Darius McKoy is a Biological Sciences (B.S.) major and Psychology (Minor) who will graduate in Spring, 2020.

List any Scholars/Honors programs you are a part of: Meyerhoff Scholar, HHMI Scholar, President's List, Dean's List, LSAMP Participant

Title of your research project: The Role of Protein Synthesis in Cellular Arrest and Organismal Survival Under Anoxia

Describe your project: The phenomenon is that zebrafish can survive up to 50 hours by halting their development to converse energy. In the lab, we are analyzing the signaling pathways that allow this arrest to occur.

Who is your mentor(s) for your project? Dr. Rachel Brewster, Biological Sciences. I became interested in Dr. Brewster because of recommendations from past students. I chose her because from meeting with her and talking to the graduate students, it was clear that she would push me to become the best researcher that I could be.

How did you become interested in this project? I became interested in the project because I realized that it can have some real medical applications and can impact human health which aligns with my career goals. 

What has been the hardest part about your research/what was the most unexpected thing about being a researcher? The hardest part has been managing time in lab with classes and other commitments but keeping track of my time can greatly benefited me. I had to learn that patience was key to survival in a research lab.

What has been the most rewarding part? Finally getting things to work after troubleshooting for a long time and gaining approval from graduate students.

How will you disseminate your research? URCAD Presentation and a future publication 

What is your advice to other students about getting involved in research? At UMBC, the opportunities are endless. A simple email asking to meet with a faculty member to discuss their research can do the trick.

What are your career goals? Obtain a MD/PhD in neurobiology and become a successful neuroscientist and anesthesiologist, then start a medical company.

Want to be featured as a Researcher of the Week?  Email: aprilh@uumbc.edu 

Meet Anna Gifty Opoku-Agyeman!

Your major(s) and minor(s): Mathematics and Economics

Your expected year of graduation: 2019

List any Scholars/Honors programs you are a part of: Honors College, Meyerhoff Scholars Program, MARC U*STAR Scholars Program

Title of your research project: The Impact of Early Childhood Malaria on Educational Attainment in Ghana

Describe your project: I am using two datasets from Ghana household survey data from 2012/2013 and malaria incidence rate data from 2000, to determine whether early childhood malaria increases the likelihood of a child dropping out of school or being held back a grade.

Who is your mentor(s) for your project? I am conducting research under the guidance of Dr. Tim Gindling, a UMBC professor in the Department of Economics, and Dr. Lauren Cohee, a researcher and infectious disease pediatrician at the University of Maryland’s School of Medicine Institute for Global Health (IGH). I am also collaborating with the Ghana Health Service. After speaking with Dr. Gindling about his research and involvement with the World Bank, I realized that he possessed the expertise and experience to provide sound mentorship on my project. I have worked on Dr. Cohee’s project for nearly two years. Her study, which focuses on low-density malaria infections among school-age children in southern Malawi, inspired me to look into the long-term educational implications of the disease. I knew that she would help Dr. Gindling and I better understand the epidemiological data as well as hone in the public health focus of my research. Also, I really enjoy my lab and our team, they’re pretty awesome.

How did you become interested in this project? I have always wanted to understand barriers to education for children and youth in Ghana, my homeland. My interest in public health, and eventually, infectious disease, emerged after working at the Institute for Global Health and learning about the hundreds of millions of children impacted by malaria worldwide. As I worked with Dr. Cohee on her project, I began asking questions about the long-term impact of our work and the role of disease in determining the educational outcomes of children. I also saw that there remains a significant gap in the literature and conversation surrounding malaria and school-age children. Typically, when we talk about malaria, we focus exclusively on children under the age of five. Research about how school performance and educational attainment are affected by malaria is sparse. I hope that my work begins to scratch the surface in understanding the long run costs of malaria among young children.

What has been the hardest part about your research/what was the most unexpected thing about being a researcher? The hardest part about my research has been data collection. Obtaining data from a sub-Saharan African country is very difficult. I had to call in some favors to get the contact information for the Ghana Health Service and jump through a couple more hoops to get the data that I needed. Moving forward, my mentors and I anticipate that controlling for many different confounding factors will be the hardest part about my research. Nevertheless, I am looking forward to the challenge. In general, the unpredictability and timing of research is what can make the process a bit stressful. I think many people come into research with a plan of how things are supposed to go, but then reality hits. It’s best to patient with the process and yourself.

What has been the most rewarding part? I love talking to laymen about the work that I am doing. The most satisfying feeling is to see the light bulb go off in someone’s head or entertain questions that I had not previously thought about. For this project, I am really excited to explore how this research informs the decision-making of educators and health workers in Ghana.

