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<NewsItem contentIssues="true" id="145556" important="false" status="posted" url="https://my3.my.umbc.edu/groups/inds/posts/145556">
<Title>Cap &amp; Gown Order Deadlines</Title>
<Body>
<![CDATA[
    <div class="html-content">Graduating Retrievers, don't wait! Order your cap &amp; gown online before the deadlines! You can order through the Graduation Information tab on our <a href="https://bookstore.umbc.edu/SiteText?id=52882" rel="nofollow external" class="bo">website</a> or go straight to <a href="https://hjgradwalk.com/v/umbc/" rel="nofollow external" class="bo">Herff Jones</a>.<div><br></div>
    <div>Standard Shipping Deadline: November 23, 2024</div>
    <div>Expedited Shipping Deadline: December 4, 2024</div>
    </div>
]]>
</Body>
<Summary>Graduating Retrievers, don't wait! Order your cap &amp; gown online before the deadlines! You can order through the Graduation Information tab on our website or go straight to Herff Jones....</Summary>
<Website>https://bookstore.umbc.edu/SiteText?id=52882</Website>
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<NewsItem contentIssues="true" id="145510" important="false" status="posted" url="https://my3.my.umbc.edu/groups/inds/posts/145510">
<Title>Researcher of the Week: Asiya Ahmed</Title>
<Tagline>How plants defend themselves</Tagline>
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    <div>Asiya Ahmed is a senior Biological Sciences major, MLL Spanish Minor, and Public Health Minor. She is a STEM BUILD @ UMBC BTP Affiliate &amp; UMBC 2024-25 URA Scholar.</div>
    <div><br></div>
    <div><strong>Title of your research project:</strong></div>
    <div><em>“Investigating Genetic Interactions between FLK and HOS1 in Plant Defense and Flowering”</em></div>
    <div><br></div>
    <div><strong>Describe your project:</strong></div>
    <div>I’m currently investigating how plants defend themselves from pathogens and abiotic stressors, such as cold temperatures and UV radiation, by examining a possible relationship between two genes named HOS1 and FLK. By analyzing this genetic interaction, my research could contribute to developing crops that are better suited to withstand environmental stresses and disease pressures.</div>
    <div><br></div>
    <div>
    <img src="https://ur.umbc.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/354/2024/11/Asiya-Ahmed-photo.jpg" width="225" height="300" style="max-width: 100%; height: auto;"><strong><br></strong>
    </div>
    <div><strong><br></strong></div>
    <div><strong>Who is your mentor for your project?</strong></div>
    <div>My mentor is <strong>Dr. Hua Lu</strong>, who is in the Biological Sciences department. I first connected with Dr. Lu after taking her BIOL 302 (Molecular Genetics) course in my sophomore Spring semester. Near the end of the semester, I was interested in joining a research lab and started browsing the Biological Sciences Department website. I landed on Dr. Lu’s profile and looked into her work which caught my attention as she focuses on genetics, a field of science I took much interest in. After contacting her, I met with Dr. Lu and her team, and the atmosphere in her lab was amazing. They were all so welcoming and encouraging, and I knew that a supportive lab like this was the type of lab I would best thrive in.</div>
    <div><br></div>
    <div><strong>How did you become interested in this project?</strong></div>
    <div>Towards the end of BIOL 302, we started learning techniques geneticists use in the lab such as PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction), Gel Electrophoresis, and DNA extractions. I was very interested in this unit, so when I joined Dr. Lu’s lab, it was cool to see these exact techniques being done in real life in front of me. Now, I use these techniques myself to genotype my sample plants, allowing me to detect if they have any mutations in their FLK and/or HOS1 genes which can contribute to the possible genetic interaction I’m studying.  </div>
    <div><br></div>
    <div><strong>What has been the hardest part about your research/what was the most unexpected thing about being a researcher? </strong></div>
    <div>I think the hardest part was learning the science behind the work. There were many, many research papers I had to read, but they were not sufficient to understand the foundational concepts. I did my research on the weekends and met with Dr. Lu and PhD student Leah Vrydagh, who I directly work with, to go through the papers. It took me about three months to fully grasp what our lab aims to uncover. To me, the most unexpected thing about being a researcher is how good you get at public speaking. At certain points in the semesters I’ve been working, I have had to present my research and work to the team during our weekly lab meetings. At first, I messed up a lot because of stage fright, but now presenting comes at ease. Truthfully, these lab meeting presentations help tremendously when I present at research conferences or lead general body meetings for the Red Cross Club at UMBC.</div>
