Taylor McCorkle (NGSD Vice President, Co-Founder)

My name is Taylor McCorkle and I am co-president and co-founder of BGSD. This group is near and dear to my heart as our primary goals are to foster an inclusive, safe and diverse environment here at Drexel and to bring resources and opportunity to students from historically excluded backgrounds. We were founded during the summer of 2020 in response to the senseless murders of countless Black individuals. Through our group, I want to do my part in demanding justice and uplifting the Black community, as well as every other marginalized community in this country. We will educate, bring awareness and create opportunity in STEM fields and hopefully inspire the future of youth from historically excluded backgrounds. For me, this group is the definition of "be the change you want to see in the world." If you are reading this and are not a member of our team, we would absolutely love to have you. To our current members, thank you for all that you do and all that you are.

In terms of education and research, I am a fith-year year PhD candidate in the Neuroscience program at Drexel University College of Medicine. I am originally from Pittsburgh, Pa. but moved to Philadelphia for college where I attended the University of Pennsylvania and received my BA in biology with a minor in psychology in 2018. That fall, I began graduate school in the Neuroscience master’s program here at Drexel and received that degree in May of 2020, prior to transitioning into the PhD program here. In graduate school, I work under the mentorship of Dr. Ramesh Raghupathi studying a cholinergic mechanism of cognitive dysfunction following repeated mild TBI in adolescent rats. Specifically, I investigate the role of corticotrophin-releasing factor in modulating the synthesis of acetylcholine in the medial septum, thus reducing its release into the hippocampus and disrupting cognitive functioning.

Julie Schaub (she/her) (Co-President)

My name is Julie and I am co-president for BGSD. Previously, I served as the communications chair. As a third-year neuroscience PhD candidate in the Baas Lab, my research focuses on a new variant of a protein that interacts with microtubules. I am studying the role this protein plays in the neuronal cytoskeleton. I am honored to continue the vital work the founders of BGSD started in advocating for increased diversity and crafting a more inclusive environment. It is important to me to use my privilege to improve the access and experience of people from historically excluded backgrounds in academia.

Evangeline “Leanie” Williams (she/her) (Vice President)

My name is Evangeline Williams, and I am the current vice-president of BGSD. I just completed my MS at Drexel and I am continuing my study as a rising third year PhD student in the Microbiology and Immunology program. I joined BGSD because I have always been one of the few black women in STEM growing up and I wanted to surround myself with like-minded individuals. I want to ensure that we continue to push for changes within Drexel as well as give back to the Philadelphia community which may encourage young BIPOC to pursue science and make their voices heard.

I graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in 2018 where I studied biology, Earth, and environmental science and found my interest in zoonotic microbial pathogens. Currently, I work with Dr. Josh Mell studying genomic diversity of bacteria and gene expression changes during biofilm development. Using bioinformatics and eventually machine learning, we will use this to look for biomarkers of pathogenesis which we can use to understand what differentiates healthy commensals from infectious pathogens.

Sophie Cohen (she/her) (Outreach Co-Chair)

I’m Sophie and I’ll be working with Bridie as co-outreach chairs for BGSD! I am currently a third-year PhD candidate in Drexel’s Neuroscience program. I am primarily interested in how our bodies manifest psychological stress and the impacts that it has on physical and affective neurocircuitry. Currently, I study how substance abuse and sleep can modulate dopamine transmission in the nucleus accumbens.

One of my favorite things about studying science is being able to communicate it to other people who may have thought that science wasn’t for them but soon realize that science can be for everyone. That is my goal as an outreach chair – to make scientific concepts and logic more accessible to those who don’t have access to the best resources and remind those who did how cool science really is. As a Spanish-speaker, I want to expand our outreach efforts to reach more Latinx communities that often get neglected due to language barriers and ignorance. Public outreach is the scientific community’s best tool for fighting misinformation and fostering creative problem solving, so let’s all share our knowledge!

Bridie Eckel (she/her) (Outreach Co-Chair)

I am a third-year neuroscience PhD candidate in the Baas Lab studying the neurodegenerative disease Hereditary Spastic Paraplegia (SPG4). As one of the BGSD outreach co-chairs, I work with Sophie to organize science education events. Access to resources, knowledge related to success in higher education and formative research experience at a young age is inherently unequal and greatly impacted by external factors. BGSD is striving to change this. Through being a volunteer mentor with Enroot, a Boston-based program to support and empower immigrant youth, I recognized my privilege and realized that the early steps I took to prepare for college and a career in engineering/science stemmed from my college-educated family and not from my public school resources. There are so many exciting areas of science and BGSD hopes to share this through outreach events.

