Dylan Rogers Elliott
B.A., History
Summa Cum Laude, Certificate: Honors College
Hometown: Broomes Island, Maryland
Plans: University of Maryland Carey School of Law

I am leaving UMBC with a much wider knowledge of the world. Attending UMBC alongside such a diverse group of students…exposed me to very different ways of thinking about the world, as well as many different cultural, racial, religious, socioeconomic, and national backgrounds.

Dylan Elliott came to UMBC determined to become involved in his community by working with others. Four years later, he’s graduating from UMBC having helped lead the award-winning UMBC Mock Trial Team to its first appearance at the American Mock Trial Association’s National Championship Tournament.

Elliott has served in several leadership roles, on the Humanities Scholars Program Senate, Residential Life Peer Review Council, and Honors College Council. He has supported students as a career peer advisor in the UMBC Career Center, and served as arts, humanities, and social sciences editor for the UMBC Review. He also received the UMBC Student Affairs Leadership Award this past April for his campus leadership over the past four years.

Through a variety of experiences, Elliott has studied the legal profession, history of governance, and the work of policymakers. For his senior capstone project, Elliott spent hours in the Maryland State Archives researching Maryland’s chief tax official at the end of the Revolutionary War. His work earned the history department’s Joseph D. Reese Memorial Prize for best essay on a historical topic. He has also interned in the chambers of the Hon. Wanda Keyes Heard ’79, political science, in the Calvert County State’s Attorney’s Office, and worked as a legal assistant for the Dorsey Law Firm.

Next, Elliott will pursue his J.D. degree from the University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law, with the intent to focus on civil rights and criminal law en route to a career as a public defender.

Portrait by Marlayna Demond ’11 for UMBC.

Andreas Seas
B.S., Chemical Engineering
Summa Cum Laude, Certificate: Honors College
Hometown: Ellicott City, Maryland
Plans: M.D./Ph.D., Duke University

UMBC has provided an environment of brilliant, supportive students who have helped keep me motivated and excited, as well as a team of teachers and advisors who cared about supporting and pushing me.

Andreas Seas’ research interests and passions span all three colleges at UMBC, and have taken him from labs at UMBC and other top research institutions to concert halls and Baltimore City high school classrooms.

Seas was one of three exceptional UMBC students to receive the prestigious Barry Goldwater Scholarship in 2016. He is a Meyerhoff Scholar, MARC U*STAR Scholar, and recipient of a NASA scholarship, and has also completed research with biomedical and surgical faculty at the University of Nebraska Medical Center. His research on the mechanics of the femoral artery and the pathology of peripheral arterial disease led him to publish five peer-reviewed articles and submit seven abstracts to notable professional conferences. 

On campus, Seas has served on the UMBC Honors College Council, coordinating events and projects to complement the Honors College experience. His mentors include Mariajose Castellanos, lecturer of chemical, biochemical and environmental engineering; Jacqueline King, assistant director of the MARC U*STAR Program; Keith Harmon, director of the Meyerhoff Scholars Program; and Simon Stacey, interim vice provost and dean of undergraduate education. His academic achievements have earned his induction into three honors societies: Phi Beta Kappa, Phi Kappa Phi, and Tau Beta Pi.

When not in the classroom or the lab, Seas has served as a mentor in Baltimore’s Medical Education Resources Initiative for Teens (MERIT) Program, which works to support the next generation of diverse healthcare professionals. Connecting with peers, he has worked as a teaching assistant in biological sciences and a learning assistant in physics. Seas also enjoys the arts as a Greek folk dance instructor and as a viola player in the UMBC Community Symphony, where he is an assistant conductor.

In the fall, Seas will pursue joint M.D./Ph.D. degrees with a focus on biomedical engineering at Duke University.

Image: Andreas Seas delivering a speech during URCAD 2016. Photos by Marlayna Demond ‘11 for UMBC.

