Joana Hernandez

Degree: B.S., Chemical Engineering
Hometown: Hyattsville, MD
Post-grad plans: Applying to biochemical engineering Ph.D. programs

McNair Scholar Joana Hernandez is a research enthusiast who found her interest in scientific exploration and mentorship while at UMBC. Since 2019, Hernandez has worked as a research assistant in the lab of Fernando Vonhoff, assistant professor of biological sciences. The lab uses fruit flies as a model to study human neurological diseases. It was in Vonhoff’s lab where she realized that there were opportunities to turn her love of learning into a career in research. 

Hernandez has taken her interest in conducting research to the next level by helping to guide fellow students who may be unfamiliar with the academic research process. As a teaching fellow in the McNair Scholars Program, Hernandez led workshops in a class dedicated to teaching students how to develop research proposals. During these workshops, she presented on topics ranging from how to give a research presentation to how to apply to Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REUs). 

Hernadez shares that she’s proud to be a McNair Scholar. “As a first-generation college student, it can be difficult to navigate academic spaces and obtain resources on applying to graduate programs,” Hernandez says. “McNair welcomed me with open arms and helped grow my confidence by providing me with opportunities to conduct research and present at national conferences.”

Has there been a mentor or fellow student who influenced your time at UMBC?

“My mentors Fernando Vonhoff and María Célleri, assistant professor of gender, women’s, and sexuality studies, have both had a positive influence on me. As a first-generation college student, I was unaware that undergraduates could participate in research or present at research conferences. When Dr. Vonhoff enabled me to join his lab my freshman year, it opened the doors to a lot of future opportunities. I am very grateful to have had a research mentor that was so understanding and encouraging.

“Dr. Celleri, my McNair mentor, is someone I can always count on to give me advice about navigating academic spaces as a Latina, and how to balance my life between my immigrant household and school. I appreciate all the wisdom I have gathered from her.”

What academic achievement are you most proud of?

“I am most proud of when I presented the research I did in the Vonhoff lab at the 2019 Annual Biomedical Research Conference for Minoritized Scientists (ABRCMS). That was the first time that I had attended a national conference and flew out to the West Coast. It was an eye-opening experience being able to see other undergraduate researchers from diverse backgrounds who were also just as passionate about communicating their work.”

Kayla Tomas

Degrees: B.S., Information Systems
Hometown: Silver Spring, MD
Post-grad plans: Cybersecurity Consultant for KPMG

Kayla Tomas cites UMBC’s Center for Women in Technology (CWIT) Scholars Program for empowering her and giving her a sense of community, especially as a Latina woman in STEM. In CWIT Scholars, a merit-based scholarship for talented undergraduates in computing and other technical fields, she developed friendships, found mentorship, and was able to create a close network of colleagues.

A star athlete, Tomas played on the women’s Division 1 volleyball team all four years of her time at UMBC, and helped guide the team to championships in three consecutive years. She participated as a member of the Hispanic Latino Student Union, and started her own Latin dance team. As a Grit Guide, she gave more than 50 tours of campus.

UMBC’s alumni community has celebrated and supported Tomas through one of the university’s coveted Alumni Endowed Scholarships, awarded to six students each year through support from UMBC’s Alumni Association.

Has there been a mentor or fellow student who influenced your time at UMBC?

“Gina Ralston, a coordinator in admissions and orientation, was a staff mentor who influenced my time at UMBC. She continuously reassured me of how much of a positive impact I have. Gina was my boss when I worked as a Grit Guide. She made me feel appreciated and seen. I loved this job because I got to share my knowledge with younger students who are new to this process, maybe even women looking to be in STEM.”

What has been the best part of your UMBC experience?

“The best part of my UMBC experience would have to be winning the America East title in volleyball three years in a row. So much hard work, time, and dedication went into training, and it truly paid off. The friendships I made, the breakthroughs I experienced, and the challenges I faced, made me into a stronger individual and this couldn’t have happened without an amazing group of teammates. It has always been a dream of mine to play collegiate volleyball at the highest level and I achieved that. Seeing my family at every home and away game always put a smile on my face. They are my rock and have been through the highs and lows with me.”

