UMBC’s 19th Undergraduate Research Symposium in Chemical and Biological Sciences on October 22, 2016, drew a record number of talented young researchers from across the mid-Atlantic. Of the 647 attendees, 331 were student presenters, including students from UMBC’s own STEM BUILD initiative.

In an introductory address to the students, President Freeman Hrabowski emphasized the importance of asking good questions, rather than always having the right answers. He encouraged the scholars, some of whom travelled hundreds of miles for the event, to have confidence in their ability to achieve great things as scientists, saying, “You have most of the answers you need inside of yourself for what it takes to be successful.”

Two large poster sessions in the University Center Ballroom anchored the day-long event, spotlighting 274 student posters on research topics from cricket behavior to breast cancer to biodegradable polymers. Judging the posters were 74 faculty who selected award recipients in biochemical and molecular biology, biological sciences, and chemical sciences.

Workshops and a plenary speaker provided additional opportunities for attendees to expand their horizons.

Susan Hindle, assistant director of internships and employment in UMBC’s Career Center, led a “Master the Art of Making Connections” workshop. “Academic achievements alone are not enough to be successful in today’s workplace,” she shared. Hindle discussed how to make a good first impression and be an active listener, and she taught attendees the elements of a strong “30-second commercial” about their experience, interests, and goals. She also gave tips for networking at an event like a research conference.

Jim Thomas, UMBC philosophy lecturer, offered “A Very, Very Short Introduction to Ethics for Scientists.” The workshop encouraged students to examine why they make the ethical decisions they do. “Even if a person disagrees with you, reasons can be understood, maybe even changed or amended, and that creates better understanding, and so a better community, all around,” said Thomas.

Plenary speaker Colleen Burge, assistant professor of marine biotechnology at UMBC, used her talk to offer advice for student researchers in the audience, through the lens of her own work on host-pathogen interactions in marine environments.

Burge discussed her research on oysters, eel grass, and the diseases that affect them as critical both ecologically and economically. She described eel grass as “a foundational species in the ocean,” and explained that sea grasses serve as “ecosystem engineers,” creating habitat for a wide range of species while also providing a food source. A particularly devastating oyster virus she studies “directly impacts the bottom line for farms.”

Burge said students at the symposium “are already winning” when it comes to preparing for research careers, by getting experience early. She encouraged them to follow their passions, but not narrow their focus too soon. “Your career can change as it goes. Be flexible,” she says. “Find that thing that you like and that can move forward with you through your career.”

Preparing for the symposium required a great deal of hard work for each student, but “the value of talking to people about your research and receiving input on things you might have overlooked is priceless,” shared Fatma Abker ’19, chemical engineering. “From Dr. Hrabowski’s invigorating welcoming speech, to the buzz of the ballroom with presenters and judges and spectators, to the plenary talk—it was all worth it.”

Banner image: The University Center Ballroom during the Undergraduate Research Symposium. Photos by Mohammed Arafat ’20, biological sciences.

Women’s Center intern Prachi Kochar discusses the importance of disability in relation to many important issues that are going on today, such as police brutality and the 2016 presidential election. Rather than have disability be an afterthought, it should be brought to the forefront of our discussions about social justice issues. 

In conversations about social activism and social change, we must remember who is not being talked about. Who is being left out of these conversations and why? In particular, I have noticed a significant amount of ignorance about issues related to people with disabilities throughout my college experience, and relating to several different issues, ranging from accessibility at UMBC to the rights (and respect) of people with disabilities in 2016’s presidential race to how people with disabilities, especially those who are people of color — and especially Black people — are treated by police. People with disabilities are also often left out of conversations about social justice. Think about the last time you heard about a protest, discussion about a social justice issue, or rally. Was there any mention of wheelchair accessible-seating or sign language interpreters? This is particularly striking because 19% of the U.S. population, or 56.7 million people, have some kind of disability.

The word “disabled” and its meanings are often not critically considered, but it is important to remember that just like other identities, such as gender, race, and class, it is socially constructed. This perspective of disability emphasizes that it is society that disables people by rendering some services and institutions inaccessible to people as well as stigmatizing those who are considered to have disabilities. For example, deafness is not considered a disability by the Deaf community because within the Deaf community, there are no barriers to communication — everyone is able to use sign language and communicate clearly. It is also important to recognize that all people with disabilities cannot be lumped together. Even people who seem to have the same “type” of disability may have different needs. This is why it is especially important to listen to diverse groups of people with disabilities and center their voices and experiences, rather than non-disabled people.  

Even though I am deaf, as someone who does not have any mobility issues, I initially did not realize how inaccessible UMBC’s campus is to people with mobility issues, especially wheelchair users. For example, getting to the Performing Arts and Humanities Building only seems like a minor annoyance to me, one that just requires giving myself an extra five minutes to walk up all those stairs. However, for someone in a wheelchair, chronic pain, or with crutches, it is necessary to navigate a labyrinth of ramps, building entrances, and elevators to make it to class. Furthermore, most classroom doors, and even some building entrances, do not have buttons that allow them to open automatically, meaning that they must be pushed or pulled to allow access. The same is also true for many bathroom entrances, even bathrooms that have wheelchair accessible stalls. In this way, UMBC creates more barriers for people with mobility issues. Accessibility issues at UMBC do not exist in a vacuum; they reflect how people with disabilities are viewed and treated in American society, intersecting with other dimensions of identity, such as gender, race, and class.

