Melissa P. Wu Email & Phone Number

Boston

Boston, Ma

Boston, Ma

Boston, Ma

Serve as the main point of contact for academic and non-profit partnerships. Coordinate partner selection of our Instrumental Access program, which provides high-quality, low-cost equipment to universities in low- and middle-income countries. Facilitate annual matching of >$1 million value in equipment to university research and teaching labs. Build relationships between our global community of partner universities and student chapters. Design programs to grow global scientific collaboration, knowledge, and connection.

Boston, Ma

I coordinate a summer research program for Boston-area high school and college students from underrepresented and disadvantaged backgrounds. Students are matched with Harvard-affiliated biomedical researchers and participate in an intensive hands-on research project, weekly seminars, paper writing, and oral presentation.

Cambridge, Ma

I coordinate professional development workshops in three locations across the US.

Boston

Advisor: Emanuela GussoniI studied the differentiation of mouse and human muscle cells, focusing on the role of a G-protein coupled receptor in muscle cell fusion and fiber type specification. In a separate project, I evaluated the ability of an analog of the drug erythropoietin to alleviate the signs of muscular dystrophy in dystrophic mice.

I edited scientific manuscripts written by non-native English speakers for grammar and clarity prior to their submission to English-language scientific journals for peer review. I learned customer service skills as well as improved my scientific communication skills.

I worked with the board to found the vision, mission statement, and first-year to ten-year strategic plan.I chaired the Supply Chain committee to determine efficient methods to collect, store, and distribute diverse scientific equipment. I also worked with developers to design and user-test an equipment management database to record and facilitate a streamlined process for equipment collection, testing and storage, and distribution. We did literature and interview-based research to determine the equipment needs of scientists in developing countries, and then developed selection criteria for distributing equipment and metrics to monitor progress of scientists.

Mentoring For Science 9. Curriculum Development (2007), Head TA (2007), Mentor (2006). I developed a curricular plan and taught Boston Public School 9th graders recombinant DNA theory and lab techniques through the use of Bio-Rad teaching modules, while managing a team of graduate student mentors. I also redesigned the curriculum to better fit the needs of our student population; this curriculum was published with Harvard's Office for Diversity and Community Partnership with the goal of providing a model for other programs to replicate.

Advisors: James Sherley, Ting WuI studied chromosome segregation in Drosophila melanogaster ovarian germline stem cells to determine whether these cells divide with an immortal DNA strand mechanism.

Phd, Cell And Developmental Biology

Activities and Societies: Harvard Graduate Women in Science and Engineering, Seeding Labs, Harvard Graduate Volunteer Consulting Group.

Sb, Biology, Biomedical Engineering Minor

Activities and Societies: Biomatrix Club, MIT Biology Tutor (Biochemistry, Experimental Biology, Introductory Biology)