Two students wearing personal protective gear working in the newly renovated chemical biology laboratory..

Community for Artificial Intelligence in Biology & Chemistry

Transforming the science learning experience

A female student in a blue jumpsuit raising a glass in a labThe age of AI demands more from science students — and more for them.

The Artificial Intelligence in Biology and Chemistry (AiBC) Community transforms the undergraduate science learning experience, building the human skills that are essential and lasting in scientific careers.

In collaboration with Hudson County Community College and Saint Peter's University, the community connects science students and educators in Northern New Jersey with local biotech, edtech, and healthcare sectors.

The work is local. The impact is broader — preparing the next generation of scientists to advance their fields with both technical fluency and human judgment.

Our Inaugural Workshop

Entrance to Babbio Center with blossoming tree in foreground.
Monday, May 18, 2026
9:30 AM – 4:30 PM
Babbio Center at Stevens Institute of Technology

Join biotech professionals, science educators and edtech founders for the inaugural AiBC Community Workshop – a full day of learning and building. Find all details below.

Register by May 1 >>

Full Agenda

Time

Event

Location

9:30 AM

Meet & Greet over Breakfast

Babbio Atrium

10:00 AM

Welcome

· Jean Zu, Ph.D., Lore E. Filer Dean, School of Engineering and Science, Stevens

Babbio 122

10:05 AM

Greetings and Perspectives from the U.S. National Science Foundation

· Jeffrey M. Osborn, Ph.D., Program Director, National Science Foundation

Babbio 122

10:25 AM

Market Overview of Gen AI in Biotechnology

· Siddhartha (Sidd) Bhattacharya, MBA, Partner & AI Leader, PwC

Babbio 122

10:45 AM

Panel & Discussion on AI Adoption in Biotech Industry

· Moderator: Kenny Wong, Ph.D., Associate Teaching Professor, Stevens

· Andrew C. Apicello, Founder & CBO, Sentauri

· Stephen Cornwell, MS, Scientist, Pfizer

· Hector Borges, MS, Clinical Research Associate, Merck

Babbio 122

11:30 AM

Networking + Coffee

Babbio Atrium

11:45 AM

Workshop Activity I – Authentic Intelligence in the Age of AI

· Christine Looser, Ph.D., Senior Director of Strategic Partnerships, Minerva Project

Babbio 122

12:30 PM

Networking + Lunch

Babbio Atrium

1:15 PM

AiBC Vision

· Woo Lee, Ph.D., Professor and Department Chair, Stevens

Babbio 122

1:30 PM

NSF Project – Career Exploration

· Patricia Muisener, Teaching Professor, Stevens

Babbio 122

1:45 PM

Philanthropic Project – AiBC Scholars

· Marcin Iwanicki, Ph.D., Teaching Associate Professor, Stevens

Babbio 122

2:00 PM

Workshop Activity II – Parallel Panel & Brainstorm Sessions

Session 1 –AI Adoption in STEM Education

· Moderator: Burl Yearwood, Ph.D., Dean of STEM Programs, HCCC

· Sivan Albagli-Kim, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Seton Hall University

· Katheryn Detwiler, Ph.D., Teaching Assistant Professor, Stevens

· Yavuz Guner, MS, Instructor, HCCC

· Nina Lavlinskaia, Ph.D., Teacher, High Tech High School

· Wei Li, PhD, Associate Director of Learning Technology, Stevens

Babbio 122

Session 2 – Participant Experiences in Career Exploration

· Moderator: Emily Atieh, Ph.D., Associate Director for Education Research, Stevens

· Fidelis Foda-Kahouo, Assistant Professor of Mathematics, HCCC

· Jeffrey Lam, Senior Academic Advisor, Stevens

· Student Participant 1, HCCC

· Student Participant 2, Stevens

Babbio 104

Session 3 – Scalable AiBC Scholar Activities

· Facilitator: Marcin Iwanicki, Ph.D., Teaching Associate Professor, Stevens

· Vladimir Pavlovic, Ph.D., NSF Program Officer, Professor, Rutgers University

· Kat Bay, Ph.D., Manager, Schrödinger (ZOOM)

· Jeffrey Dueck, Ph.D., Acting Dean, College of Arts and Sciences, Saint Peter’s University

· Velino Joasil, Ph.D., Professor, HCCC

· Peter Michael, Ph.D., Teacher, Jose Marti STEM Academy

· Raul Perez-Olle, MD/Ph.D., Senior Vice President, Imvax

· Sarah Wojiski, Ph.D., Director, Education and External Programs, Jackson Laboratory, and New York Stem Cell Foundation.

