Undergraduate Research Awards for 2020-2021 have been awarded to 95 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 on Wednesday, April 21, 2021 to see these students present their research findings.

Information for current scholars

* Center for Social Science Scholarship Undergraduate Research Awardee’s

** Entrepreneurship Undergraduate Research Awardee’s

Precious Adeniyi
“Developing Tools to Characterize Ubiquitin-Chain Patterns In Vivo”
Biological Sciences
Achuth Padmanabhan

Susan Afolabi
“Characterizing The Effects Of Ferritin On Ovarian Cell Migration In Drosophila Melanogaster”
Biological Sciences
Michelle Starz-Gaiano

– Back –

Ali Ahmed
“Investigating the role of steroid receptor co-activators in conferring estrogen responsiveness in ovarian cancer”
Biological Sciences
Achuth Padmanabhan

Lois A. Akomeah
“Political Corruption and Poverty in Ghana”
Global Studies
Christopher Brown

– Back –

Angelika Albertorio **
“MotionWriters: Choreographing Syntactic Knowledge Awareness”
English and Dance
Ann Clemmensen

Mark Beachy
“Performing Traditional Chinese Folk Songs and Documenting the Historical and Cultural Context Behind Them”
Asian Studies
Meredith Oyen

– Back –

Maria Bieberich
“Consequences of Telomere Shortening in the Mouse Prostate Gland”
Biological Sciences
Charles Biebreich

Camille Blackford *
“A Proposal for an Ethnography on the Happiness of UMBC Students During the Coronavirus Pandemic”
Sociology and Anthropology
Bambi Chapin and Sarah Chard

– Back –

Violeta Brito **
“A Culturally-Sensitive College Readiness Mentorship Program for Latino American Youth in Baltimore”
Global Studies
Felipe Filomeno

Benjamin Brown
“Developing Electo-optic Polymers for Wideband THz Sensing”
Physics
Michael Hayden

– Back –

Toan Bui
“Characterizing the Interaction Between an Eukaryotic Arginyltransferase 1 (ATE1) and an Aminoacyl-tRNA”
Chemistry and Biochemistry
Aaron Smith

Zoe Butler
“Language in the Workplace: an Analysis of Korean Honorific Use in Television Dramas”
MLLI
Kyung-Eun Yoon

– Back –

Faith Carter-Nottage
“Painting with a Camera Lens: The Symbiotic Relationship of Photography and Painting”
Visual Arts
Lynn Cazabon

Nicole Casper
“4 Reel – The UMBC_16archiveproject”
Visual Arts
Cathy Cook

– Back –

Wujin Choi
“The Effect of Different Gut Bacterial Environments on the Brain of Fruit Flies”
Biological Sciences
Fernando Vonhoff

Jessica Christian
“Using Low-Rank Tensor Formats to Solve Stochastic Eigenvalue Problems”
Mathematics and Statistics
Bedrich Sousedik

– Back –

Tessa Clement
“Regulation of proteasome assembly chaperone PAC3 in human cancer cells”
Biological Sciences
Achuth Padmanabhan

Arushi Dalal
“Grasshopper Sparrow Song Diversity in Jamaica”
Biological Sciences
Bernard Lohr

– Back –

Ayushi Dave
“Investigating the role of Effete in Border Cell Migration in D. melanogaster”
Biological Sciences
Michelle Starz-Gaiano

Thomas Dignan
“Academic Research”
CSEE
Brad Potteiger

– Back –

Ogechi Elemuo and Menelik Demissie
“Effects of Electronic Cigarette Vapor on Mouse Olfactory-Guided Behavior”
Biological Sciences
Weihong Lin

Maryam Elhabashy *
“Cupping and Wellness Among Muslims In the Baltimore-Washington Area”
Sociology and Anthropology
Bambi Chapin

– Back –

Sydney Fryer *
“Humanizing Baltimore City Squeegee Kids”
Geography and Environmental Systems
Dena Aufseeser

Donia Galarowicz
“Translanguaging”
MLLI
Elisabeth Arevalo-Guerrero

– Back –

Brianna Georges
“Effects of Colored Fluorescent Light on Sustained Attention and Accuracy”
Psychology
Shawn Bediako

Bailey Godwin
“Identifying the Mechanisms of Alcohol Response in Drosophila Melanogaster”
Biological Sciences
Fernando Vonhoff

– Back –

Ellen Gulian
“Studying 2D Transition Metal Dichalcogenides using Density Functional Theory”
Physics
Michael Hayden

Mitra Harrison
“Deciphering the Function of the rlsA Gene in the Multicellular Green Alga, Volvox carteri”
Biological Sciences
Stephen Miller

– Back –

Tristan Heibel
“Reading Aristocratic Women’s Agency in Chrétien de Troye’s Enide and Laudine: Courtly Romance or Reflections of Contemporary Reality”
English
Gail Orgelfinger

Joana Hernandez
“Assessing the Function of Human Amyloid Precursor Protein and its Fly Homolog APP-Like in Drosophila melanogaster”
Biological Sciences
Fernando Vonhoff

