Prasiddha is a Biological Sciences major, and a member of the Honors College, graduating in May 2018.

List any Scholars/Honors programs you are a part of: President’s and Dean’s list; John W. Jeffries Dean's List Award recipient; Member of PBK; CNMS Awards recepient

Title of your research project: Role of TRPM5-expressing microvillous cells in maintaining the morphology of olfactory epithelium when exposed to chemicals.

Describe your project: Exposing wild type and Skn-1a knockout mice lacking the transient receptor potential channel M5 expressing microvillous cellsto chemicals via inhalation for 1 week, and examining the morphology of the Main Olfactory Epithelium (MOE) by performing immunohistochemistry and quantitative analysis to determine the number of microvillous cells and Olfactory Sensory Neurons in the MOE after exposure.

Who is your mentor(s) for your project? Dr. Weihong Lin, Biology Department. When I went to interview to be a TA for her class, I requested her for a research position. A lot of my volunteering experiences include working alongside people with disabilities and so psychology and neuroscience are the subjects that interest me the most. Hence I chose this lab. Also, I want to be a surgeon and the profusions/ dissections in this lab are preparing me for that.

How did you become interested in this project? Previous experiments showed significant results in behavioral and structural changes between mice that lack and have microvillus cells, when exposed to chemicals for 2-weeks. So, I was curious if there would be any changes in the epithelium when mice are exposed to chemicals for one week, a shorter time period with less recovery time.

What has been the hardest part about your research/what was the most unexpected thing about being a researcher? The hardest part about the research is the dissection of the noses of the mice. Dissections, especially of a very small part of the nose, requires great attention and focus and is time consuming. Dissection of each nose takes about 3 hours. The unexpected part of being a researcher is that experiments don’t always work well and data is always not in favor of the hypothesis formulated.

What has been the most rewarding part? The most rewarding part is that, along this process of success and failure I have learnt a lot about research and I am able to perform research techniques with skill. Also, this hands-on experience has helped me understand a lot more about the nervous system.

How will you disseminate your research? I will present my research poster at URCAD on April 25th in the UC Ballroom from 10-11:30am. You can read my full abstract here: https://urcad.umbc.edu/documents/

What is your advice to other students about getting involved in research?  Definitely something to get your hands dirty with. It will open you up to a great new possibility of learning and understanding science in the real world.

What are your career goals? To become a surgeon.

The historic Men's Basketball upset of #1 seeded UVA in the NCAA tournament has shined a light on UMBC for not only its success on the court, but also in the classroom. They swim! They run! They score! But did you know that UMBC's Student Athletes also conduct research and create art? Check out these Student Athletes who will be presenting their research and creative work at URCAD on April 25th:

Courtney Mattson, Biological Sciences (Cross Country/Track and Field)

Title: The Role of Olfactory Cues in Male Mate Choice in Etheostoma zonale

Location: Poster 10-11:30am UC Ballroom

Hannah Aris, Engineering (Cross Country/Track and Field)

Title: Characterization of CMI-7000 Membrane for Implementation in Resource Recovery Systems

Location: Poster 10-11:30am UC Ballroom

Courtney Culp, Visual Arts (Soccer)

Title: Color of Me (Animated film)

Location: Film Festival, 3pm UC 310

Jethro Ssengonzi, Engineering (Swimming)

Title: Surface Phenomena Driving Natural Surfaces

Location: Poster, 10-11:30am UC Ballroom

Matthew Kane, Biological Sciences (Cross Country/Track and Field)

Title: Scratching the Surface of Bahama Oriole Pine Forest Nesting

Location: Poster, 1-2:30pm UC Ballroom

To read these and other abstracts, visit the URCAD page! 

Emmanuel Mones is a major in Intermedia - Film, Photography, and Design, class of 2018. His research project is entitled, ALT.MASC: Man Redefined

Describe your project in 1-2 sentences: I created a men’s streetwear brand called ALT.MASC. Short for “alternative masculinity,” its purpose is to redefine our image, concept, and expressions of manhood. So, I designed some clothing, developed a brand philosophy, and shot some photographs that serve as its ad campaign.

Who is your mentor for your project? Mark Durant, Visual Arts Department (Photography). I took ART215 with Professor Durant my first semester at UMBC and decided we'd be a good fit. Immediately, I was inspired by the way he thought about the role of art in society. That, beyond form and process, it’s a means of communicating abstract ideas in a way that’s accessible and is able to transcend human language. It’s a way of finding order from life’s chaos, and a way of finding truth. It’s become my philosophy of art. With regards to this project, Professor Durant himself identifies as an alternatively masculine person, so him having that personal connection with the content made me feel like I could trust him to give me the kind of guidance that I needed to fully realize this endeavor.

How did you become interested in this project? There’s a sort of parallel that runs through this project and my own process of maturation. It’s born out of my own attempt at trying to define masculinity, and really my identity as a whole, for myself. I’m a queer, effeminate, Filipino immigrant. Growing up, I didn’t really have many people to look up to that empowered my kind of personhood. So, through fashion and photography, I’m trying to create these articles of pop culture that my younger self would have wanted to see, in the hopes that they might help guide someone else going through what I went through.

How has being a URA scholar helped you to carry out this project? Upon receiving the award, you’re informed of the expectations that come with being a recipient of the URA - particularly, presenting your work at URCAD. Having this end goal in mind lit a fire under me that inspired me to put in the work to come up with something that I can feel proud of sharing with an audience. I will be doing an oral presentation at 2:15pm on April 25th!

What has been the hardest part about your research/what was the most unexpected thing about being a researcher? For me, because I am working in the creative field, the hardest part is dealing with how nonlinear the process is. I crave security, but that’s almost impossible in this arena. I’ll think that I’ve nailed a specific design choice. Then, two weeks later, I’d realize that it was tacky, or uninspired, or just not good. Building the resilience to able to start from the beginning over and over again has been challenging but also necessary and transformative.

What has been the most rewarding part? Sharing my project with men who I didn’t think would understand what it is exactly that I’m doing, and having them tell me that they believe in it and that they understand its significance. That has been really rewarding and moving to me. I doubt myself a lot. But, people seem to get it. And, because it’s born out of a really vulnerable place, it’s comforting to know that I wasn’t alone in feeling those things.

How will you disseminate your research? ALT.MASC will be available for sale at altmasc.com (coming soon) and the ad campaigns will be shared on social media platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter under the account @alt.masc. I’m also setting up pop-up shops at art shows and trade shows in the DMV area come the summer. I will present my research at URCAD on April 25, from 2:15-2:30 in UC 312.

What is your advice to other students about getting involved in research? Find a research subject that you are personally invested in, something you really care about. What will keep you motivated is the search for knowledge that goes beyond a surface level interest. It should driven almost by necessity, like a real need to learn.

What are your career goals? I want to continue to grow as a person along with this project. More than a research project, I feel like ALT.MASC is my personal philosophy. It’ll be a business coming out of this process, but I’ll follow it wherever it takes me and manifest whatever form it wants to take. More immediately, I’d like to get into digital marketing, as a way to better inform myself the ways I can share this content. But, beyond that, I just want to see where this thing goes.