ProAesthetics: Changing How We View Prosthetic Function
Susanna Abler
Foad Hamidi, Information Systems
When it comes to functionality, much progress has been made in mechanical and bionic prosthetic limb capabilities but less work has been done in improving the available cosmetic options for amputees. Individuals who have limb deficiencies found that they often experienced distress or a disconnect with their prosthetic limb due to its appearance and some eventually abandoned their limbs due to this disconnect (Sansoni, 2015). This research project showed how the involvement of the amputee in the cosmetic design of their limb influenced how they perceive their limb and gave it a renewed purpose outside of mechanical constraints of function, which emphasized the need for co-designing in assistive technology. Five lower-limb amputees were interviewed for a case study regarding their personal cosmetic desires for their limbs. Data from these interviews shows a variety of aesthetic interests as well as a varied understanding of what is available cosmetically for lower-limb prosthetics.
This work was funded, in part, by the UMBC Designing Participatory Futures Lab.
Investigation of IATP-SnFR1.0 Activity
Anjayooluwa Adegboyo, Spencer Jacquet1, Nils Jeschik2, Chris Meier2, Songon An3
1Biochemistry, University of Maryland Baltimore, 2Chemistry, University of Hamburg: Institute of Organic Chemistry, 3Chemistry and Biochemistry
Minjoung Kyoung, Chemistry and Biochemistry
Diseases such as obesity and diabetes are caused by metabolic disorders. We still do not have a quantitative model that shows how metabolic networks are regulated in living systems, so we are studying the metabolic network of ATP production formed between glucosomes, multi-enzyme assemblies involved in cytoplasmic glucose metabolism, and mitochondria living systems. We hypothesize that this metabolic network’s activity is regulated by cellular demands for ATP. To test this, we use a biosensor called iATP-SnFR1.0, a genetically expressed fluorescent probe for ATP. We also modify intracellular ATP concentrations with caged ATP, a modified form of ATP that can enter cells and be converted to ATP via an acute light stimulation. The goal of this project was to calibrate the biosensor’s signals caged ATP. First, we expressed iATPSnFR1.0 in Escherichia coli cells then purified the biosensor. Next, the activities of the biosensor were measured in biologically relevant concentrations of ATP (10mM-10µM). We then measured the biosensor’s activity in the same concentrations of caged ATP and compared each case. We found that iATPSnFR1.0 exhibits statistically equivalent signals when bound to caged ATP and ATP.
This work was funded, in part, by the National Institutes of Health under the award number of R01GM134086 and a grant from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute Undergraduate Education to the Meyerhoff Scholars Program.
Design of Stable Antibody: HIV-1 RNA Complex Suitable for Structural Studies
Fairine Ahmed
Michael Summers, Chemistry and Biochemistry; Nele Hollman, Chemistry and Biochemistry, UMBC
Determining macromolecular structures of the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV-1) is vital in developing therapeutic strategies to eradicate the illness. Currently, many large structures of RNA have not been solved; thus, hindering our understanding of the biological roles of RNA in viral assembly. Thus, my role was to develop a method to characterize RNA constructs with Cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM), a high-resolution imaging technique. Prior studies confirmed the structure of the Core Encapsidation Signal (CES), a segment on RNA that provides the minimum required signal for genomic packaging. Therefore, we can use CES to create target RNA and compare it to the solution structure. In this study, we are using a recombinantly expressed antibody, Fab BL3-6, as a chaperone that is characterized to recognize and bind to RNA sequences. Thus, our goal is to dimerize CES constructs and bind them with Fab BL3-6. One construct (CCCC) has an antibody binding site that will bind with another construct (GGGG) that lacks the site; the dimerization tests the efficiency of the chaperone on large RNA structures under cryo-EM. By understanding the hybridization capacity of the constructs through fluorophore-labeled oligonucleotides experiments, we can create homogenous samples of the RNA-antibody complexes to achieve a stable structure.
Simulating Cyber Attacks and Defenses with Reinforcement Learning and Prior Knowledge
Ezekiel Ajayi, Mike Anoruo, Leyton Lineburg, Kayode Fasaye, Nomso Ashiogwu
Anupam Joshi, Computer Science and Electrical Engineering; Tim Finin, Computer Science and Electrical Engineering
The goal of our research is to identify how we can mitigate cybersecurity vulnerabilities incomputer systems using reinforcement learning (RL) agents. We simulate cyber-attacks and defenses using the Microsoft CyberBattleSim tool and simultaneously deploy two agents, an attacker and a defender. The network serves as the agent’s environment.The attacker agent tries to compromise the system while the defender attempts to learn how to prevent or mitigate the attacks. The two agents compete against one another, with the attacker performing actions to compromise the system and the defender analyzing which actions are more effective in resolving the attacks. We have created a cyber-events dataset and have curated known vulnerabilities of various operating systems that may be susceptible to attacks. We will use this prior knowledge and guide our reinforcement learning agents to make informed decisions. We aim to prove that integrating reinforcement learning agents with prior knowledge will make the agents more effective, both in defense and attack.
This work was funded in part by a grant from the National Science Agency (NSA) On-Ramp program.
Modeling MgAl2O4 Motheye Structures in Solar Cells
Olorunjuwon Ajayi
Curtis Menyuk, Computer Science and Electrical Engineering
Motheye structures are useful for many applications that include increased sunlight readability and photovoltaics [1]. Motheye structures were first observed in nature by C. G. Bernhard in the eyes of night-flying moths [2]. Motheye structures are periodic sub-wavelength structures that act as anti-reflection (AR) surfaces by gradually changing the effective refractive index at the interface between two optical media. The use of motheye structures in solar panels was first proposed by scientists at the Department of Energy’s Brookhaven National Laboratory. We will be studying the application of optimized two-layer motheye structures in solar panels. These structures have previously been used for MgAl2O4 spinel ceramic windows, as described by Tu et al. [3]. The objective of this project is to analyze how effective these structures will be in preventing losses in solar cells.
Observance of Learned Suppression of Photopositve Tendencies in Drosophila Melanogaster
Achalefac Akem
Fernando Vonhoff, Biological Sciences
Drosophila melanogaster is a well-known model organism with widely studied tendencies. One of these known tendencies is a positive movement response to light. To observe whether different genotypes of Drosophila would retain this tendency after testing, a learning assay was developed. This assay required flies to first display a positive response towards the lighted area. After this photo positive response was recorded flies were then tested to see if this changed after learning trials. During learning trials, flies were exposed to a light tunnel that contained a strip of filter paper wetted with deionized water and quinine. The flies would repeatedly be exposed to the light and quinine strip. After a set number of trials, the quinine strip was removed and replaced with a strip that was wetted with deionized water alone. Their responses were recorded. Preliminary trials show a reduced tendency of flies to enter the light vial after training with quinine.
This investigation was sponsored by the U-RISE Program at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC), which is supported by the National Institute of General Medical Sciences, National Institutes of Health (NIGMS/NIH) under National Research Service Award T34 GM 136497.
