Tomorrow are our Spring Elections! If you are an undergrad student interested in Cyberdawgs leadership, you can nominate yourself to be elected to our board! Nominations close tomorrow, April 27th, at 7:15PM. You can nominate yourself by filling out this form here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSc8lcXYmbfzYJWVyc7kTyPR58DHGOq4FK3UkjOW8dygFgt0vw/viewform?usp=sharing&ouid=108849156731604836578

Francheska is a member of the Honors College and a McNair Scholar. Pictured with Dr. Venkatesh Srinivasan and Garima Sharma, research mentors in Dr. Govind Rao's lab at the URCAD poster session. 

Title: Automated Monitoring Sensors for Process Analytical Technology Applications in Cell and Gene Therapy
Presenter: Francheska Burrola, Yunqian Wei, Anna Samuel, Garima Sharma, Michael Tolosa, Mohan Tulapurkar, Abhay Andar, University of Maryland Baltimore, 2ATCC
Mentors: Venkatesh Srinivasan, Chemical, Biochemical, and Environmental Engineering; Govind Rao, University of Maryland Baltimore County

Cell and gene therapies have the potential to treat cancer, genetic disorders, and other life-threatening diseases, yet their high cost and manufacturing variability limit patient access. A major challenge is the lack of real-time monitoring of key metabolic variables in static cell culture systems. Dissolved oxygen (DO), dissolved carbon dioxide (dCO2), and glucose regulate cellular respiration and metabolic balance, but static G-Rex workflows typically rely on incubator setpoints and intermittent off-line sampling, offering limited insight into dynamic culture behavior. To address this gap, we evaluated 10 to 12-day human embryonic kidney (HEK) cell cultures in static G-Rex systems to assess the feasibility of continuous DO and dCO2 monitoring under production-relevant conditions. HEK cells were selected as a model system due to their well-characterized metabolic and respiratory profiles. Using real-time DO sensors and a rate-based approach to estimate dCO2, we demonstrated proof-of-concept for continuous, 24/7 monitoring over extended culture durations. Continuous monitoring provided more detailed insight into culture dynamics than traditional methods. These findings support integration of process analytical technology strategies into static G-Rex workflows, enabling greater automation, improved process consistency, and more informative batch records to support regulatory review and scalable, affordable manufacturing.

Save the date for URCAD 31:

April 28, 2027

UR.umbc.edu

Onkarpreet is a biological sciences major whose research studies maternal care and brain development. She will receive a $50 gift certificate to the UMBC bookstore for her selfie taken with her sister, Jasmine Kaur (a UMBC junior and bio major) in front of the URCAD 30 graffiti banner. Indeed, she is with Smart!!

Title: Early-Life Maternal Care Programs Social Behavior Through Dnmt3ab Mediated DNA Methylation
Presenter: Onkarpreet Kaur
Mentor: Cheng-Yu Li, Biological Sciences

Maternal care and early-life maternal interactions exert profound and lasting effects on offspring brain development and social behavior across taxa. These maternal effects can shape offspring phenotypes independently of genetic inheritance, yet the molecular mechanisms through which maternal environments become biologically embedded in the developing brain remain poorly understood. Epigenetic mechanisms offer a compelling framework for understanding maternal effects because they enable stable, experience-dependent regulation of gene expression without altering DNA sequence. Among these mechanisms, DNA methylation is especially well suited to encode maternal influences due to its sensitivity during development and long-term stability. However, the specific methylation pathways linking maternal care to neural and behavioral outcomes remain largely unexplored. Here, we use African cichlid fish, a system with well-characterized maternal care and conserved neuroendocrine circuitry, to investigate the epigenetic basis of maternal effects on social behavior. We propose a model in which maternal cues during early development modify dnmt3ab-mediated DNA methylation, leading to persistent changes in neural circuit organization and offspring social behavior. By comparing offspring reared with maternal care versus artificial rearing, we assess brain-specific dnmt3ab expression, DNA methylation patterns, and social behavior. This study provides mechanistic insight into how maternal care generates lasting behavioral variation.

Save the date for URCAD 31:

April 28, 2027

UR.umbc.edu

Leen is a bio major and member of the Honors College and UMBC Women's Soccer team.  Her father came to support her at URCAD. She wins a $50 gift certificate to the UMBC Bookstore! She presented her poster:

Title: β-arrestin2 Signaling Modulates Kappa Opioid Receptor Induced Sedation
Presenter: Leen Jawhar
Mentors: Laurie Sutton, Biological Sciences; Alyson Blount, Biological Sciences UMBC pHD student

