PROVIDENCE, R.I. [Brown University] — Academic departments at Brown are constantly abuzz with activity — from classes and research seminars to guest lectures, colloquia, dissertation defenses and faculty meetings.
As Communications Specialist in the Department of Chemistry, it is Melissa Shein’s job to keep everybody up to date on all those activities and more. In doing so, she helps to keep the department running smoothly, while playing and important role in building community among students, faculty and staff. But her efforts don’t stop at the Van Wickle Gates. She co-organizes an event that brings Providence high school students to Brown to learn about career opportunities in STEM, and another that raises money for cancer research.
“The chemistry department has been so good to me and good for my career,” Shein said. “From the beginning I’ve been encouraged to make the job my own, and that’s what I’ve tried to do.”
In this Q&A, Shein talked about how her role combines many of her interests and provides her with opportunities to bring people together.
Q: Could you tell us a little about your background?
I’m a native Rhode Islander and I've lived here most of my life. A lot of my professional background is in printing and graphic artwork, and I also taught school for a while when I was living in Florida. A friend told me there was a job open at Brown, so I applied, and I’ve been here 13 years now.
Q: You’ve had several different roles at Brown. What have those entailed, and how you transitioned between them?
I started as a financial coordinator and administrative assistant in the Department of Earth, Environmental and Planetary Sciences (DEEPS). Then I was an Academic/financial coordinator with the Cogut Institute for the Humanities, and now I’m the Communications Specialist in the chemistry department.
Each step of the way I learned something new. I had a lot of the computer skills I needed when I started in DEEPS, but I had to learn a lot about being a financial coordinator because my background was in art. I continued that at Cogut. My current position in communications really wraps everything together. There are a lot of technology responsibilities that I learned in previous jobs, but there’s also a creative aspect in making posters and newsletters. There is also hospitality and outreach, which is great for me because I love to talk! And I get to learn a bit about chemistry along the way, which has been fun.
Q: You play a key role in STEM Day, one of the department’s big annual events. What is the purpose of that initiative?
STEM Day reaches out to Providence high schools to bring students to campus to learn more about STEM fields and professions. We put on fun demonstrations and introduce students to not only chemistry but a little bit of physics, engineering, biomed and other things. It’s become a campus-wide event.
It’s really about introducing kids to STEM and showing them how they can get into it as a career. We have programming on how to apply to college and on the career paths they could take. We also try to show the diversity within the field. We’re trying to spread the word that these fields are open to anybody.
It’s one of my favorite things to do. I just love to see the enthusiasm in the students who come.
Q: There’s another community event that you help to organize that has some connections to Brown. Could you talk a bit about that?
Yes, “A Reason to Run or Walk” is an event that I help to organize with three other women whose lives have been touched by glioblastoma, a form of brain cancer. My brother, Robert Shein, who is a Brown graduate, passed away from glioblastoma two years ago. This year, Russ Hopson, our colleague and buddy in the chemistry department, died after battling this cancer for two years. So we created this event to raise money for cancer research, which supports Dr. Eric Wong, who is a clinician and Brown professor who specializes in glioblastoma.
The event is a run/walk held in Johnston, Rhode Island. We held our first event last year and raised $30,000. This year’s event raised a little over $40,000. It’s our way of trying to help fight this terrible disease. And we love that the money stays here in Rhode Island, going directly to Dr. Wong’s research.
Q: What has your career at Brown meant in terms of your ability to build a life beyond your day job?
If it weren't for the people who I've met while working at Brown, I would not have been able to get "A Reason to Run and Walk" off the ground and make it as successful as it is now. I hope that it will become even more successful, and having these connections with Brown helps with that.
Q: What’s your favorite thing about working at Brown?
My favorite thing about Brown is working with so many amazing people every day, from my coworkers to catering to facilities to media services. All these people make my day a better day.