Investigating the Neurological Links Associated with Immunity Using Drosophila Melanogaster as a Model Organism
Ayah Aligabi
Jeff Leips, Biological Sciences
Neurodegeneration is often developed later in life with very few predictors that can allow us to prepare for its onset. Numerous studies have identified a connection between neurodegeneration and age-specific changes in the immune system however the details underlying this connection are not clear. Retrospective analysis of data from previous research identified nmnant as a candidate gene due to its role in neuronal protection and promotion of infection clearance on flies at older age. This experiment aims to validate the findings of the previous study and determine if nmnat plays a role in clearing bacterial infection with age. To do so, the expression of nmnat was knocked down using RNA interference (RNAi), then one- and five-week old flies were injected with an E.coli solution. Flies were given 24-hours to clear the infection, and the surviving flies were individually homogenized, and the homogenate plated. After incubation, colony count was used to assess the flie’s ability to clear the infection. Knockdown of the gene was confirmed utilizing qPCR analysis. Findings of this study could inspire future multidisciplinary research in efforts to discover new ways to prevent or treat neurodegenerative diseases.
This work was funded, in part, through an Undergraduate Research Award from the UMBC Division of Undergraduate Academic Affairs.
Benzoxazole Derivatives to Combat Bacterial Antibiotic Resistance
Brady Allen, Nathaniel Shindell
Paul Smith, Chemistry and Biochemistry
An important mechanism contributing to antibiotic resistance is the result of bacteria developing the ability to inactivate the drugs used to kill them. An emerging class of bacterial zinc-containing enzymes, metallo-β-lactamases (MBLs), can hydrolyze and inactivate over half of current antibiotics, including penicillins. There are no approved drugs to combat this enzyme, further highlighting the urgency of this issue. Benzoxazoles containing carboxylic acids have shown to inhibit the target MBL, New Delhi metallo-β-lactamase-1 (NDM-1). Additionally, other studies demonstrate that hydroxamic acids are effective in inhibiting the same class of enzymes as NDM-1. The effort to synthesize the target compounds include both the benzoxazole scaffold and the hydroxamic acid moiety. Based on the molecular modeling demonstrating the hydrophobic interactions and the known hydroxamic acids’ affinity for Zn2+, the ring system and the moiety should tightly bind to the target enzyme’s active site. The synthesis of benzoxazole-containing metallo-β-lactamase inhibitors derived from 1-hydroxy-2-naphthoic acid to combat bacterial antibiotic resistance is presented.
This work was funded, in part, through an Undergraduate Research Award from the UMBC Division of Undergraduate Academic Affairs.
Investigating MicroRNA Let7 in Cell Migration in Drosophila Melanogaster
Chase Andre
Michelle Starz-Gaiano, Biological Sciences
Cell migration is an essential process that is finely regulated in both tissue and disease development. The role of non-coding RNAs in migration regulation is relatively unexplored. We are characterizing microRNA involvement in cell migration in Drosophila melanogaster (fruit fly) ovaries. Drosophila are a useful model, as their genome shares homology with humans, and they can be manipulated using genetic tools. MicroRNAs (miRNAs)–small RNA molecules–function to regulate gene expression and development by acting on target messenger RNAs (mRNAs). Bioinformatics analysis suggests that several miRNAs may be regulated by key migration signaling pathways. Among these is microRNA let7 (mir-let7), implicated in neuronal integrity and lifespan in flies. Using bioinformatics, we identified potential mir-let7 target genes associated with migration. We are currently investigating the potential requirement of mir-let7, in Drosophila cell migration. We manipulated mir-let7 expression, and evaluated defects using immunofluorescence. Preliminary data indicates altered mir-let7 expression results in migration defects, suggesting that an optimal level of it is maintained for normal migration. Moving forward, we will assess the effects of mir-let7 expression on the mRNA levels of predicted target genes associated with migration. Studying miRNA involvement in migration is likely to prove useful in studying human development, disease, and healing.
This work was funded, in part, through an Undergraduate Research Award from the UMBC Division of Undergraduate Academic Affairs.
¿Me Hace Sonar Gay Esta Voz? An Intercultural Study on the Perception of Speaker Sexuality in English and Spanish
James Angle
Renée Lambert-Brétière, Modern Languages, Linguistics, and Intercultural Communication; David Beard , UMBC Modern Languages, Linguistics, and Intercultural Communication
Recently, the idea of a “gayccent” has become a pop-culture phenomenon. However, studies have shown that an “accent” is not enough to clue listeners into a speaker’s supposed sexuality. So, if not the voice, what allows people to evaluate a speaker’s sexuality? To test what characteristics English and Spanish speakers associate with gay men, often proximity to femininity, two surveys, one in English and one in Spanish, were utilized. Ten participants per survey watched selected portrayals of gay men and their speech in media and responded to open-answer questions about what they saw. Using participant responses, a qualitative analysis of how gay male speech is portrayed in each language’s media was done to illustrate how accepted stereotypes of gay men are constructed and reinforced and how these notions are detrimental to minority communities in the English and Spanish speaking worlds. This research will lead to a more profound understanding of stereotypes English and Spanish speaking gay men face in their respective cultures. Furthermore, knowing what stereotypes and assumptions lead people to judge sexuality will help combat discrimination gay men face in real life, as well as change their portrayal in media, which will then lessen the impact of stereotypes.
This work was funded, in part, by the UMBC LGBTQ+ Faculty and Staff Association.
Ti Sao Mi Ditoy: A Snapshot of the Philippine Diaspora
Chantal Nica Anicoche
Katherine Lashley, English
Ti Sao Mi Ditoy (What I Say Here) is a multi-media art magazine created by Chantal Anicoche, inspired by the cultural renaissance within the Philippine diaspora that is exploring aspects of pre-colonial life and identity. A longing to understand who we are and where we came from manifests through our writing when our voices are not otherwise being heard. That same yearning also manifests through the efforts of Philippine activism, striving to become organized, in hopes of ending injustices back home. Through a collection of submitted visual expressions, poetry, and prose, this zine pieces together the shared experiences from a community which has otherwise been fractured by generations of war, forced migration, and exploitative capitalism. This zine’s purpose is to provide space for a range of Filipino perspectives, each telling a unique story amidst the diverse political and social ideals within Filipino culture. Ti Sao Mi Ditoy (What I Say Here), is an assertion of these feelings through print media.
This work was funded, in part, through an Undergraduate Research Award from the UMBC Division of Undergraduate Academic Affairs.
To You, From Me: The Life and Work of Design Professional, Alma Shon
Madeline Arbutus
Margaret Re, Visual Arts
Alma Shon, a mid-twentieth century American design professional of Korean descent, created bespoke gift wraps as Director of Design at Neiman Marcus, a Dallas, Texas luxury department store. Newspapers and memoirs celebrated her work, noted as “copied all over the nation” and “too pretty to open.” Yet, Shon remains unknown to contemporary design professionals.
Archives that conserve Neiman Marcus packages either list the gift wrap designer as “unknown” or omit this credit altogether. By comparing the visual language of credited Shon designs to uncredited packages, I identified Neiman Marcus gift wraps created by Shon or under her direction. Through the analysis of these packages, archived correspondences, and familial memory, this research weaves together a record of Shon’s design career and personal history and questions how value is assigned to the cultural productions of female designers. This research, which challenges design history’s existing conditions for inclusion, culminated in the first monograph discussing Shon’s life and work.
This work was funded, in part, through an Undergraduate Research Award from the UMBC Division of Undergraduate Academic Affairs.
