Trinity College Posse Alumnus Javier Weddington
Trinity College Posse Alumnus Javier Weddington.

Trinity Alum Launches STEM Ed Program With MIT

Winter 2018 | Chicago

Javier Weddington, a 2017 graduate of Trinity College who received his degree in neuroscience and biology, has combined a passion for research with a mission to help others.

While on campus at Trinity, Javier had the chance to conduct research that focused on traumatic brain injuries. He was fortunate to also spend his summers at Massachusetts General Hospital conducting hands-on research related to post-traumatic stress disorder.

Recognizing that opportunities in STEM are not common for students in large urban school systems, Javier spent the past three years developing a program to expose underrepresented populations to STEM fields. After successfully raising more than $20,000, the MIT BoSTEM Scholars Academy was launched in the summer of 2017.

The first incarnation of the four-week program supported 25 teens from Boston public high schools with a focus on chemistry, biology, physics and computer science.

In addition to the core STEM emphasis, every Wednesday was devoted to professional and personal development, including workshops on college applications, diversity in higher education and the workforce, self-advocacy, financial planning and job-shadowing experiences.

Javier has also recently begun his own research at MIT as a technical associate for the Picower Institute for Memory and Learning. Under the guidance of the principal investigator of the lab, he is using mice to research psychiatric conditions such as addiction, loneliness and depression.

"Transitioning from Trinity to MIT has been the experience of a lifetime," says Javier. "In addition to doing cutting edge research, our lab group is full of enthusiastic, caring and supportive people who are invested in helping their teammates grow."

Javier plans to continue developing as a scientist, with the goal of obtaining a medical degree in the future.