Mr. Jordan Bendler worked this past summer in Dr. Ronghui Ma’s laboratory at UMBC.  He and a graduate student, Mr. Myo Min Zaw, designed and prototyped polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) microfluidic devices for studying the dispersal of nanoparticles through a porous membrane.  The devices will allow for future research in the biomedical fields, particularly in targeted cancer drug delivery.  Mr. Bendler said that the experience gained was invaluable, and the acquired skills are not traditionally taught in regular ME courses.

Starting from rudimentary information, they researched and tested different methods of mixing, curing, and bonding the PDMS material, ending with a suitable process for prototyping our devices.  Using Solidworks, a new casting mold for the devices was generated.  It was then sent to a local engineering company for subtractive manufacturing.  After completing a device, they used a syringe pump to continuously pump red dye water through the microchannels.   From analyzing the performance of the device, they could identify technical issues and improve upon future manufacturing process. 

Meet Joshua Lucker, one of our awesome LRC Tutors!

Tell us a little about yourself.

My name is Joshua Lucker. I am a Senior Chemistry and Mathematics double major. Aside from school, I love to sing, watch shows with my friends, and sleep!! 

Tell us about how you are involved on campus.

Outside of tutoring and classes, I am a part of a few clubs, most notably the American Chemical Society and the Lutheran and Episcopalian Campus Ministry. I am also a part of the Camerata, the UMBC choir on campus!

How and why did you get involved in being a tutor?

I tutored in high school and wanted to tutor when I came to UMBC. In sophomore year, my friend and I found out that we could tutor for the Math Lab, so we applied and both got in. I now have a blast tutoring for both the Math Lab and the LRC!!

What is your favorite thing about being a tutor?

I always love to help people with classes, and now I can get paid for doing it! I also love to see the lightbulb go off in someone's head when they finally understand something!!

Why should students utilize the tutoring?

It's no fun to struggle in classes (trust me I know). It always helps to have someone who can and is willing to help you succeed in your college career. If anything, you can affirm what you already know! 

What advice would you give students about how to prepare for a tutoring session? 

Always come with questions. We can't help anyone unless we know what exactly you need help with. Also, be willing to work with the tutor. Tutoring is a two way street, so you need to be willing to put in the effort as much as I am willing to put in the effort. 

When and where can someone work with you through the Learning Resources Center?

They can sign up for appointment tutoring in either Chemistry or Math, or come see me in the Math Lab Tuesdays or Thursdays from 11-12, or Fridays 12-1!!

Noemi Petra, Ph.D. ’10, M.S. ’07, applied mathematics, has always been a hard worker. In her dissertation research at UMBC, she forayed into engineering applications, mathematical theory, and computational techniques to answer questions about sensors that detect trace gases, such as carbon monoxide.

“Most math students delve into one of these three general areas of research during their Ph.D.,” explains one of her mentors, John Zweck, former UMBC faculty member in mathematics and statistics. Petra tackled all three.

Petra’s grit has paid off. The National Science Foundation has recognized her ongoing research success with the NSF Career Award, intended to support early-career faculty “who have the potential to serve as academic role models in research and education and to lead advances in the mission of their department or organization.” It is one of the most prestigious awards an early-career STEM researcher can receive. Petra’s award, the first for a UMBC graduate in mathematics, provides $400,000 for her work over five years. Previous UMBC Career Award recipients have supported faculty projects in areas as diverse as developmental biology and artificial intelligence.

The first in her family to attend college, at the University of Babes-Bolyai in Romania, Petra’s willingness to take on new challenges has served her well throughout her career. After UMBC, she was a postdoctoral fellow and then a research associate at The University of Texas at Austin within the Institute for Computational Engineering and Sciences (ICES)  in the prestigious Center for Computational Geosciences and Optimization led by Professor Omar Ghattas, who was also Petra’s postdoctoral mentor. From there, Petra transitioned to the University of California, Merced, where she is now an assistant professor and maintains collaborations with a variety of renowned institutions.

“I think the experience of having to make progress on a very applied problem turned out to be an excellent training ground for Noemi,” explains Zweck, now professor of mathematical sciences at University of Texas at Dallas, “because it gave her the confidence and experience to tackle much harder applied problems in her postdoc and now in her faculty position.”

Her research interests have evolved from gas sensors to other applications for similar mathematical techniques. One of her current projects seeks to model how ice sheets flow using differential equations—a very difficult problem, considering it’s impossible to directly observe some of the required parameters. She applies the same type of problem-solving to model power distribution in electrical grids, which could help make them more efficient in the future.

Petra sees the award as “the result of a long, but extremely exciting and rewarding professional journey.” In particular, she says, UMBC “offered the perfect environment to grow as a researcher and educator. The careful mentorship during my Ph.D. and the diverse set of graduate classes I took at UMBC helped me obtain a very successful postdoctoral fellowship, which led to where I am today. For this I am very grateful.”

“Noemi was a wonderful student to work with,” shares another of Petra’s mentors, Susan Minkoff, faculty in the UMBC math and statistics department from 2000 – 2012 and now at the University of Texas at Dallas. “I felt like we were losing a friend when she graduated.”

Petra says Minkoff “helped me a lot to build confidence and not feel intimidated in a male-dominated environment such as STEM,” and now she plans to support future generations of mathematicians. The award will allow her “to undertake an ambitious agenda that includes cutting-edge research and mentoring for students at the undergraduate and graduate levels,” and she is particularly looking forward to dedicating “a significant part of my efforts toward mentoring and preparing students for careers in applied mathematics and computational science.”

Part of that mentorship will involve teaching students how to handle the uncertainty inherent to her field. “Finding the right problem to solve goes hand-in-hand with the solving process,” she says, which is part of what makes the work exciting. “It is like going on a trip without knowing a specific destination.”

– Sarah Hansen M.S. ’15

Photo credit: Veronica Adrover for UC Merced

The HACU National Internship Program (HNIP) has been a premier student program for 25 years promoting diversity in the federal and corporate workforce. We seek the best and brightest from across disciplines to fill hundreds of internship opportunities per year. Gain work experience, acquire new skills, and grow your professional network! Federal and corporate internships are available in the nation's capital and across the U.S. Be part of the more than 12,000 former interns who have taken on the challenge and used their internships to launch their professional careers.

In 2017, HNIP  provided 457 internships: of those, 438 were with federal agencies while the remaining 19 were corporate.

Sponsored by NASPA’s Center for Women, the Alice Manicur Symposium is an engaging and supportive environment for you to learn and reflect on your personal goals and aspirations. Join us January 21-24 in San Diego for the 2018 NASPA Alice Manicur Symposium to gain the tools to continue shattering the glass ceiling of institutional leadership—and the savvy to know if the vice president role is a destination you seek.

This application-based, biennial symposium facilitates in-depth discussions of critical topics impacting student affairs, as well as small, facilitated mentoring groups to enable participants to build the personal and professional connections that will serve to support them throughout their career journey. Benefit from the opportunity to meet one-on-one with experienced VPSA faculty members, as well as explore topics such as including strategic thinking, leading change, planning for career advancement, and work/life balance—all crafted for women, by women. All seasoned women working in higher education are invited to apply, the deadline has been extended to Friday, October 20, 2017. Applicants will be notified by October 27, 2017, regarding status, for this transformational event.

Read NASPA’s reflection on the incredible contribution of the late Alice Manicur.