Understanding the Experience of Women in Jazz: The Genius of Ella Fitzgerald
Alex Armbruster
Matt Belzer, Music
Though the importance of jazz music has been widely recognized, it remains a male-dominated field. Women jazz musicians, performing on all instruments but especially as singers and pianists, have historically been perceived in misogynistic roles that limit their artistry and capability. Ella Fitzgerald, the first woman to win a Grammy award, represents an ideal perspective from which to qualitatively analyze the social position of jazzwomen singers–herself having had to negotiate an identity and artistry amidst these harmful stereotypes, all while advancing her craft and discipline to the absolute highest degree of jazz musicianship and creative brilliance. Through original transcription and analysis of Fitzgerald’s vocal scatting solos, this research documents particular techniques and musical articulations that delineate “jazz singing” as a unique, canonical style of instrumental performance worthy of further scholarship. Additionally, my research diagnosed multiple, overlapping patterns of social exclusion that contribute to a model for understanding women’s experience in jazz. This model is important in that it enables jazz history scholars to better understand the diverse and sometimes conflicting positions of working jazzwomen within the 20th century American jazz idiom.
This work was funded, in part, through an Undergraduate Research Award from the UMBC Division of Undergraduate Academic Affairs.
A Parametric Analysis of the Number of Conditional Discriminations Taught Concurrently to Children with ASD
Courtney Arrington
Mirela Cengher, Psychology
Many children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have delayed academic and language skills. Behavior analytic intervention typically involves teaching a predetermined number of skills at a time to remedy the aforementioned academic and language delays. The purpose of this study is to determine the optimal instructional arrangement for preschoolers diagnosed with ASD. We taught participants to label things in the environment under three conditions: (a) three concurrently taught labels (set size three), (b) six concurrently taught labels (set size 6), and (c) 12 concurrently taught labels (set size 12). We collected data on the duration of training, percentage of correct responses, and number of incorrect responses during language training per condition. Our study is underway; however, previous research suggests that set size 3 and 12 may be the optimal sets for learning. The outcomes of this study will inform the selection of most effective and efficient instructional arrangements for children with ASD.
This work was funded, in part, through an Undergraduate Research Award from the UMBC Division of Undergraduate Academic Affairs.
Autonomous Navigation and Obstacle Prevention for Crazyflie Drone
Kamran Ataran Rezai
Tinoosh Mohsenin, Computer Science and Electrical Engineering
There are different types of nano drones used recently in search and rescue missions and other critical objectives which are usually not possible for humans due to a present danger. The following project focuses on research on a specific nano drone known as “crazyflie”. This drone is able to do a wide range of tasks depending on the given code and accessories. There is a collection of “decks” for the drone which are used to achieve autonomous navigation in a tight environment and obstacle avoidance while searching for a target. There are a set of codes which are written for the drone in order to autonomously follow a moving drone and a single drone being able to navigate through an unknown environment to go to a specific destination while avoiding the obstacles and coming back to the initial position if the battery is about to run out. The autonomous exploration and dynamic chase of another drone are some of the work which are done throughout this project and the main goal is to carry this project forward with additional tasks given to the nano drones as multiple of them are trying to communicate and follow a certain objective.
This work was funded, in part, through an Undergraduate Research Award from the UMBC Division of Undergraduate Academic Affairs.
Choice, Shaping, and Synthesized Reinforcement in Feeding Interventions
Zohaa Awan
Adithyan Rajaraman, Psychology; Holly Gover, Ivymount
Despite the documented success in studies on using escape extinction in feeding interventions, there are more ways to use applied behavior analysis (ABA) methods to treat pediatric feeding disorders. Choice, shaping and synthesized reinforcement are three alternative and less restrictive behavioral interventions that Gover et al. (2020) implemented in her study to increase bite consumption. Choice refers to giving a client the opportunity to express a preference between two stimuli such as between snacks and reinforcement. Shaping refers to completing successive steps, hitting minor target goals followed by reinforcement to reach the end target goal. Synthesized reinforcement is the combination of reinforcers provided simultaneously. Studies have shown that these methods are safe and effective in treating feeding disorders. The purpose of this project is to describe the research conducted by Gover et al. (2020) and to explain the future extension of the study across different locations and taking treatment integrity data.
A Comparative Analysis of the Experience of Criminal Defendants in the US and Japanese Court Systems
Thomas Azari
Jeffery Davis, Political Science
This research will help understand the differences in an individual defendant’s journey through the criminal court system, as well as the differences in the general court makeup of the Japanese and United states’ court system. Conclusions about which of the two systems provides criminal defendants with the highest level of justice and fairness will be made based on this research. The main hypothesis is that the uniformity and efficiency created within the Japanese system offers defendants a fair and just criminal process. Research on a criminal defendant’s journey from arrest to conviction, the appeals process, incarceration, rehabilitation, and finally, recidivism rates after release will be conducted. This research has benefits for criminal procedural reform missions within the United States and Japan. This research will employ a comparative analysis method of examination. Written law, criminal court data, and pop culture will be analyzed as a part of this research.
This work was funded, in part, through an Undergraduate Research Award from the UMBC Division of Undergraduate Academic Affairs.
Characterizing Nutrient Specificity of TonB-Dependent Transporters in Cellvibrio Japonicus
Mickayla Bacorn
Jeffrey Garder, Biological Sciences
Gram-negative bacteria often use active transport mechanisms to bring essential nutrients across their outer and inner membranes. For example, the TonB-dependent outer membrane transporters (TBDTs) are known to import cobalamin (vitamin B12), iron, and various carbohydrates. There is an abundance of TBDTs in the Bacteroides genus, the dominant phyla of the gut microbiome, which facilitates the bacterium’s ability to efficiently obtain host-derived nutrients. In another model bacterium, Cellvibrio japonicus, there are 44 unique TBDTs; however, there are few studies characterizing the nutrient specificity of these transporters. Previous research by our laboratory worked to identify essential TBDT components for the transport of iron complexes and carbohydrates. Consequently, this project aims to determine the substrate specificity of the 44 TBDTs in C. japonicus, with an emphasis on cobalamin transport. Due to the complex metabolic pathways related to cobalamin metabolism in C. japonicus, a sophisticated genetic approach was employed to maintain cell viability. This work will help explain the abundance of TBDTs relative to their known substrates in bacteria like Bacteroides and C. japonicus. Broadly, characterizing vitamin transport via TBDTs in C. japonicus improves our understanding of vitamin uptake in Gram-negative bacteria and, potentially, members of the gut microbiome including Bacteroides species.
This investigation was sponsored in part by the U-RISE Program at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC), which is supported by the National Institute of General Medical Sciences, National Institutes of Health (NIGMS/NIH) under National Research Service Award T34 GM 136497, an Undergraduate Research Assistantship Support (URAS) Award from the UMBC Office of the Vice President for Research, and the Gardner Lab at UMBC, which receives funding from the US Department of Energy (DE-SC001.
Using Supervised Machine Learning Methods to Create a Gene-Based ALS Predictor from Postmortem Transcriptomics Data
Christopher Bain
Ernest Fraenkel, Physics & Computer Science
Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis is a fatally progressive, paralytic disorder characterized by the degeneration of motor neurons in the brain and spinal cord. We used logistic regression and other supervised machine learning methods to analyze a set of ~300 patients’ genetic profiles in order to identify clusters of patients with similar transcriptomic markers. Identification of such clusters allowed us to construct an algorithm that could take in a patient’s genes and make an accurate prediction for their likelihood of developing ALS. Moreover, finding significant similarities in genes of patients could give crucial insights to the future of neurodegenerative research and further care for ALS patients. We were able to construct an agent that was able to predict if a patient had ALS with 86.7% accuracy. In addition, using the coefficient scores from the method we were able to find correlations between the heavily weighted genes and compensatory mechanisms the body implements in ALS patients. We believe Logistic Regression to be a strong classifier for identifying both the likelihood of a patient having ALS as well as identifying correct weights for specific genes.