    <div><br></div>
    <div><strong>What has been the most rewarding part?</strong></div>
    <div>The most rewarding part was putting all my 7 months of hard work together into an abstract and poster for my first-ever research conference presentation. This past February, I attended the American Physician Scientist Association (APSA) Mid-Atlantic Regional Meeting at Georgetown University where I presented said abstract and poster. I showcased the science I’ve learned, the techniques I’ve used, and the results I obtained to a diverse audience, ranging from undergraduate students to postdocs and physicians. Also, because I obtained this amazing opportunity through my research, I got to meet and speak with Dr. Anthony Fauci, Former Chief Medical Advisor to the President of the United States, who was our keynote speaker that day. He had shared advice about resilience and purpose which resonated with me and is something I carry as I navigate my studies and research. Without my research and Dr. Lu as my mentor, I never would’ve had this surreal experience.   </div>
    <div><br></div>
    <div><strong>How will you disseminate your research?</strong></div>
    <div>I will be presenting my research at URCAD in Spring 2025, and if there is another conference opportunity next semester, I plan to present there as well. </div>
    <div><br></div>
    <div>
    <strong>What is your advice to other students about getting involved in research? </strong> </div>
    <div>Take rejection as a re-direction, not a failure. When I was trying to join a research lab on campus, I emailed more than a dozen principal investigators before Dr. Lu, and none of them responded (which I understood as they were very busy with their work and the courses they taught). I kept on emailing and emailing for more than a month, but even if I kept on getting no responses, I continued to look for more potential openings and email more PIs. After what felt like years, I finally got a response back from my now mentor. If I had stopped emailing after my first few rejections, I never would’ve done the research I have and made the connections I have today. Just keep on trying even if you fail multiple times because, at the end of the day, your perseverance will be worth it.</div>
    <div><br></div>
    <div><strong>What are your career goals?</strong></div>
    <div>I am an aspiring physician so medical school is my next step after my studies at UMBC. I understand that it is a challenging path to become a physician, but by persevering and putting in the effort needed, I hope I’ll be able to achieve this goal of mine.</div>
    <div><br></div>
    <div>Be a UMBC Researcher of the Week! Email: <a href="mailto:aprilh@umbc.edu">aprilh@umbc.edu</a>
    </div>
    </div>
]]>
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<Summary>Asiya Ahmed is a senior Biological Sciences major, MLL Spanish Minor, and Public Health Minor. She is a STEM BUILD @ UMBC BTP Affiliate &amp; UMBC 2024-25 URA Scholar.     Title of your research...</Summary>
<Website>https://ur.umbc.edu/</Website>
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<NewsItem contentIssues="true" id="145409" important="true" status="posted" url="https://my3.my.umbc.edu/groups/inds/posts/145409">
<Title>Meet Madison Yorkowski</Title>
<Tagline>INDS Fall 2024 Graduate Highlight Series</Tagline>
<Body>
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    <h2>
    <strong>B.S</strong><strong>.: Neuroscience</strong>
    </h2>
    <div><div>
    <p><strong>Indicate any other major, minor, certificate, and/or honors that will be on your graduation records</strong></p>
    <ul><li><span>Psychology Minor</span></li></ul>
    <p><strong>Degree Mentors</strong></p>
    <ul>
    <li><span><a href="http://https://umbc.edu/stories/michelle-starz-gaiano-department-chair/" rel="nofollow external" class="bo">Michelle Starz-Gaiano</a>, Biological Sciences</span></li>
    <li><span><a href="http://https://biology.umbc.edu/directory/faculty/person/ii89055/" rel="nofollow external" class="bo">Fernando Vonhoff,</a> Biological Sciences</span></li>
    <li><span>Jose Arenas, Individualized Study</span></li>
    </ul>
    <p><strong>Why did you choose to major in INDS?</strong></p>
    <p>When I entered UMBC I was initially a biology major, but after looking over the required courses for the degree, I realized that it was not the right path for me. In choosing a major that encompassed only one field of study, I would not have been able to adequately represent the interdisciplinary nature of neuroscience that makes it so interesting and unique.  By choosing to major in INDS however, I was able to seamlessly incorporate all of these diverse, yet equally important perspectives.  In doing so, I feel that I've created a degree that prepares me to both continue my neuroscience education, as well as for any future career endeavors in the field.</p>
    <p><strong>What are your plans for after graduation, and how do you see using your INDS degree?</strong></p>
