Excerpt from from UMBC News: Finding The Harmony Within Art And Science - UMBC: University Of Maryland, Baltimore County

At UMBC, undergraduate students are redefining the boundaries of scientific and artistic pursuits. From a chemical engineer who graces the stage with his cello to a bioinformatician who paints and a biochemist who ignites the dance floor with Latin rhythms, these scholars thrive in an environment that celebrates their diverse passions.

This spring, several U-RISE Scholars—NIH’s Undergraduate Research Training Initiative for Student Enhancement—shared their multidisciplinary interests with their U-RISE advisors. As a result, the advisors started asking how the arts and science blend in these students’ lives, and presented the findings at an academic conference this spring. What they learned was that here, rigorous research and creative expression intertwine, fostering a vibrant community where students explore every dimension of their talents.

For Joshua Dayie, a senior chemical engineering major, both discipline and creativity are required for his research and his art—playing the cello. “You really have to strike a balance between them to make any meaningful progress,” he says. Practicing cello requires hours of repetition, until technical passages flow out of his fingers from muscle memory alone. In the lab, sometimes experiments must be repeated many times before they’re successful—that’s the discipline. 

Dayie applies that discipline to his research with Mark Marten, professor of chemical, biochemical, and environmental engineering, on characterizing signaling pathways in fungi that activate in response to environmental stressors.

Then comes the creativity. Only after someone masters the fundamentals can they explore nuance in the tone or emotion conveyed on the cello, Dayie says. Similarly, in science “a lot of the innovation that you generate is really only meaningful after you’ve spent a lot of time understanding the core scientific concepts behind everything.”

“I think that’s been the most surprising thing: The creativity that comes from a very sound foundation of discipline is something that is translatable pretty much anywhere,” Dayie reflects. 

As an added bonus, “Music has been a really nice outlet for me to use a different part of my brain, just to express myself in a different way,” he adds. “I feel like it makes me a little bit more whole.”

Reposted from UMBC News:https://umbc.edu/stories/cider-program-hilltop-medicaid-study/ 

UMBC’s CIDER program supports new Hilltop Institute-led Medicaid study, other cross-collaborative projects

UMBC researchers are collaborating on a study that takes a closer look at specific diagnosis coding patterns that focus on societal factors that potentially influence the health of Maryland’s Medicaid recipients. 

Morgan Henderson, director of analytics and research at UMBC’s The Hilltop Institute, and Jun Chu, assistant professor of public health, are among the five cross-collaborative teams selected to receive funding from UMBC’s Center and Institute Departmentally-Engaged Research (CIDER) program. Henderson and Chu’s CIDER-supported project will investigate potential “z code” patterns of the state’s Medicaid recipients. Z codes are a set of diagnosis codes that refer to factors influencing a patient’s health status beyond diseases or injuries, called social determinants of health. 

“These specific diagnosis codes indicate certain social determinants of health-related factors, not just traditionally medical things,” explains Henderson, principal investigator of the study. Z code data indicates if a patient has an issue that’s related to social risk factors, such as unstable housing, lack of food, hazardous living environments, and employment status.

“There hasn’t been much analysis of z code patterns and we aim to lay a good foundation for better understanding these diagnosis codes within Maryland’s Medicaid data,” says Henderson. 

A deeper look into z code diagnosing could be a useful identification “to bring extra resources to Medicaid recipients who are in need,” says Chu. 

Analyzing Medicaid data

The study coincides with recent news of potential billion-dollar federal budget cuts to Maryland’s Medicaid program, which currently supports about 1.7 million Maryland residents. The Hilltop Institute specializes in working with the state’s Medicaid data. According to the institute’s Maryland Medicaid DataPort, two in five of those in Medicaid are children and Medicaid pays for 60 percent of nursing home stays. 

Chu’s research has largely focused on social determinants of health with a particular focus on immigrant communities and Medicaid recipients who are children. Henderson helped to develop and currently manages Hilltop’s predictive modeling portfolio. These predictive models, which also utilize z code data, use a variety of risk factors derived from Medicare and Medicaid claims data to estimate the probability that a given patient incurs certain outcomes in the near future.

The pair’s project will include two studies: one study will focus specifically on the patients ascribed z codes to determine what patterns arise based on patient-specific factors such as demographics, health care utilization, or geography. 