Maintaining Positive Mental Health in Nursing Home Caregivers
Laura-Catherine Bando
Louise Murray, Aging Studies
According to the National Center of Health Statistics (2019), approximately1.3 million older adults live in nursing homes in the US. Nursing homes, or skilled nursing facilities, provide 24/7 medical care for those who need short term rehabilitation and those for whom the nursing home is their permanent home due to their level of health needs (National Institute on Aging, 2017). With many residents residing for a decade or more in the same community, relationships form between staff and residents (Ådland et al., 2021). Consequently, feelings of extreme grief and distress may be expressed by staff when residents pass away and the repetition of loss can take a major toll on mental wellbeing, due to a lack opportunity to step back and grieve (Ådland et al., 2021). A review of the literature exploring the impact of grief and loss, following the passing of nursing home residents, on the staff who care for them will be provided. Recommendations for practice will be made and a strategy presented that can be implemented within the long term healthcare field to support formal caregivers when coping with the loss of residents with who they may have formed deep connections.
The Effect of Anthropogenic Noise on Heterospecific and Conspecific Association Within the Genus Etheostoma.
Sierra Barber
Tamra Mendelson, Biological Sciences
The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of anthropogenic noise pollution on species interactions. Research on this subject is becoming more important as the increase in suburban sprawl means that fewer ecosystems remain untouched by anthropogenic disturbances, including noise pollution. Acoustic communication, or sound, is an important stimulus for reproduction and mate choice in some fish species. This association calls for research on how anthropogenic noise affects the behavior and mate choice of those species. This study investigated the effect of white noise on female preference for mates of the same and different species using two species of darters that use acoustic signals in courtship, Etheostoma flabellare and Etheostoma olmstedi. We hypothesized that noise pollution interferes with female mate choice, predicting that females would have less of a preference for conspecifics with white noise. To test this, we conducted dichotomous mate choice trials using female E. flabellare as a focal fish. Females were subjected to mate choice trials in two treatments: white noise and normal laboratory conditions. While this research is currently ongoing and results are pending, this study will add to the growing body of literature on how noise pollution impacts the behavior of stream fish.
This work was funded, in part, through an Undergraduate Research Award from the UMBC Division of Undergraduate Academic Affairs.
Investigating the Role of Rho1 in Bacterial Clearance Using Drosophila Melanogaster
Briah Barksdale
Jeff Leips, Biological Sciences
The innate immune response is an evolutionarily conserved process essential for host survival in all multicellular organisms; this process begins declining with age. While immune function generally declines with age, there is a great deal of variation among individuals in the rate of this decline. The genes responsible for this variation are not known. A previous study using 12 genotypes of Drosophila melanogaster identified Rho1 as a candidate gene that contributes to individual variation in age-specific immune function. The goal of this project is to validate the findings of the previous study and determine if Rho1 plays a role in clearing a bacterial infection with age. To assess the role of Rho1 in clearing an infection, the expression of Rho1 was knocked down using RNA interference (RNAi), and one- and five-week-old virgin females were injected with an Escherichia coli solution. Flies were given 24-hours to clear the infection, and the surviving flies were individually homogenized, and the homogenate plated. After incubation, colony count was used as the phenotype of each individual and reflected the remaining bacteria in the fly. These results could lead to improved therapeutic treatments in an aging population, providing age-appropriate drug targets to restore immune function.
This investigation was supported by in part by a grant to University of Maryland, Baltimore County from National Institutes of Health (NIGMS/NIH) under National Research Service Award T34 GM 136497.
The Molecular Basis of TRNA’s Regulatory Role in HIV Viral Assembly
Bethel Beyene
Michael Summers, Howard Hughes Medical Institute at UMBC; Pengfei Ding, Chemistry and Biochemistry, Howard Hughes Medical Institute at UMBC
The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is the causative agent of AIDS, which weakens the immune system by destroying CD4+ T-cells. Due to complications with current antiretroviral therapies, research is still needed to identify new therapeutic targets. At the late phase of the viral replication cycle, the viral polyprotein Gag orchestrates the viral assembly processes: its matrix (MA) domain targets the plasma-membrane; the capsid (CA) domain mediates Gag-Gag interactions; and the nucleocapsid (NC) domain recognizes the packaging signal in the viral RNA genome for its selective incorporation. It has been shown that tRNA prevents Gag from prematurely binding to the intracellular membranes. However, the detailed tRNA-Gag interactions and how this process is regulated remain elusive. Using nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), we found that tRNA binds to both the MA and NC domains of Gag simultaneously. Furthermore, competitive gel shift assays showed the tRNA-Gag complex is disrupted by the binding of NC to the RNA packaging signal. These studies reveal the binding sites of tRNA on Gag and suggest a regulatory role of the RNA packaging signal in Gag membrane-targeting. A mechanistic understanding of the interplay among Gag, tRNA and the viral genome could benefit the identification of novel antiviral therapeutic targets.
This research was funded, in part, by a grant to UMBC from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute through the Pre-college and Undergraduate Science Education Program.
The Influence of Global Media on Societies and Cultures
Jennifer Boateng
Christopher Brown, Global Studies
This research focuses on how global media influences culture and society by examining International Media Ministries, a Christian media missions organization. Culture adapts and evolves for a myriad of reasons. Media is not simply a reflection of society and culture as it stands from the past and present, but it also informs the future of how groups think and behave. The globalization of media has allowed for the transmission of new ideas to transcend geographical, transnational, and cultural barriers. This case study examines how International Media Ministries develops and disseminates global content that is religiously and culturally foreign and unique to audiences that would otherwise never receive these messages without the introduction of this media. Interviews of viewers are analyzed to draw connections between thoughts and perceptions on Christianity before and after consuming media from International Media Ministries. This work has implications for the efficacy of both media missions and global media campaigns by clarifying how global media is consumed and interpreted, as well as its effects on local cultures/societies.
Obtaining Accurate Aerosol Extinction and Backscatter Coefficients Using Ceilometers
Sarah Bowers
Ruben Delgado, Joint Center for Earth Systems Technology (JCET); Vanessa Caicedo, Joint Center for Earth Systems Technology (JCET)
How different types of aerosols in our atmosphere explicitly affect quality and visibility on any given day is not quite clear. The aerosol extinction coefficient – α – and backscatter coefficient – β – can indicate these characteristics. Ceilometers can measure the backscatter power due to aerosols, but when diffuse sunlight reaches the ceilometer’s sensors, it can alter the retrieval signal. Using this data leads to less accurate calculations. To obtain accurate calculations, a smoothing function was created to alleviate background noise. The results of the function were compared to Savitzky-Golay filtering of the backscatter power; the respective method’s gradients showed the generated function produced more distinct atmospheric layers. With this new smoothing method, it is hypothesized that more accurate values for β and α can be evaluated with the LiDAR Equation. The proposed process uses ceilometer data to calculate β and the LiDAR ratio, which together can yield α. The accuracy of the calculated α, and thus the effectiveness of the smoothing function, can be tested by comparing the Aerosol Optical Depth (AOD), derived from α, to sun photometer data AOD measurements.
This research is conducted under the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration – Cooperative Science Center for Earth System Sciences and Remote Sensing Technologies under the Cooperative Agreement Grant #: NA16SEC4810008. City College of New York: NOAA Center for Earth System Sciences and Remote Sensing Technologies. NOAA Office of Education: Educational Partnership Program. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Maryland Department of the Environment.