– Back –

Keren Herrán
“Analysis of Mental Well-being of Environmental Migrants in Maryland”
INDS
Dawn Biehler

Garrett Hill
“Characterization of PrkA Protein Kinase in Aspergillus nidulans”
CBEE
Mark Marten

– Back –

Malika Hiyam
“The Effects of Metal Toxicity on the Motor Network of Drosophila Melanogaster”
Biological Sciences
Fernando Vonhoff

Ting Huang
“Online Learning and Student Satisfaction During COVID-19”
Psychology
Diane Alonso

– Back –

Ayra Hussain
“Spiderwebs for Long-Term Air Quality Monitoring”
Geography and Environmental Systems
Chris Hawn

Zoe Hwang
“How American history predicted the rise of racism and xenophobia during COVID-19”
English
Elaine MacDougall

– Back –

Ryan Jordan
“Phenotypic Characterization of the nrc2 Gene in Aspergillus nidulans”
CBEE
Mark Marten

Rahul Kamdar
“Remodeling the Tumour Immune Microenvironment in Metastatic Ovarian Cancer”
Biological Sciences
Achuth Padmanabhan

– Back –

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

Emma Kartalia
“Population Monitoring Through Genetic Sexing Of The Bahama Oriole, A Critically Endangered Island Endemic”
Biological Sciences
Kevin Omland

– Back –

Elle Kreiner *
“Ethnographic Examination of Strategies of Emotional Labor in Death Care Work”
Sociology and Anthropology
Bambi Chapin

Mohammed Khalid
“Islamist Extremist Communication on the Internet”
Chemistry and Biochemistry
Anupam Joshi

– Back –

Ziam Khan
“The Effect of Neuronal Network Plasticity and Refinement in Drosophila melanogaster”
Biological Sciences
Fernando Vonhoff

Avantika Krishna
“Studying the Negative effects that E-cigarette Flavoring Agents and Nicotine have on the Oral Cavity”
Biological Sciences
Weihong Lin and Tatsuya Ogura

– Back –

Gerson Kroiz
“Machine Learning applied to 3D Imaging in Proton Beam Therapy for Cancer Treatment”
Mathematics and Statistics
Matthias Gobbert

Junkyu Kwon
“Calculation of Phase noise of simple PIN Photodetector”
CSEE
Curtis Menyuk

– Back –

Ayodélé La Veau
“The Process”
Theatre and Psychology
Eve Muson

Se Rin Lee
“Understanding nucleus accumbens synaptic plasticity in regulating reward-related behaviors”
Biological Sciences
Tara LeGates

– Back –

Josh Liao
“Effectiveness of Software Diversity on Mitigating Memory Corruption Vulnerabilities in Critical Software”
Computer Science
Bradley Potteiger

– Back –

Chandler Louden
“The Evolution and Historiography of Hauntology and its Contemporary Role”
History
Amy Froide, Daniel Ritschel

Yiwei Ma
“Testing for a species concept in the genus Betta”
Biological Sciences
Tamra Mendelson

– Back –

Amina Mahmood
“Windows Rootkit Detection”
CSEE
Anupam Joshi

Olufolake Majekodunmi
“Behavioral Preference of E-cigarette Flavorings and Immune Response in Tongues of Mice Models”
Biological Sciences
Weihong Lin

– Back –

Yousef Majid
“Identifying Direct Downstream Targets of the Deubiquitinase UCHL3 in Ovarian Cancer Cells”
Biological Sciences
Achuth Padmanabhan

Sohei Matsui
“It Only Takes a Spark”
Visual Arts
Corrie Parks

– Back –

Jacob McCready
“Quantum Heat Engine with Interacting Particles”
Physics
Sebastian Deffner

Rachel Morin
“Charge Transfer from Semiconductor Nanorods”
Physics
Matthew Pelton

– Back –

Angel Munoz-Osorio *
“The Effects of Sounds on Pain Peception”
Psychology
Lynnda Dahlquist

Manal Murangi
“Terms and Conditions of Sex: Short Film”
Visual Arts
Sarah Sharp

– Back –

Crystal Najib
“Learning from StoryCorps: The Resilienceand Empowerment of Afghan Immigrant Women”
Psychology
Anne Brodsky

Harini Narayan
“A Picture Paints A Thousand Words: Examining Linkages Between North Korean Propaganda and U.S.-Bilateral Relations”
MLLI
Kyung-Eun Yoon and Renee Lambert-Bretiere

– Back –

Nithya Navarathna
“Establishing A Cell-Based High-Throughput Screen To Identify Pathways Targeting ZNF217 Levels And Localization In Ovarian Cancer Cells”
Biological Sciences
Achuth Padmanabhan

Ouriel Ndalamba
“Dissolved Carbon Dioxide For Nutrient Extraction And Recovery From Poultry Litter”
CBEE
Lee Blaney

– Back –

Camille Ollivierre
“Exploring Aboriginal Caribbean Whaling Culture Through Paint On Glass Animation”
Visual Arts
Corrie Parks

Sean O’Sullivan
“Probing Interactions Between Bacterial Ferrous Iron Acquisition Proteins FeoA and FeoB through Peptide-Binding Studies”
Chemistry and Biochemistry
Aaron Smith

