Published by the Students of Johns Hopkins since 1896
October 18, 2025
October 18, 2025 | Published by the Students of Johns Hopkins since 1896

Science & Technology






COURTESY OF GERMAN MARSHALL FUND
Mao discussed his experience as a Fulbright Scholar in Germany. 

Humans of Hopkins: Toby Mao

Toby Mao is a first-year MD candidate at Stanford and a Fulbright recipient passionate about interdisciplinary approaches to medicine, integrating medical engineering, technology and preventative healthcare. In an interview with The News-Letter, Toby reflected on how his background and passion for global health inspired him to pursue the Fulbright Program, which has shaped his commitment to using artificial intelligence for healthcare innovation. 


COURTESY OF CHARM CITY STEM LEAGUE
In an interview with The News-Letter, Center for Educational Outreach’s Charm City STEM League Program Administrator Amanda Valledor recounted the importance community engagement. 

How the Charm City STEM League redefines Educational Outreach

At Hopkins, the Charm City STEM League (CCSL) is run by the Center for Educational Outreach (CEO) to blend STEM education with community engagement. It aims to address systemic inequities by preparing Baltimore students for success at Science Olympiad, one of the nation’s most challenging STEM competitions.


COURTESY OF SHEA LITTLEPAGE
Littlepage reflects on her experience as a Fulbright Scholar based in Addis Ababa. 

Humans of Hopkins: Shea Littlepage

Shea Littlepage is a public health researcher and Fulbright-Fogarty Public Health Fellowship recipient. She is dedicated to advancing global health through qualitative research and providing valuable insights to public health agencies. In an interview with The News-Letter, Shea discussed how her experiences at Hopkins motivated her to study health decision-making among Ethiopian experts during the COVID-19 crisis.




ARGONNE NATIONAL LAB / CC BY-NC-SA 2.0
The Fried lab works on understanding how misfolded proteins are formed and handled with the goal of treating neurodegenerative diseases.

Stephen Fried discusses protein misfolding in neurodegenerative diseases

Stephen Fried is an associate professor in the Department of Chemistry working on misfolded proteins, which are prevalent in many degenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's Disease, Parkinson's Disease, Huntington's Disease, Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis and cystic fibrosis. He seeks to understand how proteins misfold to cause these pathologies and eventually develop treatments and cures for them.


ERIN SUTTON / HOPKINS APPLIED PHYSICS LABORATORY
Erin Sutton speaks at the Laboratory for Computational Sensing and Robotics on the the development of NASA's Dragonfly rotorcraft for exploration of Titan, Saturn's largest moon. 

Erin Sutton on the development of NASA's Dragonfly for Titan exploration

Erin Sutton, flight dynamics model validation lead for NASA’s Dragonfly mission, visited to the Laboratory for Computational Sensing and Robotics on Sept. 10 to share her work on the Dragonfly, a car-sized rotorcraft whose goal is to fly through the methane-rich atmosphere of Saturn’s largest moon, Titan.


COURTESY OF AMANDA RAY
On September 5th, Amanda Ray, a graduate student at the Hopkins’ Gordus Lab, presented her dissertation defense, titled “Understanding How Sensory and Motor Information are Processed in a Neuron of Caenorhabditis elegans.”

Neural information processing in C. elegans: worming our way forward in neuroscience

How do brains turn environmental inputs into motor outputs? This question, known as the “black box” problem, has left neuroscientists scratching their heads for decades. On Sept. 5, Amanda Ray, a graduate student in the Gordus Lab at Hopkins, presented her dissertation defense, titled “Understanding How Sensory and Motor Information are Processed in a Neuron of Caenorhabditis elegans.”


COURTESY OF MARTA HATZELL
The Circular Electrochemistry Lab at the Georgia Institute of Technology works on improving reactive carbon capture and conversion (RCCC) for environmental applications. 

Wolman seminar speaker Marta Hatzell: Engineering Advances Toward Carbon Neutral Fuels and Chemicals

The School of Public Health’s Wolman seminar series hosted Marta Hatzell, an associate professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering and mechanical engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology on Tuesday, Sept. 9. Hatzell gave a talk titled “Reactive Carbon Capture and Conversion: Pathways to Carbon-Neutral Fuels and Chemicals,” which highlighted the importance of carbon dioxide capture and its direct conversion into valuable materials.


COURTESY OF ANDREW WU
Students perform serial dilutions and immunostaining at Agara Bio's Alzheimer’s ELISA workshop on Sept. 10th, 2025.

Agara Bio: a lab for students, by students

Laboratory workshops, collaborative and independent projects, community events and personal fulfillment — Agara Bio brings it all together. The club, founded in 2018, is a student-run biology club that provides a lab space for students to delve into biology outside of traditional labs. Today, it has grown into a hub for laboratory workshops, independent projects and collaborative events that bring hands-on research opportunities to students across disciplines.


AREK SOCHA / PUBLIC DOMAIN
Red blood cells contain hemoglobin – a vital protein for sustaining life. 

Science news in review: Sept. 10

Welcome back to another academic year! Let’s kick things off with the latest updates on science and technology, which include a closer look at how carbon monoxide slips off hemoglobin, a promising method for earlier ALS detection and Amazon joining the AI agent race.




COURTESY OF ENOCH TOH
Toh reflects on his research experience at Hopkins after being awarded a 2025 Barry Goldwater Scholarship. 

Humans of Hopkins: Goldwater Scholar Enoch Toh

Enoch Toh is a junior pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Molecular and Cellular Biology and Computer Science (CS). He is a recipient of the 2025 Barry Goldwater Scholarship. In an interview with The News-Letter, Toh described his research experience and future plans. 


COURTESY OF EDMUND SUMPENA
Sumpena details the research journey that led to him being named a 2025 Goldwater Scholar. 

Humans of Hopkins: Goldwater Scholar Edmund Sumpena

Edmund Sumpena is a junior completing a Bachelors of Science in Computer Science and Neuroscience. He is a recipient of the 2025 Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship. In an interview with The News-Letter, Sumpena described his research experience and future plans.


COURTESY OF LANCE XU 
Xu reflects on his research experience at Hopkins after being awarded a 2025 Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship.

Humans of Hopkins: Goldwater Scholar Lance Xu

Lance Xu is a junior completing a Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Engineering and currently conducting cancer research. He is a recipient of the 2025 Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship. In an interview with The News-Letter, Xu described his research experience and future career plans.


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