Dr. Mona Minkara

I’m extremely honored to receive the Martin W Essigmann Outstanding Teaching Award from the College of Engineering. I express my sincere thanks to Northeastern University and everyone involved for making this happen. This recognition greatly motivates me to continue my journey catalyzing knowledge and progress on the mission towards making STEM education more accessible.

As part of Women's History Month, Northeastern University has been holding various events and I'm glad to be a part of the Women in Engineering faculty. I was invited to a panel discussion with Loretta Fernandez – Associate Professor, Civil and Environmen­tal Engineering & Marine and Environmental Sciences (joint appointment), Rebecca Willits – Professor and Depart­ment Chair, Chemical Engineering where we shared our journeys on “Breaking Barriers into Academia”

I am excited to head to San Diego to attend the ACS Spring Fest 2022 on March 20. It was an amazing experience since I had the chance to attend the event in-person after 2 years. I met a lot of really cool and phenomenal people who made the event a whole lot of fun. Thanks to ACS’s amazing team for organizing such a spectacular event and giving me the chance to present my research on 'Investigating the Interaction between Surfactant protein - D and Trimannose - a Molecular Dynamics Study'. Abstract: The Minkara COMBINE (Computational Modeling for BioInterface Engineering) Lab at Northeastern University implements computational methods to probe molecular interactions at biological interfaces, such as the pulmonary surfactant system and its components. Pulmonary surfactant (PS) is acritical mixture found in the lungs at the air-water interface that assists breathing regulation and sequestration of pathogens that attempt to enter through the airway. One of the main components of the pulmonary surfactant system, Surfactant Protein D (SP-D), has been the subject of experimental studies due to its immunological response against glycan-containing pathogens, including SARS-Cov-2 and influenza. Utilizing computational models of these surfactant proteins elucidates the critical structural and mechanistic properties of surfactant proteins, the effects of foreign compounds on the system, and offers insight into pathways for improving drug delivery systems. Our computational experiments incorporate methods such as Monte Carlo, Molecular Dynamics simulations, and Molecular Docking. This talk will provide a brief overview of ongoing projects in the COMBINE Lab and a more detailed review of the interactions between the immunoprotein SP-D and trimannose, which will yield insights into the interactions between SP-D and pathogens possessing exterior trimannose moieties.

Thanks a lot, RadioLabs for having me as a part of the “The Right Stuff” episode. It was a lot of fun with Andrew, Dr. Sheri Wells-Jensen and the crew of eleven other ambassadors sharing the experiences about the Astro Access mission and the Zero Gravity Flight experience. Visit the following link to listen to RadioLabs episode – https://www.wnycstudios.org/podcasts/radiolab/articles/right-stuff

I am honored to be one of the 12 ambassadors (link words "12 ambassadors" to press release article: https://astroaccess.org/astroaccess-reveals-crew-of-12-disability-ambassadors-for-historic-zero-g-parabolic-flight/) serving as the flight crew on the inaugural mission of AstroAccess. On October 17th, we conducted observations and experiments during the parabolic flight investigating how the physical environment aboard space vessels should be modified so that all astronauts and explorers, regardless of disability on Earth, can live, work, and thrive in space. A huge thank you to the Massachusetts Association for the Blind and Visually Impaired (MABVI) (link to their website) for sponsoring me! It is incredible to be part of a team working on an inclusive future. I'm so grateful to everyone who has worked to make this happen.

I was thrilled to present my first scientific talk on pulmonary surfactant at Baylor University: Computational Studies of Pulmonary Surfactant: Inside the COMBINE Lab. I had a terrific time meeting so many engaging colleagues. I'm excited about future collaborations!

We are actively seeking a Postdoctoral Research Fellow to join our lab! For more information and to apply, click here.

I never thought studying lung surfactant would become so relevant to everyday life. We are leveraging our knowledge and skills in the fight against COVID-19 and we are looking for talented individuals, from graduate students to postdocs, to join our team! Check out my lab's website at www.minkaracombinelab.com.

I'm thrilled to have been featured in this AAAS Science article alongside Sara Lewthwaite, Jesse Shanahan, Meg O'Connell, and Amy-Charlotte Devitz written by Alaina Levine. This article highlights issues of accessibility in research and I hope that it helps propel the scientific community to be more inclusive to people with disabilities. https://www.sciencemag.org/features/2020/01/inclusivity-all-how- make-your-research-group-accessible

I'm headed to Washington, D.C. for the Emerging Researchers National Conference in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) hosted by AAAS and NSF. The theme of this year's conference is Preparing Diverse Researchers to Address Global Challenges. I'm excited to participate in the Students in STEM with Disabilities Working Group, in which I was invited to share my experiences as a blind scientist. (Link to the conference webpage: www.emerging-researchers.org)

I am pleased to announce that I have been offered an Affiliated Faculty appointment in the Chemistry and Chemical Biology Department at Northeastern University. I am thrilled to have this opportunity to engage with students and faculty outside of my department and promote interdisciplinary research.

I am excited to give a talk at the AIChE conference on the “Gibbs Ensemble Monte Carlo Simulations for Additive Loading in Surfactant Bilayers”.

