Helen Tran
@helen_chem
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Molecular Architect | Asst. Prof. @UofT
Joined January 2019
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Thank you for showcasing us! Having my mentor finding my statue by surprise was priceless to me 🤗 Will be visiting my twin self in April!
Life-size statues honor
@Stanford
women in STEM
By
@IfThenSheCan
exhibit featuring
@debbieblox
@jennybriggs
@CatieCuan
@helen_chem
and Dorothy Tovar
#womeninSTEM
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Instead of saving for a house, I buy my students fancy croissants. Millennial PI over here.
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Following my PhD PI's
@SoyLuisCampos
footsteps as
@cenmag
Talented 12! Super pumped to build community with the other awardees 🤩
Special thank you to
@EmilyPentzer
@BekkaKlausen
for the initial nominations and encouragement.
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Our first work on Biobased, Degradable, and Conjugated Poly(Azomethine)s (<-- the title 😆) is out today
@J_A_C_S
.
@chemie_lea
and
@angelasmlin
are making strides towards polymerizing carotenoids 🥕🥕🥕.
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Goodbye California... on a cross country train ride (California Zephyr
@Amtrak
) to Toronto! Happy New Years everyone!
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Finally completed my art project: a preserved moss/flower wall! I’ll be staring at this while I “write” grants…
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Sharing my love for polymers + stretchable electronics on TV
@CBS
this Saturday! 🤩
Watch it with your kids / teens / family:
@CBSUnstoppable
@IfThenSheCan
#MissionUnstoppableTV
#IfThenSheCan
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In high school, I didn't qualify to take the AP Chemistry course. 🙃 Now, I am in the curriculum materials developed by the National Math + Science Initiative
@NMSI
to ensure women are well represented in STEM. Thank you!
@IfThenSheCan
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Know an undergraduate looking for an international research experience for summer 2022? If they are looking to join a supportive environment, interested in synthesis/robotics/characterization, and want to gain some science communication skills, please connect us!
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Nothing compares to being the first graduate students in a research group... loved my welcome to Canada basket!
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First research work on bottlebrush elastomers now out in
@NatureComms
! Proud of
@angelasmlin
and our collaborator
@Finn__xu
🤩
.
@XinyuLiu201202
@helen_chem
@Finn__xu
@angelasmlin
report ultra-soft and conductive bottlebrush
#elastomer
composites and
#fabricate
them into
#electronics
with
#lasercutting
and 3D printing methods.
#GettingApplied
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So many people are hiring. I know.
BUT! If you are interested in coming to 🇨🇦Toronto🇨🇦 to start as staff scientist as part of the
@acceleration_c
with a focus on 💙polymers💙, please email me!
I am especially interested in mentoring women and will provide all the help I can!
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Wow my students be punking me all day. Good thing I locked my office door.
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An invigorating weekend
@smithsonian
chatting to hundreds of visitors and volunteering at the FUTURES Girl Power Family Day. Representing sustainable polymer chemistry
@UofT
and got to meet my statue
@SmithsonianAIB
🤩!
@IfThenSheCan
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Attending
#ACSSpring2022
? Come hang out with me because I forgot to submit an abstract 😅🥳🍻
#NewPI
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So,
@McGillChemistry
is hiring this year in POLYMERS!
I don't know who it's going to be, but we're gonna be best friends. 🤓
@acspmse
future faculty scholars, please consider applying!
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A MASSIVE thank you to
@InnovationCA
for funding us! 🤯 Literally CANNOT WAIT until our infrastructure (both chemistry + engineering) is in place to accelerate our research.
Special congrats (sigh of relief?) to all my fellow Canadian New PIs who also got funded!!
Great news for
#ResearchInfrastructures
in Canada: $77M have been awarded through
#JELF
.
Congratulations to 50 universities across the country for the quality of their 332
#CFIfunded
projects! 😃👏 [TEXT]:
#UnivResearch
#Cdnpse
@CDNScience
@ISED_CA
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WOW-- all students awarded
@CRSNG_NSERC
fellowships! Congrats to
@angelasmlin
,
@chemie_lea
, and Jon on their CGS-D and
@abbey_clap
on her CGS-M. So proud of their leadership, outreach, teaching and research excellence.
And yes, it is still winter here.
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It’s been a looooong time since I’ve been in lab all day till sunset. 😪 BUT worth seeing
@chemie_lea
set up her first reaction! 🤍
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After every long week as a
#NewPI
, I treat myself to a fancy dessert from Roselle. 🤗 What are y’all doing?
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Setting up our robotic synthesizer with undergrad
@katieezhu
in our temporary lab space. It’s humbling to be in
@NobelPrize
winner John Polanyi’s former space!
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It still blows my mind to see myself featured at museums. Thank you
@theworksmuseum
!