Brandon Enriquez
B.A., Economics; B.S., Mathematics
Summa Cum Laude, Certificate: Honors College
Hometown: Ellicott City, Maryland
Plans: Ph.D., Massachusetts Institute of Technology

There are many talented and intelligent college graduates in the world against whom I must compete. My advantage comes through the support I receive from my school, through how I am pushed by mentors to be innovative and creative. UMBC provides that support.

How do financial aid packages affect retention rates for low-income college students? What would happen if remedial courses stopped after the two-year community college level? These are the kinds of challenging, highly complex higher education policy questions that interest Meyerhoff Scholar Brandon Enriquez, which he’s examined through research at Harvard and MIT, and service to the University System of Maryland as student regent for 2016-17.

As student regent, Enriquez is a voice for over 18,000 students systemwide. On campus, he is president of the UMBC College Democrats, co-president and founder of the UMBC TED Club, a member of the Phi Kappa Phi fraternity, and has served as an Alternative Spring Break trip leader.

In recognition of his leadership and exceptional academic and extracurricular accomplishments, Enriquez was named a finalist for the Marshall and Rhodes scholarships this year. After considering opportunities in doctoral programs at Harvard, Yale, Princeton, and the University of Chicago, and he has decided to pursue his Ph.D. in economics with a full fellowship at MIT.

Image: Portrait by Marlayna Demond ’11 for UMBC.

The spring 2017 UMBC Research Forum focused on innovative research in aging and the life course—a notably far-reaching area of study that transcends a diverse range of fields. Speakers discussed aging research from the microscopic scale of genetic mutation to analysis of federal policy, and all emphasized the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration in this complex area of study.

“Health, we know, is not cardiovascular, is not neurological, is not pathological. Those are completely artificial distinctions,” shared keynote speaker Luigi Ferrucci, director of science at the National Institute on Aging. “It’s become very, very clear that everything interconnects.”

Ferrucci focused his remarks on the complex relationship between nutrition and aging. “We know intuitively that nutrition affects the aging process dramatically, but it’s also an understudied area,” he said. For example, strict caloric restriction, which has resulted in lifespan extension across many species in scientific studies, seems to have a more nuanced effect on human health and lifespan.

Ferrucci also stressed the importance of analyzing how the body processes food after ingestion. His research suggests that people don’t absorb amino acids, the building blocks of muscles, into their muscles as well as they age. Also, age-related changes in mitochondria, which release energy for use by cells, result in reduced muscular strength.

“Nutrition cannot be resolved in terms of what you put in your stomach, but what happens to those molecules when they come into your body,” Ferrucci said. “Only by putting together the biology of aging will a nutritional intervention really be able to make a difference.”

It’s these connections across fields of research that have so much potential to reveal new insights in aging, said Karl Steiner, vice president for research, affirming that we “need to shine the light on these complex issues.”

John Schumacher, associate professor of sociology, anthropology, and health administration policy, kicked off the first panel by addressing his research on geriatric emergency departments. These senior-focused facilities have been popping up around the country over the last decade, but they can be quite different from one another, and much can still be done to improve the experiences of seniors who visit emergency departments, Schumacher said.

Sarah Chard, associate professor of anthropology, discussed her research on the subjective experiences of people with diabetes. She explained how doctors may label patients as “non-compliant” when they do not follow medical guidance, without recognizing “the presence of patients’ competing, yet very rational, health goals.” For example, if a person who would benefit from exercise is wary of leaving home, it would be more beneficial for a doctor to suggest at-home exercise options than to insist the patient walk or drive to an exercise facility. Chard explains, “Greater attention to the social dimensions of disease management is critically needed.”

Nancy Kusmaul, assistant professor of social work, talked about how some nursing homes are making systemic changes to give residents more autonomy, such as offering meals across wider time windows. However, institutions often make changes without considering the impact on employees, many of whom are living at or below the poverty line despite working full time. “How can staff care for residents when they’re not being cared for themselves by the organization?” Kusmaul asked.

