If you're interested in hands-on biology, research, and real experimental work, this is one of the most unique classes you can take.

What you’ll do:

• Work with real model organisms like Drosophila, zebrafish, C. elegans, chicken embryos, axolotl, planarians, and more
• Explore key concepts like:
  • Gene regulation & cell signaling
  • Pattern formation
  • Cell migration & adhesion
  • Cell fate determination
• Actually manipulate embryos and observe development in real time

The second half of the course is independent research: you design your own project, ask your own biological question, and run experiments to answer it.

About the professor:

Dr. Chugh (new faculty at UMBC, started Aug 2025)

• Postdoc at Harvard Medical School
• PhD (magna cum laude) from Max Planck Institute & University of Tübingen
• Super approachable and genuinely passionate about developmental biology!

This class was previously offered and is now being revived with new model organisms and project opportunities, great chance to be part of something fresh and impactful.

If you're thinking about research, grad school, med school, or just want a real lab experience beyond basic courses, this is a hidden gem.

👉 Highly recommend checking it out and signing up!

The Bioinformatics Computational Biology Association (BCBA) is excited to host Dr. David Case.

Join us for this talk on Friday, November 14th at 12PM, where he will be presenting virtually, but we will be meeting in-person in BIOL 120 to have a small question panel at the end!

Dr. Case received his undergraduate education from Michigan State University, and earned Masters and Ph.D. degrees from Harvard University, working with Dudley Herschbach and Martin Karplus. He has held teaching positions at the University of California, Davis, The Scripps Research Institute, and at Rutgers University. 

He is a legend in the field of molecular dynamics simulation of proteins and nucleic acids like RNA. Also he's one of the key figures behind the development of the bio simulation suite Amber (https://ambermd.org/)

Think you can mix science and sweetness?
Create your own biologically inspired candy design, from protein lollipops to DNA gummies, anything goes!

Top 5 designs win mystery prizes!
Free candy for everyone
Bring a friend (or two!) and join the fun

Location: BIOL 120
Date: October 30
Time: 5:30 PM

What we'll do

• Quick intro to protein biologics + design

• Live ProteinMPNN sequence design (run on our station)

• ColabFold structure prediction (in your browser)

• PyMOL visualization + comparing mutations

Bring a laptop (optional but recommended):

• Chrome installed (for ColabFold)

• If you want to follow PyMOL locally, join our discord for the install information! 

Join us tonight (4/22) in ILSB 302 at 5:30 PM for Bioinformatics Trivia Night.
We’ll be playing Kahoot with a mix of science, fun facts, and friendly competition.

No prior bioinformatics experience needed — just bring your curiosity.
Winners will be announced and receive their mystery prizes at our next meeting (E-Board Elections on 4/29).

Location: ILSB 302
Time: 5:30 PM
Trivia, prizes, and a good time.

See you there.

We’re doing a lot this semester—events, research, labs, cool content, and more.

To stay up to date on everything, make sure to follow and connect with us:




Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/bcbaumbc/
TikTok –  https://www.tiktok.com/@bcbaumbc
YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@UMBCBioinformaticsClub
Discord – https://discord.gg/wG5jwrNPT4

Don’t miss updates, behind-the-scenes clips, and new opportunities. We’re building something special—come be a part of it.

Want to help lead the club next year? Now’s your chance to join the E-board.
You can apply for multiple positions and just give a quick reason (2 sentences or less) for each one.

Apply here:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfu6jSmLBfXRTn4DCzEzDj4GAWVAsGyf4p5C8xUMSWrbrsRAg/viewform?usp=sharing

Deadline: Thursday, 4/24 at 11:59 PM
Don’t wait—get your application in.

If you have any questions, feel free to reach out or join the Discord:
https://discord.gg/wG5jwrNPT4

The Bioinformatics Computational Biology Association (BCBA) is excited to host Elia Mascolo, a final-year PhD student at UMBC, as our guest speaker!

Join us tomorrow (March 25th) at 5:30 PM in ILSB 302 for a special talk where Elia will discuss his academic journey and projects related to bacterial evolution and bioinformatics. He’ll share how his research experiences have shaped his understanding of bacterial systems and the role computational tools play in studying them.