@IfThenSheCan
Learn more about Helen and other female engineers with downloadable posters, hands-on activities, and worksheets! Translations are available in Spanish and Somali.
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The first of our
#PandemicPapers
is out today! This was a big training experience in literature review, technical writing, and scientific illustrations for the three graduate students who worked collaboratively.
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Thank you
@Agilent
for selecting our proposal as the grand prize for the Cary 7000 contest! Can’t wait until my lab is up and running!
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I know this is old news for my friends in the US, but it was a huge relief to get vaccinated today. 😌Pure excitement in the lab as the students got booked and/or vaccinated too.
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🍂 Team Tran fall 2022 🍁
Next year, we will need the other windows?? 😂😮
Updating my project management platform today in preparation...
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Feeling honored to be featured on the
@girlscouts
Cadette STEM career exploration badge booklet!!
Thanks
@IfThenSheCan
for the opportunity!
Amazing news: thanks to these 24 NEW badges, Girl Scouts will explore
#civics
and
#STEM
careers and become future
#entrepreneurs
and automotive
#engineers
! Get the scoop.
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My undergrad/forever mentor Ron visits Toronto! A photo of us with the graduate students! After 12 years of free lunches and dinners, he finally lets me pay.
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My mom’s suitcase when she arrived to the US from Switzerland in 1984... packed up for its next stop 😊
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A thank you to my group for all their recent hard work: an espresso machine and unbearably delicious croissants from Le Beau!
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We were awarded +$100k to produce a virtual interactive workshop for educators to implement design thinking strategies in STEM education! So excited to work with
@marcuswdrover
+
@christine_m_le
and all the students!
We are proud to support the
#virtuallearningstrategy
, accelerating the transition from pandemic emergency remote teaching to high-quality online learning of the future. Visit to learn more.
#VLS
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Apparently
@Starbucks
released their Christmas flavors today, but I just drank a classic tea. Loving the Fall colours too!
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Team Tran (early) end-of-year party on Dec. 1st! 🍣🥂
I ambitiously bought a huge dining table when I first moved to Toronto... it was the first time we actually needed it!
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three-day 🛶 canoe camping with my new canadian chem PI friend
@ShiraJoudan
🥰 fall colours were unreal!
first time portaging a canoe and a pack over half my weight! i need to get a personal paddle like Shira now!
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We have the first recycling GPC/HPLC in Canada (?), courtesy of
@InnovationCA
, from
@Columnex
! We got the automated JAI LaboACE LC-7080 model and it separates molecules BEAUTIFULLY! Really impressed and wish I had this as a postdoc/grad student.
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Team Tran's first
@ChemRxiv
submissions now online:
Green and Sustainable Solvents for Solid-Phase Peptoid Synthesis
Thienoisoindigo-based recyclable conjugated polymers for organic electronics
Let us know what you think! 🤓
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Check out our review on "Self-assembled free-floating nanomaterials from sequence-defined polymers", now out
@JPolymSci
! A great team effort by Jon Babi,
@katieezhu
@angelasmlin
@chemie_lea
@hanaaelhh
and Atang Peloewetse!
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To all the young researchers sitting in on virtual talks: Practice asking a question!
The host/speaker would appreciate it too 👍
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Just sat through my FIRST (virtual) faculty meeting... in pajama pants 😎
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Today we welcome undergraduates Atang Peloewetse and Hana El-Haddad to the team! SO EXCITED... especially since they are just starting out
@UofT
!
Any tips for managing a growing group? 🤯
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Our teams work on using DArP to prepare imine-based conjugated polymers is now online! Nathan led this effort and we celebrated it over lunch
@harthouseuoft
🤤
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Group photo taken on film by graduate student Jon Babi makes it look like a photo from the 70s! Masks remind you its 2021...
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Updated group website is up: !
Still working on the resources section... if you have any websites you like, please let me know!
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No phone service for our three day backpacking trip was the screen break I needed!
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.
@azalea_chem
is part of the first cohort launching Team Tran... and she was recently awarded the Faculty of Arts & Science Top (FAST) Doctoral Fellowship, funding her for FOUR years! A huge congratulations! 🎉
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Me trying to move when an important grant is due in a few days: 🤯 Also, when did I get so much stuff?
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My first ACS with a student
@chemie_lea
(Jean jacket twins)! She was too cool to hang out with me all the time, but we did hit up 4 HHs together! Also, ty to
@EmilyPentzer
@BekkaKlausen
for bringing the community together for your bdays! 🎂
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Finally left our 5 mile bubble and went cross-country skiing at kolapore wilderness trails. AMAZING conditions... is it always like this?