Sianna Serio

Degrees: B.S., Computer Science
Hometown: Bel Air, MD
Post-grad plans: Fulbright Scholarship to teach English in Slovakia

One of Sianna Serio’s most memorable UMBC experiences was giving a campus tour to UMBC President Valerie Sheares Ashby during her first day as the university’s new leader. Serio was ideally suited for the job, having worked for Residential Life as a resident assistant and for the Office of Undergraduate Admissions and Orientation as team lead for UMBC’s orientation peer ambassadors and as team lead for the Grit Guides, training and managing the rest of the campus tour guide team.

Prior to Serio’s first full semester at UMBC, she traveled to the University of Bristol to participate in the first Dawg Days: Abroad program, studying comparative politics. So, it was there in Bristol, England, that she first connected with the UMBC community. Since then, she has been involved in many UMBC student organizations, including the Society of Women Engineers, Sign of Life, First Generation Network and the UMBC Crafters club.

The Center for Women in Technology (CWIT) has been the academic focal point for Serio during her time at UMBC. She has been a CWIT Affiliate from the start, applied to live on the CWIT Living Learning Community floor for her first academic year, and volunteered for several events for prospective students. Last academic year, she served as a CWIT Peer Mentor for three incoming first-year students majoring in computer science. With her experience and enjoyment as a mentor, she became the CWIT Peer Mentoring Program student lead for 2022–2023 and has hosted several successful events for the 94 members of the program.

Has there been a mentor or fellow student who influenced your time at UMBC?

“Naomi Corns was a student a year above me who strongly influenced my first two years at UMBC. We originally met through a sociology class. While we weren’t the same major, we had a lot in common in personality and drive. After getting to know each other both inside and outside the classroom, she was one of the people to recommend me to be a resident assistant and she inspired me to become an active member of the UMBC community. She had also been an orientation peer ambassador while at UMBC, which I pursued as well. If it wasn’t for her leading by example and showing her support, I don’t think I would have been where I am today as a part of UMBC or as a student.”

What has been the best part of your UMBC experience?

“Everyone gets to choose how they want to show up everyday and the mark they want to make, and UMBC students are given so many opportunities to do so. When I came to UMBC, I had no intention of getting involved and putting myself out there. But after seeing so many opportunities laid out in front of me after just a few weeks on UMBC’s campus, it was almost impossible for me to avoid. I was constantly encouraged by the people around and me and I have grown in every aspect of my life.”

Sianna Serio

Degrees: B.S., Computer Science
Hometown: Bel Air, MD
Post-grad plans: Fulbright Scholarship to teach English in Slovakia

One of Sianna Serio’s most memorable UMBC experiences was giving a campus tour to UMBC President Valerie Sheares Ashby during her first day as the university’s new leader. Serio was ideally suited for the job, having worked for Residential Life as a resident assistant and for the Office of Undergraduate Admissions and Orientation as team lead for UMBC’s orientation peer ambassadors and as team lead for the Grit Guides, training and managing the rest of the campus tour guide team.

Prior to Serio’s first full semester at UMBC, she traveled to the University of Bristol to participate in the first Dawg Days: Abroad program, studying comparative politics. So, it was there in Bristol, England, that she first connected with the UMBC community. Since then, she has been involved in many UMBC student organizations, including the Society of Women Engineers, Sign of Life, First Generation Network and the UMBC Crafters club.

The Center for Women in Technology (CWIT) has been the academic focal point for Serio during her time at UMBC. She has been a CWIT Affiliate from the start, applied to live on the CWIT Living Learning Community floor for her first academic year, and volunteered for several events for prospective students. Last academic year, she served as a CWIT Peer Mentor for three incoming first-year students majoring in computer science. With her experience and enjoyment as a mentor, she became the CWIT Peer Mentoring Program student lead for 2022–2023 and has hosted several successful events for the 94 members of the program.

Has there been a mentor or fellow student who influenced your time at UMBC?

“Naomi Corns was a student a year above me who strongly influenced my first two years at UMBC. We originally met through a sociology class. While we weren’t the same major, we had a lot in common in personality and drive. After getting to know each other both inside and outside the classroom, she was one of the people to recommend me to be a resident assistant and she inspired me to become an active member of the UMBC community. She had also been an orientation peer ambassador while at UMBC, which I pursued as well. If it wasn’t for her leading by example and showing her support, I don’t think I would have been where I am today as a part of UMBC or as a student.”

What has been the best part of your UMBC experience?

