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Devon Van Cura

Devon Van Cura

PSU Wrestling Camp Counselor

Followers of Devon Van Cura619 followers
location of Devon Van CuraCambridge, Massachusetts, United States

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  • Timeline

  • About me

    Scientist - Lipidomics & Metabolomics at BPGbio

  • Education

    • Washington High School

      2010 - 2014
      3.91/4.0

      Activities and Societies: National Honor Society; Class Marshall; Senior Class Vice President; Varsity Wrestling, Baseball, and Cross Country.

    • Penn State University

      2014 - 2018
      Bachelor’s Degree Chemistry 3.97/4.0

      Activities and Societies: Magna Cum Laude; Schreyer Honors Scholar; Chemistry Student Marshal; Bollinger-Krebs Lab; Learning Assistant; Teaching Assistant; Division I Wrestling Team

    • Harvard University

      2018 - 2024
      PhD Chemistry and Chemical Biology 3.84/4.0

      Activities and Societies: Balskus Lab; Senior Resident Tutor; Graduate Student & Postdoc Council Treasurer and DEI coordinator; HPREP volunteer; Undergraduate Research Mentor; Rotation Student Mentor; Graduate Student Mentor

  • Experience

    • Wrestling - Penn State University Athletics

      Jun 2014 - Jul 2014
      PSU Wrestling Camp Counselor

    • Wrestling - Penn State University Athletics

      Jun 2015 - Jul 2015
      PSU Wrestling Camp Counselor

    • Penn State University

      Jan 2016 - May 2018

      Studied the mechanism of oxidative decarboxylation of fatty acids to terminal alkenes by the microbial enzyme UndA. UndA is the first characterized member of the emerging heme-oxygenase-like diiron oxidase and oxygenase (HDO) superfamily. 3x NCAA Division I Wrestling Team Champions and 3x Big Ten Wrestling Team Champions My primary responsibilities were to attend lectures, grade homework sets and the final exam, assist students with group questions during lectures, hold weekly office hours, assist with course administration, and proctor quizzes and the final exam.This was a part-time position of approximately 10 hours per week for a class of 40 students. My primary responsibilities were to attend lectures, grade homework sets and the final exam, assist students with group questions during lectures, hold weekly office hours, assist with course administration, and proctor quizzes and the final exam.This was a part-time position of 10-20 hours per week for a class of ~350 students. My primary responsibilities included proctoring and grading exams, hosting office hours, and assisting with lectures. My responsibilities include assisting with in-class lecture problems, hosting office hours, attending team meetings, proctoring exams, and grading course work. As a Chem 112 LA, my weekly responsibilities included attending and assisting lectures, facilitating homework study sessions, participating in team meetings, and engaging in pedagogy training.

      • Undergraduate Researcher: The Bollinger-Krebs Lab

        Jan 2015 - May 2018

      • Division-I Wrestling Athlete

        Jun 2014 - May 2018

      • Honors Organic Chemistry (Chem 212H) Teaching Assistant

        Jan 2018 - Apr 2018

      • Organic Chemistry (Chem 212) Teaching Assistant

        Aug 2017 - Dec 2017

      • Inorganic Chemistry (Chem 310) TA/Grader

        Aug 2016 - Dec 2017

      • Organic Chemistry (Chem 202) Learning Assistant

        Aug 2016 - Dec 2016

      • Gen. Chem II (Chem 112) Learning Assistant

        Jan 2016 - Jul 2016

    • Merck

      Jun 2018 - Aug 2018
      Biocatalysis Intern

      Developed and optimized an enzymatic cascade reaction to produce chiral amines from racemic alcohols. Achieved 99% conversion of a cheap and commercially available precursor to a valuable pharmaceutical intermediate. Assessed the yield and enantioselectivity of the process for a variety of pharmaceutically relevant substrates. Presented data at company-wide poster session.

    • Harvard University

      Jan 2019 - May 2019
      Organic Chemistry Laboratory Teaching Fellow

      Instructed two sections of 12 students. Prepared and presented short lectures on laboratory material, assisted with experiments, hosted weekly office hours, graded quizzes and laboratory reports.

    • Harvard University

      Sept 2019 - Dec 2019
      Organic Chemistry Teaching Fellow

      Instructed two sections of 25 students. Prepared and presented lectures on course material, hosted weekly office hours, facilitated group problem solving activities, graded homework and exams.

