Student run seminar archive
August 18th 2023
Dr. Dan Bowles, Senior Director of Chemical Development at Cambrex High Point
Title: From Benchtop to Bedside- The role of a CDMO in development and delivery of new drugs to market
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September 27th 2023
Claudia Vego Coordinator, Mercury Program Centro De Innovation Cientifica Amazonica
Title: Science for the People: Strategies for saving the Amazon
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September 10th 2021
Travis Rosmus, EPDM Chemist Carlisle Construction Materials
Title: There and back again: a [Rubber Chemist's] tale
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Matt Cummings, Analytical Research Scientist
BioHybrid Solutions LLC
Title: From Big Pharma to Biotech Startup- A Series of Atypical Transitions
Few organic chemists would picture themselves taking careers in analytical chemistry, just as few scientists would make the transition from a global pharmaceutical company to join a startup biopharmaceutical company amid a pandemic. Matt started his professional career within the R&D team at Mylan Pharmaceuticals where he supported the development of multiple generic drug formulations, some of which were approved by the FDA and are now on the market. Personal and professional aspirations led to a change in career path which also coincided with the beginning of the Coronavirus pandemic.
Matt currently leads the molecular characterization group at Biohybrid Solutions where he conducts analytical testing to support the development of novel Protein-Polymer bioconjugates. These NanoArmored proteins present a versatile alternative to traditional PEGylation chemistry and are currently being explored in numerous therapeutic applications, including a prophylactic treatment to protect frontline soldiers against nerve agent poisoning through collaboration with the United States Defense Threat Reduction Agency.
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March12th, 2021
Bits, Atoms, and Brains: Lab-to-Market Tech Commercialization
Jonathan is the Chief Technology Advisor at Airbus Ventures, where he stewards the tech investment thesis.
Growing up in the Laurel Highlands of Pennsylvania, he performed applied research and development in robotics and telehealth on behalf of the US Army and Navy and then became a venture founder, advisor, and angel investor. As a contributor to the study and practice of lab-to-market commercialization and frontier tech work, Jonathan has collaborated with organizations including Alphabet X, NASA, Flex, and the U.S. Department of Defense.
Concurrent to his venture work for Airbus Ventures, Jonathan maintains a teaching appointment and research affiliation at MIT, where he has helped to grow its professional programs in Manufacturing, Machine Learning, and Corporate Innovation.
Jonathan holds a Masters degree in engineering, management, and design from MIT and earned an MBA and Bachelor's degrees in mathematics and chemistry from Saint Francis University. When he's not interviewing venture trailblazers as the co-host of Tough Tech Today, Jonathan enjoys operating planes, Rovers, and drones.
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February 5th, 2021
Innovations in the Sustainable Supply Chain
Executive Vice President, Business Development TerraCycle and Loop
With the public awareness of climate change picking up momentum and solutions becoming
a bigger regulatory and consumer priority, Loop is making real change by partnering
with major corporations around the world to develop more circular supply chains
and reduce environmental impact. Tony Rossi, EVP, Business Development of TerraCycle
and Loop shares his experience launching and growing an initiative of this magnitude
and what the cultural shift towards reusability means for governments, businesses,
and the larger population.
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January 29th, 2021
The Best Laid Plans: A Journey into Environmental Education
Emily Rosmus, Director of Educational Programming at Ned Smith Center for Nature and Art
In an increasingly virtual and media-driven world, it can be difficult to engage children and adults alike in meaningful conversations about the environment. While most of the American population regards natural space and outdoor time as extremely important, the average 8-10 year old spends 6 hours a day in front of a screen and 77% of adults cannot identify where their tap water comes from. There is a huge difference between your basic, fact-driven high school ecology class and inquiry-based environmental education – and that difference can cause drastic effects on the way we regard the world.
I went from a pre-med undergraduate student with prospects of working in a hospital to being an ambassador for the environment, spending my days walking in the woods and wading for crayfish. During this session, I’ll walk you through how I got to where I am and why I wouldn’t have it any other way.
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September 11th, 2020
Health is the future of Beauty
Giulia Ubertallo, Senior Manager of Product Development and Innovation at L'Oreal
Science is the backbone of L’Oreal Active Cosmetics Division - one of the four massive
entities that group together the L’Oreal brands – and science sparks so many opportunities
in the world of healthy beauty.
The job of the teams working on product development and innovation is to pair science with creativity and analytical thinking, to stir the ingredients together in a powerful mix, and to create the next L’Oreal products that will be filling homes, purses, doctors’ offices, and more.
Drawing from the latest innovations in packaging, formulation and innovative technologies, product developers at L’Oreal Active Cosmetics constantly innovate, talk with healthcare professionals, listen to consumers and hope that their products will help create a better life for men, women, children and babies.
There cannot be beauty without health, and this mantra guides every step of the development process, from strict formulation charters to ultra-safe packaging.
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August 28th, 2020
Teaching Undergraduates: Different Pathways to Working with Students
Bettie Davis and Matthew Fisher, Saint Vincent College
While the two of us have spent several decades teaching undergraduates at various institutions of higher education, we followed very different pathways to get to our final positions. Our experiences included working as academic staff, an adjunct instructor, and a tenure-track/tenured faculty position. One of us has taught entirely at small four year undergraduate colleges, the other has taught at large universities and community colleges as well as small undergraduate institutions. We’ll share our experiences over the past 30 years as well as some things to keep in mind for individuals interested in pursuing a teaching career after graduate school.
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