    <p><span>After I graduate, I plan to attend graduate school in the hopes of obtaining a PhD in Neuroscience. This will be necessary if I hope to achieve my ultimate goal of going into neuroscience research, focusing specifically on neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's. My INDS degree will be supremely useful for these endeavors, as it has not only helped me to gain specialized knowledge of my field, but also skills and experience that will make me a more well-rounded candidate when applying.</span></p>
    <p><strong>EXTRACURRICULAR</strong></p>
    <ul>
    <li>Eco-Ambassador, <a href="http://https://stemllc.umbc.edu/" rel="nofollow external" class="bo">STEM LLC</a>
    </li>
    <li>Orientation Peer Ambassador (OPA)  </li>
    <li>Volunteer, Catonsville YMCA Branch of MS Aquatics, through the <a href="http://https://shrivercenter.umbc.edu/" rel="nofollow external" class="bo">Shriver Center (UMBC)</a>
    </li>
    <li>Internship as Program Coordinator, <a href="http://https://flipbookshare.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/422650.pdf" rel="nofollow external" class="bo">STEMcx Bioethics  </a> </li>
    <li>Researcher, <a href="http://https://gigantest.com/news/in-conversation-with-anne-le-m-d-h-d-r-founder-and-ceo-of-gigantest/" rel="nofollow external" class="bo">Gigantest lab, under on Dr. Anne Le</a>
    </li>
    <li>Researcher on proSAAS effects on Abeta, as well as structure-function analysis of proSAAS, <a href="http://http://thelindberglab.com/people/" rel="nofollow external" class="bo">Dr. Iris Lindburg's Lab</a>, University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB)  </li>
    <li>
    <a href="http://https://urcad.umbc.edu/abstracts/#yorkowski" rel="nofollow external" class="bo">Research Presenter at URCAD 2024</a>| Investigating the Potential Role of the Molecular Chaperone ProSAAS in Protecting Neurons against Degeneration </li>
    </ul>
    <p><strong>For more information on Madison's</strong><strong> INDS journey please click here:</strong></p>
    </div></div>
    </div>
]]>
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<Summary>B.S.: Neuroscience    Indicate any other major, minor, certificate, and/or honors that will be on your graduation records   Psychology Minor   Degree Mentors   Michelle Starz-Gaiano, Biological...</Summary>
<Website>https://inds.umbc.edu/meet-madison-yorkowski/</Website>
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<NewsItem contentIssues="true" id="145300" important="false" status="posted" url="https://my3.my.umbc.edu/groups/inds/posts/145300">
<Title>Researcher of the Week: Nehal Naqvi</Title>
<Tagline>Outsmarting audio deepfakes</Tagline>
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<![CDATA[
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    <div>Nehal Naqvi is a senior <strong>Political Science</strong>, and <strong>Applied Statistics</strong> major.</div>
    <div><br></div>
    <div>He is a member of the <strong>Honors College</strong> and a <strong>Sondheim Scholar</strong>.</div>
    <div><br></div>
    <div>
    <strong>Title of your research project:</strong> Interdisciplinary educational training to improve students' audio deepfake discernment</div>
    <div><br></div>
    <div>
    <strong>Describe your project:</strong> We evaluated whether a deepfake audio training created by sociolinguists at UMBC would be effective in improving students’ discernment of audio deepfake files.</div>
    <div><br></div>
    <div><strong>Who are your mentors for your project?</strong></div>
    <div>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).</div>
    <div><br></div>
    <div>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.</div>
    <div><br></div>
    <div><strong>How did you become interested in this project?</strong></div>
    <div>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.</div>
    <div><br></div>
    <div><strong>What has been the hardest part about your research/what was the most unexpected thing about being a researcher? </strong></div>
    <div>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.</div>
    <div><br></div>
    <div>To be a Researcher of the Week, email: <a href="mailto:aprilh@umbc.edu">aprilh@umbc.edu</a>
    </div>
    </div>
]]>
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<Summary>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...</Summary>
<Website>https://ur.umbc.edu/</Website>
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<Title>Help Restore the Herbert Run Greenway Trail!</Title>
<Tagline>Enjoy hiking? You can do it here on campus!</Tagline>
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    <strong>The Eco-Ambassador and Office of Sustainability team is working to restore our on-campus hiking trail, the Herbert Run Greenway, and we need your help!</strong> The restoration effort will take place from 12-3pm on Friday, Nov 8th to clean up trash, cut back invasives, and widen the path. You can even join us for a group hike! Volunteers can come and go as your time allows- we appreciate any and all of your great work.  We will provide all tools necessary - just come dressed appropriately for a hike!</div>
