Four UMBC students have been named Barry Goldwater Scholars this year. The Barry Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Foundation supports talented college sophomores and juniors who aspire to become leading researchers in science, engineering, and mathematics in the U.S. The award is one of the most prestigious for undergraduates in STEM. 

UMBC juniors Deeya Mistry, biological sciences, Jessica Slaughter, computer engineering, Phoenix Bryant, biological sciences, and sophomore Amir Walton-Irvin, computer engineering, are among the 454 scholars selected nationwide in 2026. They competed with nearly 1,500 students majoring in science, engineering, and mathematics who were nominated by their academic institutions for the award. 

This is the third time that a record four UMBC students have received Goldwater Scholarships in the same year.

“I’m always so impressed by the caliber of students at UMBC,” says April Householder ’95, director of undergraduate research and prestigious scholarships, who works with students each year to prepare their Goldwater application materials. “And I’m excited to see what they do next, because this is also a springboard to even bigger and better opportunities.”

Personal stories propel curiosity 

The road to a successful scientific career can be arduous, and each of this year’s UMBC Goldwater Scholars have tapped deep curiosity, a drive to make a difference, as well as nurturing family and school support, to take them to this prestigious milestone on their journeys.

“I grew up in a household with my mom and my grandmother, who were both mathematics teachers,” Walton-Irvin says. “They both helped nurture my interest in STEM from an early age. My grandmother taught me how to solve math problems, code, and take things apart and put them back together, while my mom encouraged that curiosity by exposing me to engineering camps and science museums.”

Later, when his grandmother started showing signs of dementia, Walton-Irvin found himself facing a host of hard-to-answer questions. “She went from someone who had an answer to every question to not knowing who I was anymore. It was heartbreaking, but it also made me start asking bigger questions: Why did this happen to her, like it has to so many others before her? How does disease change brain function?” He plans to pursue a career at the intersection of machine learning and neuroscience, developing novel neuroimaging analysis methods to investigate neurological disease and health disparities. 

Bryant experienced a similar personal connection to unanswered scientific questions when her dad was diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder. “I remember asking my mom: ‘Why is he like this?’ And sometimes she’d say: ‘We don’t know that yet.’ And I really wanted to know the answer,” Bryant says. She plans to enter an M.D.-Ph.D. program, and would like to study how environmental factors influence how genes are expressed and may contribute to the development of psychiatric diseases. 

Mistry found herself drawn to science since grade school, working to get ever closer to that scientific frontier where new knowledge is created. “Since not everything is known yet, there’s the possibility to uncover more,” she says. “Doing scientific research is an amazing way to pursue my curiosity.” She plans to pursue an M.D.-Ph.D. with a clinical focus in emergency medicine and a Ph.D. studying the molecular makeup of individualized stroke recovery. 

“While my clinical and research focuses are different from one another, I was really inspired to study this when I shadowed in the Emergency Department in downtown Baltimore,” she says. “Stroke patients usually come to the Emergency Department first, and everyone’s experience truly is different, because timing is crucial for strokes.”

Slaughter says the possibility of combining new knowledge with helping people drew her to the field of engineering, where she hopes to make a difference by improving global health, especially in disadvantaged areas where resources are limited. 

Coming from a family of immigrants, Slaughter watched her grandmother travel over 5,000 miles to the U.S. for surgery, even as her health made the journey difficult. “That experience gave me a window into global healthcare disparities, especially in access to diagnostics and effective treatment, and showed me how engineering can be part of the solution,” she says. It is what drives her to develop low-cost, accessible medical devices and incorporate machine learning.

A supportive family—at home and at school

All the new scholars emphasize how much mentorship, connections, and support have helped them as they worked toward their dreams.

“One of the reasons winning this scholarship is so meaningful to me is because it was only two generations ago when women in my family did not get past a high school education,” says Mistry. She credits her parents with instilling in her a strong work ethic and the confidence to overcome challenges. “My dreams were built on the sacrifice and hard work of my parents and grandparents,” she says.

She also credits the many mentors she met at UMBC. Mistry, Slaughter, Bryant and Walton-Irvin are all part of the Meyerhoff Scholarship Program, which aims to increase diversity among future leaders in science, technology, engineering, and related fields.

