Abraar is a Biological Sciences major who will graduate in May 2018.
How did you find the research opportunity? I became extremely interested in the topic of regenerative medicine after having taken Molecular Biology and Genetics. I decided to check out the different research labs available on campus and found that Dr. Lobo’s lab very closely fit my interests. From there I decided to contact and meet with Dr. Lobo, to discuss any opportunities available to work in his lab, and luckily enough I was granted a position in the lab.
Do you get course credit for this work? Paid? How much time do you put into it? This semester, I am fortunate enough to be receiving credit for my work. That said, I currently put in about 10-12 hours a week in the lab.
What academic background did you have before you started? Honestly, not much. I began working in Dr. Lobo’s lab in the summer after Sophomore year, at which point the only upper level biology course I had under my belt was Genetics. Fortunately, I was still able to attain the position, and as a result have learned an extensive amount of knowledge in my area of interest.
How did you learn what you needed to know to be successful in this project? I would say the biggest thing was having the help of my PI, Dr. Lobo, as well as my fellow research colleagues. I had to learn a good bit of knowledge with how things worked with the software used in the lab, but I always knew that I could go to Dr. Lobo for whatever questions I had. One thing that I really like about my PI, Dr. Lobo, is he holds weekly one on one meetings, where I can ask him any questions or concerns with any of the research tasks. From my experience, Dr. Lobo certainly does an exceptional job of making sure that his researchers are comfortable with their respective projects.
What was the hardest part about your research? The hardest part about my research was most certainly the fact that the lab was a bioinformatics lab. I had little to no experience with coding, so I was limited in what I could do in the lab. That said, I had to learn a lot about the software, Planform, before being able to do any work in the lab. Fortunately, I was able to catch on quick and help out the best I could. Luckily enough, I am able to work on the current project with a fellow colleague of mine, Junaid, making the whole learning process that much easier. Currently, I am excited about working with a new type of software, called Plangex, that the lab is near finished in completing.
What was the most unexpected thing? The most unexpected thing was the level at which I was able to interact and work with my PI, Dr. Lobo. I had always heard from my friends, who worked in other labs, how they wouldn’t get to work with their PI’s directly, but rather work with graduate students. That fact that I could directly go to my mentor, Dr. Lobo, and get help or advice so easily, was certainly a blessing. I think its agreeable amongst all the researchers in the lab that Dr. Lobo is the best mentor that we could have ever asked for.
How does this research experience relate to your work in other classes? My research in the lab closely relates to the topics of regenerative medicine and stem cells, topics that constantly appears time after time in upper level biology classes. Having conducted research on the matter, I have been able to develop a firm grasp of the topics, making the subject matter a breeze in class. Additionally, my research has required me to read a vast amount of academic literature. This, in turn, has taught the very important skill of being detail oriented. A skill that has proven to be invaluable in all my classes.
What is your advice to other students about getting involved in research? Don’t be afraid to get out there and get involved early on!! I remember when I initially started looking for research in my field interest, I was afraid of being rejected. Looking back, I see how unwise it was to think that way. Just because a PI may not have a spot for you in their lab doesn’t mean you should stop searching. If you really want to get involved in a specific area of study, you should stay proactive. No doubt, working in the lab has taught me skills that I wouldn’t have learned elsewhere. I couldn’t be happier that I decided to contact Dr. Lobo and move forward with research in his lab.
What are your career goals? I aspire to go to medical school, and hopefully help out as many people as possible in the future. If given the chance to do so, I hope to continue researching regenerative medicine down the road after earning a medical degree.