    <div><br></div>
    <div><strong>If you are planning to join us, please fill out this <a href="https://my3.my.umbc.edu/groups/sustainability/posts/145214/6dc68/ab2db9aa6732a1907931ae553824bceb/web/link?link=https%3A%2F%2Fdocs.google.com%2Fforms%2Fd%2F1hnYU__kImDq4gsCqLwNCOu_jvEH91Qp9s2YQwohCGP0%2Fedit" rel="nofollow external" class="bo">RSVP</a> form, and meet us in front of the Chesapeake Arena at 12pm on 11/8 to get started!</strong></div>
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<Title>Team Store - Raffle Giveaway</Title>
<Tagline>Win a FREE LIMITED EDITION bike and helmet!</Tagline>
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<![CDATA[
    <div class="html-content">Visit the Team Store at any of the UMBC Basketball games this season for a chance to win a free bike and helmet, perfect for getting around campus! The raffle is free to enter, and the winner will be contacted via the information provided by them. The raffle winner will be chosen on February 20, 2025, don't miss out!</div>
]]>
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<Summary>Visit the Team Store at any of the UMBC Basketball games this season for a chance to win a free bike and helmet, perfect for getting around campus! The raffle is free to enter, and the winner will...</Summary>
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<Title>Researcher of the Week: Allison Smock</Title>
<Tagline>Mexican Feminist Movements and the Role of Social Media</Tagline>
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    <div>Allison is a senior majoring in Spanish, with a Latin American Studies minor, and Law and Justice minor.</div>
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    <strong>Title of your research project: </strong>Mexican Feminist Movements and the Role of Social Media: Civic Participation and Transnational Solidarity</div>
    <div><br></div>
    <div>
    <strong>Describe your project:</strong> How social media can help spread knowledge and awareness of issues important to Mexican feminists and engage participants across borders.</div>
    <div><br></div>
    <div><strong>Who is your mentor for your project? </strong></div>
    <div>My mentor is <strong>Thania Munoz Davaslioglu, Modern Languages, Linguistics, and Intercultural Communication.</strong> 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.</div>
    <div><br></div>
    <div><strong>How did you become interested in this project? </strong></div>
    <div>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!</div>
    <div><br></div>
    <div>
    <strong>What has been the hardest part about your research/what was the most unexpected thing about being a researcher?</strong> </div>
    <div>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!</div>
    <div><br></div>
    <div><strong>What has been the most rewarding part? </strong></div>
    <div>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!</div>
    <div><br></div>
    <div><strong>How will you disseminate your research?</strong></div>
    <div>I will be presenting my research at the <strong>National Women’s Studies Association Annual Conference</strong> in Detroit, Michigan on November 17, with a <strong>Travel Grant</strong> from the Undergraduate Research Office. I also really want to bring this project to URCAD this spring!</div>
    <div><br></div>
    <div><strong>What is your advice to other students about getting involved in research?  </strong></div>
    <div>Please do it! It’s so, so rewarding, and the skills you will learn are ones you will keep for life. Be brave!</div>
    <div><br></div>
    <div><strong>What are your career goals? </strong></div>
    <div>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.</div>
    <div><br></div>
    <div>Be a Researcher of the Week! Contact: <a href="mailto:aprilh@umbc.edu">aprilh@umbc.edu</a>
    </div>
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<Summary>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...</Summary>
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<NewsItem contentIssues="true" id="145015" important="false" status="posted" url="https://my3.my.umbc.edu/groups/inds/posts/145015">
<Title>Researcher of the Week: Emmanuella Osei</Title>
<Tagline>Investigating food insecurity at UMBC</Tagline>
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    <div>I am a junior pursuing a dual degree in <strong>Public Health,</strong> and <strong>Sociology</strong>. I am a member of the <strong>Honors College</strong>, a <strong>Sondheim Scholar</strong>, a <strong>McNair Scholar</strong>, and a <strong>Jack Kent Cook Scholar</strong>.</div>
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    <strong>Title of your research project:</strong> <em>Food Insecurity among College Students at a Minority Serving Institution</em>
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    <div><strong>Describe your project:</strong></div>
