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. 

Join UMBC and the Greater Washington Partnership for the Capital CoLAB Virtual Career Fair. This career fair will give students exclusive access to employers from across the Capital Region and offer opportunities to secure  SUMMER INTERNSHIPS FOR 2021. 

WHEN: Monday, September 21, 2020  

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This online chat will connect you directly with organizations from the comfort of your home, office, smartphone or tablet. Our online, cloud-based platform makes it easy and fun for you to participate. After signing in, you'll be able to explore the available information and opportunities and participate in 1-on-1 text-based chats with representatives from participating organizations. Share your background and experience and get all your questions answered. This career fair is open to current undergraduate students.  Tune into our live content during the career fair to hear from peers about virtual internship experiences, the impact of COVID-19 on student life, as well as about the Capital CoLAB Digital Tech Credential Program. 

About the Capital CoLAB and Digital Tech Credential Program 

Capital CoLAB is a program launched by the Greater Washington Partnership and its mission to create a more connected and inclusive capital region. 

The Capital CoLAB Digital Tech Credential program is focused on developing talent by connecting students at participating colleges and universities with top businesses across the region to provide them with opportunities and real-world experience. Employers across all industries—from government and healthcare to the arts and energy—hire workers who can couple their diverse educational backgrounds with the top tech skills to succeed in today’s increasingly digital economy.  

You can learn more about the CoLAB Digital Tech Credential on our website. Be sure to opt into the CoLAB Community when you register for this event to receive more information about this program!   

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Tune into our live content during the career fair to hear from peers about virtual internship experiences, the impact of COVID-19 on our region and student life, as well as about the Capital CoLAB Digital Tech Credential Program. 

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The Institutional Review Board (IRB), the formally designated UMBC committee to approve, monitor, and review research involving humans is currently accepting applications from students to join.  Graduate and undergraduate students are considered full members of the board. Student members serve for a one (1) appointment and review research protocols, attend meetings, and vote on issues with the aim to protect the rights and welfare of the research subjects. Appointments begin in October 2020. The board typically meets 5 times during the academic year: October, December, February, April and June. Meetings are currently held virtually on Mondays from 10 am-12 pm.

This is a terrific opportunity to learn about ethical issues related to research. Also, being a member of the IRB looks good on a curriculum vitae or resume. Please contact Dr. Susan Sonnenschein, IRB Chair, (sonnensc@umbc.edu) no later than October 9, 2020 if you wish to apply. Your email should include a copy of your curriculum vitae or resume and a few sentences describing your research interests and experience. We are particularly interested in people who have had research experience with human participants.

The Office of Research Protections and Compliance (ORPC) offers training and guidance throughout the protocol review process. Please contact the ORPC at compliance@umbc.edu or click on the IRB's web page for additional information.