“The Meyerhoff program and the COEIT community, particularly Dr. LaBerge and Dr. Marten, have been instrumental to my career,” Slaughter says. 

“The advisors in the Meyerhoff program really helped me, and they’re always so supportive,” Bryant echoed. 

On left, Deeya Mistry (right) with Mitsue Wiggs, associate director of the Meyerhoff program. (Photo courtesy of Deeya Mistry). On right, Jessica Slaughter (with braids) celebrates winning the limbo contest at the annual Meyerhoff Family Retreat at Centennial Park. “The Meyerhoff program isn’t just a scholarship, but also a family that celebrates every win, big or small,” she says. (Photo courtesy of Jessica Slaughter)

The students also credit their mentors in the labs where they do research on campus. Mistry is investigating the molecular mechanisms that underlie the sex differences in chronic stress susceptibility to understand why females have a higher susceptibility to chronic stress-induced psychiatric disorders such as depression and anxiety in the lab of Tara LeGates. Bryant is studying the biomechanical properties of a protein involved in chromatin regulation in the lab of Erin Green. Slaughter is applying statistical principles to develop bioinformatics applications to facilitate the analysis of dynamic, system-scale “-omics” data in the lab of Mark Marten. And Walton-Irvin is applying machine learning and signal processing methods to investigate functional brain connectivity and health disparities in the lab of Tülay Adali.

On the right path

For the four UMBC students, winning a Goldwater Scholarship is both a validation of the work they have put in so far, and a stepping stone to their next achievement.

“When I saw the email letting me know I’d been selected, I literally screamed, I was so excited,” Slaughter says. “I FaceTimed my family. I FaceTimed all my friends who helped me through this journey. I immediately sent thank you emails to all my mentors.”

Mistry messaged LeGates, her research advisor, and sprinted to her office to celebrate. 

Walton-Irvin’s first response was to call his mom, as the news felt both emotional and affirming. “It meant a lot to know that the path I’m trying to build, one rooted in both personal experience and a desire to empower others, was being recognized,” he says. “Awards like this are meaningful, but I see them as part of a much larger journey of doing impactful work.”

Come meet all four Goldwater Scholars at the Undergraduate Research and Creative Achievement Day on April 22 in the RAC, where they will be presenting their research alongside more than 400 other student presenters:

Deeya Mistry: “Investigation of the Circadian Rhythm on Blood Brain Barrier Permeability,” RAC 050, 9:20 – 9:35 a.m.

Phoenix Bryant: “Investigating the Function of the PHD Finger in Chromatin Regulator Set4,” RAC Arena, 10 – 11 a.m., Poster #20

Amir Walton-Irvin: “Analysis of FMRI Data to Characterize Brain Connectivity Across Socioeconomic and Racial Backgrounds,” RAC 230, 11:20 – 11:35 a.m.

Jessica Slaughter: “Open-Source Software Suite of Bioinformatic Tools for Dynamic Omics Data,” RAC Arena, 2 – 3 p.m., Poster #65

At UMBC, restorative practices have grown from a promising idea into a campus-wide movement—one shaped by dedicated staff and reaching far beyond the university itself.

For Jeff Cullen, UMBC’s director of Student Conduct and Community Standards, this work has been years in the making. Now in his 18th year at the university, Cullen has helped guide the evolution of student conduct from a traditional, punitive model toward something more meaningful: a restorative approach that centers accountability, healing, and community.

“Each student I encounter is unique,” Cullen explains. “I enjoy working with them in a restorative way—offering high levels of support while also demanding high levels of accountability.”

Building a proactive framework

UMBC formally began integrating restorative practices in 2015, after adopting training models inspired by the International Institute for Restorative Practices. What started as an alternative way to resolve disputes has since expanded into a proactive framework for building relationships and fostering authentic communication across campus.

Instead of focusing solely on punishment, restorative practices ask deeper questions. Cullen describes a hypothetical situation: a student returns to their residence hall inebriated, damages a bulletin board, and creates a mess in a shared space. In a traditional system, the outcome might center on sanctions. But a restorative approach broadens the lens.

“It’s not just about the student,” Cullen says. “There are custodial staff, residential life staff, and other students who are impacted.”

