URA 2021-2022 Awardees

Undergraduate Research Awards for 2021-2022 have been awarded to 88 students from disciplines and departments across campus. Click on the names below to read the abstracts that summarize each research project, and mark your calendars to attend Undergraduate Research and Creative Achievement Day to see these students present their research findings.

Sudeep Ahuja
“Assessing Whether Positive Affect Moderates the Association Between Discrimination and Blood Pressure”
Psychology
Danielle Moody

Ayah Aligabi
“Investigating the Neurological Links Associated with Immunity Using Drosophila melanogaster as a Model Organism”
Biological Sciences
Jeff Leips

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Nur Fatimeh Aligabi
“Assessing Whether Positive Affect Moderates the Association Between Discrimination and Blood Pressure”
Psychology
Danielle Moody

Brady Allen
“Metal Binding Heterocycles as Influenza Inhibitors”
Chemistry and Biochemistry
Paul Smith

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Chase Andre
“Studying the potential role of mir-let7 in influencing border cell migration in Drosophila melanogaster”
Biological Sciences
Michelle Starz-Gaiano

James Angle
“Cross Cultural Study on the Perception of Gay Male Speech and its Consequences”
Modern Languages, Linguistics, and Intercultural Communication
Renee Lambert-Bretiere

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Chantal Anicoche
“A Snapshot of The Filipino Diaspora: A Zine”
Psychology
Katherine Lashley

Madeline Arbutus
“The life and work history of Korean-American merchandise designer Alma Shon”
Visual Arts
Margaret Re

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Alex Armbruster
“Women and Jazz Vocals: Politics of Exclusion and Erasure within the Jazz Canon”
Music
Matt Belzer

Courtney Arrington
“Maximizing Learning Outcomes in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder: Number of Skills Concurrently Taught”
Psychology
Mirela Cengher

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Thomas Azari
“A Comparative Analysis of the structure of criminal defense and legal representation in Japan and the US”
Political Science
Jeffrey Davis

Mickayla Bacorn
“Characterizing Nutrient Specificity of TonB Dependent Transporters in Cellvibrio japonicus”
Biological Sciences
Jeffrey Gardner

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Sierra Barber
“The Effect of Anthropogenic Noise on heterospecific and conspecific association within the genus Etheostoma”
Biological Sciences
Tamra Mendelson

Jacob Brown
“Constructing a Microscopy Interface”
Physics
Matthew Pelton

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Dylan Chao
“Through the Lens: An Exploration of Gender, Identity, and the Queer Asian-American Experience”
Visual Arts
Jules Rosskam

Viridiana Colosio-Martinez
“Bilingualism and Cultural Identity in the Latinx Community”
Modern Languages, Linguistics, and Intercultural Communication
Tania Lizarazo

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Lami Damachi
“Using an inductive approach to explore factors that affect the adherence of oral health guidelines during pregnancy by dental providers”
Sociology, Anthropology, and Health Administration Policy
Jennifer Callaghan-Koru

Sergio Diaz
“Investigating dynamical error correction with shaped pulses on the IBM Quantum Experience using the Qiskit Pulse package”
Physics
Jason Kestner

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Thu Dinh
“Assessing Whether Positive Affect Moderates the Association Between Discrimination and Blood Pressure”
Psychology
Danielle Moody

Jacob Doody
“Long-Distance Traveling and Machine Learning in Epidemic Modeling”
Mathematics and Statistics
Bedrich Sousedik

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Nna-Emeka Ejimogu
“Investigating the mechanism of substrate recognition of arginyl-tRNA transferase 1”
Chemistry and Biochemistry
Aaron Smith

Michaela Emmerich
“Under this Roof”
Dance
Ann Sofie Clemmensen

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Frank Furtado
“Hydroxamic Acid-Based Inhibitors for Metallo-beta-lactamases”
Chemistry and Biochemistry
Paul Smith

Kevin Gibbons
“Identifying Deubiquitinating Enzymes that Regulate Mutant p53 in Ovarian Cancer Cells”
Biological Sciences
Achuth Padmanabhan

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Bailey Godwin
“Testing the role of Drosophila NPF as the molecular link between chronic pain and ethanol sensitivity”
Biological Sciences
Fernando Vonhoff

Janae Gordon
“Assessing the effects of flavoring vs nicotine in e-cigarette aerosols on olfactory-guided behavior in mice models”
Biological Sciences
Weihong Lin

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Joshua Gray
“Exploring the Role of the Black Church in Political Landscapes”
Dance and Media and Communication Studies
Ann Sofie Clemmensen and Liz Patton

Garrett Hill
“Characterization of PrkA Protein Kinase in Aspergillus nidulans”
Chemical, Biochemical and Environmental Engineering
Mark Marten

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Lana Hill
“The COVID-19 Pandemic: Implications for Policy and Practice in the Field of Aging Services”
Aging Studies
Louise Murray