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My trip to
@WWU_Muenster
was so delightful— thank you
@GloriusFrank
for the invitation!Learned about their efforts in intelligent matter, biked in the promenade, ate at the Mensa, and saw this wild stairway to heaven exhibit. Also, check out this rotovap set up! ❤️
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Squeezed in a quick visit to the famous Bao BBQ and to see family, especially my dad at the temple. So fun to hear from former mentees
@chiongjerika
@yuzhengstanford
.
#CCCE2022
here I come! Any tips for a first timer? I heard there’s a Bruker party…
@laure_kayser
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Looking forward to serving on this board, contributing my perspective, and learning more about the publishing process.
Thank you for whoever nominated me!!
We just announced our 2022 Early Career Advisory Board, with members from across the chemical sciences, and with a broad global representation. Check out this editorial to find out which influential scientists of the future are on this year's board:
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Backcountry XC skiing is becoming my favourite winter activity.
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Polymer chemist looking for a new job? Found out this cool company
@twelve_co2
that my friend works at is hiring!
Pay: $144,000 - $180,000 USD
Location: Berkeley, CA
You can apply directly or email my friend: theo.gao
@twelve
.co
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A basic render, but it makes all the difference for these simple shapes! I need a better computer to speed up my renders 🤠
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So excited for the
@zhenanbao
ski trip this Friday! Throwback photo from last year when we got stuck...
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10 years ago 🤯 I decided to join
@SoyLuisCampos
' research group for my PhD. Best training ever for starting my own lab!
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🥹 seeing
@vivianfeig
on the big stage gives me all the feels. So proud. Thank you to
@DeryaBaranB
@InalSahika
for giving us a platform to speak at KAUST. An absolutely beautiful venue!
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Having fun putting together materials for my future outreach program: “POP!
@UofT
”. Everything will be made public to help start similar programs. Thanks
@IfThenSheCan
for the support!
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Bought a 14 person dining table so that I am ready for future dinner parties... 🤔
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For everyone lining up speakers for your virtual presentations, make sure to use
@DiversifyChem
!
Search by tags :
Post-docs: make sure to register!
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Are you a chemist wanting to expand into automation and high throughput data analysis? Gain skills in polymer science? Improve science communication (including graphics)? Chat with me about your idea to apply as an
@acceleration_c
postdoc! We can host 1 applicant!
Interested in working with the best and brightest in accelerated
#molecular
and
#materials
discovery
@UofT
and around the world? Apply to be one of up to 5
#postdoc
fellows with the Acceleration Consortium! 👉
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I’m not crying, you’re crying 🥹
Also here’s another goodie:
@chemie_lea
with her scientific grandfather
@SoyLuisCampos
! Hearing Luis talk to Azalea made me realize the huge role he had on my development as a PI 🤓
Pretty amazing experience seeing my supervisor present... aspiring to be just as good as her 🤩🤩🤩
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Thank you
@ACSCentSci
for selecting my image for the November cover! I had a lot of fun learning how to make these 3D images... I think I have a new hobby 🤔 A lot to learn.
@zhenanbao
#SciArt
See the full article here:
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Advice to incoming new PIs? Finish your postdoc work ASAP.
Big thanks to co-first authors Shayla and
@chiongjerika
for wrapping this up!
@ChemMater
Modular Synthesis of Fully Degradable Imine-Based Semiconducting p-Type and n-Type Polymers
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Finally home, and wow, what a wonderful trip. So honored to speak in this symposium (first time in front of my PhD advisor
@SoyLuisCampos
😅). Thank you to May, the chairs, and everyone who made it so so so seamless!
Kicking off the afternoon session of the
#ChemSciSymposium
is Helen Tran (
@helen_chem
) from
@UofT
Helen is going to talk all about sequence-controlled peptoid polymers
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Honored to be selected as an AAAS IF/THEN Ambassador and am excited to meet all the amazing people involved next month in Dallas!
We've partnered with Lyda Hill Philanthropies to select 125 women innovators as AAAS IF/THEN® Ambassadors!
These
#WomenInSTEM
will share their stories and serve as high-profile role models for girls.
#IfThenSheCan
@IfThenSheCan
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Feeling lucky to have
@abbey_clap
in our group! She’s this year’s recipient of the Governor General’s Silver Medal, awarded to the undergraduate student with the highest academic standing, and U of T’s Rose Sheinin Award, given to an outstanding woman student in science.
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TIL my first cohort of students call themselves the “tran triplets”
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Just got my office and it is looking very naked behind me. Please send pics of your office for inspo!
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Being an assistant professor in Canada has been genuinely awesome... come be one
@UWaterloo
!
Join me,
@EllieChemistry
,
@CMaikawa
, and the new McGill polymer person (???)!
Applications due April 15:
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I just made a LinkedIn account and I have no idea what I am doing.