“Everyone gets to choose how they want to show up everyday and the mark they want to make, and UMBC students are given so many opportunities to do so. When I came to UMBC, I had no intention of getting involved and putting myself out there. But after seeing so many opportunities laid out in front of me after just a few weeks on UMBC’s campus, it was almost impossible for me to avoid. I was constantly encouraged by the people around and me and I have grown in every aspect of my life.”

Hala Algrain

Degree: MPS, Health IT; Graduate Certificate in Data Science
Hometown: Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Post-grad plans: Ph.D. in information systems, UMBC

Supportive faculty and staff mentors helped Hala Algrain find her way on what she describes as a long journey to a career that fits her values. 

While pursuing a master’s degree in health information technology, Algrain honed her interests and reconnected with a love of research and teaching. She currently works as a research assistant in the Health Data Lab of Ian Stockwell, associate professor of information systems. She felt an immediate connection to the work, which aligns with her goal of creating intelligent human-centered health systems that address patient needs. Her experience in the lab prompted her to change career plans. Instead of entering industry, she will pursue a Ph.D. in information systems at UMBC. 

Algrain also accessed professional development services and found faculty who guided her to classes that fit her interests and opened new opportunities. “Shout out to the Office of International Students and Scholars,” she says. “They really do have your back.”

What activity, experience, or co-curricular at UMBC was particularly important to you?

“I’ve valued working as a teaching assistant and a research assistant. Connecting with students as a teaching assistant rekindled my love for academia. I enjoyed being able to facilitate another student’s learning experience.”

Is there a particular academic achievement you’re most proud of?

“I’m proud of persevering through a lot of professional dead ends and continuously seeking a higher standard for the level of impact of health systems. It’s incredibly reassuring and exciting to find mentors at UMBC who have the same values of conducting research with real-world impact.”

On a recent Friday, representatives of UMBC, the U.S. Geological Survey and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency gathered in UMBC’s Albin O. Kuhn Library Gallery and pledged to work together to diversify and advance environmental science.

UMBC President Valerie Sheares Ashby, USGS Northeast Region Director Michael Tupper, and then-director of the EPA’s Chesapeake Bay Program Kandis Boyd, now senior advisor to regional administrator for EPA Region 3, ceremonially signed a memorandum of understanding that outlines areas where the three partners plan to collaborate. One of their main objectives is to create a seamless career pipeline for students in environmental science, engineering, and related fields.

Deepening strong ties

The agreement aims to further deepen an already strong relationship between the three organizations. It comes on the heels of other successful collaborations, including the 2001 opening of the UMBC Center for Urban Environmental Research and Education, initially funded in part by the EPA, and the 2007 relocation of the USGS Maryland-Delaware-DC Water Science Center to a new facility at the bwtech@UMBC Research and Technology Park.

UMBC faculty and students have worked with USGS and EPA scientists to develop new methods to analyze environmental data, clean up polluted ecosystems, and understand the economic benefits of healthy air and water.

The trio aim to build off these successes, and in particular will focus on recruiting and training diverse students to further environmental research and stewardship.

Kick-starting environmental science careers

“I’m a living, breathing example of what a partnership like this can do,” says Kandis Boyd, who was the first person of color to direct the EPA’s Chesapeake Bay Program. She notes that her career in the federal government was kickstarted with an internship while she was a college student.

President Sheares Ashby echoed the enthusiasm. “I am thrilled to be here, having heard the values embodied by our partners,” she says. “Our students can change the world.”

One of those students is Christopher Blume, a participant in UMBC’s Interdisciplinary Consortium for Applied Research in the Environment (ICARE) master’s program. He is studying how bats might be used to track heavy metal pollution in the Baltimore area. 

In remarks he gave during the signing ceremony, Blume thanked his mentors and fellow students for the invaluable support he has received while pursuing a career in environmental science. He also expressed how grateful he was for the chance to work and connect with the communities throughout Baltimore who are impacted by and invested in the work he does.

“If there is one thing I’ve learned from my time in this program, it’s that diversity and representation of that diversity truly matter,” he says.

Shaniah Reece

Degree: B.S., Information Systems
Hometown: Beltsville, MD and Georgetown, Guyana
Post-grad plans: Ph.D. in Computer Science, Emory University

When Shaniah Reece came to UMBC as a first-generation college student from Guyana, she already had a passion for technology, but she was worried about finding the right path and uncertain how to navigate the college experience. Tapping into a support network in the UMBC community, she skillfully navigated her doubts while excelling in academics, research, and community leadership.