Kappa opioid receptors (KORs) play an important role in regulating pain, itch, mood, and arousal, but the receptor’s clinical use is limited by adverse effects such as sedation and motor impairment. Although KOR activation produces sedative behaviors, the intracellular signaling mechanisms responsible for these effects remain poorly defined. KORs signal through two primary intracellular pathways: G protein and β-arrestin2 signaling. These pathways are canonically believed to mediate different behaviors however more research is coming out showing they aren’t as independent as initially thought. The central goal was to determine the specific contribution of β-arrestin2 signaling to KOR-induced sedation in vivo. To address this, we used conditional β-arrestin2 knockout mice where β-arrestin2 is removed from KOR-expressing neurons. A rotarod assay assessed sedation and motor coordination. Mice were treated with U50,488, a KOR agonist that activates both G protein and β-arrestin2 pathways, or Nalfurafine, a G protein-biased agonist with minimal β-arrestin2 recruitment. U50,488 induced sedation in wild-type, whereas β-arrestin2 knockout mice showed reduced sedation. Nalfurine produced motor impairment in WT mice which was reduced in β-arrestin2 knockouts. These findings demonstrate that β-arrestin2 recruitment is required for KOR-mediated sedation, providing insight into therapeutics development that have analgesic effects while minimizing sedative side effects.

Save the date for URCAD 31:

April 28, 2027

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Lama Mohamed and friends with her artwork, "Imagining Science" embody scale, unity, and balance! She's a Visual Arts AND Biological Sciences major, proving that UMBC students cannot be put in boxes!

Lama wins a $50 gift certificate to the UMBC Bookstore.

Title: Imagining Science
Presenter: Lama Mohamed
Mentor: Chung-Wei Huang, Media and Communication Studies

Art has not been utilized nearly enough to visualize the complex relationships that exist within the broad disciplines of life sciences. The separation of creativity from science, and the rigidity of science within the arts has minimized the future possibilities of both fields. These illustrations explored how using more creative methods can inspire greater thought and wonder in younger viewers’ first exposure to elementary science. This was attempted through use of experimental art techniques such as collage, mixed media, and a focus on artistic appeal rather than strict accuracy of anatomy or scale. There are a total of three pieces: Scale, Unity, and Balance; all created with the intention of centering young audiences, but also the innate curiosity present in all people, regardless of age. Each illustration is centered around that inborn desire to understand and make meaning of the vast yet intricate world around us, and how it manifests in everyday life.

Save the date for URCAD 31:

April 28, 2027

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Nathan Dayie "completes the circuit" with friend, Raine Gibson at URCAD!

Nathan is a URA, U-RISE, and Meyerhoff Scholar. He will recieve a $100 gift certificate to the UMBC Bookstore!! He presented an oral talk on:

Investigating Neural and Behavioral Correlates Underlying Sensory Integration in Marmosets 

Mentor: Guoping Feng, Bioinformatics and Computational Biology 

Abstract:

Atypical sensory processing is a hallmark of neurodevelopmental disorders such as autism spectrum disorder, yet the neural and behavioral correlates associated with this deficit remain poorly understood. To investigate the mechanisms underlying sensory integration, we implemented a free-response version of a pulse-based evidence accumulation task in a non-human primate model, marmosets. The task presents sensory information in a sequence of flashes on either side of a screen, while freely moving marmosets choose the side with higher flash probability to receive a reward. We used the task, neural recordings, pose estimation, and computational models to investigate the process of sensory integration. In this study, we propose a multi-modal data alignment pipeline to integrate neural and behavioral data. Each session includes 3D-pose estimation extracted from five cameras, task performance data, and single-unit neural recordings. The pipeline successfully synchronizes neural spiking with task events and video, enabling qualitative insights regarding spike timing correlations with screen flashes and reward delivery. These results validate the pipeline’s utility for uncovering neural correlates underlying sensory integration. Future work will integrate computational models to quantify these correlations. We hope this framework will provide a foundation for studying sensory processing deficits across marmoset models of neurodevelopmental disorders.

Save the date for URCAD 31:

April 28, 2027

UR.umbc.edu

Good Morning everyone!

It’s time to vote for your 2026–2027 E-Board!

Voting begins today and will remain open until Friday, May 1 at 11:59 PM. Reminder: you must have a UMBC email, be a member of the club, and be part of the myUMBC page for your vote to qualify.

 For any questions please feel free to email eshah1@umbc.edu or maisak1@umbc.edu 

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScMkmUyiWEdZkh85Fz1RD4-gD5mrvkTIiUwZGZG7wzD9PDuYw/viewform?usp=dialog

Best, 

Pre Med E Board 

Hey everyone!

This is a reminder to fill out the form attached here if you are interested in a board position: CWC Position Application

We are looking for the following:

President

Vice-President

Treasurer

Secretary

Social Media Manager

If there is an alternative role outside of these positions that you are interested in, please feel free to apply!

this was a custom gift :(. Pls lmk if you find it, email me, rabiyam1@umbc.edu

Private room available in a 2BHK townhouse for a male at Westland Gardens for a 3-month move-in, available from May to August. 

Fully furnished 2BHK townhouse: 

What you get:

• Spacious living room with sofa + TV
• Fully equipped kitchen (Oven, Microwave, Fridge, Dishwasher)
• In-unit Washer & Dryer
• Central heating & cooling
• Just a 1-minute walk to the UMBC bus stop
• Only 10 minutes walk to campus

DM for more information: +1-202-937-5716 or email me at IO95979@umbc.edu