Constructing a Microscopy Interface in LabVIEW
Jacob Brown
Matthew Pelton, Physics
The goal of this research project was to construct a computer interface to be used in single-nanoparticle microscopy. Due to inhomogeneity in nanoparticles, the best way to gauge the relationship between nanoparticle size/shape and its optical properties is to make measurements on individual nanoparticles. These measurements involve finding the emitted or scattered light’s intensity as functions of wavelength (spectrum) or time. These measurements use four pieces of hardware: a three-dimensional microscope slide stage, a camera, a spectrometer, and a photon counting device. Each instrument has its own control software, but using each control separately increases experimental downtime and complexity. The LabVIEW coding language was used to bring in relevant automation programming libraries for each hardware component as well as create a controlling graphical user interface. New documentation detailing code and common errors was also created and will help long-term maintenance and expansion of features later. The new interface will be used to continue research into the properties of nanoparticles and how they can be applied to better solar cells and quantum information technologies.
This work was funded, in part, through an Undergraduate Research Award from the UMBC Division of Undergraduate Academic Affairs.
Dissecting the Genetic Determinants of Superinfection Immunity in Cluster K5 Mycobacteriophages
Duyen Bui
Viknesh Sivanathan, Howard Hughes Medical Institute; Danielle Heller, Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Temperate bacteriophages are viruses that infect bacteria and can undergo lysogeny, delaying killing of the host cell and stably maintaining their genome in a dormant state. Studies of the model temperate phage lambda have shown that expression of the repressor gene during lysogeny prevents the transcription of genes necessary for cell lysis and grants the host immunity to superinfection by an identical or closely related phage. Here, we sought to better understand lysogeny in Cluster K5 mycobacteriophages Larva and Waterfoul, temperate phages that encode putative repressor genes but for which the mechanisms of lysogeny are poorly understood. Overexpressing the repressor genes of Larva and Waterfoul in Mycobacterium smegmatis revealed that only the Larva repressor confers superinfection immunity. Consistent with this observation, we also found that Larva is ~600-fold more efficient at forming lysogens than Waterfoul. The repressor proteins encoded by these two phages are 90% identical, with one amino acid differing in the putative helix-turn-helix domain. Our current research efforts aim to explore the sequence determinants of superinfection immunity, evaluating which sequence changes, if any, allow the Waterfoul repressor to confer superinfection immunity.
This investigation was sponsored by the U-RISE Program at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC), which is supported by the National Institute Of General Medical Sciences of the National Institutes of Health under Award Number T34GM136497. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.
Using Behavioral Assays to Study Genes Associated with Autism and Schizophrenia in Drosophila Fruit Flies
Francesca Burton, Eva Stanley, Danielle Wilson
Fernando Vonhoff, Biological Sciences
Autism and schizophrenia are neurological disorders known to share numerous similarities at the anatomical and behavioral levels. For example, both disorders are associated with deficient mechanisms underlying synaptic refinement, which is a process that regulates precise connectivity within neuronal networks. At the behavioral level, one of the most notable characteristics of autism is low sociability. By contrast, schizophrenia is a chronic neuropsychiatric condition impacting an individual’s ability to interpret and experience reality. Current animal models attempt to replicate deficits and symptoms experienced by human patients, representing a challenging task due to the complexity of the disorders. Here, we review behavioral assays previously used to study both disorders. For genes associated with autism, we will assess the effects of gene misregulation on sociability using a fruit fly model. We will compare the social patterns of control flies to those of flies with genetic manipulations of autism candidate genes. Our goals are to determine which candidate genes have an effect on social patterns and to develop models to study representative phenotypes associated with both disorders. Overall, developing accurate and predictive animal models may be critical for furthering our understanding of the disorder’s origin and pathology, as well as developing effective treatments.
The Effect of Socioeconomic Status on the Perception of Academic Success
Kendi Bynoe
Diane Alonso, Psychology
Collegiate academic success opens students to essential educational and work opportunities for the future. Students must effectively maximize their time in undergraduate studies to not only be academically inclined but to also engage in an array of activities and fulfill family expectations. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effects of socioeconomic status (SES) on the perception of undergraduate students’ academic performance by comparing the differences in perceived grade point average (GPA) based on the annual household income displayed. It was hypothesized that students with a displayed higher household income will be judged to have a higher grade point average. Ninety Undergraduate students from a Mid-Atlantic four-year University participated in the study. They were randomly assigned into three groups and shown three almost identical sheets each describing multiple undergraduate students whose GPAs they were asked to predict. Using a pretest background questionnaire and the post-test results, the expected results were that there was a significant difference between the judged GPA of those with low, average and above average household income. The results were helpful in better understanding the perceived assumptions towards undergraduate students’ financial circumstances and academic achievements.
Defining the Toll-like Receptor Required for SARS-CoV-2 Activation of the Inflammasome
Enya Caballero
Andrea Cox, Department of Medicine, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine; Leon Hsieh, Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine
The inflammasome is an antiviral innate sensing system, but the cytokines produced in inflammasome activation (interleukin (IL)-18, IL-1β) also mediate inflammation and symptoms of viral infection, such as fever. Inflammasome activation is initiated by engagement of viral genomic material with a Toll-like receptor (TLR). SARS-CoV-2 activates the inflammasome and COVID-19 is characterized by production of high levels of IL-18. We sought to identify the TLR that initiates SARS-CoV-2 inflammasome activation and examined TLR7 and 8. Subcloning, DNA extraction, PCR, DNA gel electrophoresis, and Sanger sequencing were used to validate potential TLR knockouts (KOs). Sequencing revealed successful disruption of TLR8, but not TLR7, signaling, confirmed by decreases in innate sensing pathway signaling in response to TLR7/8 agonists. LDH and IL-18 ELISA assays were used to compare inflammasome activation in TLR KOs versus WT. There was no significant difference in the ability of SARS-CoV-2 to activate the inflammasome between wild type and TLR8 disrupted THP-1 cells, demonstrating that TLR8 is not required for SARS-CoV-2 inflammasome activation. In future experiments, we will attempt to generate TLR7 disrupted THP-1 cells to verify the lack of dependence on TLR7 and to generate a useful tool for studying inflammasome activation by other viruses.
This research was funded, in part, by a grant to UMBC from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute through the Pre-college and Undergraduate Science Education Program.
Design and Synthesis of Flex AT-527 as a Potential Antiviral Therapeutic
Evan Carlyle, Charlie Waters
Katherine Seley-Radtke, Chemistry and Biochemistry; Andrea Brancale, School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Cardiff University; Carmine Varricchio, School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Cardiff University
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the need for broad-spectrum antivirals to treat infected individuals has been illuminated. Nucleoside analogues are sought after for this reason, as they have shown significant activity as a class of antivirals for decades. The Seley-Radtke group has focused on modifying the bicyclic purine base moiety of nucleoside analogues by incorporating a carbon-carbon single bond between the two heterocyclic components, endowing the nucleobase with flexibility. As a result, the fleximers can adopt a variety of favorable conformations thereby allowing the compound to exhibit potent antiviral activity not seen in the rigid-parent nucleoside against a wide variety of viruses. AT-527 is a nucleoside analogue originally designed to treat Hepatitis C Virus (HCV), that has shown activity against SARS-CoV-2 and other viruses. The aim of this project is to incorporate the fleximer technology into the AT-527 scaffold, thereby potentially expanding its biological scope. Computational docking studies were carried out to explore the binding potential for a series of AT analogues, and to guide future SAR studies. The synthesis of the parent Flex AT-527 was completed in ten steps, with each step having fair to good yields. The results of this project are reported herein.