A CWIT scholar, Reece has served in numerous leadership roles on the CWIT student council. She has also served as a lead resident assistant in on-campus housing and volunteered with organizations such as Retriever Essentials, which tackles food insecurity in the UMBC community, and Building Steps, which partners with Baltimore schools to equip promising students with the tools to pursue STEM careers. 

As Reece discovered a passion and aptitude for research, the McNair Scholars program and numerous mentors helped her navigate a successful path to graduate school. She enjoyed the opportunity to work with James Foulds, assistant professor of information systems, on improving the fairness of artificial intelligence systems and recently described to TV viewers how biases from the human world find their way into AI, with harmful effects.

Having found a career path that fits her values, Reece is more than prepared for the journey ahead.

Has there been a mentor or fellow student who influenced your time at UMBC?

“Dr. Maria Sanchez has been a mentor who has had a significant impact on my growth. Despite the numerous times I’ve experienced self-doubt, she consistently provided me with the support and encouragement I needed to realize my potential. As someone who shares a similar background, Dr. Sanchez has been a source of inspiration and motivation for me to overcome any challenges that come my way.”

What has been the best part of your UMBC experience?

“Without a doubt, the most rewarding aspect of my time at UMBC has been the sense of community I have experienced here. Since my freshman year I have been consistently surrounded by a diverse and supportive group of individuals who were committed to helping me achieve my goals. UMBC has been more than just an institution for higher learning to me. It has been a place where I have been able to thrive and show the world a version of me that I am proud of.”

Max Bobbin 

Degree: B.S., Chemical Engineering; B.A., Philosophy
Hometown: Joppa, MD
Post-grad plans: Ph.D. in chemical engineering, University of Delaware

Max Bobbin may still be an undergraduate, but he’s already made significant research contributions in the Artificial Intelligence and Theory-Oriented Molecular Science (ATOMS) lab, led byTyler Josephson, assistant professor of chemical, biochemical, and environmental engineering. Bobbin was the first in the research group to develop expertise in the programming language Lean. He took on a leadership role, teaching other lab members, including Josephson, about new ways to use Lean. He also selected appropriate projects for new team members, helped the group prepare for Josephson’s parental leave, and initiated new directions for the lab’s work.

Bobbin believes his additional philosophy major supported his engineering work in important ways. “For an engineer, the most important skills are problem-solving, critical thinking, and communication,” he says, “and philosophy is a major built around those three ideas.”

Bobbin also served as vice president of the UMBC American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE) student chapter and led UMBC to the AIChE Jeopardy national championship in 2022.

What has been the best part of your UMBC experience?

“My first American Institute of Chemical Engineers Jeopardy competition was nationals in 2021, where we placed second. I worked very hard to make sure we were ready when we went back to nationals in 2022, because I wanted to bring back first place for UMBC. Our practice paid off, and after a tough final round, we won first place at nationals. I enjoyed attending the conferences and the opportunities to network, but competing is my favorite memory because it was the best representation of how well UMBC students work together to achieve their goals.”

Is there a particular academic achievement you’re most proud of?

“In the first couple of months after I joined the Josephson lab, I spent a considerable amount of time learning more about higher level math and coming to our weekly meetings with new information to teach the rest of the group. In the summer, I made my first breakthrough and moved into a leadership role in the group. This project helped me hone my skills relating to learning new subjects, leading a project, and leading a group of people in a new field of study. Plus, it gave me confidence as I continue doing research for my Ph.D.”

U.S. News announced its 2023-24 Best Graduate School rankings today, highlighting UMBC graduate programs in a broad range of fields, from public policy and several types of engineering to mathematics and other sciences. Among UMBC’s Best Graduate School rankings are 12 programs across all three of UMBC’s colleges, including eight top-100 programs.

Programs were ranked using criteria such as peer quality assessments, research activity, employer assessments, doctoral degrees awarded, student to faculty ratios, and acceptance rates, with methodology varying across discipline. 

