Undergraduate Research Awards for 2024-2025 have been awarded to 99 students from disciplines and departments across campus. Click on the names below to read the abstracts that summarize each research project. Mark your calendars to attend Undergraduate Research and Creative Achievement Day to see these students present their research findings.
Information for current scholars
A | B | C | D | F | G | H | I | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | Y
Michael Ack“Assessing the Impact of Heavy Metals in E-Cigarettes on the Excitability of Olfactory Sensory Neurons within the Olfactory Epithelium”
Biological Sciences
Sean O’Sullivan, Weihong Lin
Suzi Agyako-Wiredu“Dendronized Gold Nanorattles loaded with Doxorubicin as a Drug Delivery Platform”
Chemistry and Biochemistry
Marie-Christine Daniel
Asiya Ahmed“Investigating Genetic Interactions between FLK and HOS1 in Plant Defense and Flowering”
Biological Sciences
Hua Lu
Ahmed Al-Anesi“Metasurface-based generation of reactive Oxygen species”
Chemistry and Biochemistry
Chris Geddes
Ramlah Ahmed Amsa“The Aesthetics of Travelling in Guy Delisle and Riad Sattouf’s Comic Books”
Modern Languages, Linguistics, and Intercultural Communication
Haniyeh Barahouie Pasandi
Vunnathi Ankem“Investigating the factors in unhealthy relationship dynamics for South Asian diaspora and international students”
Psychology
Christopher Murphy
Samuel Barnett“Developmental Analysis of Appl Overexpression Using CRISPR in Drosophila melanogaster”
Biological Sciences
Fernando Vonhoff
Hikaru Belzer“Numerical Simulation in Financial Mathematics Applications”
Mathematics and Statistics
Bedrich Sousedik
Jenna Beshara“Eco-Friendly Dye and Pigments: Painting with Nature’s Palette”
Visual Arts
Timothy Nohe
Tyler Brown“Supporting Immigrant Students and Families”
Social Work
Kerri Evans
Matthew Bryman“Super Platelets: Unraveling the Phenomenon of Platelets with High Contraction Forces”
Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
Molly Mollica
Ramsha Chaudhary“The Negative Impact of the Language Barrier: Causes of Augmented Re-Admittance Rates for Hispanic Patients following Emergency Room Visits”
Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
David Beard
Mufaro Chiduza“Effects of E-cigarette Exposure on Mice’s Olfactory Health and Cognitive Abilities”
Biological Sciences
Weihong Lin
Robert Coggins“Optimal driving in two-qubit annealing: The Landau-Zener model”
Physics
Sebastian Deffner
Dionne Cole“Evaluating the Impact of Retriever Essentials on UMBC students”
Social Work
Laura Ting
Imani Conway“Childhood Sexual Abuse as a Social Determinant of Health”
Sociology, Anthropology, and Public Health
Andrea Kalfoglou
Ana Delariva-Avina“Mere Presence Effects on Word Association in Social Anxiety”
Psychology
Lira Yoon
Ethan Denny“Elucidation of which ROS are generated in Metasurface microplates”
Chemistry and Biochemistry
Chris Geddes
Ida Dierker“Women in New Music: Exposing Female Composers”
Music
Lisa Cella
Isabella Dressler“Investigation of the Interaction Between Mutants of the SWI/SNF Domino and the Ecdysone Signaling Pathway to Affect Border Cell Migration in Drosophila melanogaster”
Biological Sciences
Michelle Starz-Gaiano