The second study will focus on analyzing the characteristics of the healthcare providers that indicate the z codes on Medicaid claims. 

“Patient claims are the engine that so much of health analysis relies upon. It’s the decision of the provider on which coding diagnoses to include—it’s not a completely standardized process,” says Henderson. 

CIDER 2025 recipients

The CIDER program’s goal includes supporting and promoting collaborative research between scholars based in one of UMBC’s affiliate centers and institutes and the university’s faculty researchers. Selected proposals are awarded up to $50,000 in seed funding for 18 months. 

The 2025 CIDER program recipients include: 

• Anin Puthukkudy, Earth and Space Institute, and Vanderlei Martins, professor of physics
• Jessica Sutton, Goddard Earth Sciences Technology and Research (GESTAR) II, Tejas Gokhale, assistant professor of computer science and electrical engineering, and Thomas Stanley, GESTAR II
• Kaur Kullman, the Center for Space Sciences and Technology, Alan Sherman, Roberto Yus, and Enis Golaszewski, professors of computer science and electrical engineering
• Morgan Henderson, The Hilltop Institute at UMBC, and Jun Chu, assistant professor of public health
• Venkatesh Srinivasan, Center for Advanced Sensor Technology, Tyler Josephson, assistant professor of chemical, biochemical, and environmental engineering

Don Engel, associate vice president for research development, shares that the CIDER program was created to foster collaborations that draw on the full range of UMBC’s strengths in research and creative achievement. 

“CIDER helps connect faculty in our research centers with colleagues in degree-granting departments to pursue work with real impact—work that informs policy, advances knowledge, and ultimately serves the public good,” says Engel. 

Ariel Willson-Gray and Zorah Williams, CBEE undergraduates, participated in the ACS Spring 2025 Conference in San Diego, CA at the end of March. They each presented the innovative research they have been working on while at UMBC.

Ariel Willson-Gray is a Chemical Engineering undergraduate student on the Biotechnology and Bioengineering track who works in Dr. Almodovar’s lab. Ariel’s project explores how a layered surface of collagen and heparin can influence the properties and production of extracellular vesicles from living cells. 

Ariel shared, “Although ACS is a chemistry-focused meeting, I had insightful conversations and connected with amazing researchers in biomedical engineering, who shared valuable insights about research and career paths in the field. I also had the pleasure of meeting Dr. John Macklin, from the University of Washington, whose background is in chemistry. He generously offered thoughtful advice and guidance on navigating STEM as a Black scientist, which I deeply appreciated.”

Zorah Williams is a Chemical Engineering undergraduate student on the Environmental Engineering and Sustainability Track. Zorah presented her summer research on behalf of the Institute of Marine and Environmental Technology (IMET) which focused on the role of filter-feeding organisms in improving water quality by reducing excess nutrients. 

Zorah shared, “Throughout the conference, I had the chance to connect with students, researchers, and professionals from across the country and the world. It was an amazing experience getting to engage with other researchers, exchange ideas, and gain feedback on my work. I also had the chance to reconnect with a friend from high school who was also presenting, and we had a chance to see each other's work and catch up. This was also my first time visiting San Diego, and I really enjoyed trying local restaurants and exploring the city with other students. This was all made possible by the support of the Meyerhoff Program and UMBC. I highly encourage students to consider attending next year, as it's a valuable chance to grow professionally, make connections, and explore somewhere new!”

Read more about these students’ research below.

Poster Title: Production of Extracellular Vesicles from Mammalian Cells Modulated by a Biomimetic Surface

Authors: Ariel Wilson-Gray, Melanie Nelson, and Jorge Almodovar

Abstract: Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are nano-sized compartments secreted by cells as part of cellular signaling. Encased in a lipid bilayer, they carry proteins, lipids, and nucleic acids, making them promising candidates for drug delivery, diagnostics, and immunotherapy. However, conventional isolation methods face challenges due to EV variability. This study compares EV production from three cell types—NIH-3T3 fibroblasts, human Schwann cells, and human mesenchymal stem cells—using two isolation techniques: chemical isolation alone and in combination with centrifuge filtration. Findings show that integrating centrifuge filtration enhances purification, yielding smaller EVs associated with intercellular communication. Additionally, we investigate EV production on a biomimetic surface composed of heparin and collagen. Collagen facilitates sustained miRNA release, potentially improving EV therapeutic applications, while heparin inhibits EV transfer between cells, allowing for accumulation and improved isolation. Leveraging heparin’s affinity may provide an additional purification strategy. Future research will explore a collagen/heparin multilayer surface to further optimize EV isolation and composition, complementing existing methods. These advancements could enhance EV-based therapies, broadening their potential impact in medicine.