Police brutality against people with disabilities, especially those who are people of color, is an issue rarely spoken about, but it is a very major one. As found in a report that analyzed incidents of police brutality between 2013-2015, up to half of people killed by the police have a disability. Police officers are typically the first respondents to mental health crisis 911 calls, but they are often not trained to deal with various mental health issues as well as physical, emotional, and intellectual disabilities. Furthermore, racism and anti-blackness as well as biases against people with disabilities – where they are perceived as “dangerous” and “non-compliant” greatly contribute to police brutality.

Our Critical Social Justice keynote speaker Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarsinha spoke about issues related to disability justice. You can watch the video of her lecture here!  (photo credit: Mike Mower)

Another major area in which disability issues are rarely discussed (except when something particularly shocking or offensive has been said) is the 2016 U.S. Presidential Elections. Yes, I can already hear your groans, but we need to talk about how people with disabilities could potentially be affected by this election, especially because many people with disabilities are women, LGBTQ+, or people of color who already face discrimination on those fronts. You’ve probably heard about Donald Trump’s mocking of a disabled reporter and him calling Marlee Matlin an ableist slur, but very little media attention has been given to the actual policy positions of both Trump and Clinton with regard to disability issues. However, these policies can actually be life or death for some people with disabilities.

A major issue affecting people with disabilities is employment and salary equity. (credit: AIR.org)

Donald Trump has said little about people with disabilities with regard to official policy positions. Although he has praised himself for making the buildings on his properties accessible to people with disabilities (building wheelchair ramps, for example), this is mandated under the Americans with Disabilities Act. Multiple cases have also come up in which lawsuits were filed because his properties did not comply with ADA guidelines.

Hillary Clinton has been much more vocal on the topic of disability rights, using the failings of Donald Trump to emphasize how she will support people with disabilities. However, while Clinton is miles ahead of Trump on disability issues, that does not mean she is perfect. Her campaign has been criticized for portraying disability rights from the perspective of those without disabilities, rather than amplifying the voices of people with disabilities. Furthermore, despite her stated support of people with disabilities and the Americans with Disabilities Act, Clinton has not given much information on exactly how she will support people with disabilities and what specific issues she will address, creating doubt as to how effective she will be on disability-related policies. While it is important to recognize that Clinton is much better than Trump, it is also important to be critical of her policies and ask for better.

The Democratic Party has also shown their support of disability rights, by focusing on disability issues at the Democratic National Convention and having multiple speakers with disabilities as well as accommodations for all. Even though we have a long way to go with increasing accessibility for people with disability as well as awareness of the issues that people with disabilities face, it is possible for us, both people with disabilities and people without disabilities, to begin making a positive difference and to support disability justice. One of the major ways that we can do that is voting — so make sure you go out and vote if you are able to do so! Together, we can make a positive change and advocate for disability justice. 

Resource Round-Up 

• What You Need to Know about Disability Justice
• What is Ableism?
• 6 Forms of Ableism We Need to Retire Immediately
• 50 Million Americans Live with Disabilities – They Could Swing this Election
• #CripTheVote Campaign
• Campaign Events: Accessibility and Disabled People
• 5 Ways We Keep People w/ Disabilities Chained to Poverty
• When Disability and Race Intersect

The spirit of the fourth annual Critical Social Justice aims to create space and learning opportunities to consider the ways we can challenge, explore, and redefine the concept of “home” based upon our individual and collective histories as well as our intersecting identities. Take a look back at some of highlights from throughout the week and catch up on anything you missed with the linked videos for the events!

The Women’s Center was bursting with excitement as Critical Social Justice quickly crept around the corner. All of our hard work and extra hours were finally coming to fruition and we were excited to share that with the rest of UMBC!

On Monday, we kicked off CSJ with a panel discussion featuring some of UMBC’s finest faculty. Dr. Kate Drabinski, Dr. Kimberly Moffitt, and Dr. Thania Muñoz Davaslioglu joined us for CSJ 101 to lay down the foundations of our theme.

Dr. Moffitt left us with an amazing message as we ended the event. There is still so much space to grow and become better.

You can watch a recording of the event on our Facebook pageas well as check out our CSJ 101 round-up on Storify!

Before the keynote event on Tuesday, Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha sat with a few students to discuss mental health and accessibility issues at UMBC, as well what can be done to create space for more people on campus!

As expected, Leah blew us away with her wisdom and experience as an disabled femme of color. She was real, funny, and painfully relatable. In her multifaceted speech, she spoke a lot about how she’s had to learn to listen to her body, create spaces where she and her community can be present and validated, and how we can celebrate the lives of the community members we’ve lost. If you missed it you can watch the video of the lecture below!

Women’s Center student staff members Michael and Mari shared their favorite moments from the keynote.

On Wednesday, the Women’s Center held a social justice activism workshop where students practiced skills for planning projects and taking action.

Later that afternoon, Student Life’s Mosaic Center hosted Shelter the Storm, a panel discussion focused on LGBTQ homelessness. In case you missed it, you can watch the recording of the event here.

On Thursday, Women’s Center staff shared posters they’d researched and created for an exhibit at our Who Get’s a Home in College? event, which centered on diversity and inclusion in higher education. In recognition of the Women’s Center’s 25th anniversary, student staff did archival research to explore how the Center’s history has shaped its role on campus today. See the posters, zine, and Prezi here!

We were joined by our panelists Dr. Nicole Cousin-Gossett (Sociology), Dr. Danyelle Ireland (CWIT), and Dr. Santiago Solis (Towson University), who spoke about institutional accountability regarding diversity and inclusion.

On the last day of Critical Social Justice, Dr. Kate Drabinski led the Baltimore Walking Tour through downtown Baltimore.

At Research Park, Dr. Kate gave an extensive history of the area.

Thanks again to all of our campus partners and everyone who participated in making the 4th annual Critical Social Justice a success!