Engineering excellence across subfields

UMBC’s engineering graduate programs continue to be cited among the top 100 in their subfields, with multiple programs moving up in rank. This year, UMBC environmental engineering moved up eight spots to #47 nationwide, chemical engineering moved up five spots to #72, and mechanical engineering moved up to #97. UMBC’s computer science graduate programs ranked #77 and computer engineering came in at #85. Electrical engineering jumped several spots to rank #100. Overall, UMBC engineering programs ranked #104.

Keith J Bowman, dean of the College of Engineering and Information Technology, shares, “We have experienced incredible synergy between the hiring of outstanding new full- and part-time faculty, growth in research, and the creation of innovative new graduate programs. Together, they have resulted in substantial growth of applications for our graduate programs.”

Growth in social, natural, and mathematical sciences

UMBC’s public policy graduate programs ranked #85 in the public affairs category. The university has offered robust graduate programs in policy sciences for more than four decades and formally established the School of Public Policy in 2014 within the College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences (CAHSS). 

Reflecting on what it takes to achieve this kind of position, CAHSS Dean Kimberly R. Moffitt has previously shared, “I am most appreciative of the tremendous efforts of the faculty, staff, and students that are reflected in these rankings and are worthy of such recognition.”

UMBC’s physics graduate programs remain within the top-100 rankings, coming in at #95. Additionally, chemistry moved up to #108, mathematics was ranked at #117, and Earth sciences (with applicable programs and faculty in multiple colleges) were also recognized.

William R. LaCourse, dean of the College of Natural and Mathematical Sciences (CNMS), notes that this recognition reflects how CNMS faculty, staff, and students are “committed to world-class research, mentoring, and inclusive excellence.” He says, “their long-standing efforts provide the foundation for UMBC’s growing reputation as a model for a new type of public university: one where a deep commitment to student education and success actively enhances research outcomes across the disciplines.” 

Reputation for excellence and support

UMBC’s distinctive reputation as a top research university committed to student success is expanding, says Janet Rutledge, vice provost and dean of the Graduate School at UMBC. She notes that one impact has been rising grad student interest and enrollment. 

“Our graduate students are a critical part of the thriving research and education community at UMBC,” Rutledge says. “Word of their experiences and contributions has spread and led to a record number of applications and record enrollment in our graduate programs.”

Beyond programs recognized today, additional UMBC graduate programs maintain rankings from prior U.S. News listings, including in the categories of statistics (#54), fine arts (#89), clinical psychology (#80), biological sciences (#118), and psychology overall (#122).

In 2020, Renata Taylor-Smith ’24, theatre, eagerly prepared for her first trip to Munich, Germany to study theatrical lighting design, but a week before she was meant to fly to Germany, her trip was canceled due to COVID-19. She learned that the show she helped to prepare the lighting design for, a production of Jessica Dickey’s The Amish Project, would be postponed indefinitely.

“That roadblock forced me to think creatively about how I could redesign my project,” says Taylor-Smith. With the help of her faculty mentor Adam Mendelson, senior lecturer in theatre, Taylor-Smith sought new ways to gain hands-on experience in lighting design research. Mendelson connected her with other Baltimore-based lighting designers and encouraged her to attend the Live Design International conference and trade show to network with industry professionals.

Taylor-Smith says, “I was able to meet the intended goal of my research project while also expanding the scope of my project to include opportunities to learn from other designers.” It came full-circle this year when Taylor-Smith worked as the assistant lighting designer, and later transitioned to head designer, for a production of The Amish Project at UMBC’s Black Box Theatre. 

Last week Taylor-Smith showcased that work at UMBC’s 2023 Undergraduate Research and Creative Achievement Day (URCAD), held in person for the first time since COVID-19. There, she and nearly 200 other UMBC students convened to present their research and creative projects. 

“I was really stressed about presenting my research,” says Taylor-Smith, sharing a feeling that many first-time URCAD presenters initially experience. “I had to remind myself that I spent almost a whole year working on this and all I had to do was talk about what I’ve done. I’m taking the experience that I’ve gained from doing shows to become more confident in my voice as a lighting designer and in my design choices.”

Mendelson shares that he was excited to support Taylor-Smith with her URCAD project because hands-on research “allows students who have an interest to really get started, grow, and think through their ideas.”

With support from UMBC’s William T. Brown Shakespeare on Wheels Research Award and an Undergraduate Research Award, Taylor-Smith expects to finally make her way to Germany later this year. 