Tarek Antar, Psychology
Examining the Role of Parental and Peer Religious Socialization in the Development of Muslim-American Adolescents’ Religious and National Identities
Mohammed Arafat, Psychology
An Exploration of Muslim-American Adolescents' Perceptions of the Recent Political Climate
Peter Bailer, Chemical, Biochemical, and Environmental Engineering
Synthesis of a PEG hydrogel and collagen mesh to protect surface bound electrochemical aptamer-based biosensors from catalyzed degradation by RNAse
Adnan Baker-Agha and Dhruvil Patel, Chemistry
Nylon-inspired Polymers Containing Reversible Iron-chelated Linkages
Kojo Bonsu, Chemical, Biochemical, and Environmental Engineering
Analysis of Glycolytic Multienyme Complex Formation
Kevin Chen, Biological Sciences
Uncovering the Link Between a Sugar-induced Change in Gut Microbiome and
Metastatic Castration Resistant Prostate Cancer
Nicole Couturier, Chemical, Biochemical, and Environmental Engineering
Monitoring Blood Biomarkers of Immune Responses before and after Therapy in a Mouse Melanoma Model
Lorraine Dell'Acqua, Psychology
An Investigative Analysis of Potential Change in D1-D2 Receptors of Rat Brains
Exposed to Threshold Levels of Particle Radiation
James Raynard Dizon, Chemical Engineering
Testing Nanoparticle-Delivered Antimalarials for Treatment of Lupus
Anna Feerick, Chemical Engineering
Detection of Contaminants within Chesapeake Bay Water, Sediment, and Oysters
David Fialkow, Physics
Characterizing the Mechanical Oscillatory Properties of Nanostructures
Alex Getachew, Interdisciplinary Studies
The Impact of Arts Integration on the Learning Identity of Sixth Grade Students inAnne Arundel County Public Schools
Casey Haines, Biological Sciences
Response of Eastern Bluebirds (Salias salias) to Playbacks of Male and Female
Vocalizations
Jordan Harper, Interdisciplinary Studies
Envisioning a Thriving Democratic Culture
Phillip Hilliard, Computer Science and Electrical Engineering
Automated Analysis and Prediction of Entity-based Sentiment Framing
Mark Horton, Computer Engineering
Human-in-the-Loop Model Improvement and Implementation for Efficient Deep
Reinforcement Learning
Adursh Iyer, Physics and Mathematics
Searching for Gamma-ray Emission from Black Hole Jets
Hannah Jackson, Modern Languages and Linguistics
Second Language Acquisition through Improv
Matthew Kane, Biological Sciences
Cats and Rats vs. the Bahama Oriole: Assessing the Threat of Invasive Species to a Critically Endangered Species
Jeremy Keaton, Music
Writing Chamber Music at Summer Composition Festival
Caroline Larkin, Biological Sciences
Inferring Mathematical Dynamic Models of Tumor Sub-clonal Interactions to Predict Optimal Treatment Targets
Kasey Mannion, Dance
An Exploration in the Development of Contemporary Dance
Cierra McKoy, Biological Sciences
Geographic Variation in the Vocalizations of An Endangered Oriole
Stephanie Milani, Computer Science and Electrical Engineering
Integrating Ethical Reasoning into the Abstract Markov Decision Process Framework
Morgan Miller, History
Giving a Voice to the Voiceless
Rachel Morin, Physics
Microscopic Processes that Shape the High Energy Universe: An Artist View for the Rest of Us
Karla Negrete, Mechanical Engineering
Preparation of Gel Polymer Electrolyte with Enhanced Ionic Conductivity for Zn Based Batteries
Adam Ng, History
Conservative Responses to British Fascism in the 1930s
Howard Nicholson, Chemical Engineering
Therapeutic Drug Monitoring Biosensors
Drue Nixon, Interdisciplinary Studies *Entrepreneurship URA
Ella and Ida Summer Camp
Anna Gifty Opoku-Agyeman, Mathematics, Economics
The Impact of Early Childhood Malaria on Educational Attainment in Ghana
Angela Ossana, Chemical Engineering
Infrared Emission Spectroscopy Techniques
Hye Jin Park, Psychology
The Role of Marital Quality and Parenting in Korean-American Children's Social Problem-solving Reasoning Skills
Rishit Patel, Biological Sciences
Effect of Electronic Liquid Components on Morphology and Electrophysiology of Olfactory Tissue
Alexia Petasis, Interdisciplinary Studies
Confronting Social Issues through Translational Choreography
Zane Poffenberger, Political Science
The Italian State: How do Political Party Manifestos Impact and Shape National Policy towards the Migrant Crisis?
