UMBC undergraduate work shines at URCAD 2018

Undergraduate research and creative work at UMBC has grown at a rapid pace over the past decade, but on April 25, April Householder wasn’t just thinking about how URCAD 2018 was the university’s largest yet. She was thinking about the talent, drive, curiosity, and hours upon hours of hard work that went into each project, and what that moment of delivering a talk or performing a dance or screening a film meant to each student presenter.

Householder, director of undergraduate research and prestigious scholarships, shared ahead of URCAD 2018, “I am most proud of the kinds of questions these students are asking in their research and creative work…UMBC undergrads are making change in the world.”

URCAD 2018: Students tackling today’s challenges

Throughout the day, students shared innovative work in venues across the university, including projects to tackle major challenges communities are reckoning with today.

Alexis Ramsey ’18, biochemistry, works in Mark Marten’s lab on a very smelly fungus to learn about an important chemical pathway that is conserved in a wide range of species. “The work itself is kind of disgusting,” Ramsey says, “but the science behind it is so cool.”

Gabriela Salas ‘19, global studies, explored the origins of Chicana women’s disproportionately high use of sterilization for contraception. She argue that “it is not based on their culture but a byproduct of a long history of oppression and population control enforced on women of Mexican origin through forced sterilization during the 1960s and 70s.”

Jamar Nash ‘18, psychology, researched end-of-life care for ex-offenders through nursing home facilities. Nash shared, “There is only one operating nursing facility in the country for incarcerated seniors in the U.S. It is a restrictive model where residents are not integrated with the rest of the nursing community. Incarcerated seniors are suffering from the same illnesses other seniors face — cancer, heart attacks, and diabetes — but lack the ability to access end of life care within correctional facilities.”

Richard Linkous ’18, biochemistry, studies the role of metals in the body, specifically trying to determine the structure of a protein that is involved in the transport of iron in bacterial cells, as a potential target for antibiotics. “All these metals…are really important, but they don’t always get the limelight they deserve,” says Linkous. He has completed his research in the lab of Aaron Smith, chemistry and biochemistry, and will next complete a Ph.D. in biochemistry at Boston University.

Taylor Stephen ‘19, chemical engineering, worked with faculty at Michigan State University to understand how lithium-ion batteries from electric vehicles can be recycled and repurposed. With an interest in the intersection of environmental engineering, economics, and policy, Stephen set out to determine which solution is most cost-effective. “If companies implement repurposing vehicle batteries, customers can save hundreds of dollars in the future,” Stephen found.

Jennifer Hewitt ’18, physics, studies the structure of jets emitted from black holes, working in the lab of physicist Eileen Meyer. Hewitt shared her gratitude for Meyer’s supportive mentorship, saying, “She always encourages me to ask questions and make sure I understand everything.” She’ll next pursue a Ph.D. in optical engineering at the University of Central Florida.

Nour Aboumatar ‘18, biological sciences and health administration & policy, in Gunes Koru’s information system’s lab, examined how cultural competency around factors such as language, race and ethnicity, religion, and spirituality is incorporated into home and hospice care. This work connects with core aspects of the patient-provider relationship, including how patients understand information about care and treatment, and how they may or may not ask questions of healthcare providers. She dove into the specifics of what makes for effective cultural competency training, but ultimately, says Aboumater, “For healthcare providers who may not be certain of cultural customs, the general advice is ‘If you’re not sure, just ask.’”

The Dance Cube featured impactful student performances and presentations:

Zakari Jaworski ‘18, dance, presented “Scheduled Interruption,” which explores the history, movements, and cross-pollination of several contemporary dance technique to illustrate human relationships.

Jolee Cohen ‘18, acting, presented “Summer Shakespearean Study,” which follows a month Cohen spent studying Shakespeare at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art, through classes, rehearsals, and performances focused on voice, stage combat, movement, dance, and textual analysis.

Melissa Hudson ‘18, dance and economics, presented “The Weight of Waiting,” an original contemporary dance work that brings the ordinary activity of waiting to the stage in an intriguing way, expressing both a physical and emotional confinement.

Ellington Carthan ‘18, music performance, presented “Black Radio: The Robert Glasper Experiment,” which included a performance and remarks on the innovations in the music of Robert Glasper, a Grammy Award-winning American pianist and producer.

Maia Schechter ‘18, dance, (pictured in story header) presented Now Elsewhere, a performance she choreographed to explore the profound loss of loved ones, which will also be performed in June at the Kennedy Center as an official selection of the National College Dance Festival. Schechter shared, “I believe the movement and music work together to create a poignant journey that the audience can relate to.”

The large section of the UC Ballroom offered space for student researchers to demo and gaming and other interactive projects, and offer others the chance to play them and offer feedback. They included:

Courtney Lovett ‘18, visual arts, presented “Abduction,” a two-dimensional game where the player controls an alien spacecraft that is participating in an Earth invasion, utilizing tools but few destructive weapons. In addition to Lovett, the game design and production team included Khang Ngo ‘18; Andrew McFarland ‘19; Emanuel Felipe ‘18, visual arts; Jacob Crouse ‘18; and Eric Jordan ‘18, computer science.

Khadijah Wali ‘18, visual arts, shared the video game “Mascapone,” developed with a team also including Hailey Partin ‘18, visual arts; Shannon Irwin ‘19, visual arts; Tiffany Pierce ‘18, visual arts; and Joey Napolitano ‘18, visual arts. The colorful, two-dimensional side-scrolling game follows Marscapone, a witch with the ability to control and manipulate food, and who can also take control of the various food-based monsters who try to attack her.

In addition to featuring the work of UMBC undergraduates, URCAD 2018 also highlighted advice from keynote speaker Isaac Kinde ‘05, biological sciences. Kinde received his M.D./Ph.D. from Johns Hopkins in 2015 and is now chief science officer for the biotech company PapGene, Inc., which focuses on cancer diagnostics products.

First and foremost, Kinde recommended that students commit early in their careers to pursuing work they are passionate about. “It’s important to think about what you want to do because you’re going to spend a lot of time doing it,” he said. “There’s nothing more valuable than your time.”

Now that more than a decade has passed since his own undergraduate days, Kinde also took a few minutes to reflect on how UMBC has changed and how it has remained the same. “Over the years, it’s been phenomenal to see how UMBC has grown,” he said. But one thing has held constant, Kinde reflected: “UMBC, even from before the first day, has always been about the people.”

At Top: Emmanuel “Manny” Mones ’19, visual arts, presented “ALT.MASC: Redefining Masculinity through Fashion and Photography.” His project challenges existing models of masculinity characterized by aggression and detachment. Mones instead conceptualizes alternative, more inclusive forms of masculinity through fashion and photography, encouraging public discourse on gender, sexuality, and equality.

URCAD photos by Marlayna Demond ’11 for UMBC Magazine.