“When someone believes in you…believe them.”

This year’s URCAD featured a talk by special guest Alicia Wilson’04, political science, who is the managing director and global head of philanthropy for the North America region for JPMorgan Chase. Wilson captivated an audience of URCAD presenters and attendees, sharing her personal journey, the value of her research experience, and the power of mentorship.

“UMBC, for me, represents so much of who I am and what I want to be in the world,” says Wilson. “My pathway to where I am now is rooted in relationships, being able to care for my community and people regardless of their background. I learned at UMBC to treat everyone well and to research and understand things.”

She advised students to “explore any type of research that you might be interested in,” saying that “it all leads to a great place.” Wilson also encouraged students to take heed of their supporters’ belief in their abilities: “When someone believes in you—even if you can’t believe in yourself—believe them. Don’t believe your doubts. Believe in their belief in you.”

Wilson, who presented her research on community-building at UMBC’s 2022 GRIT-X event, also shared her experience building and sustaining connections, from an 8-year-old who became her mentee to former first lady Michelle Obama. 

The language of toys

Theo Reinhert ’23, media and communications studies, is one of the hundreds of UMBC students who presented their work at URCAD this year. Reinhert engaged a crowd of URCAD observers with a display of children’s toys, gathered to demonstrate his analysis of how gender ideologies can be coded in toys. 

“While growing up and struggling with my own gender, toys were one of those media that impacted and had power over how I viewed my gender,” Reinhert explained after his presentation. It made him curious to understand how material objects can have the power to carry ideas.

Reinhert found presenting at URCAD to be an important learning experience. “As I presented my research, I understood my ideas better,” he said. “Creating a presentation was a step for me to understand the final research outcomes.”

He also found the support of his faculty mentor, Jason Loviglio, associate professor of media and communication studies, to be essential. “Whenever I would feel lost, Dr. Loviglio would assure me that I was experiencing a normal stage in humanities research” and he’d provide valuable insight, Reinhart said.

Balancing privacy and utility in smart devices 

Several students worked together to complete complex group research projects. Tartela Tabassum ’23, information systems; Luke Zimmermann ’24, computer science; Ruhshana Bobojonova ’24, biological sciences; and Joshua Cheeks ’25, computer science, collaborated to explore the tradeoffs that exist between privacy and utility when using smart devices at home. 

The group worked in the DAta Management and Semantics (DAMS) research lab led by Roberto Yus, assistant professor of computer science and electrical engineering. They built a prototype of a framework to generate inferences about a person based on audio and video input like speech data collected by a smart speaker and images from a smart security camera, using open-source code and artificial intelligence and machine learning algorithms.

“We think that privacy is a rising issue,” says Tabassum. “There are things going on with the government trying to ban social media platforms like Tik Tok because of these privacy issues. We want to give users more autonomy with their own privacy.”

Developing flu treatments

Lillian Kidd ’24, biochemistry and molecular biology, explored the design and synthesis of palmitoyltransferase inhibitors as potential therapeutics for influenza, or the flu, with her research partner Brooke Nelson ’23, biological sciences. Kidd and Nelson received an Undergraduate Research Award to support their work with faculty mentor Paul Smith, associate professor of chemistry and biochemistry.

“I think doing research is a lot like standing in front of a mirror. It exposes you to what you’re scared of and inversely, what you’re excited about. I learned a lot about my approaches to problem solving and discovered a deep interest in biochemistry,” says Kidd. 

She shares that her preparation leading up to URCAD helped her to grow as a research scientist: “There is so much specificity to every single step in our synthesis of palmitoyltransferase inhibitors that pushed me beyond what I had learned in the class environment. Actively using all of the information I studied to carry out research in the lab was such a fundamental experience to my growth as a research scientist.”

A history of Baltimore’s LGBTQ+ nightlife

Ava Sekowski ’24, political science and media and communication studies, was inspired to explore the history of LGBTQ+ nightlife in Baltimore after growing up hearing stories about The Hippo, a now-defunct LGBTQ+ bar where her parents met. Sekowski created the short film “Out in the Open: Tracing the History of Gay Nightlife in Baltimore,” which chronicles the decline in LGBTQ+ nightlife establishments in the city. 