Through restorative circles, those affected come together—the student, staff members, peers—and engage in guided dialogue. They reflect on what happened, who was harmed, and how to make things right. The result is not only accountability, but also understanding and, often, reintegration into the community.

While the process can feel challenging at first, Cullen notes that participants often leave with a sense of resolution and stronger conflict-resolution skills. Early data and broader research suggest that restorative approaches can reduce repeat offenses, increase satisfaction, and create healthier communities overall.

That impact is not limited to UMBC.

Restorative practices beyond the classroom

Toshiyasu Tsuruhara, an associate professor at Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University in Japan, traveled across the globe to attend a 2-day restorative practices workshop at UMBC (combining his trip with another training in San Diego). With a background in conflict mediation—including accreditation as a community mediator in the U.K. and experience working with neighbor disputes and in family court—Tsuruhara was already familiar with restorative justice concepts.

But the workshop offered something new.

“I learned how these tools can be applied in real-life situations,” he explains. “I am interested in restorative practices because they offer tools to repair relationships and bring communities toward peace,” Tsuruhara says. “They are not just for education—they can be applied in work, family, and friendships.”

During his time at UMBC, Tsuruhara engaged closely with students and staff, participating in discussions, collaborative exercises, and even creative activities like short dramatic presentations to explore key concepts. What stood out most was not just the theory, but how actively it was practiced.

For Tsuruhara, the experience also highlighted the value of introducing restorative practices early in students’ lives. He observed how these approaches could help students navigate both academic and social challenges, while also preparing them for professional environments.

“They help maintain peaceful relationships with workmates,” he says. “And if conflict happens, they provide tools to resolve it.”

Inspired by what he learned, Tsuruhara plans to continue to integrate restorative practices into his own teaching. In his “Multicultural Cooperation Workshop,” students from diverse national and cultural backgrounds collaborate on long-term group projects—an environment where conflict can naturally arise. Rather than relying solely on mediation training, he sees restorative practices as a more holistic and educational approach.

One small effort turns into campus-wide movement

Back at UMBC, Cullen reflects on how far the initiative has come. What began over a decade ago as a small effort has grown into a campus-wide movement, with hundreds of students, faculty, and staff trained in restorative methods.

“At UMBC, if you have a good idea, you’re encouraged to implement it,” Cullen says. “We had no idea it would grow like this—but here we are.”

Supported by colleagues in Residential Life and Student Affairs leadership, and shaped through years of collaboration, restorative practices at UMBC continue to evolve—impacting not only the campus community, but also educators and practitioners around the world.

Click here for more resources on restorative practices at UMBC

New UMBC research reveals how two different parts of the hippocampus—the brain’s memory center—team up in a key reward region to help mice, and likely humans, combine memories of places and contexts with the drive to pursue rewards. 

The findings offer fresh insight into how the brain integrates information about “where” and “what feels good” to guide everyday decisions, such as heading to a favorite restaurant to meet friends or seeking out rewarding experiences. Specifically, this discovery, published in the Journal of Neuroscience, shows that inputs from the dorsal and ventral hippocampus converge on the same individual neurons in another brain region, the nucleus accumbens, where they interact in ways that amplify each other’s effects. 

“The connection between the hippocampus and nucleus accumbens is where the brain’s map of where to go meets a sense of why it’s worth going,” explains senior author Tara LeGates,assistant professor in UMBC’s Department of Biological Sciences. 

For years, scientists viewed the connections from the dorsal hippocampus, which is more closely tied to spatial memory and navigation, and the ventral hippocampus, which is linked more strongly to emotions and motivation, as mostly separate. This paper challenges that understanding. 

“A single neuron can receive inputs from different brain regions, and figuring out how it integrates them is crucial for understanding what drives goal-directed actions,” LeGates says.  

While the current study focuses on individual cells, the implications reach further. Better knowledge of how these reward-related circuits process and combine information could shed light on conditions where motivation is disrupted, such as depression, addiction, or anxiety disorders. 

A close-up on convergence

The research team used advanced methods including using light to stimulate specific pathways (a technique called optogenetics), precise recordings of electrical activity in neurons, and detailed microscope imaging to identify a group of neurons in a specific part of the accumbens that receives direct input from both the dorsal and ventral hippocampus. 