Shamis Hired
“To be Muslim amidst the West: The Construction of Symbols of Terror”
Geography & Environmental Systems
Yolanda Valencia

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Timothy Huynh
“Optogenetic Manipulation of the Reward System in Drosophila and its Effects on Brain Function and Behavior”
Biological Sciences
Fernando Vonhoff

Yoni Isaacs
“Radicalism, Reformism, and Revolutionism: A Comparative Study of the Works of Thomas Paine, Thomas Spence, and Karl Marx”
History
Daniel Ritschel

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Nneamaka Iwobi
“The role of APPL in development and reproduction, Drosophila melanogaster”
Biological Sciences
Fernando Vonhoff

Kaily Johnson
“Structure function analysis of zinc-finger protein 217 in human ovarian cancer cells”
Biological Sciences
Achuth Padmanabhan

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Isabella Justice
“Understanding the role of the PHD finger in the stress response protein Set4”
Biological Sciences
Erin Green

Zulekha Karachiwalla
“Perspectives of Refugees with Cognitive Disabilities and Mental Health Concerns about Assistive Technologies and Accessibility”
Information Systems
Foad Hamidi

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Matthew Kelbaugh
“Dehumanization of Combatants: Coverage of the 2008 Russo-Georgian War in Russian and Ukrainian Print Media”
Modern Languages, Linguistics, and Intercultural Communication and History
Vira Zhdanovych

Erin Kosloski
“Categorizing Errors to Improve Learning Outcomes”
Psychology
Mirela Cengher

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Esenam Kpodo
“The Madman Theory in Foreign Policy Analysis: Crazy Like a Fox?”
Political Science
Brigid Starkey

Se Rin Lee
“Understanding how natural reinforcers regulate spatial and contextual learning and examining the associated sex differences”
Biological Sciences
Tara LeGates

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Terence Lesigues
“The Impact of Exposure to E-Cigarette Aerosol on the Severity of COVID-19 Infection”
Biological Sciences
Weihong Lin

Logan Lineburg
“The Histological and Proteomic Effects of Hoxb13 Deletion in Mouse Prostate and Bulbourethral Glands”
Biological Sciences
Charles Bieberich

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Elyssa Lou
“Examining the Filipino-American Mental Health Disparity, Attitudes, and Barriers to Mental Health Help-Seeking Behavior”
Psychology
Anne Brodsky

Vendela Lundgren
“Sedimenting racialized nature: clipper, factory, and waste in the making and remaking of Baltimore
Geography & Environmental Systems”
Dillon Mahmoudi

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Sahar Mahate
“The Impact of Exposure to E-Cigarette Aerosol on the Severity of COVID-19 Infection”
Biological Sciences
Weihong Lin

Rohan Mandayam
“Detection of algal blooms on the surface of Lake Erie using spaceborne radiometric measurements”
Physics
Pengwang Zhai

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Kayla Massey
“Choreographing Intersectionality: A Compositional Exploration of The Challenges Black Women Face”
Dance
Shaness Kemp

Dominique Mary Henriques Melo
“Assessing Whether Positive Affect Moderates the Association Between Discrimination and Blood Pressure”
Psychology
Danielle Moody

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Alexandra Misciagna
“Identification of Genes Essential for TonB-mediated Iron Transport in the Gram-negative Bacterium Cellvibrio japonicus”
Biological Sciences
Jeffrey Gardner

Fanny Morfin-Reyes
“Differentiating genetical manipulations in Drosophila to Investigate synapse refinement”
Biological Sciences
Fernando Vonhoff

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Amina Musa
“Identifying and crossing the barriers towards access to social services amongst immigrants in the Baltimore community”
Social Work
Kerri Evans

Mickey Muscalli
“Constructing a segment of protein secondary structure using modular, 3d-printed components selected from a set of 20 non-biologically encoded amino acids”
Individualized Study
Stephen Freeland

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Jane Nam
“Influence of COVID-19 on First-Generation vs. Non-First-Generation UMBC Undergraduate Studentsí Academic Success”
Psychology
Susan Sonnenschein

Nithya Navarathna
“Establishing a cell-based high-throughput screen to identify pathways targeting ZNF217 levels in ovarian cancer cells”
Biological Sciences
Achuth Padmanabhan

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Harley Nguyen
“The Asian American in the Present Day Through The Lens of Contemporary Poetry”
English
Lia Purpura

Phoebe Oh
“The Distorted Self: An Interactive Exploration of Identity and Self-Perception”
Visual Arts
Evan Tedlock

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Namrata Oruganti
“Determining a non-toxic, gaseous compound that can quench fires rapidly”
Chemistry and Biochemistry
Joel Liebman

Eriberto Osorio
“Population Survey of Invasive Rats on Andros, Bahamas: Rats as nest predators of the critically endangered Bahama Oriole”
Biological Sciences
Kevin Omland