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Representing polymer chemistry at the
@aaas
@IfThenSheCan
Summit with stretchable electronics! A huge thanks to the amazing philanthropist Lyda Hill!
@POLY_ACS
@acspmse
#IfThenSheCan
#WomenInSTEM
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Fully paid 12 week internship through
@MitacsCanada
Globalink Research internship, applications due Sept 22 at 1 pm ET!
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Congratulations to
@YanXiaLab
, awardee of the inaugural 2022
@TosohBio
Award for Excellence in Polymer Science!! 🤩
Come watch his talk and other stellar talks in June 8-9. There is still time to register:
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We made it to Toronto yesterday! I was really impressed that trains were consistently early or on time. Okay, now back to work.
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Bao reunions always make me full of joy, especially when I see
@vivianfeig
and
@chiongjerika
!
Thanks
@wu_yilei
for being the best Bao photographer. I can’t get over how committed you were when taking photos at the award talk!
Bao group reunion dinner at
@AmerChemSociety
#ACSFall2022
#Chicago
@zhenanbao
@TheFangGroup
@helen_chem
@SimonRondeau
@AmanchukwuLab
@jeff_lopez12
@SihongWang_UChi
@yuzhengstanford
@vivianfeig
@RachYellow
@chiongjerika
@yangju_lin
@Stanford
@StanfordEng
etc.
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🌸Today's potluck celebrated our undergraduates, Atang, Jasemine
@jphandj
, and Hana
@hanaaelhh
! 🌸
Atang will be doing a DAAD RISE summer internship; Jasmine will be heading to UBC for her PhD; Hana wins fellowships for summer research at UofT! So proud 🤩🥹
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Your girl is going to be exhibited at the Smithsonian
@smithsonian
! 😱
@IfThenSheCan
@aaas
See you in DC in March!
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AAHHHHH! I am so PSYCHED for
@azalea_chem
to be in my first cohort of students
@chemuoft
! She’s already writing a perspective with me +
@angelasmlin
+ Jon 🤩 Can’t wait until I get to Toronto!
July 18, 2020
Congrats Azalea Uva! Wishing you the best in your new adventures
#Concordia
#UofT
@helen_chem
@azalea_chem
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Thank you to everyone who attended the
#AAAS2021
meeting today with me and
@AnaMaPorras
@forgedonyx
@jayeperview
@clairemeaders
. I can't get over the beautiful artwork that
@jayeperview
created!
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In these times of injustice, discrimination, and chaos... faculty, be EXPLICIT in your support of students interested in
#scicomm
, policy, and outreach. They are at the frontlines of defending and promoting science.
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Found this photo of my students on my camera after the workshop… literally the cutest photo ever!!
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10 minutes before my Twitch debut... my demo set up triggered the circuit breaker! 🤣
Thanks for hosting me yesterday, Anna
@CBSUnstoppable
@IfThenSheCan
!
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Science bestie has some baller news 👇
I am very excited to announce that I will be joining the Mechanical Engineering department at Stanford in 2024! My group will focus on designing new therapeutic devices with dynamic properties to make medical technologies more accessible, less invasive, and more effective.
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I CANNOT THINK OF A BETTER WINNER THAN ZHENAN 😭 so proud and so humbled to have worked with her
@vinfutureprize
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Thank you GoldieBlox and Amy Poehler Smart Girls for featuring me on this whimsical show! Check out that DPP molecular model!
@goldieblox
@smrtgrls
@IfThenSheCan
Molecule Designer Helen Tran tells us about the future of plastics! Hint: biodegradable stickers! Helen Tran joins “Plastics”, the second episode of
#CampGoldieBlox
: Adventures at Eureka Point. Watch and learn!
@IfThenSheCan
@smrtgrls
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Mini reunion with old friends from
@ChemColumbia
(Bryan and Makeda) and met twitter friend
@ndchiappini
in real life! My face is a bit pink after my seminar 😳
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I wanted to become involved with this because I felt there was a gap in community when I was younger. I hope PIs send their students to the first PoWER conference, where I bet students will form long-lasting networks.
This is the conference I look forward to the most for 2024!
Save the date for the inaugural Polymer Women Empowerment and Research conference, held July 11-12, 2024 at Northwestern! We already have a great lineup of speakers from academia, industry, and national labs, with more to come.
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Our Team Tran winter retreat was so magical 🥰. Ice skating along 200 tiki torches to light our way through the forest.
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Our
@Matter_CP
preview showcases one of our favorite papers in PNAS 2020 by Prof. Molly Stevens,
@CarolynBertozzi
, Dr. Ron Zuckermann, and Prof. Oleg Gang. We imagine the peptoids as molecular protectors of nanostructures! Check it out here:
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