Have you been seeing more announcements or emails related to AI tools or usage on campus? Do you have questions regarding the recent guidelines that were shared on the use of artificial intelligence (AI) tools in the classroom? Would you like your voice heard, or would appreciate having student perspectives brought to the forefront of these conversations relating to AI policy and guidelines? 

The Kotturi Lab would like to hear from you! If you would like to come together in a safe space to discuss AI use on campus, please stop by room 259 in the Library for this student only, student focused, in-person listening session on Wednesday, April 22nd, from 12 noon - 1:30PM. Faculty will not be present, and conversations that occur within the space will remain anonymous to protect students' identities. All majors are welcome!

Free pizza and swag will be provided!

We encourage students interested in participating to add the individual events to their calendars!

These listening sessions are supported by the AOK Library, in partnership with Computer Science & Electrical Engineering, Information Systems, and the Dresher Center. We thank you for your support!

Noreen Baroya 

Title: Mind & Muscle: Evaluation of Western Dentistry and Holistic Medicine for Myofascial Pain Care

Mentor: Dr. Tiffany Gierasch, Teaching Professor, UMBC Chemistry and Biochemistry

Location & Time: RAC 2PM-3PM, Poster #5

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Joshua Davis-Carpenter 

Title:Automated Detection Algorithms for Chemosensory Arrays of Bacterial Tomograms 

Mentors: Gus Hart, Brigham Young University

Location and Time: RAC Arena, 2PM-3PM, Poster #13 

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Sofia Dominesey 

Title: Mission to Europa: Translating Astrobiology into a Playable RPG Game 

Mentor: Stephen Freeland, UMBC Biology and Individualized Study Program (INDS)

Location: RAC Arena, 10-11am, Poster #35 

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Aeon Kaplowitz

Title: "Structural Effects in Zr-MOFs on Curcumin Stability and Delivery"

Mentor: Lisa Kelly, Professor, UMBC Chemistry and Biochemistry

Location & Time: RAC Arena, 2PM-3PM, Poster #39

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Anna Kim

Title: Cluster Headache Diagnostic Delay: The Role of Patients and Physicians

Mentor: Dr. Raimi Quiton, Clinical Associate Professor, UMBC Psychology

Location & Time: RAC 106, 9AM-9:15AM

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Joanna Pedro

Title: User Perspectives On AI-Assisted Dance Training: An Iterative Design And Qualitative Evaluation

Mentor: Ann Sofie Clemmensen, Associate Professor, UMBC Dance

Location & Time: RAC Arena Poster #118, 2pm-3pm 

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Aya Saeid

Title: Understanding the Arab Patient's Healthcare Experiences in the United States

Mentor: Dr. Robert Anderson, Associate Teaching Professor, UMBC Psychology

Location & Time: RAC 106, 2:15PM-2:30PM

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Shreya Singh

Title: Physician Burnout Through the Emotional State Theory of Happiness

Mentors: Kyle Bates Clinical Associate Professor, UMBC Emergency and Disaster Health Systems & Blake Francis, Assistant Professor, UMBC Philosophy

Location & Time: RAC Arena, 10AM-11AM, Poster #93

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Trisha Tomcy

Title: Investigating Estrogen-Dependent Neuroimmune Response Across Menopausal-like Stages in Astrocytic Culture

Mentor: Carmen Munoz-Ballester, Associate Professor, UMBC Interdisciplinary Life Science

Location & Time: RAC Arena, 10AM-11AM, Poster #104 

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Chloe Weaver

Title: The Making of Paradox: The Animated Series

Mentor: Sharon Tran, Associate Professor, UMBC English

Location & Time: RAC 106, 9:20AM-9:35AM

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Trilece Wilson

Title: Tears Made of Ink

Mentor: Nicole Pekarske, Associate Teaching Professor, UMBC English

Location & Time: RAC Stage, 11:15AM-11:30AM

To learn more about our students and their research Click Here!

