Fitzroy “Pablo” Wickham ‘21, the 2021 Jamaica Rhodes Scholarship recipient, knew from a young age that he wanted to be a doctor. “People always said I was smart and would do well in the sciences,” Wickham said. “Coming from Jamaica, which is maybe traditional in our career choices, if you’re smart people say ‘Oh, you’re…
Pfizer Medical Lead Peter Park ’93 Discusses COVID-19, Chemistry, and Critical Thinking
The pandemic has entirely changed the way people live their lives. It’s something that everyone has been forced to come to terms with since the first COVID-19 case last spring. But scientists are still uncovering just how far-reaching the pandemic’s effects will be on their research. Peter Park ’93, PhD, a North America Regional Medical Lead at…
Brynn Assignon ’20 Shares Her Perspective on Research at Wes
When Brynn Assignon, BA ‘20 MA ‘21, took science classes for the first time as a young girl, she was fascinated by the subject. But in her birthplace of Togo, a country in West Africa, opportunities in science were hard to come by. “We didn’t really have that many resources,” Assignon said. “Science always seemed…
Professor Laverne Melon’s Journey from Student to Mentor in STEM
When Professor Laverne Melon first arrived at graduate school to get a PhD, the principal investigator of the lab told Melon that she would have to wait to start her Master’s project. When Melon asked why she wasn’t able to start, her PI told her that there weren’t any male mice left to use as…
Professor Padilla-Benavides On Discrimination and Inclusion in STEM
When Assistant Professor of Molecular Biochemistry and Biology Teresita Padilla-Benavides moved from Mexico City to the United States, one of the things that struck her most was the ‘If you see something, say something’ campaign signs. “For me, coming from Mexico City, it was like, no— if you see something, you stay quiet or you…