Chemistry Department Co-Hosts 2025 NOBCChE Collaborative
With the vision of Rising Together: Amplifying our Ecosystem of STEM Excellence, the NOBCChE Collaborative gathered in June on MIT and Northeastern campuses.
With the vision of Rising Together: Amplifying our Ecosystem of STEM Excellence, the National Organization for the advancement of Black Chemists and Chemical Engineers (NOBCChE) Collaborative gathered on June 26–June 28 on MIT and Northeastern Campuses. The initiative of the NOBCChE Collaborative extends the mission of the national NOBCChE committee to increase the representation of people of color in academia, form community, and celebrate excellence in research. Charter 2 of the NOBCChE collaborative includes MIT, Boston University, Carnegie Mellon University, Lincoln University, Morehouse College, Northeastern University, the University of Mississippi, and Spelman College.
This year’s collaborative meeting was highly attended, including over 80 participants and 30 poster presenters from over 20 colleges and universities:
- Auburn University
- Boston University
- Clarkson University
- Framingham State University
- Hampton University
- Kenyon College
- Louisiana State University
- MIT
- Morehouse College
- The Ohio State University
- North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University
- Northeastern University
- Rust College
- Spelman College
- Tufts University
- University of Alabama, Huntsville
- University of Kentucky
- University of Massachusetts-Amherst
- University of Mississippi
Day One
The event began with a tour of MIT Campus led by John D. MacArthur Professor of Chemistry Tim Swager and Andrew Dorfeuille, a graduate student in Professor Catherine Drennan’s lab in the Departments of Chemistry and Biology, as well as a tour of the MIT Engine led by Rhett Smith, their Vice President of Operations.
Next, the participants had the opportunity to network over dinner and at the MIT Museum and enjoyed welcoming remarks from Chemistry Department Head and Haslam and Dewey Professor Troy Van Voorhis. The evening ended with a spectacular lecture from Institute Professor and Vice Provost for Faculty Paula Hammond, titled “Making Sticky Particles for Better Medicine.”
Day Two
The second day of the collaborative was kick-started with welcome remarks from Professor Tyrslai Menyaeé Williams-Carter (Assistant Professor of Research and Assistant Dean of Mentorship, Education, and Research at Louisiana State University Graduate School), Professor Penny Beuining (Northeastern University Professor of Chemistry and Chemical Biology), and Professor Tim Swager. Following this, attendees engaged in an interactive professional development session titled “Communicate, Connect, Lead: Building a Brand that Stands Out” with Dr. Devin Swiner (Merck). Next, the attendees enjoyed a career panel with professionals in academia, industry, and patent law. The career panel, moderated by Teaching Professor Otonye Braide-Moncoeur (Northeastern University) featured leading professionals:
- Dr. Lydia Ruffner, Vertex Pharmaceuticals
- Dr. Lisa Hawver, Foghorn Therapeutics Inc.
- Dr. Jas Lee, Wolf Greenfield
- Dr. Joel Batson, Takeda Neuroscience, 2013 MIT Chemistry Ph.D.
- Professor Juana Mendenhall, Morehouse College
- Dr. Brent Powell, Insmed Inc.
The meeting featured remarks from Benjamin Kabagambe (PPG), Northeastern Makerspace Tour, and a Merck Tour alongside poster presentations from undergraduate and graduate students. The poster presentations included strong participation with over 30 posters from over 20 colleges and universities. Awards for the posters were presented at the event, and Collette Gordon achieved the top prize of the event. The full list of winners is as follows:
Graduate Poster Award Winners:
- MIT Chemistry Graduate Student Collette Gordon (Swager Lab, 1st Place)
- Oluwatofunmi Akinsanya (Tufts University, 2nd Place)
- Amal Ali (University of Mississippi, 3rd Place).
Undergraduate Poster Award Winners:
- Sri Sai Priya Avuthu (Northeastern University, 1st Place)
- Gabriel Russo (Boston University, 2nd Place)
- Jazmine Eadie Dixon (Northeastern University, 3rd Place).
Day Three
The final day of the collaborative meeting featured a graduate student panel moderated by Dr. Will Ndugire (a Postdoctoral researcher at University of Massachusetts – Amherst) with Andrew Dorfeuille (Drennan Lab) and Collette Gordon (Swager Lab), Estelleta Hackshaw (Northeastern University), Jess Hetcher (The Ohio State University), Kyle Bledsoe (University of Mississippi), and Vishnu Nair (Northeastern University). The panelists offered insight on the graduate journey, featuring advice for undergraduates in applying for graduate programs, determining the concentrations, and navigating the graduate journey and beyond.
“When collaboration is intentional, success isn’t just possible, it’s inevitable,” said Professor Tyrslai Williams-Carter. “The NOBCChE Collaborative is not just an initiative; it is a national movement grounded in trust, shared purpose, and scientific excellence. We are building something bold and necessary, work that proves meaningful change does not happen in isolation but through partnership. True transformation begins when institutions, students, and industry come together to imagine a better future and commit to realizing it. The NOBCChE Collaborative is the catalyst for that innovation.”