Identifying the Role of Physical Tissue Features in Border Cell Migration in Fruit Flies
Alanna Carter, Alex George
Michelle Starz-Gaiano, Biological Sciences
Collective cell migration is a process in which cells coordinate their movement and is highly relevant for tissue repair, cancer metastasis, and development. Our model system to study collective migration is the border cell cluster, which migrates within the egg chamber of the fruit fly. Fruit flies are an ideal model organism for their short generation time, the availability of genetic manipulation tools, and the conservation of cell signaling pathways with humans. The border cells migrate across the egg chamber between germline cells, which are interconnected by structures called ring canals. Our lab has previously observed border cells interacting with ring canals, and we hypothesize that this interaction could aid in their migration. To test this, we are examining border cell migration in egg chambers with mutations in genes that organize the ring canal’s cytoskeleton. kelch mutants, for instance, have small malformed ring canals, which we predict will adversely affect border cell migration compared to wild type egg chambers. Additional genes which may contribute to ring canal development are currently being assayed. This study emphasizes the impact that architectural features in tissue, such as ring canals, can have on cell migration.
This work was funded, in part, by the National Science Foundation.
Elucidating the Role of Flowering Locus KH Domain FLK in Abiotic Stress Response in Arabidopsis Thaliana
Maria Cervasio
Hua Lu, Biological Sciences
Agricultural stability is critical for maintaining global food security. An important step in improving crops’ ability to adapt to increasing climate pressures is understanding how plants respond to biotic and abiotic stressors. Plant stress response often results in an energetic tradeoff at the expense of growth and development. Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) such as hydrogen peroxide are a byproduct of regular processes such as photosynthesis and normally maintained at a non-toxic level. However, stress can induce overaccumulation and they become involved in signaling for plant defense. ROS scavenging systems maintain balance by neutralizing excess ROS. The enzyme catalase (CAT2) is involved in such systems. Prior research in the Lu Lab suggested that an Arabidopsis thaliana (Arabidopsis) FLOWERING LOCUS KH DOMAIN (FLK) negatively regulates ROS scavenging by suppressing CAT2 expression. The flk mutants exhibited increased ROS scavenging and resistance to abiotic stress, including high salt, heat, and UV treatments. This research further investigates whether CAT2 contributes to FLK-mediated stress responses using the flk-1 cat2-1 double mutant recently produced by the Lu Lab along with the control plants, including Arabidopsis Columbia wild type accession (Col-0), flk-1, and cat2-1 plants.
“Through the Lens: An Exploration of Gender, Identity, and the Queer Asian-American Experience”
Dylan Chao
Jules Rosskam, Visual Arts
Photography is one of the most powerful mediums of art, because of its ability to showcase the world through an artist’s eyes. Despite this, however, in western media only a select group of voices are pushed to the forefront. Unfortunately these selections tend to favor white voices while discounting those of minorities. This marginalization extends beyond the art world and bleeds into other communities as well. Growing up as a queer Asian individual, I was often excluded from multiple communities I identified with and felt my voice was not worthy or deserving of being heard. Compelled by this, this series of photographs explores the expression of gender, my identity as a queer Asian individual, as well as the unique Asian American experience. I hope that this project inspires and empowers others to live unafraid and unapologetically.
This work was funded, in part, by UMBC LGBTQ+ Faculty and Staff Association.
5′-Cap Sequestration is an Essential Determinant of HIV-1 Genome Packaging
Ridhi Chaudhary, Nansen Kuo1, Emily Cannistraci2, Hana Flores3, Mitali Sarkar1, Xinmei Dong4, Siarhei Kharytonchyk5, Alice Telesnitsky5
1University of Maryland, Baltimore, 2Duke University, 3MIT, 4UMBC, 5University of Michigan
Michael Summers, Chemistry and Biochemistry; Pengfei Ding, University of Maryland, Baltimore County
Approximately 38 million people in the world are currently living with HIV. HIV-1 selectively packages two copies of its 5′-capped RNA genome during virus assembly, a process mediated by the nucleocapsid (NC) domain of the viral Gag polyprotein and encapsidation signals located within the dimeric 5′ leader of the viral RNA. We show that a previously characterized 159 nucleotide region of the leader that possesses all elements required for RNA dimerization, high-affinity NC binding, and packaging in a noncompetitive RNA packaging assay (ΨCES) is poorly packaged when assayed in competition with the intact 5′ leader. ΨCES lacks a 5′-tandem hairpin element that sequesters the 5′ cap, suggesting that cap sequestration may be important for packaging. Additionally, mutations within the intact leader that expose the cap without disrupting RNA structure or NC binding abrogated RNA packaging, and genetic addition of a 5′ ribozyme to ΨCES promoted ΨCES-mediated RNA packaging to wild-type levels. Our studies indicate that packaging requires both sequestration of the 5′ cap and exposure of NC binding sites. We speculate that cap sequestration prevents capture by the cellular RNA processing and translation machinery, a mechanism likely employed by other viruses that package 5′-capped RNA genomes.
This research was funded, in part, by a grant to UMBC from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute through the Pre-college and Undergraduate Science Education Program.
Reading Comprehension: The Bonding Process of the Words
Shaojie Chen
Jonathan Singer, Education
A fundamental skill to gain an in-depth scientific understanding and success in any classroom is reading comprehension. It’s essential to not just understand decontextualized definitions, but be able to utilize and connect the targeted vocabulary in a manner to enhance scientific communication. The main focus of this research was aimed to compare the two supporting strategies– predicting using prior knowledge and summarizing after reading. The two strategies were compared using students’ gain scores on two independent pre-post measurements. One of the two measurements provides evidence of reading, whereas the other measures reading comprehension. The study involved 20 randomly selected students from four chemistry classes in an urban high school. The goal is to compare the affordances and limitations of the two strategies. Data collection is still ongoing and the result will be communicated during the URCAD presentation.
The Power of Language: The Mediating Role of English Proficiency Between Intergroup Friendship and Racial Socialization
Ashley Chu, Christa Schmidt
Charissa Cheah, Psychology
Intergroup contact can reduce outgroup bias; however, the mechanism underlying this relation is less understood. For first-generation Chinese American immigrants, contact with host members provides opportunities to practice their language skills (Ward & Masgoret, 2004), which aids their understanding of the cultural norms that shape language (Ting-Toomey et al., 2007). In turn, this deepened cultural understanding may reduce immigrants’ parents’ passing on messages to their children to avoid outgroup members (AOM socialization practices), which can disrupt their child’s future intergroup relationsHIPS. Thus, we investigated whether Chinese American parents’ English proficiency mediated the association between parents’ friendships with non-Chinese individuals and use of AOM racial socialization with their adolescents. Participants included 321 Chinese American parent-adolescent dyads. Controlling for SES and gender, parental friendship with outgroup members was positively related to their English proficiency, which was negatively associated with child-reported AOM (ab = -.014, 95%CI=[-.04,-.0027]). Parents’ friendships with outgroup members provide opportunities for language learning, which can help decrease their communication of AOM messages to their children.
NSF.
