Spring 2026 Capstones Presentations
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Capstone Presentations Schedule
Please join us for our Spring 2026 Capstone Presentations! Click each student name to learn more about their INDS degrees.
Time: 9:10 A.M.
Title: Stories of Return: Understanding the Academic Lives of Young Adults After Cancer Treatment
Degree: INDS B.A.: Biopsychosocial Approaches to Health and Disease
Mentors:
- Dr. Mettassebia B Kanno, MD| Health Provider, Infectious Diseases, Kaiser Permanente
- Dr. Tonya Webb | Professor of Microbiology and Immunology |UMSOM Assistant Dean
- Dr. James DeVita | Assistant Vice President for Academic Partnerships & High Impact Experiences
- Steven McAlpine| Assistant Teaching Professor, UMBC Individualized Study
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Time: 9:30 A.M.
Title: Cluster Headache Diagnostic Delay
Degree: INDS B.S.: Decision Neuroscience
Mentors:
- Dr. Raimi Quiton| Clinical Associate Professor, UMBC Department of Psychology
- Dr. Maniraj Jeyaraju,MD| Physician, Chase Brexton Health Care
- Steven McAlpine| Assistant Teaching Professor, Individualized Study
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Time: 9:50 A.M.
Title: Understanding Care: Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities in Healthcare
Degree: INDS B.A.: Ethics in Patient Centered Medicine
Mentors:
- Blake Francis| Assistant Professor, UMBC Philosophy
- Dr. Michelle Seu, MD, Loyola Medicine
- Eric Brown| Assistant Teaching Professor, Individualized Study
-15 minute break-
Time: 10:25A.M.
Title: Coming Soon
Degree: INDS B.A.: Management, Advertising, and Entrepreneurship
Mentors:
- Dr. Kristen Anchor| Associate Teaching Professor, UMBC Media & Communication Studies
- Kristen Schuler| Marketing, Harkins Builders Inc.
- Steven McAlpine| Assistant Teaching Professor, Individualized Study
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Time: 10:45 A.M.
Title: Understanding Arab Patients’ Healthcare Experience in the United States
Degree: INDS B.A.: Psychological and Cultural Foundations of Healthcare (Arab world focus)
Mentors:
- Samir El Omari| Coordinator for Internships & Career Placement, Coordinator of Arabic, and Teaching Professor| UMBC Department of Modern Languages, Linguistics & Intercultural Communication
- Dr. Rachel Amey| Research Psychologist| U.S. Army Research Institute for the Behavioral and Social Sciences
- Dr. Jose Arenas Gomez| Assistant Teaching Professor, Individualized Study
-15 minute break-
Time: 11:20 A.M.
Title: Estrogen, Menopause, and the Overlooked Brain: How the History of Estrogenic Therapies Reveal Systematic Gaps in Medicine and Neuroscience
Degree: INDS B.S.: Neurobiology
Mentors:
- Dr. Carmen Munoz-Ballester, Assistant Professor/Principal Investigator| UMBC Munoz-Ballester Lab
- Dr. Louise Murray| The Erickson School of Aging Studies
- Dr. Jose Arenas Gomez| Assistant Teaching Professor, Individualized Study
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Time: 11:40 A.M.
Title: Physician Burnout: Through the Emotional State Theory of Happiness
Degree: INDS B.S.: Healthcare Provider Wellness
Mentors:
- Kyle Bates| Clinical Associate Professor and Director of Paramedic Program, UMBC Department of Emergency and Disaster Health Systems
- Blake Francis| Assistant Professor, UMBC Department of Philosophy
- Eric Brown| Assistant Teaching Professor, Individualized Study
-30 min break-
Time: 12:30 P.M.
Title: Evaluation of Myofascial Pain Disorder: Comparing the Integration of Psychological Factors in Dentistry and Acupuncture
Degree: INDS B.S.: Neuroscience
Mentors:
- Dr. Tiffany Gierasch| Teaching Professor and Tutorial Center Director, UMBC Chemistry Department
- Dr. James Hawkins| Chair, Orofacial Pain Center, Walter Reed National Military Medical Center
- Dr. Jose Arenas Gomez| Assistant Teaching Professor, UMBC Individualized Study
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Time: 12:50 P.M.
Title: Building Resilience: Rethinking Materials for Wildfire-Prone Landscapes
Degree: INDS B.S.: Resilient Design of Structures
Mentors:
- Dr. Jorge Almodovar| Associate Professor, UMBC Department of Chemical, Biochemical, & Environmental Engineering
- Stacy Brian| Project Manager, UMBC Facilities Management
- Steven McAlpine| Assistant Teaching Professor, Individualized Study
-15 minute break-
Time: 1:25 P.M.
Title: Born in Flawed Flesh
Degree: INDS B.A.: Biopsychosocial Approaches to Health and Disease
Mentors:
- Sharon Tran| Assistant Professor| UMBC English and Affiliate Faculty in the Gender, Women’s, + Sexuality Studies department & Asian Studies
- Andrew Devos| Instructor| UMBC American Studies & Media and Communication Studies
- Steven McAlpine| Assistant Teaching Professor, Individualized Study
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Time: 2:05 P.M.
Title: Paradox: An Animated Science Fiction Series
Degree: INDS B.S.: Science Fiction
Mentors:
- Sharon Tran| Assistant Professor| UMBC English and Affiliate Faculty in the Gender, Women’s, + Sexuality Studies department & Asian Studies
- Andrew Devos| Instructor| UMBC American Studies & Media and Communication Studies
- Steven McAlpine| Assistant Teaching Professor, Individualized Study
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Time: 1:45 P.M.
Title: User Perspectives on AI-Assisted Dance Training: An Iterative Design and Qualitative Evaluation
Degree: INDS B.A.: Art and Technology
Mentors:
- Ann Sofie Clemmensen| Associate Professor, UMBC Department of Dance
- Sidas Saulynas| Associate Teaching Professor, UMBC Department of Information Systems
- Eric Brown| Assistant Teaching Professor, Individualized Study
If you will be attending in person, please RVSP!
Click Here to view the schedule on our webpage and see some of our prior capstone presentations.