Bristol-Myers Squibb Scientist Returns to Wallingford

“The kids who visit the BioBus have a wonderful curiosity about how ‘real’ science is done,” says Leah Giupponi, 31, a research scientist at Bristol-Myers Squibb in Wallingford, Conn. She’s been a Visiting Scientist on Connecticut’s BioBus multiple times the past two years.

“Even little things I take for granted, like how to use a pipette, the kids find fascinating,” Leah says. “It’s so exciting to see their eyes light up when you share. It helps me appreciate the profession I’ve chosen.”

Leah started down the road to a career in science when she was a high school senior in Windsor, having moved to Connecticut only two years before from a small town in Colorado. In her AP biology course, she was fascinated by the unit on 3D molecular imaging, and the experience helped steer her to a major in biochemistry at Bucknell University.

While a student at Bucknell, she interned two summers for Bristol-Myers Squibb, then joined the company at its Wallingford, Conn., facility after graduation. Two years later she transferred to the company's Lawrenceville, N.J., site, but returned to Wallingford in 1999. There she works in a pharmaceutical laboratory setting devoted to early discovery, high-throughput screening.

Leah’s expertise is in profiling cardiac ion channel liabilities. Her work is aimed at reducing side effects of next generation drugs. Concerning her experience at Bristol-Myers Squibb, Leah says, “They have always offered me a great work environment with the cutting-edge technologies in screening. They keep me challenged and enthusiastic.”

Leah first learned of the BioBus when it visited the company in Wallingford. She has also been active in the Bristol-Myers Squibb BLAST program (Bringing Leadership and Assistance for Science Teaching). As a BLAST volunteer, she ran a station at an elementary school that demonstrated liquid chromatography by separating dyes from normal markers. As part of her facility’s Bring Your Child to Work Day, Leah helped organize a robotic arm demonstration.

Leah lives with her husband Eric, an actuary, in Glastonbury, Conn. She’s most likely to volunteer for the BioBus when it’s visiting a school or organization in that part of the state. As a result Leah often has a connection with the students she is meeting, such as attending the same church. Recently she was on the Bus when it visited her old stomping ground, Windsor High.

“There was a great turnout, and the kids had loads of questions,” Leah says. “I’m impressed with how the BioBus works at the high-school as well as the middle-school level. Both groups of kids are genuinely curious about science and scientists, and both groups need role models. It’s good for them to see women who love to work in the scientific field. I hope to give them a fun yet informative taste of the true amazement I have found in biochemical research.