In the second panel, Ravi Kuber, associate professor of human-centered computing, spoke about his work developing a tool that helps people maintain pace while walking. It provides cues in the form of vibrations at the hip, leaving eyes and ears available to take in the environment. Kuber’s research team is also learning more about how seniors interact with technology, such as tablets, with the goal of providing guidelines to interface developers.

Jeff Leips, professor of biological sciences, studies how aging affects traits in fruit flies. At the forum, he discussed work that looks at the immune response, lifespan, and endurance. Genes are highly conserved across flies and humans, making them an excellent study organism. One surprising finding from the lab has been that genes do not affect traits in the same way across the lifespan, Leips says. That might mean treatment for the same disease should look different depending on a patient’s age.

Nancy Miller, professor of public policy, talked about her research on the distribution of funding for long-term care services between institutional environments and home- and community-based care. She found that public funding for the latter increased following policy changes, especially in states that initially provided the least funding for these services. That suggests, she says, “there’s a continued role for policies to encourage states in this direction.”

In closing the event, President Freeman Hrabowski focused on the fact that those who are privileged tend to age more gracefully than those who are not, and that that inequality needs to change. Moving forward, he told the participating researchers, “the work that you do, and the research, the training, will be increasingly important for all of us.”

Banner image: Ravi Kuber, information systems; Jeff Leips, biological sciences; and Nancy Miller, public policy, take questions after giving short talks on their research. All photos by Marlayna Demond ’11 for UMBC.

Last Wednesday the Retriever softball team traveled to Emmitsburg, Maryland to take on the Mount St. Mary’s University Mountaineers in their last non-conference contests of the season. The teams squared off in a double-header with UMBC taking the second game by a score of 5-3. Junior Carly Lesko had a stellar game at the plate raking in six runs batted in, including a grand slam that gave the Retrievers a three-run lead. Meanwhile, senior pitcher Kelly Lane did it all, pitching a complete game and adding a homer in the sixth inning to give the Retriever lead some cushion.

Then in their final regular season series, the Retrievers hosted Hartford in a 3-game series (though Friday’s contest was cancelled) and emerged with two victories. Both victories were nail biters as they were both ultimately decided by a single run. Impressively, UMBC overcame deficits in the 7th and final inning in both matchups. Junior Toni Santonastasso hit a walk-off grand slam in game one while Lesko hit a double that drove in junior Tori Alexander for the game-winning run in game two.

Amidst the double-header, the Retrievers honored their seniors Kinsey Shifflett, Jaclyn Buckley, Kaelin Jackson, Lane, Nicole Casagrand and Jessica Holte for their contributions to the squad and the UMBC community during their time here.

With the regular season in the books, head coach Heather Gelbard and company will look to stir up the America East Softball Championship this week. It would be simple, perhaps, to look at the Retrievers’ record and discount their chances in the tournament, but this would surely be a mistake.

As a simple stat check would dictate UMBC’s 5-10 conference record is not indicative of their skill set at all. Gelbard’s team is top three in a plethora of major statistical categories including earned run average, batting average, runs scored, hits, homeruns, walks and stolen bases.

Freshman Maddie Daigneau and junior Tori Alexander possess two of the top five batting averages in the conference to go along with their combined 38 RBIs. Meanwhile, junior Kim Puccio has been nothing short of fantastic as she leads the conference in ERA (2.90) and wins (9) while also being in the top-10 in an incredible 19 categories.

On Wednesday May 10 when UMBC takes on the fourth seeded University at Albany, both teams will need an explosion at the plate to break through against opposing pitchers. As a team, Albany allows the lowest ERA in the conference at 3.85, followed closely by the Retrievers who garner the second position with their 3.95.

