BIOGRAPHY
Ari Broad's Journey
While Ari is not involved in the medical field, her journey to STEM research was deeply embedded in medicine. In 2016, Ari obtained her Certified Nurse's Aide (CNA) certification and began working in the healthcare industry. She worked full-time in hospitals and nursing homes/assisted living facilities all throughout her undergraduate degree to support herself financially through college.
Upon entering Florida State University (FSU) for her undergraduate studies in Biological Sciences and Chemistry, she was accepted to the Living-Learning Community (LLC) Women in Math, Science, and Engineering (WIMSE). Through WIMSE, she was able to almost immediately start research in the Fanxiu Zhu lab, a biochemistry lab that studies the host evasion mechanisms of Kaposi's Sarcoma Associated Herpesvirus (KSHV). During her time in the Zhu lab, she decided to take the summers off from KSHV research to explore other research topics through two National Science Foundation (NSF) Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REUs), one at Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center where she studied the pathogenic fungus Rhizopus delemar and its resistance to various antifungals. The second being at Cornell University where she studied and the viral lattice assembly mechanism of HIV and Simian Immunodeficiency Virus (SIV), which resulted in her first publication. [1]
She continued research in the Zhu lab for 2.5 years and decided to switch labs for her honors thesis in the lab of Ewa Bienkiewicz in FSU's College of Medicine. Here she studied the effect of the intrinsically disordered peptide PrPC on hemin clearance post-hemorrhagic stroke. Ari completed one last research fellowship before graduating through the Leadership Alliance at Harvard University where she studied the structure and substrate specificity of gustatory receptors.
During Ari's time at FSU she made an impact on the university, founding the FSU chapter of the American Society for Microbiology (ASM), mentoring younger WIMSEs in their journeys through STEM, and teaching non-science majors basic biological processes through the course BSC1005L. Ari won numerous awards for her research and mentoring efforts through many departments across FSU. Ari was even featured in the FSU Student Spotlight upon her acceptance to Cornell University sharing her story on how FSU prepared her for her next career steps.
Upon graduating Summa Cum Laude from FSU in 2020, Ari started graduate school obtaining her Ph.D. in Biochemistry minoring in molecular and cell biology at Cornell University, where she was awarded the prestigious Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Fellowship. Ari's dissertation research focuses on the Golgi apparatus in the lab of Chris Fromme in the Weill Institute for Cell and Molecular Biology, more specifically the mechanisms of regulation in how the Golgi apparatus resident proteins are maintained at the Golgi. In 2022, Ari won the prestigious NSF Graduate Research Fellowship for her work on the Golgi apparatus.
While in graduate school Ari has continued to be a very involved student. She is a student administrator for the Molecular Biology and Genetics Department at Cornell University, a Graduate Coordinator for Cornell University's Diversity Programs in Engineering, the Resident Hall Director (RHD) for Cornell Engineering's CURIE Academy, the lead chemistry teacher and assistant administrator for Cornell University's Upward Bound Program, the Cornell University Graduate and Professional Student Assembly (GPSA) University Assembly representative, the Vice Chair of Operations of Cornell's University Assembly, and the lead biological sciences mentor for the Harvard-affiliated research program Lumiere Education.
Outside of graduate school, Ari is an entrepreneur. She co-founded the at-home dog daycare business Wildes Doggy Daycare, LLC (WDD) along with co-founder Josh Wildes. Here she developed her novel rehabilitation therapy technique she coined canine Sensory Behavioral Therapy (cSBT), creating a pilot study to research the long term effects of cSBT treatment. However, in July 2022 the Village of Dryden ordered WDD to cease and desist business as at home dog daycares are not considered customary home occupations in the Village of Dryden. WDD fought its hardest against the cease and desist order, bringing the case up to the NYS Supreme Court, where Ari self-represented the plaintiffs in an Article 78 Proceeding. Despite these challenges in her entrepreneurial efforts, Ari continued entrepreneurship by founding a new traveling pet grooming business called Broad's Barks & Baths.
During this time in which Ari spearheaded four active court cases on behalf of WDD, Ari developed a passion for law. She believes that education is power, and the more educated people are on the laws that govern us, the easier people will be able to defend their freedoms, such as the freedom of land use on privately purchased property. Ari hopes to combine her passions for science, education, and law by enrolling in law school upon completion of her Ph.D. to study constitutional law. With terminal degrees in biochemistry and law, Ari will be uniquely positioned to be an excellent congressional candidate who advocates for scientific literary and funding, as well as education and healthcare equality.
research
Mentoring & Consulting
law & politics
Ari's full time job is on conducting research as a Graduate Research Fellow at Cornell University located in Ithaca, NY. She is obtaining her Ph.D. in Biochemistry, with minors in cell biology and molecular biology.
law & politics
Mentoring & Consulting
law & politics
Ari intends on enrolling in law school after she obtains her Ph.D. in biochemistry. She wants to study constitutional law, aiming for congress to advocate for science literacy & funding and education & healthcare equality.
Mentoring & Consulting
Mentoring & Consulting
Mentoring & Consulting
Ari has been mentoring for over a decade now, boasting a network of over 50 mentees, many of whom attend prestigious institutions for BS and terminal degrees. Ari is the lead biological sciences research mentor for Lumiere education and offers educational consultations as well!