Bilingualism and Cultural Identity in the Latinx Community
Viridiana Colosio-Martinez
Tania Lizarazo, Modern Languages, Linguistics, and Intercultural Communication; Renee Lambert-Bretiere, Modern Language, Linguistics and Intercultural Communication, UMBC
Latinx cultural identity is constantly under pressure to be one feature at home and within the community, but to be something else outside. One difficulty faced by Latinx individuals when embracing bilingualism as their cultural identity is the stigmatization and stereotyping of being gangbangers, minimum wage workers, and hypersexualized femme fatale as part of their Latinx authenticity. Commonly, the Latinx cultural identity is generalized as only one culture. Many Latinxs have to constantly prove their English competency at school or at their workplace, living in fear and with anxiety to be replaced by their monolingual or bilingual peers that have no accent and sound more American. There is a misconception supporting the idea that learning more than one language affects developmental milestones in children. Therefore, some educators will suggest to Latinx families avoiding teaching their children their native language because this will affect their acquisition of standard English and ultimately affect their school performance. Translanguaging when speaking both languages is preferred by Latinxs because they identify their bilingualism as one repertory that uses either language depending on the need. This study may be relevant for the inclusion of bilingual individuals not only within UMBC but also in a globalized world.
This work was funded, in part, through an Undergraduate Research Award from the UMBC Division of Undergraduate Academic Affairs.
The Role of spase 22-23 in Border Cell Migration in Drosophila Melanogaster
Gabriela Cruz
Michelle Starz-Gaiano, Biological Sciences
Cell migration plays an essential role in the normal development and functioning of organisms. We study the mechanisms of border cell migration in Drosophila melanogaster egg chambers, because they are easy to image, and because the process is controlled similarly in humans. These border cells cluster and migrate across the egg chamber. Ecdysone is a steroid hormone responsible for growth and the timing of cell migration. There are many genes downstream of ecdysone signaling that we hypothesize impact cell migration. Previous research has shown that the spase 22-23 gene, activated downstream of ecdysone signaling, is expressed in border cells. It is known that Spase 22 -23 is a component of the signal peptidase complex and it plays a role in protein targeting to ER, signal peptide processing, and protein transport. However, it is not yet known what role this gene plays in border cell migration. To investigate the role of spase 22-23, I am conducting genetic experiments comparing wild-type egg chambers to mutant spase 22-23 egg chambers. If we see defects in migration it will demonstrate that this gene is important, and further research will help us understand the role of this well-conserved gene in cell migration.
This work was funded, in part, through the Vivien Thomas Scholars Initiative Sustained Research Stipend.
A Qualitative Study of the Factors that Influence Dental Care During Pregnancy
Lami Damachi
Meryl Cozart, Public Health; Jennifer Callaghan-Koru, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences
Nearly fifty percent of pregnant women in the United States do not receive recommended dental care during pregnancy. There is a correlation between pregnancy and increased risk of periodontal disease due to the mother’s changing hormones. Periodontal disease during pregnancy is linked to premature delivery and low birth weight. Six dental professionals and four employees from the Maryland Department of Health were interviewed to evaluate the implementation of current oral health guidelines among dental providers and to investigate factors that may prevent dentists from providing guideline-based care to low-income pregnant individuals in Baltimore City, Maryland. Data revealed safety practices pertaining to pregnant patients are not standardized across dental professionals. Dentists are hesitant to administer x-rays to pregnant patients despite guidelines from the Maryland Department of Health indicating x-rays to be safe. Dentists should also educate pregnant patients on maintaining the child’s oral health to prevent caries-causing bacteria transmitting from mother to child. Additionally, current Medicaid reimbursement rates and inefficient program protocols disincentivize dental professionals from effectively serving low-income pregnant individuals. Increasing collaboration with prenatal providers, assisting individuals in accessing dental care during pregnancy, and educating patients about good dental practices can improve the effectiveness of oral care among pregnant individuals.
This work was funded, in part, through an Undergraduate Research Award from the UMBC Division of Undergraduate Academic Affairs.
Understanding The 3-Dimensional Structure of an RNA Aptamer RhoBAST
Senali Dansou
Deepak Koirala, Chemistry and Biochemistry
Fluorogenic RNA aptamers are important for RNA imaging in cells. A recent study has reported a new RNA aptamer, RhoBAST, that activates a fluorescent dye molecule TMR-DN, allowing super-resolution RNA imaging in vivo. Compared to previous RNA aptamers, RhoBAST provides multiple advantages, including fast kinetics exchange and low radioactive decay, which allows researchers to investigate cellular processes such as mRNA localization and DNA damage. However, we lack a high-resolution 3-dimensional structure of RhoBAST to understand the structural basis of its fluorescence properties. Thus, this study aims to determine a high-resolution crystal structure of RhoBAST using a Fab-assisted RNA crystallography approach. We designed multiple crystallization constructs of RhoBAST, each consisting of a 5′-GAAACAC-3′ tag sequence that binds Fab BL3-6 and thus allows RNA crystallization in complex with the Fab chaperone. The RNA constructs were synthesized via in vitro transcription and purified by denaturing polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE). Moreover, as expected, native PAGE assays showed that the Fab binds to each crystallization construct with a 1:1 molar ratio. Currently, we are preparing a crystallographic quantity of RNA and Fab for crystallization trials. Once the crystals are available, we will collect X-ray diffraction data and proceed to subsequent structure determination steps.
This investigation was sponsored by the U-RISE Program at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC), which is supported by the National Institute of General Medical Sciences of the National Institutes of Health under Award Number T34GM136497. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.
Characterizing Novel Bacteriophage MountainPapa
Faith Davis
Steven Caruso, Biological Sciences
This project aimed to characterize a novel lysogenic bacteriophage, MountainPapa, and test its effectiveness at clearing its host, Streptomyces mirabilis NRRL B-2400, from a soil sample. S. mirabilis is demonstrated to have potential use in bioremediation, so the ability to clear this bacteria in not only laboratory conditions, but also environmental conditions, is vital for practical use. Additionally, as MountainPapa is a novel phage, it is important to characterize the phage using molecular and microbiology to understand how its characteristics impact its ability to clear S. mirabilis in an environmental sample. MountainPapa was found to have a head that is 46 nm wide and 54 nm long, and a tail that is 198 nm long and 11 nm wide through transmission electron microscopy. This phage was also identified to replicate via the lysogenic life cycle. MountainPapa had plaques ranging in size from 0.5-3 mm at 9-12 hours post-infection, and all plaques reached the maximum size at 25-30 hours post-infection. MountainPapa was found to have a very narrow host range. The initial results of introducing MountainPapa lysate to an autoclaved soil sample treated with S. mirabilis showed promising results of decreasing bacterial density, but a more robust analysis is required.
This work was funded, in part, by the UMBC SEA Phages Program.
Seth Davis, Kyle Davis, Anna Teather, Megan Calero, Joseph Kemp, Mesha’al Andrei Diesta
Eric Jordan, Visual Arts
Made as a collaboration between students for a Capstone Game Project, Ex-Pic-Dition is a simple yet engrossing 2D exploration game created in the Godot Engine, in which the player is tasked with collecting photographic examples of thriving wildlife long after the collapse of society by making use of their trusty drone camera. All assets and code were created by the small team of developers from scratch, serving as a great first step into the Game Development career path. The game was made with the goal of stretching the limits of Godot in mind, as well as forcing a diverse team of artists and programmers out of their comfort zone as they learn to use a new engine for all aspects of development. What resulted is a creative project with attractive visuals and tight controls that can provide hours of relaxing fun to general users. This presentation will demonstrate the game itself, and detail the development processes and challenges that went into building it.
