Artificial intelligence continues to change how scientists approach questions in biology and chemistry, serving as a tool in evaluating complex datasets and discovering effective drugs. Stevens’ AI in Biology and Chemistry (AiBC) Community, created in collaboration with Saint Peter’s University and Hudson County Community College, combines undergraduate STEM education with modern biotech and healthcare industries. Headed by Dr. Woo Lee alongside faculty members Dr. Marcin Iwanicki and Dr. Patricia Muisener, the four-week summer program uses AI as a learning environment to help early-stage undergraduates build technical laboratory skills through interdisciplinary collaboration.
This summer, student scholar participant Zainab Qureshi, a 2/4 Biology major, committed to dry-lab data analysis, an activity that introduces rising sophomores to contemporary computational biology and chemistry datasets. Working in Python with AI prompts, participants create genomic heat maps and statistical visualizations. Additionally, the program teaches students how machine learning techniques can anticipate molecular assembly and retrosynthetic processes. Students also develop drug analogs and calculate synthetic production costs using expert modeling software such as Schrödinger, Maestro, and SwissADME.
AiBC equips emerging scientists with the essential computational skills driving scientific discovery. Programs like AiBC prepare the next generation of scientists to not only understand these technologies, but also apply them to the questions shaping the future of biology and chemistry. All Chemistry and Chemical Biology rising sophomores, as well as partner school students with a GPA of 3.2 and above, are eligible to apply.
