Gerrits/Getty Images

Surgery after a basketball injury in 2014 left Northeastern student Sade Iriah hobbling around campus and managing her pain with prescription painkillers.

It also opened her to a whole new career — thanks to the university’s Center for Translational NeuroImaging lab.

“It was really just great timing,” Irish recalls. “I ‘crutched’ into class and the topic of the day was opioids, and it was just so applicable to my life — I just needed to know more. What are these opioids doing to me?”

A decade later, Iriah’s work with the CTNI lab has resulted in multiple journal articles focused on addiction and opioids and how drugs affect the body; three Northeastern degrees — a 2016 bachelor’s in behavioral neuroscience; a 2019 master’s in public health; and a 2023 Ph.D. in psychology with a specialization in behavioral neuroscience.

Read more from Northeastern Global News

Photo by Alyssa Stone/Northeastern University

In today’s digital landscape, where effective science communication is essential, three graduate students from the College of Science launched the inaugural BIMODAL (Belonging in Media: Opportunities in Digital Academic Landscapes) workshop, held on August 27th and 29th, at Northeastern University, with participants from an array of majors across the College of Science.

Designed to address the need for science communication training and to promote belonging in STEM fields for underrepresented groups, BIMODAL provided participants with practical tools to enhance their digital presence, science writing, and networking in virtual academic spaces. The workshop was led by College of Science graduate students Madeline Eppley, Angela Jones, and Lindsey Forg, and funded by the COS DEIJ Equity Action Grant.

Over the course of two days, participants created personal websites, practiced science storytelling, learned about altmetrics and resumes, and explored the growing importance of social media in academic networking. The workshop combined digital media strategies with experiential learning at both Northeastern’s Boston campus and the Marine Science Center on Nahant, offering hands-on experiences with marine life, and further connecting participants to the field of science communication.

“There is a substantial gap in science communication training for graduate students in STEM—it’s an overlooked part of academic curriculum and rarely are  there formal training opportunities to develop effective skills,” shares Madeline Eppley, one of the BIMODAL workshop’s founders and facilitator. 

“There is a growing need to develop better digital presence and science communication with the rising importance of networking in virtual academic spaces.” 

Emphasizing the significant role that digital spaces have played in their own academic career, Eppley explains how their journey of building an online network after graduating in 2020 led them to their current PhD position, shaped their identity as a scientist, and helped them collaborate with scientists across the US. 

Eppley noted, “I wanted to share my knowledge and build community with other underrepresented scientists who are passionate about science communication… so that others could benefit from having the same digital ‘boost’ that I had early in my career.” 

Creating a digital presence is hard to do without material. Lindsey Forg, co-facilitator and professional photographer, was instrumental in providing students with headshots and academic “action shots” to be used on personal websites and social media. 

“In the past, I had been photographed in ways that felt really inauthentic to who I am. Those experiences showed me the importance of building a connection [as a photographer], however brief, in order to really capture individuals in a way that makes them feel more confident and really seen,” says Forg. 

After years of volunteering, presenting at conferences, and gaining field experience, Angela Jones, a BIMODAL co-creator and facilitator, recognized the need to share her experiences digitally. By building her professional digital footprint, Jones also built her professional network and increased her ability to share with others, particularly those who lacked access to mentorship or financial resources. 

“Marginalized academics often do not have legacy knowledge passed down to them… they carry the burden of teaching themselves or ‘reinventing the wheel’ at every academic milestone. It was important to me to pass on as much information as I can to make others’ experiences easier than mine,” Jones shares. 

“I wanted to give students the opportunity to gain insight and experience without… any cost so as to not cause a financial burden on any of the workshop participants,” she adds. 

The BIMODAL workshop left a lasting impression on participants.

“[BIMODAL] acts as a catalyst for growth that turns abstract knowledge into concrete experience and ignites a sense of curiosity that drives scientific and personal development. [The workshop] profoundly deepened my appreciation for … the pivotal role of science communication in society,” shares Diya Atul Patel, a biotechnology graduate student and participant in the workshop. 

Another participant noted, “The workshop helped me get ideas for more things I can do for my career. I feel that I’ve been losing momentum in the past year in terms of working on my career and putting myself out there, but the workshop was a great motivator now that I have a list of things I can do, like making a website, posting on social media, and practicing science communication.”

The BIMODAL team hopes to secure additional funding to run the workshop annually and provide this opportunity for more College of Science students in the future. 

Through personal narratives, digital skill-building, and community engagement, the BIMODAL workshop set the stage for a future where underrepresented voices in STEM can thrive both online and offline.