“In coming to UMBC, I wanted to explore more about the history of Baltimore through the lens of the LGBTQ+ community,” shares Sekowski. For this project, she says, “I wanted to explore why The Hippo is gone. I heard about the bar my whole life being this amazing club that was welcoming, and I wanted to explore if that was true and who it was welcoming for.”

The project enabled Sekowski to practice her editing and interviewing skills and taught her how to navigate the post-production process. “The process was much harder than I thought it would be,” she shares. “I was a one-person filming and editing crew. The hardest part, for me, was filming and getting the lighting correct, but in the end, I’m pretty happy with how it turned out.”

A bioinformatics approach to understanding DNA

In his research, Emmanuel Mekasha ’25, biological sciences, explores promoter regions located in DNA structures and how they are fundamental to our understanding of how gene expression is regulated. He is helping to tackle the challenge of designing generic computational programs capable of finding promoters across different organisms, with the guidance of his mentor Ivan Erill, professor of biological sciences, and biological sciences Ph.D. student Elia Mascolo.

“I have always been an interdisciplinary learner. Based on bioinformatics approaches, my project combines the best aspects of mathematics, statistics, computation, and biology,” says Mekasha. “I thoroughly enjoyed everything that went into this project, from the literature review to the experimental design.”

Mekasha already has his sights set on continuing his research pursuits beyond his time at UMBC. “This project, and previous research experiences, have made me certain that I want to do research in the future, leading me to my goal of achieving an MD-Ph.D. degree.”

Implicit bias in healthcare

Thu Dinh ’23, biological sciences; Maryamah Ndao ’23, psychology; and Jorge Saucedo ’23, psychology, worked as research assistants in the Social Determinants of Health Inequities Lab (SoDHI), led by their faculty mentor Danielle Beatty Moody, associate professor of psychology. The group examined the systemic impact of implicit bias from healthcare providers on patient health outcomes. For Ndao, this was a research topic she’s been interested in since her first year at UMBC.

Ndao describes her main focus as “making sure that the healthcare needs…of Black people, especially Black women, are heard.” 

“The data is very clear and the disparities are clear but there’s a lack of action,” Ndao shared during the group’s poster presentation. “Having this opportunity at URCAD to be able to speak to people directly is beneficial because a lot of people [may not] know about this.”

For Saucedo, this research interested him on a personal level, as someone who has lived with chronic pain and felt that medical professionals didn’t believe the amount of pain he was experiencing. 

“As a minority myself, I’ve faced a lot of discrepancies and had people not take my pain seriously. I’ve had experiences through the healthcare system that made me feel as if I wasn’t fully represented culturally. I felt as if I was neglected from having proper care because of that,” says Saucedo. Because of his experiences, Saucedo was interested in exploring the research being done at the SoDHI lab.

Ndao hopes to one day open her own mental health medical practice to better help individuals from marginalized groups, and also impact the conversation on bias in healthcare. “I want to do more advocating. I love speaking about this topic,” says Ndao. 

Reducing pain after shoulder surgery

Supported by UMBC’s Mechanical Engineering S-STEM program, Jacob Lombardo ’25, mechanical engineering, explored how the use of a cooling pad could be beneficial in the healing of surgical repair sites of shoulder injuries. His research asserts that effective cooling may temporarily reduce nerve activity by disrupting the transmission of pain signals and could be a cost-effective approach to decrease the use of painkiller medications during surgical recovery. 

With the help of his faculty mentor Liang Zhu, professor of mechanical engineering, Lombardo learned how to circumvent obstacles that arose during the research process. “Research allows you to overcome problems that don’t have a textbook answer,” says Lombardo. 

For example, he explains, “My research included the use of a blood flow measurement device. I initially encountered difficulties getting meaningful results from the device. With the encouragement of my advisor, I got in contact with the manufacturer.” Their engineers explained in more detail how the device worked and shared best practices for using it effectively in research. 

This experience learning more about medical technologies has inspired him to continue to pursue biomedical engineering. He says, “I am motivated by the possibility of improving patient care through research, and I am eager to expand upon my experience in future projects.”

UMBC Review

Several URCAD presenters and other student researchers have shared the results of their research and creative work in UMBC Review, a peer-reviewed research publication completely directed by UMBC undergraduate students. Free print copies of the new 24th edition are available in the Office of Undergraduate Research and Prestigious Scholarships, located in the Albin O. Kuhn Library and Gallery.