Poster Title: Evaluating the Impact of Suspension Feeders on Nutrient Levels in the Chesapeake Bay

Authors: Zorah Williams, Ronita Sequeira, Dr. Eric Schott

Abstract: This study assessed the ability of suspension-feeding communities to reduce chlorophyll levels in Baltimore Harbor by filtering out phytoplankton. The project explored the potential of filter-feeding species and whether these communities could positively impact water quality through phytoplankton uptake. The experimental setup consisted of two rafts: one with nylon straps that became populated by a biofouling community of mussels, barnacles, and other suspension feeders and a control raft with nylon straps but without biofouling. Both rafts were located in a part of Baltimore Harbor with high phytoplankton levels due to nutrient-rich urban runoff. Water samples were collected from within and adjacent to the two rafts, and phytoplankton were filtered onto glass fiber filters. Filters were extracted with ethanol, and chlorophyll levels were measured using fluorometry.

To ensure accuracy in chlorophyll measurements, we compared the performance of two fluorometers—a benchtop device and a handheld model—by analyzing their variance levels. This was achieved through a series of rhodamine standards where multiple samples of varying dilutions were measured in triplicate, and their coefficients of variance were calculated. The handheld fluorometer, with its lower variance, was confirmed to provide reliable readings for assessing chlorophyll readings of Chesapeake Bay samples. The extracted chlorophyll from the biofouling community and control rafts were measured, and the findings were statistically compared.

This research is part of a larger initiative to explore the ecosystem services provided by biofouling communities in urban estuaries. By assessing their role in particulate and nitrogen removal and investigating the potential for composting harvested biofouling organisms, this study creates valuable knowledge that may be used to use nature-based methods to better improve water quality.

On April 16, 2025, over 300 undergraduate students shared their research and achievements through oral presentations, poster presentations, artistic exhibits, performances, films, interactive games, and more in the University Center.

Congratulations to all CBEE students who participated in the event!

Oral Presentations

Evalynn Ellison | Ultrasound-Responsive Phospholipid-Coated Microbubbles for Controlled Drug Delivery Across Mucosa | Chemical, Biochemical, and Environmental Engineering | Canan Dagdeviren

Poster Presentations

Shashane Anderson | Formal Verification of Thermodynamic Models With Lean 4 | Chemical, Biochemical, and Environmental Engineering | Tyler Josephson

Alvin Bett | Detecting PFAS in Baltimore Harbor Using Novel Passive Samplers | Chemical, Biochemical, and Environmental Engineering | Lee Blaney

Jacob Craft | Measuring the Selectivity Coefficients of 19 PFAS With Four Anion-Exchange Membranes | Chemical, Biochemical, and Environmental Engineering | Lee Blaney

Joshua Dayie | Engineering CRBN for Improved Assay and Structural Enablement Using DeNovo Protein Scaffolds | Chemical, Biochemical, and Environmental Engineering | Nicole LaRonde

Trevor Gibson | Hybrid Anion-Exchange Resins Improve the Uptake and Selectivity for (Ultra)Short-Chain PFAS in Drinking Water | Chemical, Biochemical, and Environmental Engineering | Lee Blaney

Elias Gilotte | Uncovering The Relationship Between Oxygen Availability and Energy Sources in Cell-free Protein Synthesis | Chemical, Biochemical, and Environmental Engineering | Govind Rao

Alexander Haibel | GraphARC: An AI Benchmark for Chemical Reasoning | Chemical, Biochemical, and Environmental Engineering | Tyler Josephson

Sydney Hofstetter | Sucrose Density Gradient Centrifugation Versus Anion Exchange for Exosome Sample Purification | Chemical, Biochemical, and Environmental Engineering | Jorge Almodovar

Jasmine Ives | Polychlorinated Biphenyl Monitoring in Maryland Fish | Chemical, Biochemical, and Environmental Engineering | Upal Ghosh

Tonderai Kodzwa | Effect Of Temperature On Aqueous Zinc Ion Batteries | Chemical, Biochemical, and Environmental Engineering | Ozgur Capraz

