Casper Augustus Ferguson

Series Overview

This new series is dedicated to honoring the legacy of Casper Augustus Ferguson, BC’s first African-American graduate (1937), by amplifying the voices and experiences of distinguished minoritized scholars. Our goal is to inspire the next generation of STEM leaders by providing meaningful role models and fostering an inclusive scientific community at Boston College.

This event is co-sponsored by the Schiller Institute for Integrated Science and Society and supported by faculty across STEM departments at BC.

Ether Lipids at the Crossroads of Ferroptosis and Metastasis: A Key to Understanding & Stopping Cancer’s Spread

October 20, 2025 | 1:00 pm - 5:30pm
Schiller Institute Convening Space (Room 501), 245 Beacon

About the Talk:

You are invited to attend the inaugural event of the Casper Augustus Ferguson Seminar Series. We are thrilled to welcome our first speaker, Dr. Whitney S. Henry, Assistant Professor in the Department of Biology at MIT and a member of the Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research.

Full-Day Engagement:

Beyond the public seminar, Dr. Henry’s visit is designed for deep engagement with our student community. Her itinerary includes one-on-one meetings with graduate students, a small-group session with undergraduates, and a special afternoon talk sharing her personal journey in science, specifically for invited first generation students.

Organizing Committee:

Emrah Altindis (Biology), Avneet Hira (Engineering), Leah Gordon (Nursing), Laura J. Steinberg (Schiller Institute/EES), Kaley McCarty (Schiller Institute).

Speaker

Dr. Whitney S. Henry

Whitney S. Henry, Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Biology and a member of the Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research at MIT. She was recently named the Robert A. Swanson (1969) Career Development Professor of Life Sciences.

Dr. Henry’s laboratory investigates ferroptosis, an iron-dependent form of regulated cell death, to uncover how oxidative stress, metabolism, and immune signaling intersect to shape cell fate decisions. Her research has defined key lipid metabolic and iron homeostatic programs that regulate ferroptosis susceptibility, advancing this rapidly growing field. While her laboratory’s primary research focuses on therapy-resistant cancers, she is also extending these mechanistic frameworks to explore liver disease and endometrial physiology.

Dr. Henry earned her bachelor’s degree in Biology, with a minor in Chemistry, from Grambling State University. As a Ph.D. student in Biological and Biomedical Sciences at Harvard University, she studied PI3K signaling in breast cancer progression under the mentorship of Dr. Alex Toker. She completed postdoctoral training with Dr. Robert Weinberg at the Whitehead Institute, where she investigated the metabolic vulnerabilities of therapy-resistant breast cancers.

Her contributions to science have been recognized with numerous awards, including the HHMI Freeman Hrabowski Scholar Award, the MIT Stem Cell Initiative Pilot Award, andfellowships from the Jane Coffin Childs Memorial Fund and the Emerald Foundation.

Schedule of Events

Monday - Oct 20th \| Schiller Institute Convening Space (Rm 501)
12:00 PM- 1:15 PM	Public Research Talk
4:30 PM	Personal Story and Science Talk