NEWS BRIEFS
Leland Cheung vies for Lieutenant Governor position
Leland Cheung MBA ‘10 recently announced a bid for Massachusetts’ lieutenant governor position, under the Democratic Party. Cheung, a graduate of MIT’s Sloan School of Management and Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government, is serving his second term on the Cambridge City Council. According to the Boston Globe, Cheung is planning on investing six figures into his upcoming campaign. He stated in an interview with the Globe, “I think I have an opportunity to help the Democratic ticket in November.”
As the first Asian-American to serve on the Cambridge City Council, Cheung states on his website that he is “making Cambridge more progressive, using technology to modernize government, and driving the innovation economy.” Cheung is also a venture capitalist; one of his first jobs in the Boston area was as a Senior Associate at Masthead Partners, a Cambridge-based venture capital firm.
“The issues that I’ve been tackling as a Cambridge city councillor and the challenges and opportunities that we’ve faced in the city are the same ones that exist in the Commonwealth.” Cheung stated in an interview with The Crimson. Cheung has served four years on the Cambridge City Council, winning both elections with the most number of votes.
The Massachusetts’ lieutenant governor position has remained vacant since the resignation of Timothy P. Murray on May 22 of last year. Currently, the only other candidate for the lieutenant governor is Karyn Polito, who announced her bid with Massachusetts Republican candidate Charlie Baker, running to become the Commonwealth’s governor.
MIT senior wins Gates Scholarship
Michelle H. Teplensky ‘14, a course 10B (chemical-biological engineering) major, won the Gates Cambridge Scholarship to pursue a PhD in the University of Cambridge starting this fall. Teplensky plans to work with Professor Nigel Slater, the head of the Department of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology at Cambridge. Teplensky stated, in a comment to the MIT News Office, “Professor Slater’s current research into targeted nanoparticles and biopolymers is a great fit for my passion and interests.”
Teplensky has worked in three different laboratories throughout her academic career at MIT. Her most recent research position, in the Langer Lab, focuses on using polymers to treat Type-1 diabetes. Teplensky hopes to ultimately become a chief technology officer of a biotechnology company for targeted, less arduous treatments.
Outside of her research life, Teplensky serves as a peer network engagement intern for MIT Hillel and is the president of MIT’s American Institute of Chemical Engineers. According to her bio on for her sorority, Alpha Chi Omega, Teplensky’s interests include “field hockey, snowboarding, and drama.”
—Tushar Kamath