I am so honored to have been featured on news@northeastern. Thank you for taking time to do an article about my work and vision for the future. Click https://news.northeastern.edu/2019/11/07/bioengineering-researcher-awarded-holman-prize-for-blind-ambition-takes-on-how-vaping-affects-lung-function/ To read the article by Laura Castañón

I am delighted to share the news that I have begun a new position as an Assistant Professor of Bioengineering at Northeastern University. Here, I am joining incredible faculty as I lead a research lab on Pulmonary Surfactants and teach classes in the coming semesters. This is a brand new and exciting chapter of my life and I am ready to begin incredible research with the inspirational faculty and staff here.  Link to Northeastern University Bioengineering Website: http://www.bioe.neu.edu/#_ga=2.117971465.1674184152.1565127950-279588948.1564673784

I am so honored to have been featured on the Blind Abilities podcast with Jeff Thompson, where we talked about my Holman Prize documentary: Planes, Trains, and Canes. Jeff is always an inviting and engaging host, so we also got just a bit sidetracked and really dug into the nitty-gritty of my past and future world travels. I had a wonderful time recording, and I hope that some of that comes through to you, the listener. You can download or stream the podcast here: http://blindabilities.com/?p=5281  Be sure to give it a listen!

I am ecstatic to announce that I am among the winners of the 2019 Holman Prize! The Holman Prize is an initiative “to support the emerging adventurousness and can-do spirit of blind and low vision people worldwide.” Join me on my journey this winter with my documentary series, Planes, Trains, and Canes. To everybody who gave my trailer a like, subscribed to my channel, or simply just watched: thank you for all your support. I can’t wait to begin. 
For any questions, comments, or input on Planes, Trains, and Canes, you can reach me directly by Twitter at @mona_minkara or @PlaneTrainCane, or by email at planestrainsandcanes@gmail.com. I’m even on Instagram at @PlaneTrainCane! http://lighthouse-sf.org/2019/07/11/announcing-the-2019-holman-prizewinners/

Last month, the Minnesota State Services for the Blind hosted a career expo for students who are blind, low vision, or DeafBlind. I had an amazing time showing my research and model at the Expo, but I also had the wonderful opportunity to catch up with Jeff Thompson in a short interview, which can be found here: https://blindabilities.com/?p=5081 If you’d like to know more about Planes, Trains, and Canes, the link can be found here:https://blindabilities.com/?p=5081

I’m honored to serve on the Chemists with Disabilities Committee for ACS. We work together to make chemistry more accessible and inclusive. Some projects we are working on include making an accessible periodic table (complete with braille and ASL signs), developing guidelines for accessible scientific PowerPoint presentations, and creating a manual for teaching chemists with disabilities.

I am pleased to announce my application to the 2019 Holman Prize. The Holman Prize supports blind adventurers. With your support, I will produce a documentary series called “Planes, Trains, and Canes” where I will travel to five major cities around the world and showcase public transportation from a blind perspective. Every like on YouTube helps my project advance, so please support and share if you can!

A month ago, I had the honor of being interviewed by two wonderful women creating a brand new Twitter account dedicated to uplifting and showcasing women in STEM fields. Last Monday, the account went up. Now, I am happy to announce that my feature has been posted, alongside many other inspirational women. If you are able to, please give them a look at @_womenofstem or here at this link!

This week I had the marvelous opportunity to present my talk “Unseen Advantage: The Power of Perception” at Stanford University. I had an amazing time meeting the wonderful faculty, staff, and students of Stanford. I am glad my story could be heard, and I am so grateful for all of the people who planned and organized this extraordinary opportunity.

By its very nature of innovation, science will always call for people with new and novel perspectives. This past weekend, I shared my story at the Reaching Students with Disabilities Symposium at the City University of New York. I felt honored to present alongside my outstanding friends and colleagues in promoting this initiative. Together we can support and encourage students with disabilities to contribute their unique perspectives to the chemistry community! Thank you to Patricia Redden and the New York Chapter of ACS for organizing and hosting this amazing event!

This month I attended the 256th American Chemical Society National Meeting & Exposition. Held in my home city of Boston, this conference was amazing. I presented my research, “Probing Mesophases and Interfaces using Monte Carlo Simulations” and “Unseen Advantage,” a presentation about the history of blind scientists and chemists. I had a blast meeting so many vibrant, brilliant chemists. I can’t wait to see you all at Chemistry for New Frontiers in Orlando!

For the past two weeks I had the pleasure of teaching STEM to blind kids in Beirut, Lebanon.The camp was created by Empowerment Through Integration, a non profit dedicated to changing the way we view disability. With the help of an amazing group of volunteers, I served as the STEM Curriculum Coordinator. We were able to teach over 50 blind children from all over Lebanon, Syria, and Palestine. The months before this trip were spent writing blind-accessible curriculum, coordinating lesson plans, and creating supply lists. I am proud to say this hard work paid off. This was the most rewarding experience, and I am honored to have been a part of this project. Thank you to each and every person who helped! I couldn’t have done it without you.