    • Citadel Martial Arts

      Jan 2020 - Feb 2022
      Wrestling Coach

    • Harvard University

      Sept 2020 - May 2021

      Worked one-on-one with a Harvard undergraduate student to teach research skills such as literature searching, experimental design, and wet-lab techniques. Assisted with professional development by providing career advice and application feedback. The student graduated in May and now works in drug discovery at Bristol Myers Squibb. Designed a drug discovery research project and virtual curriculum entitled "Discovery of bioactive natural products via genome mining of local soil isolates." Ordered supplies and managed budget. Assisted students with experimental design and execution, as well as data analysis. Facilitated science advocacy assignments where students met with state congressional leaders to promote science policy.

      • Undergraduate Research Mentor

        Oct 2019 - May 2021

      • Teaching Fellow- Advanced Research Laboratory

        Sept 2020 - Dec 2020

    • Harvard University

      Sept 2021 - Nov 2021
      Rotation Student Mentor

      Worked with a rotating graduate student to design and develop a new method for rapid identification of new N–N bond containing natural products.

    • Harvard University

      Jan 2022 - Jul 2024

      Developing a method for rapid identification and characterization of novel N–N bond-containing natural products. Discovery and characterization of novel N–N bond-forming enzymes and N–N bond-containing natural products. Guided students in developing functional screens for a gut microbial metagenomic library to identify new enzymatic activities.

