The Department of Chemistry is thrilled to congratulate five recipients of the ACS Graduate Student & Postdoctoral Scholar Recognition Program, which recognizes recognize graduate students and postdoctoral scholars in the chemical sciences who demonstrate leadership in mentoring, promotion of inclusion and belonging, and promotion of research safety.
This year those recognized were: Alexis Gabbey, Eloi Grignon, Daniel Lysak, Guillermo Lozano Onrubia, and Kirsten Yeung. To learn more and read excerpts from their statements to the ACS, click on their stories below.
I believe that there is more to a good scientist that just good science. As scientists, one of the most important responsibilities we have is to inspire and engage the next generation. Mentoring and supporting young scientists is not only vital for the future of our field – it’s also one of my greatest passions.
In July 2024, I co-led a summer research program at the University of Toronto for youth from low-income communities in the Greater Toronto Area. This program was a collaboration between Visions of Science, a Toronto-based organization who promote STEM equity for racialized youth, and WICTO (Working Towards Inclusivity in Chemistry Toronto), a student group at the University of Toronto that promotes EDI in chemistry through awareness, engagement, and advocacy. This collaborative program placed high school students in chemistry research labs for five-week paid internships.As a program lead, I worked with the UofT chemistry department to secure funding, dispense funds to interns, and secure campus IDs and safety training for the interns. I also interviewed and selected successful applicants to the program and designed two professional development “Lunch n’ Learn” sessions. Witnessing these students present their research at the Visions of Science “Showcase” event was profoundly rewarding and was one of the highlights of my degree!
My perspective on laboratory safety has been shaped by my involvement in the green chemistry community throughout my PhD. Within this space, safety is regarded as a necessity for a more just and equitable science (those who bear the burden are not necessarily those who cause the hazard).
My appreciation of this concept was particularly enriched when I attended the ACS Green Chemistry Summer School in Golden, CO, in 2023, where several speakers discussed toxicological blind spots, outdated practices in the laboratory, and the need for better safety measures in project design.
I have tried to echo (and amplify) these concepts in my own environment. This has taken on two forms, the first of which is my own laboratory. Here, I have updated several common workflows in our group to replace dangerous solvents (e.g., dichloromethane, dimethylformamide) with more benign alternatives. I have also procured solvent selection guides from the ACS Green Chemistry Institute that students in our group can refer to when planning reactions.
My second contribution to research safety is through my involvement in (and eventual leadership of) our department’s Green Chemistry Initiative. This student-run organization is broadly committed to increasing the greenness of our community’s research efforts, which includes safety.
I contributed to a publication in the Journal of Chemical Education which detailed a remote-controlled titration system. This system retains as much as possible of the experiential learning of a classic titration experiment including a visual understanding of the transient nature of the endpoint while also addressing accessibility concerns. The device allows students with fine motor control challenges to more actively participate in the lab. This work was also featured in a presentation that I co-authored at the science, technology, engineering and mathematics(STEM) and Disability Virtual Symposium.
Within the same vein, I was awarded a chemistry teaching fellowship to develop an autosampler that could help carry out common experiments, such as the creation of a standard curve, for students with disabilities. Typically, students who struggle with fine motor control are just given the data they need for analysis and do not actively participate in the lab. The autosampler that I developed was designed to be accessible to students with a variety of disabilities and challenges and helps students with such difficulties actively participate in common labs, without the need for very fine motor control.
I was also engaged in outreach as the President of the Outstanding High School Student Science Award (OHSS-SA) Outreach and Selection Committee. This is an award offered to high school students that is meant to encourage them to think about careers in science at an early age and is also meant to promote cultural diversity and different perspectives within the chemistry community. This includes an “activity day” with hands-on scientific research and is a valuable opportunity for students to gain early first-hand experience.
My academic journey was motivated by my desire and interest to support green chemistry to both reduce environmental and health hazards associated with the use of toxic and dangerous materials for a plethora of applications. Based on the 12 Principles of Green Chemistry, it is imperative to develop safer chemistry for accident prevention and to reduce our impact on the environment. To achieve this goal, I apply my knowledge and skills to improve safety and de-risk research on two levels: our research group and our department.
As the most experienced member in our research group working on the investigation of surfaces through scanning probe microscopies, I lead our efforts to maximize safety in our facilities. I have collaborated with the laser safety office to ensure that the lasers in our laboratory do not pose a threat to their users. This was done by controlling the laser path to ensure that no one can get too close to the laser path. Moreover, I have tested various laser safety goggles to understand which goggles the safest ones are to use depending on the used laser. I also led the appropriate discard of lasers, for which I had to open the instruments and discard the lasers by pieces, in collaboration with the laser safety office. This process took multiple months considering the importance of appropriately documenting the process.
These actions, as well as other more standard ones, such as training the new undergraduate and graduate students to ensure that they follow the safety procedures in our laboratory, and my efforts in leading the development of our complete list of chemicals, have made me the “go-to person” for any safety related concerns in our group. I am also particularly proud of my efforts to reduce the usage of piranha solution in our lab. This solution, which is highly corrosive toward organic materials, and widely used in surface science as a mean to ensure clean samples, is dangerous for the environment and users. By applying knowledge I gained back in Germany during my B.Sc. and M.Sc., my colleagues and I have started using more frequently plasma cleaning, as well as preventive methods to ensure the cleanliness of our samples, allowing us to eliminate the use of piranha cleaning.
Aside from our group, and considering my passion for green chemistry, I have been part of the Green Chemistry Initiative (GCI) for multiple years. During my time, in addition to organizing multiple events throughout the year, I was also a big supporter of the “Just Shut It” campaign, a campaign that promoted the appropriate use of fumehoods in the department. In addition to its large environmental impact, due to the large energy consumption, the appropriate use of fumehoods also plays a big role to ensure the safety of the graduate students and postdoctoral scholars in our department.
I have directly mentored four undergraduate students through diverse research projects, guiding them in the development of critical scientific skills and independent thinking. These projects explored interdisciplinary environmental chemistry and toxicology challenges. These projects include the investigation of toxicity mechanisms by environmental contaminants within human cell lines and identifying potential allergens in personal care products based on chemical-thiol reactivity with biomolecules. I provided these students with both technical training and broader scientific context, helping them frame and communicate their findings effectively which led to conference poster presentations by these students. In addition to research mentorship, I actively supported three undergraduate students in their professional development, two of which were through Women in Science and Technology programs. Over the course of a year, I scheduled regular meetings and gave personalized guidance to assist the students in navigating undergraduate life and graduate school application processes. Of course, mentorship extends beyond the course of a program, and I continue to be a mentor for these students as they move into new positions such as research technicians and fellow graduate students at other universities. I am particularly invested in fostering confidence and resilience with traditionally underrepresented groups in STEM.
As the elected President of the University of Toronto’s (UofT) Chemistry Graduate Student Union, I oversaw the operations of the Union by managing a
group of fellow chemistry graduate students, advocated for graduate student needs particularly for incoming students, and promoted a culture of collaboration and support within the department. In this role, and as a longstanding Chemistry Representative to the broader UofT Graduate Students’ Union, I worked to ensure equitable policies and engagement opportunities for chemistry graduate students across the UofT tri-campus.
I was the organizer for the annual Environmental Chemistry Colloquium for two years and in the second year, I served as the senior organizer, mentoring the junior organizer on planning a successful multi-day conference off campus.
Mentorship extends beyond the course of a program, and I continue to be a mentor for students as they move into new positions such as research technicians and fellow graduate students at other universities. I am particularly invested in fostering confidence and resilience with traditionally underrepresented groups in STEM. --Kirsten Yeung