How will you disseminate your research? My aim is to share my research with the Ghana Health Service (GHS), Ministry of Health, Ministry of Education, and the Ghanaian community at large. I also plan to present at URCAD next year and submit my work to a number of undergraduate  and public health journals.

What is your advice to other students about getting involved in research? I want to encourage students to be bold and reach out to people who are conducting research that interests them. Oftentimes, students will assume that they cannot join a lab or with a professor because they don’t have the highest grades or the most experience. While there is definitely a learning curve, I think that it is important to identify mentors who will tap into your potential; this means putting yourself out there, calling a PI (Primary Investigator), and/or attending conferences on and off campus. UMBC is unique because information about undergraduate research can be obtained through a variety of different programs and campus-wide initiatives made available to students. This kind of a luxury is scarcely available to students who attend larger institutions. Many of these programs (e.g. Meyerhoff Friend Program, McNair Scholars Program, MARC U*STAR Scholars Program) offer resources and advice for those who are new to research. Also, if a student is not interested in any of the research on campus, I recommend off-campus research. I know some people who work remotely with their PI.

What are your career goals? Currently, I would like to obtain a Ph.D in Economics. I hope to work at the intersection of academia and policy and research the barriers to human capital accumulation in sub-Saharan Africa and Black America.

Photo: Anna presenting her researcher at URCAD 2018

Want to be featured as a Researcher of the Week? Email: aprilh@umbc.edu

Ariana  is a double major in Biology (BA) and Psychology (BA), who will graduate in 2019. She is a member of the Honors College and 2018-19 URA Scholar.

Title of your research project:  Rat Prostate Cancer Model

Describe your project: To create a floxed P53 rat, for prostate specific P53 loss.

Who is your mentor(s) for your project? My mentors are Michael Rubenstein and Dr. Bieberich from the Biology Department. I found my mentor by talking to my bio 141 TA, who advised me to email specific professors at UMBC that encompassed my interests in genetic research, cancer research, and working with animal models. 

How did you become interested in this project? I became interested in this project because I had a passion for cancer treatment and research, and have a strong interest in how genetics influence disease initiation and progression. I also was excited to work closely with rats and mice given I had previously worked in animal care. Another aspect of my research that caught my interest is that I would conduct different surgical procedures on rats and mice. Given that I want to become a physician, this is exciting because I am able to learn and practice some skills I will later learn in medical school.

What has been the hardest part about your research/what was the most unexpected thing about being a researcher? The hardest part about research is that a seemingly simple experiment can fail countless times before it will work. Often, these experiments are composed of dozens of steps that take up anywhere from several hours to several days. It can get disheartening, but it’s important to not give up. From watching my mentor, I have found that resiliency is an important quality of a strong researcher.

What has been the most rewarding part?  The most rewarding part about my research is that I am able to contribute to the progress of cancer research, even though my role is small. By being a part of the research community, I am able to see all the progress cancer research has already made, and this inspires me to work hard.

How will you disseminate your research? I presented at the UMSOM 9^th Annual Cancer Biology Research Retreat on April 30th. I have also presented at URCAD in the spring of 2017, and will again next spring (2019).

What is your advice to other students about getting involved in research?  My advice is to not delay. The sooner you can get started in research, the better understanding you will have about what your passions are, and the more time you will have to contribute to your lab.

What are your career goals? My career goals are to become a Pediatric Oncologist and to integrate research into my daily working life. 

Announcing the URCAD Selfie Contest Winners for 2018!

Best Overall Selfie - Frank Gorelik, with Mentor, Dr. William LaCourse, Joshua Wilhide, laboratory manager of the Molecular Characterization and Analysis Complex at UMBC (and skeleton), “Development of a Method for Quantitating Caffeine in Tea” ($50 gift card to the UMBC bookstore!)

Best Selfie with Presentation - Trevor Pitts, Mai-Han Trinh, Kavita Kumar, with Mentor, Dr. Simon Stacey, “A Behavioral Approach to Measuring Empathy” ($25)

Best Selfie with Mentor - Nida Yousfi, Zachary Pohuski, Hannah Paul, Zulkarnain Choudhury with Mentor, Galina Madjaroff, “Supporting Caregivers and Car Recipients after the Inset of Cognitive Impairment with Home-based Technology” ($25)

Best Selfie with Family Member - Matthew Kane and Mom, “Scratching the Surface of Bahama Oriole Pine Forest Nesting” ($25)

Get your selfie stick ready for next year- URCAD will be on Wednesday, April 24, 2019- See you there!