Raj Purohit, Chemical Engineering
an Aspergillus nidulans PodB Mutant to Express High Levels of Recombinant GFP
Mia Rickenbach, Theatre *Entrepreneurship URA
Create Freedom
Victoria Rottman, Environmental Science & Geography
The Effects of Stream Contaminants on Terrestrial Ecology
Joy Roy and Eric Cheung, Biological Sciences
Centralizing Gene Expression Patterns with Mathematical Databases
Jeremy Rubin, Mathematics and Statistics
Data Analysis to Understand the Key Roles of Histone Methyltransferases in the Modification of Chromatin to Regulate Gene Expression
Scott Sainz, Theatre
Alternative Theatrical Lighting Control System
Arman Setser, Physics
Quantum Error Correction Using A Gradient-based Optimization Approach
Miles Smith, Mechanical Engineering
Multidisciplinary Piezoelectric Energy Harvesting Research for Wind Turbine Monitoring Systems
Kristina Soetje, Environmental Science, Visual Arts
Species Abundance and Richness Outcomes of 2018 Mudslide Deposits on Montecito, California Beaches
Meredith Sperling, Mechanical Engineering, Mathematics
The Role of Remote Sensing Technology in Improving Wind Power Predictions
Ariana Taj, Biological Sciences
Prostate Specific P53 Knockout Model
Aline Thompson, Gender and Women's Studies
Red Streaks Under a Silver Sun: Queer Resistance in “Mirror’s Edge”
Manos Tzortzakakis, Chemical Engineering
A Calorimetric Approach to Structure-Reactivity Correlation in Epoxide Cross-linking Reactions
Maxi Wardcantori, English
Translating Chastity: Representing Shakespeare’s Women on Contemporary Stages
Mia Wessel, Chemistry and Biochemistry
Synthesis of Gadolinium-containing Dendrons for Enhanced Magnetic Resonance Imaging of Cancer
Linda Wiratan, Biological Sciences
Effect of Jasmonic Acid Analog Induced Defense on Circadian Rhythm in Arabidopsis
Briana Yancy, Geography and Environmental Science
Nesting Habitat Requirements of the Critically Endangered Bahama Oriole
Want to be a URA Scholar? See: ur.umbc.edu/ura or aprilh@umbc.edu for more information.
Shiona Wijesekara is an Economics and Mathematics major who will graduate in May, 2019. She is a current URA Scholar.
Title of your research project: Determining the Impact of the REACH Initiative on High School Students. We are evaluating the pre and post impact of the mentoring program by surveying the high school students involved in the program.
Who is your mentor(s) for your project? Mario Santo Domingo. The previous Research chair of the program found him and he has concentrated his research in behavioral psychology , so the ample knowledge was thought to be helpful for the project.
How did you become interested in this project? I have been an active mentor on REACH for the last 2 years and very fascinated by the multiple layer contribution of the program. So I wanted to get a statistical reading that shows me the extent of the contribution of the program to college readiness, breaking the gender gap in STEM and exposing the participants to STEM options.
What has been the hardest part about your research/what was the most unexpected thing about being a researcher? Gathering a consistent amount of data because the programs participation fluctuates every week.
What has been the most rewarding part? I was planning in walking into pure economics research but working on this project, I realized that I want to explore behavioral research from an interdisciplinary social science perspective.
How will you disseminate your research? URCAD presentation- April 24, 2019!
What is your advice to other students about getting involved in research? If you have the chance to get involved in research do it! You will come out with ample of knowledge and a very unique experience!
What are your career goals? To become a researcher in Educational Economics or Environmental Economics.
Have mentor-led research and want to be featured as a UMBC Researcher of the Week? Email: aprilh@umbc.edu
]]>
Two lucky winners will be notified on May 8! You will have use of the private room from May 9-23.