Where Albany excels is their ability to limit extra-base hits. They’ve allowed the fewest homeruns, the fewest triples and the third fewest doubles of any team. But with that being said, UMBC may hold their kryptonite as they have league leaders in each of those statistical categories. Alexander is third in doubles, Daigneau is second in triples and Lesko is fourth in homeruns. Pair this with the fact Daigneau and Alexander have been great base runners (combining for 17) and the Great Danes will need to prepare for some chaos if they want to move on in the tournament.

Meanwhile, UMBC pitchers will have to ensure that the ball stays within the outfield fence as Albany leads the conference in homeruns. But most importantly this matchup will be a practice in patience for the Retrievers. How do you counter great pitching? Waiting for mistakes, driving up pitch counts, getting on base by any means necessary and for UMBC that should come in the form of walks. The Retrievers were walked 134 times this season and should look for more of the same.

This would also be beneficial because despite Albany’s ability to limit scoring and extra-base hits, they rank last in strikeouts. Hence, patience may result in a large amount of base runners which will give way to steal, bunt and hit-and-run opportunities.

UMBC and Albany will face off at 11 a.m. on Wednesday, May 10 at Binghamton University and the victor will go on to face the two-time regular season champion Binghamton Bearcats.

The post Retriever softball finishes non-conference play, prepare for Albany appeared first on The Retriever.

The first quarter of the season must feel like a distant past for the UMBC baseball team, particularly on offense. In their games against the Naval Academy Midshipmen and the University of Maine Black Bears, the Retrievers piled on a ton of runs, leading to a 2-1 record this week.

Their Tuesday game against the Midshipmen remained relatively close until they pulled away in the closing stages en route to a 10-1 victory. The Retrievers leaped out to a 3-0 lead after four innings. In the top of the third, junior infielder Jamie Switalski drove in the first run on a sacrifice fly to left field, scoring senior center fielder Andrew Casali. One inning later, a Mitchell Carroll (R-Jr.) RBI single and an A.J. Wright (So.) sac fly tacked on two more runs.

Still the game remained within reach for Navy until the last two innings, when the Retrievers plated seven runs on eight hits to put the game away. As it turned out, 10 runs was more than enough on this day. Sophomore starter Jacob Christian allowed no earned runs for the second time this season. He went tossed over six scoreless innings, giving up just four hits while walking two and striking out four. Relievers redshirt junior Connor Staskey and freshman Joe Nahas allowed just one hit the rest of the way, although gave up a combined four bases on balls.

With Saturday’s game cancelled, the Retrievers settled for an afternoon double header with their America East Conference foes. Unfortunately, the stellar pitching did not carry over immediately in New England. In the opener against the Black Bears, the Retrievers blew a 8-4 lead in the seventh inning, ultimately losing 10-7. Even with the impressive showing at the dish, the Retrievers left 10 men on base in the first game.

Ultimately, the pitchers could not keep the Black Bears off base, particularly the relief pitching. Redshirt senior Michael Austin turned in a pretty good performance and did more than enough for his team to win the game. He allowed four runs (three earned) on six hits in 5.1 innings. In the final inning and two thirds, redshirt senior Joe Vanderplass and Corey Callahan surrendered six hits and six runs.

Maine and the Retrievers closed out their series with another high scoring affair. This time, the Retrievers pitching did enough to support the offense, giving them a chance to come back and seal a 9-6 win. After the Retrievers took a 3-1 lead in the second, the Black Bears fought back on the strength of a four run fourth. The Retrievers answered back in the top of the sixth with five runs to take the lead for good. It was a complete team effort for the Retrievers, as all but one player recorded a hit against Maine.

Two more road games still loom for the Retrievers as they are set to face the University of Maryland Terrapins and the Towson University Tigers before wrapping up the season at home prior to the America East Tournament.

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A Look Ahead, hosted by UMBC’s College of Natural and Mathematical Sciences (CNMS) on May 3, featured posters from every CNMS department and talks by three distinguished scientists with deep ties to UMBC. The highlighted speakers included Michelle Starz-Gaiano, associate professor of biological sciences; Jeffrey Gross ’96, biological sciences, and E. Ronald Salvitti Professor of Ophthalmology at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine; and Ruth Lehmann, Starz-Gaiano’s mentor and Laura and Isaac Perlmutter Professor of Cell Biology at the New York University School of Medicine.

