What Effect Does a School University Partnership Have in Urban Baltimore City Public Schools?

Come see this poster presentation at 1-2:30pm in the UC Ballroom on Wednesday!

Hilary Grace Lahoury, Amber Brock
Mentor: Susan Sonnenschein, Psychology

Many children, in urban school systems, especially those from families of color or low-income households lack adequate learning opportunities (Anyon, 2014), which affects their academic progress and success. A school-university partnership which included the Literacy Fellows Program (volunteers) was implemented between Fall 2019 and Spring 2022 in two local schools to improve first and second graders’ literacy skills. We interviewed classroom teachers (N= 14) and undergraduate volunteers (N= 26) to examine the implementation and effectiveness of the program. We considered the nature of instruction, relations between the teacher and volunteer, and relations with the students in the class. Teachers and volunteers were highly positive about the program. Volunteers stated they enjoyed working with students on literacy tasks. Their assistance allowed the teachers to give much needed individualized attention to more students than when volunteers were not there. Volunteers also helped manage behavioral issues, formed meaningful relationships with the students with whom they worked, and served as role models for them. Teachers mentioned how they benefitted from an extra set of hands for students to receive extra individualized attention and to improve their reading skills. Among negative comments were insufficient training and difficulties maintaining relations with students during COVID-19.

See the full URCAD schedule at URCAD.umbc.edu

Come see Polina's presentation at URCAD this Wednesday!!

Location: 3:35pm in UC 204

Recovering from Hypoxia-Induced Metabolic Suppression: Role of NDRG1 in Na+/K+/ATPase Restoration to the Plasma Membrane

Polina Kassir
Mentor: Rachel Brewster, Biological Sciences

Oxygen’s critical role in ATP synthesis makes ischemia (lack of oxygen delivery) a potentially fatal injury. Zebrafish embryos, however, can survive nearly fifty hours in a zero-oxygen (anoxic) environment by entering a state of metabolic suppression characterized by metabolic arrest of ATP-demanding processes, such as ion pumping driven by the Na+-K+-ATPase (NKA). The Brewster Lab has previously shown that the N-myc Downstream Regulated Gene 1 (NDRG1) mediates NKA downregulation in the embryonic kidney and ionocytes; I demonstrated that this response is reversible and hence adaptive. Here, I explore the question of whether Ndrg1a promotes the return of membrane NKA levels upon re-oxygenation, using the proximity ligation assay (PLA) to detect whether these proteins interact in situ. My preliminary data reveal that the PLA signal intensifies in the anterior kidney and ionocytes with increasing time post re-oxygenation, which is consistent with a potential role for Ndrg1a as a versatile adapter protein and environmental oxygen sensor. Identification of the subcellular compartments where these proteins interact will further our understanding of the role of Ndrg1a in hypoxia adaptation. Overall, this research may lead to novel therapeutic approaches for the mitigation of hypoxic and reoxygenation injuries.

This work was funded, in part, by the Department of Defense and the National Institute of Health/NICHD.

For the full schedule of URCAD events, see: URCAD.umbc.edu

The History of Sexual Assault and Violence and Its Effects on Black Women

Ousmane Diop
Mentor: Michelle R. Scott, History, Africana Studies, Gender, Women + Sexuality Studies

The State of Missouri v. Celia, A Slave is a legal case that covers the 1854 murder trial of Celia, an enslaved woman in the state of Missouri, who killed her owner after years of sexual abuse. Celia’s story and her conviction is used as a case study to understand the history of sexual violence perpetuated against black women in the US during the mid to late 19th century. By analyzing a series of probate and court records, I reinforce that claims of self-defense did not apply to enslaved people, and that the 19th century American racial hierarchy ensured that sexual coercion of slaves was not a crime, legally. The case further sets precedent in the way in which enslaved people were treated in assault cases and is based upon stereotypical ideas that black women lacked honor and “virtue”. The purpose of this research is to articulate the untold stories of the enslaved, who are sometimes forgotten. Examining the 19th century historical records of violence inflicted upon African American women reveals that archives of the American historical past hold many more diverse narratives than previously thought, and that black women’s voices, although muted, can be found in historical legal records.

This work was funded, in part, through an Undergraduate Research Award from the UMBC Division of Undergraduate Academic Affairs.

For the full schedule see: URCAD.umbc.edu