Noor Shaikh is a junior Biological Sciences major and a URA Scholar.
Title of your research project: A mechanistic understanding of planarian shape regulation during growth and degrowth behaviors
Describe your project: Planarian worms have the extraordinary ability to grow when fed and degrow when starved over more than one order of magnitude in lengths, during which they maintain their body and organ proportions. The goal of this project is to characterize the genes controlling the maintenance of worm proportions and shape during these growth and degrowth behaviors. The specific aims include the recording and analysis of body proportions and shapes during growth and degrowth and the acquisition of gene expression patterns during these processes with in situ hybridization assays.
Who is your mentor(s) for your project? My mentor is Dr. Daniel Lobo in the department of biological sciences at UMBC. I am working under Dr. Lobo's supervision and have been given leadership role to maintain the lab colony of planarian worms and to independently carry out previous pilot-studies of growth and degrowth experiments. I will work together with my mentor’s guidance towards obtaining the final product for my project.
How did you become interested in this project? I had come across my mentor's lab website and was interested in learning more about the planarian worms ability to regenerate. I am excited to use this project as a way to work with and identify the genes responsible for body shape maintenance in this model organism. Also, this project can shed light into how biological growth and shape is regulated and pave the way for novel biomedical applications to human developmental diseases and cancer.
What has been the hardest part about your research/what was the most unexpected thing about being a researcher? Planarians can reproduce asexually by fissioning transversally, resulting in each fragment regenerating a new complete worm. One challenge we encountered in the growth and degrowth pilot studies on the planarian worms were that they fissioned after being isolated in the well plates, so this resulted in an error in our calculations of the body proportions. To solve this problem we placed more than one worm in the well plate because population density modulates fission behavior.
What has been the most rewarding part? The most rewarding part has been the knowledge I have gained and the opportunities to present my research. I was able to present in the 22nd annual Summer Undergraduate Research Fest (SURF) and now with the URA award I will present my further findings at URCAD, in April.
How will you disseminate your research? I plan on sharing the results of my work through an URCAD presentation, professional conferences, and a journal paper.
What is your advice to other students about getting involved in research? My advice to anyone interested in research, is to reach out early to various professors on campus whose work they find interesting. There is always a way to get involved in research that interests you.
What are your career goals? After graduating from UMBC, I plan to earn a PharmD and masters to further pursue a career in research.
]]>Scholarships of up to $7,500 a year are provided to help cover costs associated with tuition, mandatory fees, books, room and board. A sophomore who receives a Goldwater Scholarship will receive up to $7,500 in each of his/her junior and senior years. A junior who receives a Goldwater Scholarship will receive up to $7,500 in his/her senior year.
1. Be a full-time matriculated sophomore or junior pursuing a degree at an accredited 2- or 4-year institution of higher education during the 2020-2021 academic year,
2. Intend to pursue a research career in a natural science, mathematics or engineering,*
3. Have a college grade point average of at least a 3.00 on a 4.00 scale, and
4. Be a U.S. citizen from the 50 states or the District of Columbia; a U.S. national for those students nominated by institutions in Puerto Rico, Guam, Virgin Islands, American Samoa, and Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands; or a permanent resident. A permanent resident nominated for the scholarship must include a letter stating his/her intent to become a U.S. citizen. A photocopy of the nominee’s Permanent Resident Card, also known as the Alien Registration Card or Green Card, must also be submitted.
There will be a follow-up workshop on October 16, for writing a winning application for Goldwater.
Internal deadline for UMBC students to apply: November 30, 2020.
Presenter: April Householder, Director of Prestigious Scholarships
For more info, contact aprilh@umbc.edu
This post was written by Carlos Turcios ‘15, ‘17 M.A. Coordinator with Initiatives for Identity, Inclusion and Belonging (I3B). *Please note that some references are accessed through the AOK Library Databases and will ask you to be logged into your UMBC account.*
National Hispanic Heritage Month (HHM) has been recognized by the federal government and celebrated across the United States since 1968. Representing approximately 18.5% of the U.S. population, there are an estimated 61 million people who have ancestries connected to Latin American countries who reside in the United States (U.S. Census Bureau, 2020), including myself and a few folks on our I3B professional and student staff. This represents a significant increase from the 2000 Census, which registered the Hispanic population at 35.3 million or 13% of the total U.S. population. Many labels are used for our community with the most common umbrella terms being “Hispanic” and “Latina/e/o/x.” Hispanic/Latine/x Americans have been influential in every part of U.S. history, from day laborers, politics to the arts to businesses and innovation to the military. The U.S. Hispanic/Latine/x community have had a profound and positive influence on our country through their strong commitment to family, hard work, and service. They have enhanced and shaped our national character with centuries-old traditions that reflect the multiethnic and multicultural customs of their community.