Andrew Dvorak“Searching for Black Holes Ejected by Gravitational-Wave Recoil with the Hubble Space Telescope”
Physics
Eileen Meyer
Caly Ferguson“Decoding Hand Movements from Electromyographic Signals Towards a Near-Natural Prosthesis”
Computer Science and Electrical Engineering
Ramana Kumar Vinjamuri
Yohannes Girma“Flux ropes and their properties during storm-time and typical solar wind conditions”
Physics
Brandon Burkholder
Sethumadhavan Gokulakrishnan“Determining Regions Within UCHL3 That Regulates its Stability and Turnover in Ovarian Cancer Cells”
Biological Sciences
Achuth Padmanabhan
Veronica Goonan“How Climate Change Impacts Rural Populations and Policy”
Political Science
Tom Schaller
Lily Handwerger“Transcriptomic Analysis of Cell Lines Derived from a Genetically Engineered Mouse Model of Aggressive Prostate Cancer”
Biological Sciences
Charles Bieberich
Adah Harding“Platelet Circulatory Age and Traction Force Generation”
Mechanical Engineering
Molly Mollica
Adele Hare“Phonological Change in Philadelphia English”
Modern Languages, Linguistics, and Intercultural Communications
David Beard
Ashkon Hazrati“An Investigation into Potential Toxic Effects of Nicotine Containing Electronic Cigarette Vapor Exposure on Olfactory Bulb Pathology”
Biological Sciences
Weihong Lin
Morris Hirsch“Stress Quantification Metric for Assessing Performance in Cognitive Activites Among Teens, Young Adults and E-Sports Athletes”
Alex Brown Center for Entrepreneurship
Justin Brooks
Jessica Hoffman“Characterizing the Role of Zinc Finger 217 Protein in Ovarian Cancer”
Biological Sciences
Achuth Padmanabhan
Jack Horvath“Identifying the Impact of Restoration Through the Lens of Historical Musical Instrument Repair”
Jazz Studies
Matt Belzer and Roberto Romeo
Maya Hunn“Campus Food Insecurity at Maryland’s Public 2- and 4-year Colleges”
Sociology, Anthropology, and Public Health
Andrea Kalfoglou
Ahmad Hussin“A key to Multicellularity: regA”
Biological Sciences
Stephen Miller
Kevin Ishimwe“LLMs for formal theorem proving”
Computer Science and Electrical Engineering
Josephson Tyler
Aeon Kaplowitz“Enhancing Singlet Oxygen Detection Efficiency in Metal-Organic Frameworks for Biomedical and Defense Applications”
Chemistry and Biochemistry
Lisa Kelly
Gabriel Kengni, Jr. “Exploring methods of Expressing and Purifying Faustovirus Capping Enzyme (FCE) to overcome Rnase contamination present in lab-made capping enzymes”
Chemistry and Biochemistry
Michael Summers
Haneul Kim“Amplify Plasmonic Current using Gold Colloids and Core-Shell Nanoparticles”
Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
Chris Geddes
Tonderai Kodzwa“Utilizing Nanoscale Particulate Matter from the Combustion of Ship Fuels as a Carbonaceous Anode Electrode for Supercapacitors”
Chemical, Biochemical and Environmental Engineering
Ozgur Capraz
Connor Kragh“Constraining Distances to Variable Stars with the UMBC Observatory”
Center for Space Sciences and Technology
Roy Prouty
Arvind Kuruvilla“Roemer, Planning, and Efficiency: Can Roemerian Market Socialism Stand Up to the Free Market?”
Philosophy
Michael Nance
Jonetta Lah“Marginalized Motherhood: An Exploration of the Social and Demographic Determinants of Depression and Anxiety Among West African Immigrant Mothers in the U.S.”
