Meet Ahmad Hussin: UMBC's Undergraduate Researcher of the Week

Mon, 09 Sep 2024 12:24:27 -0400

Ahmad Hussin is a junior Biological Science major and A URA Scholar. His research is entitled: “A key to Multicellularity: regA”

Mentor: Dr. Stephen Miller

What research experiences have you had?

My current research experience has been working in the Miller lab to explore the function of a gene called RegA in a little green algae called Volvox Carteri to explore the evolution of multicellular life. We hope to understand this gene and the genes related to us to construct an understanding of how life went from micro to macro and how cells became specialized to have specific functions.

How did you find the research opportunity?

Dr. Stephen Miller first informed me of the research experience and mentoring internship in the spring semester when I was in his BIO141 class. I applied and was graciously allowed to join.

Who is your mentor for your research, scholarship, or artistic project? How did you arrange to work with this person?

Dr. Miller at UMBC in the biology department has been my mentor and a close friend. Dr. Miller set up all the necessary steps to make me a suitable undergraduate researcher through an internship that is offered every summer called the research experience and mentoring program in the Summer of 23’. Since I've been a part of the lab and continued to explore my project.

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

I was paid, given college credit, and given my own project to publish in the future. I worked full time for the first summer I was in the program, and since totaled over 1200 hours in the lab! With much more to come.

What academic background did you have before you started?

I entered the lab with limited knowledge of biology despite being a biology major. as a rising sophomore I had a lot to learn, but we’re here today.

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

To be successful in research and in my project I’ve found that the process will only be as taxing and draining as you let it be. Research is hard. You will face obstacles and fail many times, but you need to create milestones to be celebrated and understand that it's not gonna work the first or second or third time. But when you get there, you'll get there. So keep marching, because the goal is within your reach.

What was the hardest part about your research?

The hardest part about research I’ve found is dealing with failure. It can be very exhausting when it's your 8th time doing an experiment that failed every time or coming in at 3 AM to experiment and finding out the next morning a power outage threw your results out the garbage, but that makes success all the sweeter.

What was the most unexpected thing?

The most unexpected thing I’ve gathered from research is the connections made between people I’ve met. Making the lab a place for friends turns it from a workplace to a home. Coming to the lab and talking about anything from our existence to eating algae with graduate and undergraduate students makes me want to come to the lab 7 days a week.

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

As a biology student, the methods I’ve learned in the lab have helped me get a step ahead when studying for my classes. A key part of being a good researcher is to understand the mechanisms of what is happening rather than a means to an end. By doing so when those topics come up in your classes you won't have to think twice about it.

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

My advice for other students would be to focus on using their time in research to learn as much as you can. Ask questions whenever possible and don't do things for the sake of doing them alone. Research is a way for us to know more about the world around us, but just as much an opportunity to learn from others. Fill in those gaps. As for students who are trying to get research experience, my best advice is to be persistent. Sending an email to a professor might not be enough to break the ice, so trying things like following up or meeting with the professor face-to-face will go a long way.

What are your career goals?

My current career goal is to end up in a Md-Ph.D program with a focus on infectious disease and epidemiology. I hope to become a clinician scientist who spends part of his time behind the lab bench and another part in the hospital helping others.

What else are you involved in on campus?

I am most involved in the Muslim Student Association and Biology Council of Majors, but for the best chance of finding me, I’d look in the offices of Dr. Miller, Dr. Eisenmann, or the lab where I can be found chatting it up.

Want to know more about getting involved in undergraduate research at UMBC?

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