Peter Lombardo | Percent Viability Screens To Confirm Integral Cell Wall Signaling Kinases In Aspergillus Nidulans | Chemical, Biochemical, and Environmental Engineering | Mark Marten

Terra Miley | Optimization Of Cell-Free Protein Synthesis Bioreactors With the Use of a Fluorescent Magnesium Biosensor | Chemical, Biochemical, and Environmental Engineering | Govind Rao

Meredith Morse | Characterizing The Aspergillus Nidulans Kinase Deletion Library | Chemical, Biochemical, and Environmental Engineering | Mark Marten

Tithi Prajapati | Noninvasive Wearable Device For Transcutaneous CO2 Based Early Detection Of Opioid-Induced Respiratory Depression | Chemical, Biochemical, and Environmental Engineering | Venkatesh Srinivasan

Matthew Quintanilla | Characterization Of Transmembrane Transporters Linked To Cell Wall Stress Response | Chemical, Biochemical, and Environmental Engineering | Mark Marten

Jessica Slaughter | Suite Of Bioinformatic-Analysis Apps For Better Understanding Dynamic Omics Data | Chemical, Biochemical, and Environmental Engineering | Mark Marten

Maaike Swaters | Measuring Ion-exchange Membrane Properties That Control Nutrient Recovery By Donnan Dialysis | Chemical, Biochemical, and Environmental Engineering | Lee Blaney

Greeshma Tarimala | Using Gene Editing And Fluorescent Microscopy To Characterize The PrkA Kinase In Aspergillus Nidulans | Chemical, Biochemical, and Environmental Engineering | Mark Marten

Julia Van Der Marel | Monitoring Of NADH Concentrations In Cell-Free Systems | Chemical, Biochemical, and Environmental Engineering | Govind Rao

Benjamin Welling | Fabrications Of An Autonomous Chemically Powered Vehicle: (AIChE Chem-E Car) | Chemical, Biochemical, and Environmental Engineering | Neha Raikar

Zorah Williams | Utilizing Manganese-Oxide As An Electrode Material For Aqueous Zn-ion Batteries. | Chemical, Biochemical, and Environmental Engineering | Ozgur Capraz

Ariel Wilson-Gray | Production Of Extracellular Vesicles From Mammalian Cells Modulated By A Biomimetic Surface | Chemical, Biochemical, and Environmental Engineering | Jorge Almodovar

Reposted from UMBC News: https://umbc.edu/quick-posts/students-celebrate-engineering-and-computing-week-with-fun-and-networking/

A multidisciplinary team of UMBC researchers was recently awarded $3.8 million from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) to develop new computational methods for assessing the feasibility of scientific claims. The project is motivated by the speed and volume of new developments in science and the need for tools to help evaluate the soundness of new claims.

“Some scientific claims are peer reviewed by independent experts, but others, such as from company press releases, or papers posted to pre-prints sites, are not,” says Frank Ferraro, an associate professor of computer science and lead researcher on the award. And even when science is peer-reviewed, there can still be errors, Ferraro notes. For example, recent research highlighting the danger of flame retardant chemicals leaching from black plastic into food was widely reported on, before it was discovered that an error in the paper led to a significant overstating of the exposure risk. 

An AI science assistant 

The idea of an AI assistant specifically designed to tackle complex research questions has been catching on recently. OpenAI, the creators of ChatGPT, recently debuted their “DeepResearch” tool, which the company says can use reasoning to synthesize large amounts of online information and complete multi-step research tasks.

Ferraro says the tool he and his colleagues hope to develop should stand-out from other approaches by employing a strongly iterative process, necessary to really take apart and analyze claims. The tool will break down a scientific claim into constituent sub-claims, and apply a wide range of evidence and reasoning approaches to assess the feasibility of each one. 

The team, which includes UMBC faculty Tejas Gokhale, computer science and electrical engineering, and Tyler Josephson, chemical, biochemical, and environmental engineering, as well as colleagues from Stony Brook University, the University of Texas at Austin, and the University of Cambridge, will develop and test the tool on three leading areas of scientific research: materials science, AI, and quantum computing.

“It’s a little meta that the AI will be analyzing AI,” Ferraro says. More than 20 UMBC undergrads, grad students, and post-docs will take part in the project. “They’ll get opportunities to network with peers on a highly relevant topic,” Ferraro says. “They’ll be helping guide the national conversation on these issues.”

