We met Rajashree last Fall semester and we thought it would be a good idea to revisit our researcher's again to promote the hard work that she has been working on.
Rajashree is a Bioinformatics & Computational Biology major and an undergraduate researcher at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. Her research probed into the micro-biological world of protein interaction which is essential to understand function within cells, pathways and relationship to diseases.
How did you find your mentor for year research project?
Through the Howard Hughes Medical Institute Scholars Program.
How did you know this was the project you wanted to do?
I chose the lab because of the friendly environment, the skills I knew I would be learning, and the idea of developing a tool that could be useful for the scientific community.
Is this your first independent research project?
Yes.
Do you get course credit for this work?
Yes, it counts for an upper level biology elective.
How much time do you put into it?
I put it in about 12 hours a week.
How did you hear about the Undergraduate Research Award (URA) program?
A fellow undergraduate in the lab received a URA.
What academic background did you have before you applied for the URA?
When I applied, I had 2.5 years of undergraduate courses. This includes Biology, Chemistry, Math, Physics, Statistics and Computer Science.
Was the application difficult to do?
No, because I have written abstracts before and I was very familiar with my work.
How much did your mentor help you with the application?
I wrote the application independently and she reviewed and edited it.
What has been the hardest part about your research?
The hardest part about the research is evaluating my method. It’s a unique method and is hard to find other methods out there to compare it to.
How does your research relate to your work in other classes?
My research relates to the skills I learned in my computer science classes and it can be applied to the information I learn in my biology classes.
What else are you involved in on campus?
I am president of Hindu Students Council and a member of UMBC ADAA, and the South Asian fusion dance team
What is your advice to other students about getting involved in research?
“What is research, but a blind date with knowledge.”
-William Henry
What you learn from books and lectures is incomparable to the information and skills you learn from being involved in research. In my opinion, a great research experience is based on how much you learned and what skills you gained from the experience.
What are your career goals?
I will be applying to PhD programs this Fall. As I work towards completing my PhD, I will better understand whether or not I want to stay in academia, work for the government, or go into industry. I eventually would like to teach at the college level.
Read more about Rajashree's research here...