Sociology, Anthropology, Public Health
Sameera Nayak
Juelle Lee“Checked Out: Public Libraries as Sites of Assimilation”
American Studies
Sarah Fouts
Ryan Lee“Addressing the Effects Formaldehyde and Electronic Cigarette Liquid have on Olfactory System Cell’s Ability to Uptake and Regulate Calcium”
Chemistry and Biochemistry
Weihong Lin
Emerson Lehnert“Caribbean Birdsong Analysis: Syllable Sharing Between Male and Female Puerto Rican Orioles (Icterus portoricensis)”
Biological Sciences
Kevin Omland
Aicha Louriqate“Measuring the Fear Response in Two Darter Species: Etheostoma caeruleum and E. olmstedi”
Biological Sciences
Tamra Mendelson
Keiko Luke“Using Optogenetics to Study the Relationship Between Food Deprivation and Pain Sensitivity”
Biological Sciences
Fernando Vonhoff
Katherine McHarg“The Role of ADCK5 in Ovarian Cancer Cells”
Biological Sciences
Achuth Padmanabhan, Megha Pandya
John Melles“Direct Radiative Effects of Dust Over Desert Regions from Observations of EMIT Mission”
Physics
Zhibo Zhang
Terra Miley“Developing a Lactate Binding Protein Biosensor to be used in Cell Culturing Processes”
Chemical, Biochemical and Environmental Engineering
Dr. Govind Rao & Chad Sundberg
Jonathan Miller“Signatures of True Quantum Chaos in Energy Level Statistics”
Physics
Sebastian Deffner
Daniel Mirahmadian“Exploring Conditioned Place Aversion in Etheostoma olmstedi”
Biological Sciences
Tamra Mendelson, Georgie Puffer
Michael Moody“Vertical Distribution of Urban Pollution over the Amazon Rainforest”
Physics
Henrique Barbosa
Jackson Moore“Diurnal cycle of cloud cover in the Amazon rainforest from an all-sky imager”
Physics
Henrique Barbosa
Meredith Morse“Characterizing the Aspergillus nidulans Kinase Deletion Library for Differential Septation in Response to Cell Wall Stress”
Chemical, Biochemical and Environmental Engineering
Mark Marten
Elizabeth Moser“The identification of genetic variants associated with heat tolerance and elite performance traits in Siberian Huskies”
Biological Sciences
Tracy Smith
Noor-ul-Iqball Navaid Munir“Development of a biosensor for measuring redox potential within industrial bioreactors”
Biological Sciences
Govind Rao
Ria Murphy“Twins–Interpreting the Unique Dynamic of Being a Twin and How it Affects the Individual”
Dance
Ann Sofie Clemmensen
Akiva Neuman“Stochastic Methods in Biochemical Kinetics for Cancer Research”
Mathematics and Statistics
Hye-Wong Kang
Paisley Nowell“Optimization of the Synthesis of Dendrons and Gold Nanoparticles Bearing MRI Contrast Agents”
Chemistry and Biochemistry
Michael Summers
Inioluwa Oluseyi“Examining the Effects of Chronic Pain in Drosophila melanogaster”
Biological Sciences
Fernando Vonhoff
Andrew Opincar“A Role of Heparan Sulfate Proteoglycan Processing Enzymes in Mediating Cell Migration in Drosophila melanogaster Egg Chambers”
Biological Sciences
Michelle Starz-Gaiano
Emmanuella Osei“Food Insecurity Among Students at a Minority Serving Institution”
Sociology, Anthropology, and Public Health
Sameera Nayak
Siskind Oshry“Nakahara, Dazai, and Edogawa: The Influence of Western Literature on Japanese Authors in the Early 20th Century”
History and Asian Studies
Julie Oakes
Esther Lim Park“Korean American Parents’ Maintenance of Heritage Culture Ethnic-Racial Socialization can Shape their Adolescents’ Critical Consciousness: The Mediating Role of Ethnic Identity Exploration”
Psychology
Charissa Cheah
Alisha Patel“Structural basis for the Coxsackievirus B3 RNA replication platform interactions with the viral protein 3CD”
Chemistry and Biochemistry
Deepak Koirala
Shivam Patel“Investigating the role of the gene, Rho1 on the innate immune response in Drosophila melanogaster”
Biological Sciences
Jeff Leips
Jaina Peveto“Authorship and Creativity in Dungeons and Dragons”
Media and Communications Studies
Jason Loviglio
Azzan Porter“Comparison of Foreshock Magnetic Fluctuations Observed by MMS, Juno, MAVEN, and Cassini”
Physics
Brandon Burkholder
Leah Prince“Analyzing Multivariate Time Series Amalgams of Physiological Data in ICUs for Sepsis in Adults”
Information Systems
Patricia Ordóñez
Matthew Quintanilla“Characterization of Transmembrane Transporters with Implied Role in Cell Wall Stress Response”
Chemical, Biochemical and Environmental Engineering
Mark R. Marten and Alexander G. Doan
Johnathan Ragazzo“Resonance and Inductive Effects in the Reaction of 1-Pyrenyldiazomethane with Carboxylic Acids”
Chemistry and Biochemistry
Lisa Kelly
Eduardo Ramirez“Interactions between amyloid plaques and tau tangles in the Drosophila nervous system”
Biological Sciences
Dr. Fernando Vonhoff
Kevin Carbajal Rodriguez“Shortcuts to Adiabaticity with an Adiabatic Gauge Potential”
Physics
Sebastian Deffner
Vanessa Salazar“Examining Rumination and its Underlying Processes”
Psychology
Lira Yoon
Mukta Sangar “Investigating the role of the gene, Rho1 on the innate immune response in Drosophila melanogaster”
Biological Sciences
Jeff Leips
Noah Santiago“Determining if VPNs are capable of preventing fingerprinting and if fingerprinting can identify users across networks”
Information Systems
Bill Ryan
Keegan Schiller“A Response to “Rousseau’s Dilemma”
Philosophy
Michael Nances
Rebecca Schultz“Mixed Metal films for the purposes of tuning fluorophore induced plasmonic current substates”
Chemistry and Biochemistry
Chris Geddes
Abdullah Shahzad“Etheostoma Omstedi and their ability to respond to conspecific chemical cues”
Biological Sciences
Tamra Mendelson
Shoyab Shaik“Using Photophysical Properties to Select Fluorophores for Plasmonic Current”
Biological Sciences
Chris Geddes
Ayesha Shehzad“How does Critical Consciousness impact Muslim American adolescents and young adults’ Well-being over time?”