Reposted from UMBC News: https://umbc.edu/quick-posts/students-celebrate-engineering-and-computing-week-with-fun-and-networking/

Where can UMBC engineering and computing students mingle with friends and mentors over sweet treats, test their knowledge and design skills in friendly competition, and network with potential employers? If it’s February, the answer is the annual Engineering and Computing Week, a traditional celebration of technology, held each year at UMBC to coincide with National Engineers Week. 

The UMBC chapter of the engineering honors society Tau Beta Pi, in collaboration with various student engineering organizations on campus, organizes the week of activities each year. This year, the line-up of events featured a mix of social activities, such as painting and crafting, presentations from student organizations, and chances for teams to compete in games testing engineering knowledge and design skills.

UMBC chapters of the Information Systems Security Association, the American Institute of Chemical Engineers, the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, the Society of Women Engineers, Engineers without Borders, and the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers all helped organize sessions. UMBC CyberDawgs, a group of UMBC students who share a common interest in cybersecurity, also participated. 

Students could also join faculty, staff, and alumni from the College of Engineering and Information Technology at an evening reception at the Guinness Brewery near UMBC to socialize and network.

“I think the biggest success from the week was the great turnout and engagement we got from the students,” says August Phelps, a mechanical engineering senior and vice president of the UMBC chapter of Tau Beta Pi.

He says the event showcases the wide variety of engineering-focused student organizations at UMBC, which hold events throughout the year and offer great opportunities for students to develop leadership skills and form lasting connections with their peers. 

“I hope attendees left feeling more connected as a community,” he says.

Reposted from UMBC News: https://umbc.edu/stories/measuring-forever-chemicals-in-baltimore-waters/

On a sunny and unseasonably warm Halloween this past fall, a group of costumed UMBC students strolled the banks of the Inner Harbor in Baltimore. The costumes were in good fun, but the spirit driving them to the city that day was more scientific than spectral: They were there to check on samplers they had installed around the harbor to measure the concentrations of certain chemicals called per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, in the water. 

PFAS are used in a diverse range of products, including cleaning products, clothing, and fire-fighting foam, and have earned the nickname “forever chemicals” because of the way they persist in the environment. There are growing concerns about the health effects of the chemicals, and in recent years there have been efforts to eliminate PFAS from some consumer products and regulate their concentration in drinking water.

The UMBC students’ work to measure PFAS in Baltimore Harbor is one of the first projects aiming to get an understanding of how much of the chemicals are found in the waters around Baltimore and where they might be coming from. Margaret Siao, a master’s student in chemical engineering, took a lead role in the work as part of the ICARE program, which links researchers and Baltimore community members on environmental projects around the city.

Donya Hamidi, an environmental engineering Ph.D. student, also took part in the project, which served as a test case for a larger project she is working on, seeking to expand the utility of innovative passive samplers to measure PFAS in any water source. 

“I’ve lived in Baltimore most of my life,” says Siao. “The harbor is a big part of the city, although many people don’t go out on the water. And that’s one of the reasons I wanted to look at the water quality.”

PFAS are everywhere

There are thousands of different PFAS chemicals. Because of their widespread use and resistance to degradation, they are found throughout the country in the water, soil, air, and food, and in the blood of humans and animals. 

Exposure to some forms of PFAS has been linked to a range of health problems, including decreased fertility in women, developmental effects in children, reduced immune function, and increased risk of cancer and obesity. 

“The PFAS issue just gets more and more complicated by the day,” says Lee Blaney, the environmental engineering professor who leads the lab where Siao and Hamidi work. He notes the EPA recently released an initial risk assessment for certain PFAS found in biosolids, which are a byproduct of wastewater treatment and are sometimes applied to agricultural land as fertilizer. “It’s a big, far-reaching issue.”

Partnering with the community

Blaney is an expert on PFAS, and as concerns about the prevalence and potential health effects of the chemicals have grown, his lab has been a leading partner with Baltimore community members who advocate for and are responsible for the quality of the water.

Siao’s ICARE project was a partnership with the United States Geological Survey Maryland-Delaware-D.C. Water Science Center and Blue Water Baltimore, a non-profit organization with the mission to restore the quality of Baltimore’s rivers, streams, and harbor. Blue Water Baltimore shared their knowledge of the harbor and area waterways and their connections with the community, while lab members shared their expertise and will share their PFAS data once it has been analyzed.