So why does HHM start in the middle of September and end in Mid-October?
HHM is celebrated annually from September 15th through October 15th to honor the history, culture, and contributions of Americans whose ancestry can be traced to over 20 countries and 14 dependent territories in Latin America, including Mexico, the Caribbean, and Central and South America. The start of this cultural month, September 15th, is significant, as the majority of Latin American countries celebrate their independence from Spain throughout the second half of September through early October (i.e. Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua).Mexico, Chile, and Belize also celebrate their independence days during this period and Columbus Day (Día de la Raza) is October 12 (Rachum, 2004*).
So should I use Hispanic? Latina/o? Spanish? What’s the difference and why does it matter?
The term Hispanic, refers to the racially and ethnically group of folkswho are from Hispanophone (i.e. Spanish speaking) countries that were historically colonized by Spain. This term is inclusive to those who are also from Spanish origin. The term Latina/o however excludes Spain, but includes non-Spanish speaking Latin American countries such as Belize, Brazil, Guyana, and Haiti. Please note that even if folks may have ethnic roots from Latin America, they may identify as both, either, or neither Hispanic and/or Latina/o. We encourage you to check out how the term Hispanic has been reclaimed and its impacts on the Brown Power Movement, as well as our upcoming [Free]dom Friday (details below). What our community chooses to identify as is connected to the complex history of how the terms Hispanic and Latina/o came to be. Those who reject both Hispanic or Latina/o may identify with their national origin instead (i.e. Chicana/o/x, Salvadoran, Chilean, Domincan). Others may identify more closely to their racial identity (i.e. Indigenous, Afro-Latinx).
Spanish on the other hand, only applies to those who are Spaniard or have a direct lineage to Spain. If those do not apply, PLEASE do not use the word “Spanish” to identify Hispanic/Latina/e/o/x folks. Also note that although Hispanic and Latine/x have been racialized in the U.S., they are ethnic, NOT racial identities.
Latinx? Where does this term fit in? The debate on gender and gender inclusivity.
Originating in the mid-2000’s, the term Latinx (pronounced La-tee-nex) came out of the limitations of the term Latino. As a binary gendered language, Spanish only has a masculine and feminine version for all nouns. Every noun whether it being an inanimate object, an animal, or person all have a “gender” regardless of the individual’s sex. However, this comes into conflict for those who do not identify within the gender binary.
Additional critiques of the word “Latino” exist, including the patriarchal nature of the language. Specifically, the default plural in Spanish is masculine, regardless of the gender distribution of the group. For example, if you referred to our entire I3B professional and student team of seven folks, the plural would still default to masculine even though I am the only member who identifies as a man. Latinx serves as a way to deprioritize masculinity.
So, what about Latine?
As gender-inclusivity becomes increasingly global, variations of gender inclusive identifiers (i.e. Latine pronounced La-tee-neh) have popped up in Spanish speaking countries. Unlike “x,” “e” can be used to fit the grammatical structure of Spanish much more easily that facilitates its use for Hispanophones. There is no right or wrong between Latinx and Latine, just know that regional variants exist and are a product of their creators and who identify within the community.
Which term should I use?
From an inclusive standpoint, the terms “Hispanic” and “Latin(e/x)” would be best for general communication when referring to a large group. They are both umbrella terms that are gender inclusive. However, this could look different when you are addressing individuals. Understand that Pan-ethnic labels are clunky and some people do not “fit in” perfectly (Pew Research Center, 2020). What a person chooses to label themselves can be affected by their race, ethnicity, birth place, dominant language or generational group. These factors make it messy but I encourage you to learn about our vastly diverse community. Finally, we invite you to share this with your friends, colleagues, professors, and networks across campus. When in doubt, just ask!