Babbio 203

3:00 PM

Networking + Coffee

Babbio Atrium

3:15 PM

Reports from Parallel Sessions

Babbio 122

3:45 PM

Panel & Discussion on Building Cross-Sector Collaboration

· Moderator: WeiDong Zhu, Ph.D., Interim Vice President of Academic Affairs, St. Peter’s

· John Dineen, Administrative Analyst, Hudson County Clerk’s Office

· Benjamin Gill, MBA, Principal (Partner), Strategy Consulting Business Unit, PwC

· Matthew LaBrake, Executive Director for Center on Online Learning, HCCC

· Rob Ott, Team Lead for AI, Digital Health, and Entrepreneurship, BioNJ

· Weifeng Xu, Ph.D., Senior Scientific Director, Merck

Babbio 122

4:30 PM

Adjourn

Professor Marcin Iwanicki examines a presentation board with a seminar attendee pointing at it.
Green chemistry
Student in Stevens lab.
Woo Lee addresses a crowd.
Marcin Iwanicki addresses a crowd by a Stevens podium.
A smiling student at left and another student stand in front of presentation posters while attendees study them.
Professor Marcin Iwanicki examines a presentation board with a seminar attendee pointing at it.
Green chemistry
Student in Stevens lab.
Woo Lee addresses a crowd.
Marcin Iwanicki addresses a crowd by a Stevens podium.
A smiling student at left and another student stand in front of presentation posters while attendees study them.
Professor Marcin Iwanicki examines a presentation board with a seminar attendee pointing at it.
Green chemistry
Student in Stevens lab.
Woo Lee addresses a crowd.
Marcin Iwanicki addresses a crowd by a Stevens podium.
A smiling student at left and another student stand in front of presentation posters while attendees study them.
How do we scale irreplaceable human encounters – accessibly and affordably – for all students in the age of AI?
Woo LeePrincipal Investigator and Community Leader

Our Goals for Every Student

Scientific career confidence and identity

Students develop a clear sense of their potential in science — and what a career in it can look like.

AI-augmented human skills

Students develop the human skills that AI cannot replace — skills that are critical and durable across scientific careers.

THREE PROJECTS, ONE COMMUNITY

The AiBC Community's inaugural projects address career identity and hands-on research, which are the critical experiences that shape a science student's trajectory:


A student with goggles and a medicine dropper carefully operating lab equipment.

Career Exploration

During their first semester, students develop awareness of scientific careers and real-world AI adoption in professional workplaces. They do this through interactions with career role models from local economic sectors — gaining early exposure to the paths ahead.

A female student working in a blue-lit chemistry laboratory.

AiBC Scholars

Rising sophomores analyze real disease datasets — including cancer RNA-sequencing data — during a four-week summer research experience. They apply machine-learning tools for drug target and compound identification, then design drug synthetic routes.

Industry and academic guest speakers sit at a seminar with professor Marcin Iwanicki.

Cross-sector Engagement

Cross-sector engagement — through the annual workshop and corporate partnerships — brings leaders from business, healthcare, and education together to advance the community's work. The goal is scalable, equitable impact: planning and expanding activities that reach more students across more institutions.

Three Institutions, One Shared Commitment

The AiBC Community is built in collaboration among Hudson County Community College, Saint Peter's University, and Stevens, connecting science students and educators in Northern New Jersey with local industry.

Stevens Logo

Anchor institution · Research & curriculum leadership

St. Peter's University logo.

Local University Partner

Hudson County Community College logo.

Community College Partner

Leadership

Woo Lee (wlee)
Woo Lee
Professor & Department Chair · Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology
[email protected]
Patricia Anne Muisener
Patricia Anne Muisener
Teaching Professor & Associate Chair for Undergraduate Education · Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology
[email protected]
Marcin Iwanicki (miwanick)
Marcin Iwanicki
Teaching Associate Professor · Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology
[email protected]

Advisory Team

Cindy Chin (cchin)

Cindy Chin

Vice President of Enrollment, Stevens Institute of Technology

Susan Metz

Susan Metz

Executive Director of Inclusion, Stevens Institute of Technology

Benjamin Gill, Principal (Partner) Strategy Consulting Business Unit, PricewaterhouseCoopers.

Benjamin Gill

Principal (Partner), Strategy Consulting Business Unit, PricewaterhouseCoopers

Burl Yearwood.

Burl Yearwood

Dean of STEM Programs, Hudson County Community College

WeiDong Zhu, St. Peter’s Interim Vice President for Academic Affairs.

WeiDong Zhu

Interim Vice President for Academic Affairs, Saint Peter's University

Jeffrey Lam.Get in touch

Questions about the AiBC Community, its programs, or how to get involved? Reach out directly.

Jeffrey Lam
Senior Academic Advisor · AiBC Community
201-216-5528


Contact us

Our Sponsors

The AiBC Community is supported by a Capacity-Building phase grant from the National Science Foundation's IUSE:EDU program, and by Stevens alumni and friends.

National Science Federation

National Science Foundation

Philanthropically supported by Stevens alumni and friends, inspired by Prof. Ajay Bose's UPTAM program.

Stevens Alumni Association logo

Stevens Alumni & Friends

Philanthropically supported by Stevens alumni and friends, inspired by Prof. Ajay Bose's UPTAM program.

A rendering of a network concept line drawing.

Biotech & Healthcare Partners

Local biotech, edtech, and healthcare sector organizations contribute as career role models and community partners.