Nehal Naqvi is a senior Political Science, and Applied Statistics major.

He is a member of the Honors College and a Sondheim Scholar.

Title of your research project: Interdisciplinary educational training to improve students' audio deepfake discernment

Describe your project: We evaluated whether a deepfake audio training created by sociolinguists at UMBC would be effective in improving students’ discernment of audio deepfake files.

Dr. Christine Mallinson (LLC), Dr. Vandana Janeja (IS), and Dr. Elizabeth Stanwyck (Math/Stat). I found my mentors (Dr. Mallinson and Dr. Janeja) through the Data Science Scholars program at UMBC, which is an interdisciplinary program that allows students to apply their technical skills towards faculty research projects. Currently, my research has transitioned from the Data Science scholars’ program to UMBC CISAAD (Community Infrastructure to Strengthen AI for Audio Deepfake analysis) where students and faculty are working to tackle deepfake recognition through various academic disciplines (AI, linguistics, educational training).

Dr. Stanwyck was my faculty advisor for statistics and was my instructor for STAT 454 Applied Statistics. As I applied paired hypothesis testing method which were covered in Applied Statistics, I often would go back to Dr. Stanwyck to make sure I was fulfilling the assumptions for each method.

I became interested in this project because of the impact of deepfakes in politics, especially within U.S. elections. I saw this research experience as an opportunity to apply my skills in statistics in an interdisciplinary context. I think researchers should be open to applying their skills in unfamiliar disciplines, as it can expose oneself to new perspectives and methodologies.

The hardest part of my research was explaining the statistical methodology to my PIs, as well as PhD and graduate students on team who came from a linguistics or AI background. I found it to be really important to explain the methods that one plans to use in an approachable and simple manner, so that individuals outside of the discipline can understand why the problem is being approached in a certain way.

To be a Researcher of the Week, email: aprilh@umbc.edu

What: From Campus to the State Capital: Strategies for Inspiring Change in MD Politics

When: Nov 13th from 1pm-2:30pm (lunch will be served)

Where: Commons 331 

Join us for Brew Voyage, a cozy gathering where you'll get to experience hot beverages grom different corners of the globe! 

More information available in the flyers below. 

Join the Center for Well Being for Origami with Joyce on November 13th and December 4th from 4-6pm! 

Retriever Essentials is conducting a survey to gather valuable insights and feedback, and we would greatly appreciate your participation.

Your opinions are essential in helping us improve and better serve the UMBC community. The survey will take approximately 5-10 minutes to complete, and all responses will be kept confidential. As a thank you for your time, everyone who completes the survey will have the opportunity to enter into a raffle for a chance to win a $10 Amazon gift card! 

To participate, please click the link below (please note, you must be 18+ and a UMBC student to participate):

Thank you for considering this opportunity to share your thoughts and potentially win a great prize!

Monday, November 4, 2024 · 7 - 9 PM

Allison is a senior majoring in Spanish, with a Latin American Studies minor, and Law and Justice minor.

Title of your research project: Mexican Feminist Movements and the Role of Social Media: Civic Participation and Transnational Solidarity

Describe your project: How social media can help spread knowledge and awareness of issues important to Mexican feminists and engage participants across borders.

My mentor is Thania Munoz Davaslioglu, Modern Languages, Linguistics, and Intercultural Communication. My mentor has been my advisor for my major, I have known her the entire time I’ve been at UMBC! I was very eager to work with her on her next project.

This was a topic that was presented to me when I took an Individualized Study class with Dra. Munoz last spring. While researching hashtags on social media on March 8 (International Women’s Day), I noticed events being held in the United States that were inspired by events and movements in Mexico. These featured the same colors, symbols, and hashtags, and oftentimes were advertised in Spanish and held at Mexican embassies or consulates. We wanted to investigate further and expand on this idea!

What has been the hardest part about your research/what was the most unexpected thing about being a researcher? 

This being my second research project, I was used to the general procedures of research. However, this time, I was using social media as my primary tool - which meant I had to sift through more posts than I ever thought possible! This turned out to be the most fun and rewarding part of it, however, as it was amazing to see the amount of people standing in solidarity with each other. It was also the “breakthrough” moment of our project!

Getting to work with my advisor on such an important project and topic. I have known her for years now and I hope she’s proud of me!

I will be presenting my research at the National Women’s Studies Association Annual Conference in Detroit, Michigan on November 17, with a Travel Grant from the Undergraduate Research Office. I also really want to bring this project to URCAD this spring!

Please do it! It’s so, so rewarding, and the skills you will learn are ones you will keep for life. Be brave!

I hope to be a paralegal, and expand on my legal knowledge. Although, doing research permanently does sound pretty appealing! I will never rule it out.

Be a Researcher of the Week! Contact: aprilh@umbc.edu