I3B Hispanic/Latine/x Centered Events
Below is a list of our Fall 2020 events that are either Hispanic/Latine/x centered or will have some focus on the Hispanic/Latine/x community. Questions? Contact i3b@umbc.edu.
[Free]dom Fridays: The Brown Power Movement and Liberation
The Brown Power Movement and the Continued Struggle for Immigrant Rights
Friday, September 18, 2020 | 2:30 - 4:00 p.m. | Online via Blackboard Collaborate
myUMBC Event Post: Link | BlackBoard Collaborate Session: Link
PAWTalks: Janel Martinez: “Ain't I Latina?”Deconstructing Anti-Blackness in the Latine/x Community
Wednesday, October 14, 2020 | 5:30 - 7:00 p.m. | Online via Blackboard Collaborate
myUMBC Event Post: Link | BlackBoard Collaborate Session: Link
Retriever Immigrants United 2.0 Welcome**
A check-in conversation on your needs!
Thursday, October 15, 2020 | 12:00 -1:15 p.m. | Online via Blackboard Collaborate
myUMBC Event Post: Link | BlackBoard Collaborate Session: Link
Pawsitive Bodies & Minds: COVID-19's Assault on Black & Brown Bodies
A Presentation on Race and COVID-19
Tuesday, December 1, 2020 | 4:00 - 5:30 p.m. | Online via Blackboard Collaborate
myUMBC Event Post: Link | BlackBoard Collaborate Session: Link
Retriever Immigrants United: Heritage, Family, and Culture**
A discussion on our culture and most meaningful relationships
Tuesday, December, 15, 2020 | 12:00 - 1:15 p.m. | Online via Blackboard Collaborate
myUMBC Event Post: Link | BlackBoard Collaborate Session: Link
Latine/x-Centered Orgs
We encourage community members to follow these groups on myUMBC or Social Media!
Undergraduate Student Orgs
Hispanic Latinx Student Union (HLSU) | IG: @umbc_hlsu
Lambda Theta Alpha Latin Sorority, Inc. (LTA) | IG: @lta_betakappa
Society for Advancement of Chicanos/Hispanics and Native Americans in Science at UMBC (SACNAS) | IG: @umbcsacnas
Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE) | IG: @shpeumbc
Alumni
Faculty
Latino/Hispanic Faculty Association (LHFA)
Staff/Graduate Students
*No Hispanic/Latine/x specific organizations currently active for staff or graduate students*
Alumna Casey Haines, former URA Scholar and researcher in the Omland Lab, publishes as first author in the journal, Science Direct. Her article, "The Role of Diversity in Science: A Case Study of Women Advancing Female Birdsong Research", demonstrates the importance of diversity in faculty and student research.
"Researchers of different genders and backgrounds contribute greatly to the diversity of questions and approaches in science. Historically birdsong was studied primarily as a male trait. However, as researchers in the field of animal behaviour have become more diverse, women have made substantial contributions to the birdsong literature, including through the study of female birdsong. We investigated the influence of gender on research topic and asked: are research articles on female birdsong disproportionately authored by women?"
Read her paper here:
Link to the UMBC New story:
Casey's undergraduate research:
Response of Eastern Bluebirds (Salias salias) to Playbacks of Male and Female Vocalizations
Biological Sciences
Dr. Kevin Omland
Response Of Eastern Bluebirds (Sialia Sialis) To Playbacks Of Male And Female Vocalizations
Casey Haines
Kevin Omland, Biological Sciences
Until recently, function and presence of female bird song has been underrepresented in research. We know, based on research from our lab, that female song in Eastern Bluebirds functions in mate communication yet is statistically indistinguishable from male song. Our lab strives to fill in the gaps of our understanding of female song. We tested if male and female Eastern Bluebirds are able to distinguish between male and female vocalizations. We created a set of playback presentations to test bluebird song sex-discrimination in the field. We recorded response behaviors as well as distances of each focal individual from the playback speaker, nest box, and mate using pairs of Eastern Bluebirds from a field site in Howard County, MD. While studies on playback recordings of male Eastern Bluebirds have been conducted, this is the first time behavioral responses will be used to determine if Eastern Bluebirds can discern sex based on song alone. Studying the distinctiveness of female song will further our understanding of the evolution of complex communication by demonstrating the ability of female song to convey unique information.