      • Graduate Student Mentor

        Mar 2022 - Jul 2024

      • PhD Candidate

        Aug 2018 - Jul 2024

      • Teaching Fellow- Freshman Seminar

        Jan 2022 - May 2022

  • Licenses & Certifications

    • Master of Arts in Chemistry

      Harvard University
      May 2021

  • Honors & Awards

    • Awarded to Devon Van Cura
      Adult World Silver Medalist International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation (IBJJF) Dec 2022
    • Awarded to Devon Van Cura
      Adult Pan American Bronze Medalist International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation (IBJJF) Oct 2022
    • Awarded to Devon Van Cura
      Adult Pan American Silver Medalist – Open Class International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation (IBJJF) Oct 2022
    • Awarded to Devon Van Cura
      Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP) National Science Foundation Mar 2020 “The National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP) recognizes and supports outstanding graduate students who are pursuing research-based master’s and doctoral degrees in fields within NSF’s mission. The GRFP provides up to three years of support for the graduate education of individuals who have demonstrated their potential for significant achievements in science and engineering research. The GRFP supports over 100 subfields. For the 2020… Show more “The National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP) recognizes and supports outstanding graduate students who are pursuing research-based master’s and doctoral degrees in fields within NSF’s mission. The GRFP provides up to three years of support for the graduate education of individuals who have demonstrated their potential for significant achievements in science and engineering research. The GRFP supports over 100 subfields. For the 2020 competition, NSF received over 13,000 applications and made approximately 2,000 fellowships offers.” Show less
    • Awarded to Devon Van Cura
      Certificate of Distinction in Teaching Derek Bok Center for Teaching and Learning, Harvard University Jun 2019 These awards are based on an overall student evaluation score of 4.50/5.00 or higher, with a minimum number of 5 student evaluations.
    • Awarded to Devon Van Cura
      Big Ten Scholar with Distinction Big Ten Conference Jul 2018 To be eligible for the Big Ten Scholar with Distinction award, student-athletes must be letter-winners in at least their second academic year at their institution, and have maintained a 3.7 GPA in the previous semester.
    • Awarded to Devon Van Cura
      Chemistry Student Marshal Department of Chemistry May 2018 The chemistry student marshal is a student selected by chemistry faculty to represent the chemistry department at graduation.
    • Awarded to Devon Van Cura
      Penn State Wrestling Academic Excellence Award Penn State Wrestling May 2018 This award is presented to the member of the wrestling team with the highest cumulative GPA.
    • Awarded to Devon Van Cura
      Peter C. Breen Award Department of Chemistry May 2018 This is award is presented to one student within the chemistry department for excellence in undergraduate research.
    • Awarded to Devon Van Cura
      Academic All-Big Ten Big Ten Conference Mar 2018 To be eligible for Academic All-Big Ten selection, students must be letter-winners who are in at least their second academic year at their institution and carry a cumulative grade-point average of 3.0 or higher.
    • Awarded to Devon Van Cura
      Big Ten Scholar with Distinction Big Ten Conference Jul 2017 To be eligible for the Big Ten Scholar with Distinction award, student-athletes must be letter-winners in at least their second academic year at their institution, and have maintained a 3.7 GPA in the previous semester.
    • Awarded to Devon Van Cura
      Penn State Wrestling Academic Excellence Award Penn State Wrestling May 2017 This award is presented to the member of the wrestling team with the highest cumulative GPA.
    • Awarded to Devon Van Cura
      Academic All-Big Ten Big Ten Conference Mar 2017 To be eligible for Academic All-Big Ten selection, students must be letter-winners who are in at least their second academic year at their institution and carry a cumulative grade-point average of 3.0 or higher.
    • Awarded to Devon Van Cura
      Evan Pugh Scholar Award- Junior The Pennsylvania State University Mar 2017 The Evan Pugh Scholar Award is presented annually to junior and seniors in the upper 0.5% of their respective classes.
    • Awarded to Devon Van Cura
      Big Ten Scholar with Distinction Big Ten Conference Jul 2016 To be eligible for the Big Ten Scholar with Distinction award, student-athletes must be letter-winners in at least their second academic year at their institution, and have maintained a 3.7 GPA in the previous semester.
    • Awarded to Devon Van Cura
      Penn State Wrestling Academic Excellence Award - Apr 2016 This award is presented to the member of the wrestling team with the highest cumulative GPA.
    • Awarded to Devon Van Cura
      Academic All-Big Ten Big Ten Conference Mar 2016 To be eligible for Academic All-Big Ten selection, students must be letter-winners who are in at least their second academic year at their institution and carry a cumulative grade-point average of 3.0 or higher.
    • Awarded to Devon Van Cura
      The President Sparks Award Penn State University Feb 2016 The President Sparks Award is presented annually to students who maintain a cumulative 4.0 GPA for the duration of their sophomore year.
    • Awarded to Devon Van Cura
      John and Elizabeth Holmes Teas Scholarship Penn State Department of Chemistry Jul 2015 The Teas scholarship is for full tuition and is awarded annually to two students within the Eberly College of Science. It is highly competitive and applicants are selected based on demonstrated academic achievement, ability, and chemistry interest.
    • Awarded to Devon Van Cura
      Strickler Honors Scholarship Eberly College of Science Jul 2015 This scholarship is awarded to students within the Eberly College of Science for outstanding academic achievement.
    • Awarded to Devon Van Cura
      Schreyer Honors Scholar - Jun 2015 The Schreyer Honors College at Penn State is a highly competitive program that emphasizes academic excellence, leadership, and global perspective. As an Honors Scholar, I will take a number of rigorous honors level courses as well as prepare an honors thesis on an original research topic.
    • Awarded to Devon Van Cura
      Penn State Wrestling Academic Excellence award - Apr 2015 The Penn State Wrestling Academic Excellence award is presented to the member of the wrestling team with the highest cumulative GPA.
    • Awarded to Devon Van Cura
      President's Freshman Award Penn State Office of the President Feb 2015 The President's Freshman Award is presented annually to students who maintain a 4.0 cumulative GPA for the duration their freshman year.
    • Awarded to Devon Van Cura
      Domtar Academic Excellence Scholarship Domtar May 2014 The Domtar Academic Excellence Scholarship is awarded based on academic achievement and extracurricular involvement.
    • Awarded to Devon Van Cura
      Optimist Club Scholarship Optimist Club of Washington NC May 2014 The Optimist Club scholarship is awarded based on community involvement and academic achievement.

  • Volunteer Experience

    • Mentor

      Issued by HPREP (Health Professions Exposure and Recruitment Program) on Nov 2020
      HPREP (Health Professions Exposure and Recruitment Program)Associated with Devon Van Cura

    • Mentor

      Issued by Health Professions Recruitment and Exposure Program (HPREP) on Nov 2019
      Health Professions Recruitment and Exposure Program (HPREP)Associated with Devon Van Cura

    • Volunteer Coach/Mentor

      Issued by Castle Soccer on Aug 2012
      Castle SoccerAssociated with Devon Van Cura