– Back –

Jason Pentsil
“Improved Repeatability and Performance Prediction of Additively Manufactured 17-4 Stainless Steel: A Microsample Approach”
Mechanical Engineering
Marc Zupan

Kennedy Person
“The Role of Protein Phosphorylation in Accuracy of Protein Synthesis”
Biological Sciences
Philip Farabaugh

– Back –

Ebonie Pierce
“To Ornament or Not to Ornament: Reclaiming the Lost Art of Ornamentation in Baroque Music”
Music
Lisa Cella

Katherine Poteet
“Building a Nation: How National Service Requirements Affect Patriotic Sentiment”
Political Science
Carolyn Forestiere

– Back –

Meredith Power
“Uncertainties Temporal and Spiritual: The Plight of England’s Catholic Nuns After the English Reformation”
History
Amy Froide

Ibrahim Qalawee
“Jasmonic Acid regulation of the Circadian clock of Arabidopsis thaliana”
Biological Sciences
Hua Lu

– Back –

Adam M Ratajczak
“Exploring the Strategies of Increasing the Transparency of 3D-Printed Microfluidic Devices”
Chemistry and Biochemistry
Chenpeng Chen

Patrick Reid
“How did Media Coverage Impact the Black Lives Matter Movement?”
Political Science
Fernando Tormos-Aponte

– Back –

Alizay Rizvi
“Characterizing the gene regulatory networks controlling planarian fission”
Biological Sciences
Daniel Lobo

Rachael Rizzutto
“The Newton Pippin: A Patriotic Apple”
History
Amy Froide

– Back –

Dominique Ross
“Public Health in Northern Brazil’s RefugeeBorderlands”
INDS
Felipe Filomeno

LeeOdella Sands
“The Role Of Transfer RNA Modification To Accuracy Of Protein Synthesis”
Biological Sciences
Phiip Farabaugh

– Back –

Basit Sanni
“MicromaterialCharacterization of Additively Manufactured 17-4 Steel”
Mechanical Engineering
Marc Zupan

Sabtain Saroya
“Investigating the Genes Involved in Sensitivity to Lisinopril through Gene Knockdown in Drosophila melanogaster”
Biological Sciences
Jeff Leips

– Back –

Maddy Selby
“Improved Repeatability and Performance Prediction of Additively Manufactured 17-4 Stainless Steel: A Quantitative Analysis of Microstructure Using ImageJ Software”
Mechanical Engineering
Marc Zupan

Noor Shaikh
“A mechanistic understanding of planarian shape regulation during growth and degrowth behaviors”
Biological Sciences
Daniel Lobo

– Back –

David Shelly
“Crystal Engineering for Non-Linear Optical Materials”
Chemistry and Biochemistry
Paul Smith

Sydney Siegel
“Interpretation of Models of Care in Residential Communities for Older Adults”
Erickson School of Aging Studies
Louise Murray

– Back –

Mike Spano
“The Development of a Common Policy for Student-Teachers”
Sociology and Anthropology
Michelle Wolff

Kaitlyn Szekerczes
“Awakening Black Holes: Looking for Tidal Disruption Events in the VLA Archives”
Physics
Eileen Meyer

– Back –

Cira Roxana Tapia
“Latino Students Enrolled at Howard Community College with very Low Participation in the Success Programs Offered by the College”
Global Studies
Christopher Brown

Micah Thorpe
“Optimization of Batteries with Chitosan Electrolyte”
Mechanical Engineering
Deepa Madan

– Back –

Ada Truong *
“Chinese Americans’ psychological well-being and COVID-19 related racial discrimination: The moderating role of ethnic identity”
Psychology
Charissa Cheah

Vivian Tubbs
“Co Building Enlightenment”
History
Amy Froide

– Back –

Alexandria Udenkwo
“Quantum Speed Limited Loss of Coherence”
Physics
Sebastian Deffner

Sarita Upreti
“Developing ideas for ongoing research problem of COVID -19, focusing on number of infected populations due to population density and health care system affecting mortality rate and number of infected populations”
CSEE
Abhijit Dutt

– Back –

Julia Warfield
“Grasshopper Sparrow song diversity in Bonaire”
Biological Sciences
Bernard Lohr

Grace Waterman
“Investigating the Genes Involved in Sensitivity to Lisinopril through Gene Knockdown in Drosophila melanogaster”
Biological Sciences
Jeff Leips

– Back –

Frances Watson
“Understanding Effects of Telemedicine Physiatry on Underserved Communities During COVID19 Pandemic”
Information Systems
Helena Mentis

Ann Weisgerber
“Analyzing the Effect of Access to Translation Services in Emerging Immigrant Communities”
MLLI
Ana Maria Schwartz Caballero

– Back –

Kateryna Yakusheva *
“What type of government is the most efficient at dealing with pandemics?”
Global Studies
Brigid Starkey

Gretta Zinski
“The Obedient Body: Researching Trained and Culturally Informed Movement Biases”
Dance
Ann Clemmensen

– Back –