Clemson University A2i

Meet Kylie King, a member of our 2024-2025 A2i cohort! Kylie is a PhD candidate in Clemson University’s Bioengineering Department, conducting research under Dr. Heather Dunn focused on addressing racial disparities in triple-negative breast cancer. Her research examines gene expression at the tumor-extracellular matrix interface in patients from diverse backgrounds. Kylie holds both a Master's and Bachelor's degree in Bioengineering from Clemson, where she has contributed to a range of scientific projects. Previously, she served as the Clinical Research Coordinator at Clemson’s REDDI Lab, the university’s first CLIA-certified testing facility. In this role, she led COVID-19 testing efforts, processing over one million tests and establishing a biorepository for more than 20,000 positive samples for future research. Her passion lies in advancing breast cancer research, with a focus on addressing racial disparities and ensuring that scientific progress benefits diverse populations.?

Meet Ada Camila Montoya, a member of our 2024-2025 A2i cohort! Ada Camila Montoya is a second-year master’s student in the Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences. She earned her degree in Environmental Sciences from Zamorano University in Honduras. During her undergraduate studies, Ada interned at Purdue University, where she contributed to research on hardwood plantation production and supported various projects. In 2022, she began an internship at North Carolina State University, coordinating field, greenhouse, and laboratory research focused on weed management in soybeans and other small grains. These experiences broadened her understanding of environmental sciences and inspired her to pursue a master’s degree.? ? Currently, as a Graduate Research Assistant, Ada is developing innovative non-plastic Floating Treatment Wetlands to enhance environmental sustainability. She has presented her findings at conferences, sharing insights with peers and industry professionals. In addition to her research, Ada served as a Graduate Teaching Assistant for the Biology of Plants Practicum. In this role, she taught undergraduate students while balancing her coursework and research responsibilities.? ? Passionate about water quality, she aspires to pursue a career in environmental consulting or other areas within environmental services, eager to expand her expertise. The A2i program aligns perfectly with her goals, offering valuable networking opportunities and professional development to enhance her skills and broaden her horizons. Committed to supporting future generations, she looks forward to building on the work done by women who came before her and opening doors for those who come after her. Through her efforts, Ada aims to make a lasting impact on environmental sustainability and advocate for effective water management practices, striving to create a more sustainable future.?

Our A2i graduate students and team spent the morning with a local industry leader in biotechnology innovation and clinical trial manufacturing to discuss careers after graduation. Thank you to Parimer Scientific! And special thanks to Richard Pace, PhD and Stephen Lee for the time and tour of your facility.

Meet Aishah Khan, a member of our 2024-2025 A2i cohort! Aishah is a third year PhD student in the Industrial-Organizational psychology program at Clemson University. She will defend her thesis soon and graduate with her M.S. in December 2024, after which she will continue on to doctoral candidacy.? ? Aishah is energized by opportunities for learning and growth, and as such, has a diverse set of skills and experiences. Within the psychology department, she has been investigating the risk/benefit evaluation people make when deciding to speak up about important issues within their organization, with a focus on the experiences of BIPOC employees. As a part of her interdisciplinary research assistantship, she is exploring ethical issues surrounding the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in healthcare settings. Aishah is also working part-time as a Data Science intern at Hogan Assessment Systems, where she writes technical reports about workplace competencies and is building a PowerBI dashboard to make specific datasets more accessible to Hogan coaches and consultants.? ? All of these experiences fit neatly into Aishah’s personal values – integrity, continuous learning, and self-development – and her professional aspiration to a) complete her PhD and b) conduct research in applied settings, that c) promotes inclusion and ethical accountability in organizations.?

Meet Tolulope Famaye, a member of our 2024-2025 A2i cohort! Tolulope is a doctoral candidate in the Learning Sciences program at Clemson University, with expertise in designing digital and physical learning experiences in both formal and informal settings. As a Research Assistant in the IDEA Lab at Clemson, Tolulope co-led the design of a digital learning environment, curriculum, and educational game aimed at introducing AI and critical machine learning literacy to K-12 students. Her work in this area has been published and presented at major conferences, including the ACM Interaction Design and Children Conference and the American Educational Research Association (AERA). In higher education, Tolulope has trained over 80 faculty members on redesigning course content for online learning programs. ? ? Tolulope holds an M.Ed. in Educational Technology from the University of Ibadan and a BSc.Ed. in Business Education from Ebonyi State University. Prior to Clemson, Tolulope served as Director of Learning Design and as a learning and instructional design consultant for multiple educational initiatives across Nigeria. Her expertise includes developing interactive learning applications and mockups using authoring tools and learning management systems, working closely with subject matter experts and software developers while applying relevant learning theories and frameworks.?

Members of our 2024-25 A2i cohort are doing great things ?? Congrats on your recent accomplishment, Virginia Clark!

Meet Martha Sabogal De La Pava, a member of our 2024-2025 A2i cohort! Martha is a Ph.D. Candidate in the Industrial Engineering Department at Clemson University. She earned her master's (2019) and bachelor's degree (2017) in Industrial Engineering from Universidad del Valle in Colombia. She is passionate about using mathematical models to tackle real-world problems with interdisciplinary teams. Her research interests and experience lie in applied operations research and conducting data analytics to improve complex systems.? ? In her dissertation, Martha develops optimization models and methods to study disruption risks to global supply chains. She focuses on the pharmaceutical industry, analyzing the impacts of export ban risks and capacity disruptions on drug shortages, company decisions, and performance. Her expertise includes linear, integer, and stochastic programming, simulation, decomposition algorithms, and data analytics.? ? As a Clemson's Industrial Engineering Graduate Student Advisory Board member and former treasurer of the INFORMS student chapter, Martha has actively promoted operations research and fostered initiatives to support graduate students' personal and professional development. Martha's honors include the 2023 Love of Learning Award from The Honor Society of PKP and Clemson's 2022 Janine Anthony Bowen Graduate Award. ? ? Martha aspires to become a leading operations research scientist, solving complex decision-making problems at research institutes or company's research teams.?

Meet Bharath Kunduru, a member of our 2024-2025 A2i cohort! Bharath is a PhD candidate pursuing Plant Genetics in the department of Genetics and Biochemistry (G&B) at Clemson University. He completed MS in Genetics and Plant breeding and BS in Agricultural sciences in India. Bharath’s PhD research is focused on understanding the genetic basis of stalk strength and senescence in maize. Till date, he published 7 research articles, either as primary or co-author, and currently working on at least four more manuscripts. He received several prestigious awards and fellowships, including Clemson University Graduate Student Government-Outstanding Graduate Research Assistant Award (2024), Department of Genetics and Biochemistry-Outstanding Graduate Research Assistant Award (2024), Department of Genetics and Biochemistry-Interdisciplinary Graduate Fellowship (2023), and Dairy Farmers of America Graduate scholarship (2021). He also secured first rank in his cohort in MS and second rank at university level in his BS degree programs. Bharath also represented the student body of G&B as a senator in the Graduate Student Government and served as a graduate student member on the Graduate Advisory Committee to the Dean of Graduate School. Bharath’s research interest and career goal is to develop climate resilient crop varieties that would enhance global food security and economic prosperity of the farming community.?

?? Calling all graduate students! ? See below for a great opportunity for a *PAID* scientific communication internship this summer through the internationally renowned Broad Institute. ? https://lnkd.in/e95dVXBH ?

Congrats to a member of our 2024-2025 A2i cohort, Stephanie Tracey!