Arron Hall (he/him) (Admissions and Recruitment Liaison)

My name is Arron Hall and I am a rising fourth-year PhD candidate in the Wang Laboratory. We investigate how brain regions communicate during wakefulness and sleep to mediate memory formation. Along with this organization, I hope to promote diversity and increase academic equity across the greater scientific community. As the acting admissions and recruitment liaison, I took an active part in ensuring Drexel is committed to BGSD values by serving as a member on Drexel's PhD admissions committee. There, I worked alongside faculty members within the program to emphasize and prioritize diversity throughout the admissions process. It is increasingly important that the scientific community holds itself to a higher standard when it comes to diversity and inclusivity. At BGSD, we strive to use what power we have to make that standard a reality.

Alison Bashford (she/her) (Communications Chair)

Hi! My name is Alison Bashford, and I am a rising second-year Neuroscience PhD candidate in the lab of Dr. Rodrigo España, where I study how dopamine neuron activity influences dopamine neurotransmission and cocaine potency. I joined BGSD this year because as a woman and first-generation college graduate, I strongly believe in the value of community outreach and increasing diversity in STEM. I am originally from Long Island, N.Y., and graduated from Muhlenberg College in 2020 where I studied neuroscience and dance. The mission of BGSD is really important to me, and my priority as the communications chair is to increase the number of people we are able to reach at Drexel and in the Philadelphia community. Thus, I’m really excited to help keep the group informed about DEI-related events, initiatives and opportunities to volunteer on Drexel’s campus and in Philadelphia.

Cydney Martin (she/her) (Treasurer)

I am a third-year PhD candidate in the Neuroscience program at Drexel. In the Raghupathi and Barson labs, I study sex differences in affective behavioral outcomes after repetitive mild traumatic brain injury in adolescent rats and mechanisms in the limbic system which mediate these differences. I am originally from Austin, TX but I went to undergrad at University of New Orleans (in New Orleans, La.) as an adult/non-traditional student and graduated with my BS in Biology in 2020. I joined BGSD as I believe in holding the administration accountable in their commitment to diversity, as it is important to have a diverse perspective within teams conducting research. I also want to aid with providing information to underrepresented communities about careers in science and research and hopefully help to inspire future scientists.

Grace Giddings (she/her) (Social Media Chair)

My name is Grace Giddings, I am the social media chair of BGSD and a second-year PhD candidate in Neuroscience. In the lab, I study how neuroimmune interactions influence pain after spinal cord injury. As scientists, I believe that our work doesn’t end when we put the pipette down. I am a passionate advocate of diversity in science and believe that increasing BIPOC representation is crucial in order to address complex scientific questions. Historically, STEM education has failed to include diverse perspectives, halting scientific advancement. In an age of ever-expanding connectivity, social media gives us the ability to reach a wide audience. As the social media chair of BGSD, I hope to provide information on STEM and diversity in a fun and digestible way. By using the tools at our fingertips, we can create a larger pool of diverse STEM researchers.

Jill M. Lawrence (she/her) (Secretary)

I'm Jill, a sixth-year PhD candidate in the Molecular & Cell Biology & Genetics (MCBG) program conducting neurovirology research focused on the role of astrocytes in neuroHIV. I joined the BGSD team (formerly NGSD) in the early fall of 2020, in the wake of the Black Lives Matter protests that summer, and began researching and designing social media content. Since 2021, I have been pleased to serve as secretary/treasurer. I've always felt passionate about helping disadvantaged groups but did not know the most effective or useful way to do so. BGSD is not only a fantastic educational resource, but we provide opportunities for graduate students to contribute towards positive change in our school and our local community. We aim to be an inclusive environment and a safe place for all of biomedical science graduate students.

Ashley Opalka (she/her) (Public Relations Chair, Co-Founder)

I am a fifth-year Neuroscience PhD candidate, former BGSD outreach chair (2020-2022), and current BGSD public relations chair. To help increase diversity in STEM, I created outreach initiatives to encourage students that anyone can become a scientist, while providing resources on how to become a scientist. Now as PR chair, I will help make BGSD efforts more accessible by sharing BGSD wins and works in progresses with those looking to work together to make lasting change in STEM.

Candace Rizzi-Wise (she/her) (Co-Founder)

My name is Candace and I am a Neuroscience PhD candidate in the Wang Lab. My research focuses on the field of neural circuits, particularly those involved in emotion and memory. Specifically, I am delving into the interplay between different hippocampal circuits to the Lateral Septum, exploring how they modulate the representation of fear memory. Beyond my research at Drexel, I am proud to be one of the founding members of BGSD. Given the small presence of historically excluded minorities in our program, I strongly believe in the importance of fostering greater diversity and inclusion in neuroscience. Together, we continually strive to make a lasting impact, cultivating an environment where individuals from diverse backgrounds can thrive in and contribute to the scientific community.