    <div>I developed a study to investigate food insecurity at UMBC and to understand student experiences and perceptions of ways to combat this issue. After gathering over 500 responses, I am currently analyzing the data in preparation to share my findings with UMBC administration and Retriever Essentials.</div>
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    <div><strong>Who is your mentor(s) for your project?</strong></div>
    <div>I began this project in the fall of 2023 through the McNair Scholars Program and chose Dr. Sameera Nayak from the Public Health department as my mentor. I selected her because I knew she would be exceptionally helpful in guiding me through the research process. Additionally, she has expertise in researching topics related to the social determinants of health. Dr. Nayak has been incredibly supportive and continues to provide invaluable assistance.</div>
    <div><br></div>
    <div><strong>How did you become interested in this project?</strong></div>
    <div>During the summer after my first year at UMBC, I interned at a nonprofit in my local community named Columbia Community Care. My work included managing the food pantry and deepening my understanding of food insecurity in Howard County. When I returned to school for my sophomore year, I was interested in exploring this issue on my college campus and generating data that could be used to address it.</div>
    <div><br></div>
    <div><strong>What has been the hardest part about your research/what was the most unexpected thing about being a researcher? </strong></div>
    <div>There have been challenges at every stage of my research journey, which is completely normal. As I’m currently in the data analysis phase, some of the difficulties I’ve faced include learning to use programming software that I wasn’t previously familiar with. I also didn’t anticipate how time-consuming the research process can be.</div>
    <div><br></div>
    <div><strong>What has been the most rewarding part?</strong></div>
    <div>The most rewarding part has been connecting with others who share similar research interests and meeting individuals who have provided valuable insights for my study. I am also very grateful for the perspectives students shared in my survey and the solutions they proposed.</div>
    <div><br></div>
    <div><strong>How will you disseminate your research?</strong></div>
    <div>I plan to present my results to the UMBC administration, the Retriever Essentials staff, the broader UMBC community at URCAD, and at future conferences outside of UMBC.</div>
    <div><br></div>
    <div>
    <strong>What is your advice to other students about getting involved in research? </strong> </div>
    <div>Talk to your professors whose research interests you and ask if they have opportunities for you to join their lab. You can also design your own research project, like I did, and find a professor who can support you through it. Lastly, I recommend applying for and participating in summer research opportunities outside of UMBC to broaden your network!</div>
    <div><br></div>
    <div>Be featured as a UMBC Undergraduate Researcher of the Week!</div>
    <div>Email: <a href="mailto:aprilh@umbc.edu">aprilh@umbc.edu</a>
    </div>
    </div>
]]>
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<Summary>I am a junior pursuing a dual degree in Public Health, and Sociology. I am a member of the Honors College, a Sondheim Scholar, a McNair Scholar, and a Jack Kent Cook Scholar.     Title of your...</Summary>
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<NewsItem contentIssues="false" id="144958" important="false" status="posted" url="https://my3.my.umbc.edu/groups/inds/posts/144958">
<Title>Academic Skills Meetings</Title>
<Tagline>Create a study schedule, get motivated, find resources</Tagline>
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    <span>Managing your time, staying motivated, and finding campus resources can be hard, especially once the semester is half way over! </span><div><br></div>
    <div>Book an Academic Skills Meeting with us today and finish the semester strong! <strong>To schedule a meeting, click on the "Academic Skills Meeting" <a href="http://traccloud.go-redrock.com/umbc/" rel="nofollow external" class="bo">link on TracCloud here</a>!</strong>
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    <div><br></div>
    <div>Academic Skills Meetings can help you further develop skills and academic strategies so you feel in control of your semester and support you throughout your academic career.<br><br>Meet one-to-one with a peer today!</div>
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<Summary>Managing your time, staying motivated, and finding campus resources can be hard, especially once the semester is half way over!     Book an Academic Skills Meeting with us today and finish the...</Summary>
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<NewsItem contentIssues="true" id="144134" important="false" status="posted" url="https://my3.my.umbc.edu/groups/inds/posts/144134">
