Motivation Leads to Action for Sydnie Bayles
Portrait of Sydnie Bayles. Photo sourced from LinkedIn.
Sydnie Bayles, BS’26, chemical engineering, has brought her love for science and philanthropy to Northeastern, participating in many co-ops and extracurriculars. Recently, Bayles and her lab partner, Marissa Darcangelo, garnered a first-place award presenting their research at AIChE 2025.
Motivated beginnings
Sydnie Bayles is currently completing her bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering. Bayles attended a STEM high school, a part of the International Baccalaureate (IB) program, where her love of science was nurtured. But science has never been separate from service in Bayles’ life. Since age two, she has been selling lemonade for Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation, a Pennsylvania-based pediatric cancer charity. To date, she has raised over $275,000. This combination of scientific curiosity and a drive to help others—particularly children facing cancer—has shaped both her education and her research focus.
Bayles carries this philosophy with her, explaining that she wants the work she is doing to have an impact because, for her, holding this perspective “makes the work a whole lot easier”. Bayles also takes inspiration from both of her grandfathers, who were also engineers. She decided to pursue chemical engineering specifically due to its ties with the medical and pharmaceutical field, but also because she recognizes that this degree is constantly evolving. She states that she “wanted to be able to find a career that as the world changes and as science evolves, I can also change and adapt with the world.”
Co-ops and extracurriculars
Bayles was initially drawn to Northeastern because her grandfather attended the university and because she loves Boston’s energy—a city that still offers easy access to her favorite outdoor activities like hiking and skiing. As a long-time advocate for experiential learning from her IB education, so values Northeastern’s co-op program for allowing her to develop real-world lab skills and industry experience beyond traditional classroom assessments.
By the time she graduates, she will have completed three co-ops. Reflecting on her first co-op at Solid Biosciences, Bayles explains that the experience was mutually reinforcing—her studies prepared for the work while her co-op knowledge enhanced her classroom learning. When she returned to her Unit Operations Lab at Northeastern, she was able to share her hands-on experience with instrumentation and process controls with her peers. The co-op also solidified her career direction and taught her the importance of patient advocacy groups within pharmaceutical companies. Most recently, Bayles secured her final co-op at the University of Cagliari, where she’ll work in environmental engineering.
Bayles has participated in numerous clubs around Northeastern. She appreciates her time with NU Stage, as she enjoys seeing her fellow chemical engineering students in an artistic and creative environment. Bayles is also a part of Hillel on campus, focused on the philanthropic and interfaith activities of the club, such as their Challah bake sales and their work with the Northeastern Community Fridge. She “enjoy[s] being a part of a club to make the campus a more loving and welcoming place for everybody.” Lastly, Bayles is a Husky Ambassador for the College of Engineering, where she acquired skills in adaptation and public speaking.
Success and the future
Sydnie Bayles (left) and Marissa Darcangelo (right) presenting their research at AIChE 2025. Photo sourced from LinkedIn.
Bayles and her lab partner, Marissa Darcangelo, earned first place for Education and Other category at the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE) National Student Conference 2025 for their research with COE Distinguished Teaching Professor and Associate Chair for Undergraduate Studies Luke Landherr. This research consisted of a series of comics and concept test questions depicting the content of the first-year chemical engineering class, to assess the importance of visual learning tools in the classroom. They divided the course content into 16 topics, creating 10-page comics for each that helps students learn while empowering them through diverse representation. This research is important to Bayles because she believes “…in order to create good engineers, we need to have a good engineering education which accommodates diverse learners and learning styles.”
Bayles expects to graduate in Fall 2026. Looking back, Bayles reflects that one of the important lessons she has learned is how to better collaborate with her peers. She is grateful to her department, explaining that she admires “how much of an emphasis there is on collaboration among students.” She admires Assistant Teaching Professor and Assistant Dean for Space Brian Lejeune, who taught her Transport 2 class, where she claims, “he was one of the first professors [for Bayles] that really emphasized collaborative learning and advocating for yourself.” As she continues into her next co-op and approaches graduation, Bayles remains committed to her personal philosophy and the lessons from her supportive community to positively impact the world around her.