Psychology
Charissa Cheah
Evan Sheldon“Periodic Solutions and Resonance in Wave-Heat Systems”
Mathematics and Statistics
Justin Webster
Ceth Siolwazi“The Descartes Score Part 1: An Empirical Mind-Body Metric for Performance Prediction”
Alex Brown Center for Entrepreneurship
Justin Brooks
Jessica Slaughter“Bioinformatic App Design and Improvement”
Chemical, Biochemical and Environmental Engineering
Mark Marten
Emma Snyder“Parents’ Socialization of their Children’s Math Skills”
Psychology
Susan Sonnenschein
Kieran Soliday“The role of MAP3K13 in Ovarian Cancer Progression”
Biological Sciences
Achuth Padmanabhan
Marelen Soto“Multi-Dimensional Mural”
Visual Arts
Corrie Parks
Zoya Syed“Investigating the Role of Histone Modifications in Producing Genetically-Based Differences in Lifespan in Drosophila melanogaster”
Biological Sciences
Jeff Leips
Greeshma Tarimala“Characterizing the prkA kinase in Aspergillus Nidulans”
Chemical, Biochemical and Environmental Engineering
Mark Marten
Aria Tauraso“Thermodynamics of an Entangled Photon Gas in an Engine Cycle”
Physics
Sebastian Deffner
Tristan Templeton“Examining Black College Students’ Perceptions of the Effectiveness of Therapy”
Psychology
Janelle Billingsley
Rachel Tyler“Artistic Growth: A Study into [Cultural] Exposure and the Discovery of New Levels of Creativity and Expression”
Visual Arts
Ann Sofie Clemmensen
Pavan Umashankar“Structure-Function Analysis of Ubiquitin-Specific Protease 15 (USP15) in Ovarian Cancer”
Biological Sciences
Achuth Padmanabhan
Jonathan Veale“Monsters After Midnight: How to Convey Terror on the Big Screen through Story Construction and Creature Design”
Visual Arts
Robert Pawlowski
Keerti Venkat“How Critical Consciousness Moderates the Relation Between Racial Discrimination and Psychological Well-being”
Psychology
Charissa Cheah
Paul Wampler“Relative Velocity Distribution of Spectroscopic Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) Major Mergers”
Physics
Adi Foord
Grace Walsh“Re-inventing Myc expression in the Myc model”
Biological Sciences
Charles Bieberich
Liz Weir“Cultural Pluralism Practices in Schools Moderating the Relation Between Perceived Sinophobia and School Stress Among Asian American Adolescents”
Psychology
Charissa Cheah
Benjamin Welling“AIChE Chem-E Car team”
Chemical, Biochemical and Environmental Engineering
Neha Raikar
Zorah Williams“Utilizing Toxic Industrial Waste as an Electrode Material for Aqueous Zn-ion Batteries”
Chemical, Biochemical and Environmental Engineering
Ozgur Capraz
Yashitha Yarubandi“Investigating the Role of Histone Modifications in Producing Genetically-Based Differences in Lifespan in Drosophila melanogaster”
Biological Sciences
Jeff Leips