Hello Everyone,

Welcome to Spring 2022 BioCOM! Whether you are a new or returning member, we are excited to have a great semester with you all. Our board and members are composed of talented individuals who want to help you succeed in your educational journey as Biological Sciences majors. 

Our first General Body Meeting will be held next week, Monday February 21, from 4-5pm. The meeting is IN-PERSON in ILSB 116B. We will go over introductory material about the club and its members, along with a schedule of events and activities. We will also share some information about the Mentorship Program, BioEthics Panel, and send out a questionnaire. 

Also, for those looking for volunteer opportunities, Ascension ST. Agnes Chaperone Program is currently in need of your help! Please see the flier attached for more information.

We look forward to seeing you all!

Hello Everyone,

It’s the last week of classes! We’re almost done; so give it your best before the semester ends!

Friday we had our Bioethics Panel, and we want to thank everyone who was able to come and participate. Our speakers, Dr. Pan, Dr. Eid, Dr. Moreira, and Dr. Lavik, presented their research about CRISPR/Genetic Engineering. We hope that you all learned a lot from the event, and you can reach out to them with any questions. 

Tomorrow is our final GBM for the fall semester. Take a break from all of the stress and studying to join us for a Trivia/Kahoot event. We can answer any questions and go over any tips for applying to internships for the summer. 

Also, due to schedule conflicts, next semester we will be hosting our GBM at a different time. However, we need your help to decide. Attached is a Google Forms, which we ask everyone to fill out to determine the best meeting time for you all for Spring 2022. We plan on having meetings in-person next semester. Get excited!

Also, many of you are eligible to receive a free BioCOM T-shirt! But first, we will need designs. So, we are asking you all to submit a design for a chance to display your amazing artistic skills and get the T-shirt. Email us to express your interest.

Have a great week!

https://forms.gle/4mCtyF4SYEJjbUYy9

Hello Everyone,

We’re almost done! There are only two more weeks left of classes. 

Thank you to everyone who attended last week’s GBM where Dr. Erill presented his research on bacteria and the efficacy of antibiotics. We hope you all learned and enjoyed the presentation. 

We have a lot planned for you all this week; so please take advantage of the opportunities! This Friday (12/3), we have TWO events. 

One is the lab tour at Dr. Laurie Sutton’s lab from 2-3pm. Due to COVID restrictions, only about the first 10 people will be able to attend the tour. The lab tours committee chair, Irina, will reach out to those eligible to go. 

Second, the Bioethics Panel is also this Friday from 7pm - 9pm in Public Policy 208. Yes, it is in-person! We will be having four speakers discuss the topic of CRISPR/Genetic engineering. You will have the opportunity to engage in discussions and a Q/A session with the speakers. We strongly encourage you to attend and to bring your friends. Pizza will be served. 

Also, for any seniors that are graduating this semester, please reach out to the executive board about purchasing a graduate cord. 

We will be sending out information about next semester’s meeting times and T-shirt design competition in future emails. So please look out for that.

Hello Everyone,

Thanksgiving is this week! With the break starting, there are a few things we would like to update you all on. 

Thank you to everyone who attended last week’s GBM where we presented Dr. Mendelson’s paper for journal club. We hope you all learned and enjoyed the paper. If you missed the meeting from last week, please refer to our myUMBC page to a recording and slides of the presentation. 

Our next GBM will be tomorrow 11/21, where we will have Dr. Erill present. Dr. Erill is a professor at UMBC with research interests in evolution of transcriptional regulatory networks in Bacteria He also conducts research at the university focusing on evolution of transcriptional regulatory networks. This is a great opportunity for networking and earning potential for lab positions. 

To prepare, we recommend that you read Dr. Erill’s research paper (attached below), which will give you more insight on his lab and practice breaking down scientific articles. 

Please refer to our Journal Club Meeting slides for aid on reading the paper. 

Furthermore, for those who were interested in the mentorship program, we have your groups/pairings. Each mentor and mentee will be sent personalized emails detailing more information. Get excited!

Also, the Bioethics Panel is right around the corner. Keep your schedules open for next Friday (12/3) from 7-9 to learn more about CRISPR and Genetic Engineering. We will have amazing panelists; so please come out. IT’S IN PERSON.

One more thing, for those who have met the requirements will be getting T-shirts soon! But first, we need to have designs; therefore, we will be having a T-shirt competition where you all will have the opportunity to submit