Importantly, the synapses involved in these two pathways sit very close together—often within a couple of microns (thousandths of a millimeter)—on the same branches of the neurons’ dendrites, which look like tree roots on nerve cells. That proximity allows them to influence each other quickly. The team found that when both inputs are active at the same time, they produce a stronger combined response than either one alone.

The researchers collaborated with Tagide deCarvalho, director of UMBC’s Keith Porter Imaging Facility, to obtain the high-resolution imaging that confirmed these close partnerships. Upgraded software at the facility allowed the team to capture ultra-thin digital slices (0.2 microns thick) and create 3D reconstructions of neuron branches, clearly demonstrating the close proximity of the synapses that would allow them to interact.

The study’s first author, Ashley Copenhaver ’20, mathematics and biological sciences, Ph.D. ’25, neuroscience and cognitive sciences, led much of the hands-on work in recordings and imaging while mentoring undergraduate team members.

“One of the most exciting parts of this technically challenging project was performing dual-color optogenetics during electrophysiology—I was literally shining tiny beams of red and blue light onto brain tissue, which was activating the dorsal or ventral hippocampus neurons, so that I could record the electrical responses in the nucleus accumbens neurons. It was magical,” Copenhaver says. “Beyond loving the technique, in my opinion, we identified some really critical and fundamental mechanisms of signal integration within the brain. I’m super excited to see where this work heads next.”

From cells to behavior

Understanding how a single neuron handles signals from different brain areas is key to grasping complex behaviors, says LeGates, who has a secondary appointment in the Department of Pharmacology and Physiology at the University of Maryland School of Medicine. Signals from the dorsal and ventral hippocampus are “probably converging more than we’ve previously appreciated, which could change how people approach questions about motivation and learning,” she adds.

That kind of convergence likely helps animals form associations between rewarding outcomes and the environments where they occur—an essential capability for survival. Similar convergence has been seen in other brain areas involved in emotional learning, LeGates says, suggesting the brain may use this strategy widely to link a particular context with feeling and action.

LeGates’ lab is already building on this paper’s foundation by exploring how stress and substances like food, medications, and illicit drugs affect these same connections, with the long-term aim of informing more targeted treatments for various mental health conditions. In the immediate future, the team hopes to record activity from these specially connected neurons during real behaviors to directly link the newly discovered crosstalk between the ventral and dorsal hippocampus to actions.

By uncovering this hidden layer of cooperation between hippocampal pathways, the LeGates lab has advanced our understanding of how the brain weaves together memory and motivation—a fundamental process that shapes the decisions driving daily life.

Anupam Joshi, vice provost and chief AI officer for UMBC, has been named a 2025 Fellow for the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). AAAS is one of the world’s largest general scientific societies and the publisher of the Science family of journals. 

Joshi is among nearly 500 scientists, engineers, and innovators who have been elected 2025 fellows for their scientifically and socially distinguished achievements throughout their careers. 

Joshi is a pioneer in data management and security for mobile and ad-hoc networks using AI approaches. His research interests are at the intersection of AI and systems. Over the last decade, Joshi has explored this intersection to improve cybersecurity—using distributed AI approaches for attack detection and resilience in CPS/IoT systems that undergird critical infrastructure and policy-driven approaches to security and privacy.

In addition to serving as vice provost and chief AI officer, Joshi is the Oros Family Professor and director of the UMBC Cybersecurity Institute. A prolific scholar, Joshi obtained a B.Tech degree from Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi in 1989, and a master’s and Ph.D. from Purdue University in 1991 and 1993. 

A tradition dating back to 1874, election as a AAAS Fellow is a lifetime honor, and all fellows are expected to maintain the highest standards of professional ethics and scientific integrity. Joshi is the ninth fellow to be elected from UMBC throughout its history. Phyllis Robinson was the most recent UMBC fellow elected in 2024. 

“This year’s AAAS Fellows have demonstrated research excellence, made notable contributions to advance science, and delivered important services to their communities,” said Sudip S. Parikh, AAAS chief executive officer and executive publisher of the Science family of journals. “These fellows and their accomplishments validate the importance of investing in science and technology for the benefit of all.”