Presidential Management Fellow

MCB BIDS FAREWELL TO MYESHIA SHELBY AND DR. REYDA GONZALEZ-NIEVES
photo of Myeshia Shelby, summer intern

Myeshia Shelby joined the Division of Molecular and Cellular Biosciences (MCB) in June as an intern through the National Science Foundation (NSF) Summer Scholars Internship Program and the Quality Education for Minorities (QEM) Network.

How did your time at NSF influence how you will go forward with your research?
This virtual experience at NSF has allowed me to demonstrate a flexibility in my productivity. The resources and contacts I obtained during my time here will be a part of my professional growth as I pursue my doctoral degree.

What did you learn from your position?
Initially, my position as a student intern was described as an opportunity to discover areas for professional development. As the program continued, I began to realize that my unique perspective as a student researcher could be pivotal in giving NSF staff an idea of how their funding decisions could possibly impact students, especially minorities at minority-serving institutions. 

What personal goals did you accomplish while at NSF?
In the beginning of the program, I constructed an Individual Development Plan that outlined the areas I wanted to grow in. Of those, the most important area where I experienced growth was in my networking abilities and my ability to succinctly communicate across multiple disciplines.

As a Summer Scholars Intern, what was your project and were there any challenges?
The title of my SSIP project is “NSF-Funded Discoveries and Innovations that Impact the Bioeconomy.” This project focused on principal investigators who received NSF funds for basic/fundamental research as well as application development awards through the Division of Industrial Innovation and Partnerships (IIP). The biggest challenge for me was being able to capture the impact that research findings have had on the bioeconomy and on advancements in basic research.

Dr. Reyda Gonzalez-Nieves joined MCB as a biologist under the Presidential Management Fellows Program in April, 2014, and transitioned to the role of division operations manager in July, 2016. She now serves as directorate operations officer for the Directorate for Biological Sciences.

What was working at MCB like?
MCB opened the door for me to start my professional career. When I completed my Ph.D., I decided to pursue a non-academic career in science. I wanted to use the skills I gained in graduate school in a different way. More importantly, I wanted to still be involved in science and contribute to it. MCB offered the perfect place to fulfill my goal. The staff in MCB is simply amazing – everyone is warm, fun, smart, dedicated, loyal, respectful, and ambitious. They work diligently to move the mission of NSF forward. I can say without a doubt that MCB has been one of the greatest places I have ever worked. During my time in MCB, we worked hard to create an environment of camaraderie, mutual respect, and positivity. It has been of the best professional experiences in my life. My time in MCB showed me what teamwork looks like and shaped my professional career journey.

What personal goals did you accomplish while at the NSF?
I started my journey at NSF as a Presidential Management Fellow. My first job in MCB was serving as a biologist. My long-term goal was to utilize my skills at a larger scale. I wanted to create a culture in the office where staff felt comfortable and appreciated as well as serve as a resource for senior leadership. I wanted to supervise staff and help them grow in their professional career.

I transitioned from the biologist role to the operations manager (OM) in MCB. That gave me the opportunity to supervise a group of amazing administrative professionals and understand how to run the operations in a division. As the OM, I worked directly with MCB’s senior leadership and my counterparts in the other BIO divisions. It was a unique opportunity that helped me decide what I wanted to do next. After being in the role for a few years, I was ready to take the next step in my career. I am now the operations officer for the Directorate for Biological Sciences. My journey to this point was not easy, but it was well worth it. For everyone who is reading this: set a goal and work on it little by little every day. The goal can be short or long term. Even if it seems impossible, work on it. Seek advice and ask for help. More importantly, do what is right for you.

MCB thanks Myeshia Shelby and Dr. Reyda Gonzalez-Nieves for their service and wishes them all the best in their future endeavors.

Welcome to MCB Arvin Tahami!

Hear from Arvin Tahami, the newest member of the MCB Division.

What is your educational background?

I have a masters degree in Biotechnology from California State University, San Marcos.

What is your position? When did you start working in MCB?

I started two weeks ago as a Presidential Management Fellow. I work as a Biologist in MCB.

The Presidential Management Fellowship program is led by the Office of Personnel Management to recruit recent graduates from graduate programs into federal service. Recently OPM has added an additional STEM track designed specifically for recent graduates with a background in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. My appointment is in the PMF STEM track.

What attracted you to work for NSF?

Scientists working on important projects to advance our basic understanding of science rely on funding from organizations like the NSF to carry out their work. My role at the NSF allows me the unique privilege to play a part in making sure that our nation’s top scientists, working on worthy projects with the potential to have the highest impact, can apply to the NSF for the funding they need.

What have you learned in the first two weeks of your position?

I am very excited to be a part of MCB. Everybody here is very passionate about our mission. So far I’ve enjoyed the opportunity to observe a couple proposal panel reviews. It has been very fascinating watching scientists debate the merits of each proposal being reviewed. Peer review is central to the advancement of science. Using this process to evaluate funding proposals is very fitting with the foundation’s mission. I’ve learned a great deal about how review panels evaluate proposals by watching them in action.

Meet the Editors

 

Dr. Reyda Gonzalez-Nieves Presidential Management Fellow

Dr. Reyda Gonzalez-Nieves, PMF

Dr. Reyda Gonzalez-Nieves acquired a Bachelor’s degree in Biology from the University of Puerto Rico in 2003. After graduating with an undergraduate degree she was accepted as a fellow to the Hispanic Association of Colleges and University Fellowship Program. During this fellowship, she worked at the Food and Drug Administration as a microbiologist from January 2003 to December 2003. She was accepted into the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences Molecular and Cell Biology Doctoral program in the fall of 2005, where she completed her doctoral degree in August of 2012. During graduate school, she successfully applied and was selected for the Presidential Management Fellowship (PMF). The PMF program is a highly competitive fellowship for all academic disciplines that focuses in training future government leaders. She started working at NSF on April 07, 2014 and  is currently working as a Biologist in the Molecular and Cell Biology division in the Directorate for Biological Sciences.

Dr. Chloe N. Poston, AAAS S&T Policy Fellow

Dr. Chloe N. Poston is currently a AAAS Science and Technology Policy Fellow in the Division of Molecular and Cellular Biosciences, where she plans to work on topics related to broadening participation in STEM and communicating the impacts of science with the public. Prior to her placement at NSF, Dr. Poston was a post-doctoral scientist at Eli Lilly and Company. She earned her masters and doctorate degrees in Chemistry at Brown University where her research interests focused on global proteomic analysis. During her doctoral studies, Dr. Poston served as the graduate representative on the university’s Diversity Advisory Board. In addition, she chaired the planning committee for the Graduate Students of Color Conference from 2010-2012. Dr. Poston is passionate about STEM education and outreach, and taught 9th grade biology for a year through the NSF Graduate STEM Fellows in K-12 Education program. She has also served as a Mentor to undergraduate students through The Leadership Alliance and FASEB MARC Peer Mentors Program at ABRCMS meetings since 2010. Dr. Poston is a proud graduate of Clark Atlanta University and continues her outreach through her blog called The Poston Collective, which discusses relevant topics at the intersection of STEM, policy, education, and diversity.