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Crystal Parry
“The Effect of Lisinopril on ROS Levels in Drosophila Melanogaster
Biological Sciences”
Fernando Vonhoff

Kennedy Person
“The Influence of Maternal Stress on the regulation of GPR158 in Adolescent Mice”
Biological Sciences
Laurie Sutton

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Bella Possidente
“Animating Bouboulina: An Interactive Painting Project”
Visual Arts
April Householder

Mackenzie Primrose
“Escape From the Epithelium: Characterization of Cellular Interactions in Drosophila Egg Development”
Biological Sciences
Michelle Starz-Gaiano

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Aiman Raza
“Tracking Year-Round Territoriality of the Northern Mockingbird using Cellular Tracking Technologies”
Biological Sciences
Kevin Omland

Onkar Rekhi
“Simulation of Cometary Observations to Constrain Rotational Dynamics
Mechanical Engineering”
Roy Prouty

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Kamran Rezai
“Autonomous Navigation & Obstacle Prevention for Crazyflie Drone”
Computer Science and Electrical Engineering
Tinoosh Mohsenin

Safa Riaz
“Characterization of a Mouse Model with Telomere Shortening”
Biological Sciences
Charles Bieberich

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Roshnee Roberts
“The Effects of Maternal Stress on the Development of Anhedonia in Offspring”
Biological Sciences
Tara LeGates

Caleb Ruck
“Evaluating the Differences in Prestige of Native English-Speaking Bilinguals and Learners of English as a Second Language”
Modern Languages, Linguistics, and Intercultural Communication
David Beard

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Fouad Saiedy
“The Use of Virtual Reality to Assess the Effect of Acute Stress on Food Selection”
Psychology
Charissa Cheah

Mason Schuckman
“Geometric Superresolution of Astronomical Images”
Computer Science and Electrical Engineering
Roy Prouty

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Shefra Shah
“Modification and Impairment of Olfactory-Guided Behavior by Exposure to E-Cigarette Aerosol”
Biological Sciences
Weihong Lin

Mansoor Shehzad
“Creating an Asynchronous Optical Sampling-Based THz -Imaging System to Detect Defects on Metal Armor”
Physics
Michael Hayden

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Nathaniel Shindell
“Metal Binding Heterocycles as Influenza Inhibitors”
Chemistry and Biochemistry
Paul Smith

Alexa Smith
“Little Mountain Town: The Unwritten History of a Small Community”
History
Denise Meringolo

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Dwan Smith
“TechUp Space Program”
Political Science
Felipe Filomeno

Owen Sparr
“Structural Activity Relationship Study of Nucleobase Substituents for Fleximer AntiviralTherapeutics”
Chemistry and Biochemistry
Katherine Seley-Radtke

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Aris Stovall
“I’m stressed out!: Exploring the Epigenetic Relationship Between Your Environment and Autism Spectrum Disorder”
Biological Sciences
Fernando Vonhoff

Brenna Turnbull
“Studying Toxin Adsorption on MoSSe Variants Using Density Functional Theory”
Physics
Can Ataca

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Sarah Turner
“The Effects of COVID-19 on Student Academic Success among the various Racial/Ethnic Groups at UMBC”
Psychology
Susan Sonnenschein

Grace Vangorden
“Second Language Acquisition: Most Effective Methods and Possible Impacts on Students’ Worldviews”
Modern Languages, Linguistics, and Intercultural Communication
Kyung Eun Yoon

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Diego Iglesias Vega
“Spatiotemporal analysis of dissolved organic matter to assess wastewater inputs to two watersheds in Baltimore County and Baltimore City”
Chemical, Biochemical and Environmental Engineering
Lee Blaney

Laura Ventura
“The Role of CNOT1 in GI Distress in Drosophila Melanogaster: A Model for Autism and Gut Health”
Biological Sciences
Fernando Vonhoff

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Ismael Watts-Ouattara
“Preparation of bifunctional dendronized gold nanoparticles for combination chemotherapy”
Chemistry and Biochemistry
Marie-Christine Daniel

Jalaysia Weems
“Assessing the effects of flavoring vs nicotine in e-cigarette aerosols on olfactory-guided behavior in mice models”
Biological Sciences
Weihong Lin

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Giuliana Weiss
“Exploring Autistic America: The Changing Perspectives of Autism Spectrum Disorder Throughout the 20th and 21st Centuries”
Psychology/History
Elaine MacDougall

Rachel Wesley
“The Fourth Wall ñExamining Audience Engagement in Dance using User Experience Methodologies in Graphic Design”
Dance
Ann Sofie Clemmensen

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Lauren Wotring
“What are the long term effects of the Department of Justice’s decision against reform in consent decrees in the music industry, on artists’ and songwriters’ rights to their work?”
Political Science
Jeffrey Davis

Rianna Zacharias
“Analyzing the Expression of Shroom3 in the Zebrafish Anterior Neural Plate
Biological Sciences
Rachel Brewster

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