Mawrters Making Their Mark

MAYA AJMERA ’89
Inducted into American Academy of Arts and Sciences

Maya Ajmera, president and CEO of the Society for Science and executive publisher

of Science News, was inducted into the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in fall 2023—one of 270 new members chosen from 1,200 nominations. The academy was founded in 1780 to recognize accomplished individuals and engage them in addressing the greatest challenges facing the nation.

Founded as Science Service in 1921, the Society for Science has been dedicated to expanding scientific literacy, access to STEM education, and scientific research for more than 100 years. Before joining Society for Science in 2014, Ajmera founded and led the Global Fund for Children, which invests in community-based organizations worldwide to advance children’s rights. She is also an award-winning author of over 20 children’s books.

“I look forward to working with the academy members to address some of the most pressing issues facing our world,” Ajmera says.

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JACQUELINE MACDONALD GIBSON ’86
Heads Engineering Department at NC State

Jacqueline MacDonald Gibson is head of the Department of Civil, Construction, and Environmental Engineering at NC State University in Raleigh, a position she’s held since August 2022. Previously, she chaired the Department of Environmental and Occupational Health at Indiana University, Bloomington, and taught environmental engineering at UNC Chapel Hill. Before launching her academic career, she was a senior engineer at The RAND Corp., a nonprofit public policy research organization.

Gibson’s work bridges environmental science, human health, infrastructure, and public policy. “My research seeks to illuminate what individuals, communities, and policymakers can do to make the biggest and most lasting improvements in public health by improving the quality of our environment,” she says.

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FRANCESCA MARIANI ’91
Honored by USC for Outstanding Teaching

Francesca Mariani, an associate professor in the Keck School of Medicine at the University of Southern California, received the 2023 Associates Award for Excellence in Teaching. This is USC’s highest honor for outstanding teaching.

Serving as the director of USC’s first-of-its-kind master’s program in stem cell biology and regenerative medicine, Mariani also co-directs the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) COMPASS program for aspiring undergraduates and oversees a parallel initiative, CIRM EDUC4, catering to post-graduates. These programs help students prepare for careers in stem cell science through mentoring and hands-on research. Mariani’s own work focuses on the role of stem cells in large-scale cartilage and bone regeneration.

Reflecting on her commitment to student interaction, Mariani says, “Interacting with students is not just about sharing knowledge; it can be a transformative conversation that empowers students to carve meaningful paths in the intricate journey of life.”

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T. PEACHES VALDES ’99, M.S.S. ’03, M.L.S.P. ’03
Leads Admission and Financial Aid at Wellesley

T. Peaches Valdes is dean of admission and financial aid at Wellesley College in Massachusetts. After earning her degrees, she worked in the Bryn Mawr admissions office until 2017—rising to the position of dean of undergraduate admissions—before moving on to Hamilton College. She joined Wellesley at the start of the 2022-23 academic year.

“When I thought about where my next step would be, I thought about what felt like home,” Valdes says. “And to me, returning to one of the Seven Sisters felt like home.”

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ISABEL PLAKAS ’19
Selected by the U.S.-Ireland Alliance as Mitchell Scholar

Isabel Plakas ’19, who is pursuing a master’s degree in nursing at Johns Hopkins School of Nursing, recently became the first Mawrter to receive a George J. Mitchell Scholarship. Plakas was one of only 12 individuals selected to be a 2025 scholar out of nearly 350 applicants.

Named to honor former U.S. Senator George Mitchell’s contribution to the Northern Ireland peace process, the scholarship program is designed to introduce and connect generations of future American leaders to the island of Ireland, while recognizing and fostering intellectual achievement, leadership, and a commitment to community and public service.

Plakas will begin studying addiction recovery at Trinity College Dublin this fall.

“I started doing harm reduction work in 2018, when I studied abroad in Spain through Bryn Mawr’s collaboration with Hamilton College,” she says. “When I returned in the fall, I took

a course by Dr. Anne Montgomery at Haverford that looked at the overdose crisis in the United States, specifically Philadelphia. I learned about harm reduction, which challenged preconceived notions I had about drug use and the war on drugs.”

After graduation, Plakas moved to Boston to do research but found herself unfulfilled.

“I recalled meeting a Bryn Mawr alum named Sarah Mackin (’07) during my senior year at Bryn Mawr who did harm reduction work in Boston. I reached out and began volunteering at the syringe exchange she ran. I will always be grateful that she accepted me into the community and mentored me.”

Plakas soon got a job next door as a harm reduction specialist at Boston Health Care for the Homeless. “During my first week, a nurse told me, ‘You’re either going to love it or hate it, and you’ll know right away,’” Plakas says. “I loved it.”

After three years, Plakas left to go to nursing school at Hopkins, but Bryn Mawr has continued to find her. “I work at Sex Workers Promoting Action, Risk Reduction, and Community Mobilization (SPARC), a drop-in center for female and nonbinary sex workers in southwest Baltimore,” Plakas says. “The team here is incredible, and during an outreach shift last year, I was excited to learn that my coworker Dr. Sangeeta Iyer is also a Bryn Mawr graduate (Class of 2002).”

At Hopkins, Plakas has received the Nursing Scholar Award from the National Association of Hispanic Nurses, and she serves as co-president of Nursing Students for Harm Reduction.