“PFAS is a hot topic, so Margaret’s project is really good timing,” says Barbara Johnson, who was Siao’s mentor at Blue Water Baltimore. “I think her data will be very useful for us in helping the public understand what PFAS are, for example just understanding how many different kinds there are. Margaret has taught me so much about PFAS.”

As part of the field work, Siao and Hamidi also sampled water at the outlet of the Patapsco Wastewater Treatment Plant in Baltimore. That partnership arose when Mohammed Almafrachi, who works as an engineer for the Baltimore City Department of Public Works, became interested in the PFAS issue and sought out a local expert.

“Last year, I found Dr. Blaney’s name on the internet. I drove to the campus, found his office, and he was there. I introduced myself as an engineer at the city of Baltimore, and we sat down and started talking,” Almafrachi says. From that conversation grew not only the collaboration to measure PFAS at the wastewater treatment plant, but also a tour of Baltimore’s largest drinking water treatment plant that Almafrachi gave students in Blaney’s class on environmental physicochemical processes last spring. Almafrachi said he was happy to provide students with a window on a real-world workplace where their skills might one day be applied.

“If you have not gone to the field, then you are not yet a full engineer,” says Almafrachi. “We can talk about theories and textbooks endlessly, but the field is where you really test your skills.”

The value of field work

Siao and Hamidi agree with Almafrachi about the value of field work. They installed their PFAS samplers at three of the four trash wheels around Baltimore Harbor—personified contraptions named Mr. Trash Wheel, Professor Trash Wheel, and Gwynnda the Good Wheel of the West that collect floating trash and keep it from dirtying the harbor. To get to the trash wheels, they took a flat-bottomed wooden boat, “more like a floating platform with a little cabin,” Siao says. 

“Almost every time we collected a sampler, we saw something new or unexpected, for example algae growing on the sampler, and we had to figure out what was going on at that particular site,” says Hamidi. The team’s work and the measurements they collected and are currently analyzing will serve as a foundation for future studies about PFAS in the local environment.

Both Hamidi and Siao say they valued the teamwork of their trips, and the chance to meet people in the community impacted by their research.

“If you are stuck in a lab all day, it’s easy to forget why you’re doing research,” says Siao. “This project gave me a chance to interact with people outside of academia, to learn about what’s important to them, and to learn how to communicate about science with them, which is a really important skill.”

Maya Schreiber’s scientific abstract was accepted to the Society of Women Engineers Collegiate Competition for Undergraduates. The CBEE student then attended the 2025 Society of Women Engineers WE Local Conference in Cherry Hill, New Jersey on March 7-8, 2025.

Maya gave a 10 minute oral presentation titled “Measuring Oxygen Consumption to Understand Optimal Chronic Wound Healing Environments” and engaged in a Q&A session about her work with the judges and attendees. Her research poster was also displayed for the duration of the conference. The judges evaluated the presenters and awarded Maya with first place in the Undergraduate category. Congratulations to Maya on all of her success! 

See Maya Schreiber’s Linked In post: https://shorturl.at/nknIb 

PHOTO CREDIT: Maya Schreiber

Students from McDonogh High School’s Chemical Engineering class visited the Department of Chemical, Biochemical and Environmental Engineering (CBEE) on February 27th. They toured lab spaces, heard from faculty and students about their innovative research, and learned about CBEE’s academic program. They were accompanied by Dr. Melanie Batarseh, an Upper School Science Teacher, and Jennifer Little, an Academic Dean.

The visit began with Dr. Marten, the Chair of CBEE, sharing insights about the department’s academic offerings and research projects. McDonogh students shared about the chemical engineering projects they were working on and asked questions about CBEE. COEIT Advisor, Hailey Turney, joined to give an overview of the application process for the CBEE program. Students enjoyed breakfast and won UMBC swag by answering questions about CBEE.

Then, students toured the laboratories of Dr. Josephson, Dr. Almodovar, and Dr. Hennigan. During the tours, ongoing research projects were discussed, equipment demonstrations were given, and lab samples were passed around to inspire curiosity amongst students.

This visit was a great opportunity for high school students to connect with CBEE faculty and students, explore potential engineering career paths, and better understand the real-world impact of chemical, biochemical, and environmental engineering.