URCAD is Wednesday, April 22, 2026 in the RAC!
For the full schedule see:urcad.umbc.edu

Sara Abbas | Intelligent Fault Detection and Risk Management for Autonomous Spacecraft Operations | Anthony Campbell | Computer Science and Electrical Engineering | RAC Arena, 10-11am, Poster #3  

Yanyu Arias | Development of a Vagina-on-a-Chip Model for Studying Recurrent Bacterial Vaginosis | Corine Jackman Burden | Chemical, Biochemical and Environmental Engineering | RAC Arena, 10-11am, Poster #30 

Naomi Aruna and Tammy Hong | Asian American Adolescents' Internalized Stereotypes Moderates the Socioemotional Impact of Racial Discrimination | Charissa Cheah | Psychology | RAC Arena, 10-11am, Poster #13 

Djina Awungnjia | Impact of APPL Gene Mutation on Food Preference Behavior in Aging Drosophila Melanogaster | Fernando Vonhoff | Biological Sciences | RAC Arena, 10-11am, Poster #14 

Shrikant Bhatnagar,Kalei Kai, Ben Bazarsuren, Daniel Shin, Jonah Malcolm, Austin Wagener,Nebiyu Mammo, Murali Indukuri, William Vandenberg | UMBC AIAA DBF and SUAS Aircrafts | Joseph Washington | Mechanical Engineering | Special Exhibit | RAC Upper Track, 1st Floor 

Francheska Burrola | Automated Monitoring Sensors for Process Analytical Technology Applications in Cell and Gene Therapy | Venkatesh Srinivasan | Chemical, Biochemical, and Environmental Engineering | RAC Arena, 10-11am, Poster #24 

Faridah Folorunsho | Structural and Functional Analysis of the KH-Domain Protein FLK in Regulating Arabidopsis Defense and Development | Hua Lu | Biological Sciences | RAC Arena, 2-3pm, Poster #20 

Emily Hernandez| Testing Ethanol Treatment for the Reduction of Alzheimer's Disease (AD) In Drosophila | Fernando Vonhoff | Biological Sciences | RAC Arena, 2-3pm, Poster #28 

Kiara James | Exploring Chinese American Adolescents' Experiences of Barriers to Civic Engagement | Charissa Cheah | Psychology | RAC Arena, 2-3pm, Poster #37 

Amarachukwu Onaga | The Effects of Sex and Age on Sleep in Drosophila Models of Autism | Fernando Vonhoff | Biological Sciences | RAC Arena, 10-11am, Poster #70 

Irene Teye | Investigating Extracellular Matrix-derived Factors in the Activation of Adipose Tissue T-cells During Severe Obesity | Diana Elizondo | Biological Sciences | RAC Arena, 10-11am, Poster #102 

Maia Turman Cooke | The Language of Decriminalization: Drug Policy Rhetoric and Public Health in 21st Century Canada | Earl Brooks | English | RAC 106 | 11:00-11:15am

Anelsy Valencia | Immigration Vulnerability and Self-Rated Oral Health Among Latin* Adults: A Pilot Study | Dina Garcia | Public Health | RAC Arena, 2-3pm, Poster #71 

Laila is a Biological Sciences major. Most recently, she completed a summer research fellowship at Duke University School of Medicine through the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) Summer Undergraduate Research Program (SURP).

Mentors: Dr. Chantell Evans in the Department of Cell Biology at Duke SOM.

Title of your research project: Mitochondrial Stress Remodels TFAM Organization in Primary H

What research experiences have you had? (focus on most recent)

I began my research journey as a freshman in 2022 at the University of Maryland

Baltimore, School of Medicine in the Kelly Lab, where I was introduced to neurobiology

and neurodegenerative research. Since then, I have continued working in translational

neuroscience across multiple labs, including the Parker Lab at UMSOM and currently the

Wolff Lab at UMSOM.

Most recently, I completed a summer research fellowship at Duke University School of

Medicine through the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) Summer Undergraduate

Research Program (SURP). In the Evans Lab (Department of Cell Biology), I studied

mitochondrial DNA integrity in primary neurons, specifically investigating how cellular

stress remodels endogenous TFAM puncta using confocal microscopy and 3D image

analysis.