As a flagship annual event of CNMS, A Look Ahead “is all about highlighting the pioneering research that our faculty, students, and staff here at UMBC do,” said Dean Bill LaCourse. “The aim of the College is to provide the tools and resources for the faculty and students to succeed and achieve great heights. We hope this event will be one of those tools.”

Lehmann shared how her lab seeks to understand the development of germline (sperm and egg) cells and, essentially, “what makes sperm and egg cells so special.” She has found that regulation of RNA, a molecule similar to DNA that is translated into protein inside cells, determines whether a cell develops into a germline cell or not. Her research on RNA regulation in the early embryo has challenged previous scientific understanding by finding strong evidence that “RNAs can self-localize” in the egg cell, rather than being directed by proteins.

Lehmann also addressed the role of mitochondria, structures that release energy inside the cell, in germline differentiation. Her lab has identified a new role for a protein called ATP synthase, which appears to be critical for the construction of cristae, elaborate folds in the inner membranes of mitochondria. “We need the cristae as a checkpoint for the differentiation” of germ cells, Lehman says.

Mitochondria are only inherited from one’s mother and can carry mutations that cause disease. Learning more about how mitochondria develop within germ cells could inform studies of those diseases.

Starz-Gaiano’s research focuses on a different aspect of early development. Her lab studies a step in early fruit fly development when a small cluster of cells migrates from one end of the egg to the other. The way these cells detach from tissue and then migrate is similar to how cancer cells metastasize, so learning more about the process could inform cancer treatments in the future.

To initiate migration, the cells must receive a chemical signal from nearby cells. Starz-Gaiano predicted that if the migrating cells received the signal uniformly, they would detach symmetrically, “but much more often our prediction was not correct,” she says. “That left us with a puzzle—why aren’t some cells responding?”

Starz-Gaiano hypothesized that small gaps between the signaling cells trapped the signal molecule, preventing it from reaching the target cells. She and her students worked with UMBC colleague Brad Peercy, professor of mathematics, to create a mathematical model of migration in the presence of gaps, and it very closely matched her data from real flies.

Starz-Gaiano’s research now suggests that the gaps eventually release the trapped signal, affecting migration in surprising ways. “I think this is a really exciting result, because it’s unexpected,” Starz-Gaiano says.

Gross is also turning up compelling results in his research on age-related macular degeneration (AMD), a disease that causes blurred vision and can lead to blindness. His model organism, the zebrafish, has “a remarkable ability to recover from any injury,” Gross says, including the ability to regenerate the type of eye tissue that degenerates in AMD. At early stages of development, the zebrafish eye is similar to the human eye, and zebrafish embryos are transparent, making them easy to observe.

After an eye injury, some zebrafish eye cells revert to stem cells, then develop into the cell type of the injured tissue. In humans, stem cell reversion sometimes happens, but the cells don’t re-differentiate, instead building up and making the situation worse.

Gross’s goal now is to discover the pathways in zebrafish that result in successful regeneration. “That’s the big question,” he says, “What’s the mechanism underlying this response?” Once the pathway is understood in zebrafish, scientists will be that much closer to an effective therapy for AMD.

Gross took a moment during his talk to thank Phyllis Robinson, professor of biological sciences, for making possible his success as a research scientist focused on vision. As a UMBC undergraduate, Gross wasn’t certain of his future as a scientist until he worked in Robinson’s lab. Today, he, Starz-Gaiano, and Lehmann all focus on continuing to expand opportunities for more students to participate in cell research and tap into the excitement of discovering new things about the building blocks of life.

Banner image: Michelle Starz-Gaiano, biological sciences, presents her work on cell migration. All photos by Marlayna Demond ’11 for UMBC.