<Title>Researcher of the Week: Caly Ferguson</Title>
<Tagline>Using engineering to help amputees</Tagline>
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    <div>Caly is a junior, majoring in Mechanical Engineering. He is a Meyerhoff Scholar, URISE Trainee, and HHMI Scholar.</div>
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    <div><strong>Title of your research project:</strong></div>
    <div><em>Decoding Hand Movements From Healthy Electromyographic Signals Toward A Transferable Near-Natural Prosthesis.</em></div>
    <div><br></div>
    <div><strong>Describe your project:</strong></div>
    <div>The specific objective of this project is to create a computational neuroscience model using machine learning that can synthesize non-amputated individuals’ muscle signals from forearm muscle groups, and predict diverse hand movements based on these signals as a transferable method of predicting amputated individuals’ desired hand movements. After successfully creating the software foundation, we plan to apply it to a 3D-printed prosthetic arm as a proof of concept to show how the system works in a real-life application.</div>
    <div><br></div>
    <div><strong>Who is your mentor(s) for your project?</strong></div>
    <div>My project mentor is Dr. Ramana Kumar Vinjamuri from the Department of Computer Science and Electrical Engineering. I found my mentor through the Meyerhoff HHMI Scholars program, which allowed me to start rotating in different research labs on campus during my freshman year of college.</div>
    <div><br></div>
    <div><img src="https://ur.umbc.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/354/2024/10/calyFergusonPoster.jpg" style="max-width: 100%; height: auto;"></div>
    <div><strong><br></strong></div>
    <div><strong>How did you become interested in this project?</strong></div>
    <div>Going into college, I set a goal for myself to build a working prosthetic before I graduate, due to my long-time interest in enhancing technology in the medical field. To do this I looked for a specific lab that would help me achieve this goal, and Dr. Vinjamuri’s lab was the best environment for me to pursue my goal. Even though my idea for a project when first starting was a bit different from the larger theme of the lab, he helped direct my project to fuse elements of the work that was being done in the lab with my personal goals so that I could further the knowledge in my field of work while achieving my four-year plan.</div>
    <div><br></div>
    <div><strong>What has been the hardest part about your research/what was the most unexpected thing about being a researcher? </strong></div>
    <div>The hardest part about my research is learning all of the computer science skills that go into creating a machine learning algorithm that aims to apply that as a base software for a device. Since I am a Mechanical Engineering major, I do not take a lot of coding classes, so over the years I have built those skills from the ground up through my experience working on this project.</div>
    <div><br></div>
    <div><strong>What has been the most rewarding part?</strong></div>
    <div>The most rewarding part of my research has been sharing my results with others at big conferences, where I can walk people through the progression of my learning and progress on my project. As time goes on and I attend more conferences, I can see the end goal that I set for myself in freshman year becoming more and more of a reality!</div>
    <div><br></div>
    <div><strong>How will you disseminate your research?</strong></div>
    <div>This academic year I have planned to attend the Biomedical Engineering Society Annual Meeting in October and the Undergraduate Research and Creative Achievement Day at UMBC in the Spring.</div>
    <div><br></div>
    <div>
    <strong>What is your advice to other students about getting involved in research?</strong>  </div>
    <div>My advice is for students to try different research experiences while they are in undergrad, whether it be through sustained research or summer research experiences so that they have a better understanding of what they do and don't like about lab environments, project development, and other things that are helpful to know before applying to graduate school.</div>
    <div><br></div>
    <div><strong>What are your career goals?</strong></div>
    <div>My career goal is to earn a PhD in Biomedical Engineering so that I can start and run a Biotechnology company that manufactures advanced and affordable medical devices. I also have aspirations of running a research lab as a principal investigator. </div>
    </div>
]]>
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<Summary>Caly is a junior, majoring in Mechanical Engineering. He is a Meyerhoff Scholar, URISE Trainee, and HHMI Scholar.     Title of your research project:  Decoding Hand Movements From Healthy...</Summary>
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