Across these labs, I have gained experience in rodent colony management, transcardial

perfusions, embryonic microinjections, vibratome and cryosectioning, primary

hippocampal neuron culture, immunocytochemistry, and confocal microscopy. I have

applied machine-learning–based behavioral analysis (SLEAP), curated large behavioral

datasets, and implemented Python/Conda workflows for scalable analysis. These

cumulative experiences have strengthened my interest in translational neuroscience and

mechanistic disease research.

How did you find the research opportunity?

I discovered the HHMI SURP opportunity through UMBC’s pre-med/pre-dental online

community in April. I applied shortly after and was thrilled to be accepted in May.

Who is your mentor for your research, scholarship, or artistic project? (give full

name and department) How did you arrange to work with this person?

My principal investigator was Dr. Chantell Evans in the Department of Cell Biology at

Duke SOM. I also worked closely with graduate student mentor Olivia Conway.

After being accepted into the HHMI SURP program, I was matched with Dr. Evans’s lab

based on my research interests. From the beginning, Dr. Evans and her lab created an

incredibly supportive and intellectually stimulating environment.

Do you get course credit for this work? Paid? How much time do you put into it?

This summer fellowship was fully funded by HHMI, and I was fortunate enough to have

received $12k over the course of three months. I worked full-time in the lab throughout

the summer, dedicating approximately 40 hours per week to experiments, lab meetings,

and weekly virtual HHMI programming.

What academic background did you have before you started?

At the time, I was a junior/rising senior majoring in Biology.

How did you learn what you needed to know to be successful in this project?

HHMI SURP provided weekly seminars covering both scientific topics and professional

development, including how to present research effectively. Within the lab, I learned

hands-on through mentorship, troubleshooting experiments, reading primary literature,

and asking questions constantly. The lab culture emphasized curiosity and persistence.

My mentors modeled what it looks like to approach research not with fear of failure, but

with excitement about discovery.

What was the hardest part about your research?

The hardest part was not mastering technical skills.. it was developing grit.

Experiments don’t always work the first time. Cells don’t always stain correctly. Imaging

parameters sometimes need to be completely re-optimized. Early on, that unpredictability

felt frustrating.

One of the staff scientists, Dr. Lola Kalejaiye, often reminded me that it’s called

“research” for a reason — you must keep re-searching. She genuinely found joy in

troubleshooting and refining experiments. Over time, I began to understand that

persistence and patience are the true foundations of scientific growth. Learning to

embrace that process was the most challenging, and most valuable lesson.

What was the most unexpected thing?

How much I loved it.

This experience solidified my desire to pursue an MD-PhD rather than solely an MD. I

found deep fulfillment not only in conducting experiments, but in asking mechanistic

questions about disease and working toward translational impact.

How does this research experience relate to your work in other classes?

As a Biology major, my research directly connects to concepts I’ve learned in cell

biology, genetics, and molecular biology courses. Seeing mitochondrial dynamics,

transcriptional regulation, and cellular stress pathways play out in real experiments

reinforced and deepened my classroom learning.

What is your advice to other students about getting involved in research?

Believe in yourself before anything else.

You must believe you belong in scientific spaces.. even before you feel “ready.”

Opportunities often come from putting yourself forward and being willing to learn. Every

researcher starts somewhere. Confidence, curiosity, and resilience matter just as much as

prior experience. Send the email. Apply to the program. Ask the question. Growth

follows initiative.

What are your career goals?

I plan to pursue an MD-PhD with hopes to specialize in transplant medicine, particularly

end stage kidney disease in diabetic patients. As someone deeply invested in both clinical

medicine and biomedical research, I hope to bridge mechanistic discovery with patient-

centered innovation.

What else are you involved in on campus?

I am involved in the Muslim Student Association (MSA) and the Egyptian Student

Association at UMBC. I have also previously volunteered with Hearts for the Homeless.

Skills for Graduate Students is a new series of practical library workshops designed to support your research, writing, and organization.

This fall, we're offering four sessions: technical writing, systematic reviews, advanced literature searching, and managing your research process. Each workshop is hands-on, interdisciplinary, and open to all graduate students.

Interested in a session but can’t attend live? Register on myUMBC to receive the recording and slides after the event.

Find full details and sign up at the individual event pages linked below!

Technical Writing: Tools for clear and effective technical writing | Tues. 09/23, 3–4 PM