Mathematical Model of Cell Migration: Cell Boundaries and Force Balances
Christina Dee
Bradford Peercy, Mathematics and Statistics; Starz-Gaiano, Biology, UMBC
This research centers on simulation of a cluster of migratory cells among nurse cells toward the oocyte in the egg chamber of Drosophila melanogaster in MATLAB. Cell migration is movement of cells responding to chemical gradients acting as signals. It is integral to daily functions like development and healing; also, progress in studies can lead to findings in cancer metastasis. This organism has a well-studied history and many human homologs in genetics. We asked: How to model cell migration through force balances, and what changes to parameters, equations, and geometry are needed? We captured heterogeneous cells of the egg chamber: including nurse, epithelial, and migratory border cells using interactions between cell membranes and arising via forces, including adhesive, repulsive, and spring forces. We used a volume force to include heterogeneously and realistically sized cells. When cells filled the chamber, we enacted the migratory force, which stems from a chemical gradient signaling, allowing border cells to climb through nurse cells. We solved the force balance equation with Euler’s step to capture progression in time. In MATLAB, we coded cell boundaries around cell centers to represent membranes while adapting parameters, equations, and coefficients in order to realistically simulate cell migration.
Acknowledgements to NSF-NIGMS (#1953423) for their grant and funding, Dr. Starz-Gaiano, and Simon Ishanathan Guteng Jr for help in initial stages.
How Maps Lie: The Spatial Patterns of Air Sensors
Harrison DeFord
Dillon Mahmoudi, Geography and Environmental Systems
Recent popular and scientific literature has increasingly pointed towards increased exposure to air pollution, particularly particulate matter, among marginalized racial and economic groups. Lower-income housing is often located near polluting agents, and these neighborhoods are often occupied by higher densities of racial minority communities due to historic redlining practices. Though the EPA’s AQS monitors are distributed to give a synoptic view of air quality trends, localized reports are much more difficult to obtain. Citizen science air quality detection equipment is available from companies such as PurpleAir for several hundred dollars, setting a barrier of entry for lower-income households. To demonstrate the disparity between where someone lives and where their air quality data is coming from, Python was used to query both PurpleAir’s public API and the US Census Bureau to determine the socioeconomic characteristics of sensors and their surrounding areas. The data collected through this scripting method can be extrapolated to a national level, and can be used as another view through which to critically view racial, social, and economic divides in public health. This presentation concludes by arguing that better spatial coverage of air sensors is needed and that preemptive action must be taken to remedy air quality.
Academic Language Acquisition and Retention
Sara Dehn
Cheryl North, Education
Comprehension and understanding of academic language is crucial to comprehension of the skills and texts taught in secondary English classes, particularly in regard to determining denotative and connotative meanings of words and the impact of words on tone and meaning. After reviewing student testing samples collected during a vocabulary pre-test, there was a notable need for improvement in identifying and applying vocabulary relating to complex characters, text structure, plot, point of view, and theme. Students were asked to match terms to definitions; ten students from a standard, co-taught 9th grade English class who struggled the most with academic language were chosen for additional instruction. This pre-assessment measured student familiarity of 20 terms and definitions for a total of 20 points. The average score for the students in the target group was approximately 7.5/20 or 37.5%. The goal of this study is to observe at least 7 of the chosen 10 students increase their score by 5 points or achieve a score of 14 points (out of 20; 70%) on the vocabulary post test. To achieve this goal, instructors employed direct instruction, differentiated instruction, repeated exposure, targeted practice, close readings of texts, color annotations, tiering and scaffolding, etc.
Investigating Dynamical Error Correction with Shaped Pulses on IBM Quantum Using the Qiskit Pulse Package
Sergio Diaz
Jason Kestner, Physics
Classical computers use bits, the basic unit of classical information. Similarly, quantum computers consist of quantum bits (qubits) which are the basic unit of quantum information. Currently, the greatest challenge towards a useful quantum computer is the presence of unwanted couplings between the qubit and its hosting environment. This leads to decoherence, a process where qubits decay into classical bits. We can choose smooth pulses of a microwave field to perform specific logic gates. Smooth pulses on an ideal two-level qubit with no noise can be designed analytically or numerically. Although smooth pulses robust against errors have been proposed, extending this approach beyond two-level systems remains a challenge. This is an important challenge as useful quantum computers need multiple qubits. Güngördü et al. (2020) introduces a widely applicable approach to obtain smooth pulses for implementing robust quantum gates in any qubit platform while also addressing these issues. In our work, we experimentally check the reliability and validity of this new approach to maximize gate fidelity using Qiskit, IBM’s open-source software development kit for working with quantum computers.
[1] Güngördü, Utkan, and J. P. Kestner. “Robust quantum gates using smooth pulses and physics-informed neural networks.” arXiv preprint arXiv:2011.02512 (2020).
This work was funded, in part, through an Undergraduate Research Award from the UMBC Division of Undergraduate Academic Affairs, and by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. 1915064.
Positive Affect, Discrimination, and Blood Pressure in Racially Diverse Adults
Thu Dinh, Sudeep Ahuja, Dominique Henriques Melo, Nurfatimeh Aligabi, LaBarron K. Hill1
1Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University School of Medicine
Danielle Beatty Moody, Psychology
The primary aim of the current study was to determine whether positive affect (PA) buffered the association between discrimination and cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk in African Americans. Blood pressure (BP) is an essential indicator of cardiovascular health as hypertension is a major risk factor for CVD later in life. We conducted secondary data analyses in a sample of 103 African American and European American participants (ages 18-40) who completed the brief 17-item Perceived Ethnic Discrimination Questionnaire-Community Version (PEDQ-CV) and the 10-item PA subscale of the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS). Based on the extant literature, we hypothesized that PA would moderate the linkage between discrimination and CVD risk. We hope that our findings will assist us in learning about potential buffers of discrimination in relation to cardiorespiratory health. Future directions should address how positive well-being influences the broader metabolic processes relevant to cardiac functioning and disease.
This work was funded, in part, through an Undergraduate Research Award from the UMBC Division of Undergraduate Academic Affairs.
Kwame Dodiar
Corrie Francis Parks, Visual Arts
Our Lost Journey is a twenty-seven seconds 2D animated film that loops. The purpose of this animated film was to cover every element of animation I learned throughout the entire semester. The film features a space traveler and his ecstatic companion. While traveling, they encounter a purple planet. Somehow, the ecstatic companion accidentally wanders off the spaceship onto the purple planet. This animated film symbolizes love and true friendship. This journey also challenges the space traveler’s devotion to find his best friend. The animation was digitally hand drawn and colored. A unique soundtrack and effects were created with Ableton. The art, the colors and the sounds were purposely picked to create this mysterious atmosphere. Editing in Adobe Premiere brought together all those artforms into this beautiful story. Every scene is meant to place the audience through this emotional journey of two best friends.
Marcus Sergius Goes to War: Disability, Self-Advocacy, and the “Supercrip” Archetype in Pliny the Elder Book 7
Tara Donovan
Molly Jones-Lewis, Ancient Studies
Marcus Sergius, an Ancient Roman soldier and public official, fits and subverts the modern archetype Disability Studies scholars like Jay Dolmage call the “Supercrip,” a disabled person who is depicted as overcoming their disability in order to inspire able-bodied people. While serving as a soldier, Sergius sustained injuries to his feet and lost his hand, but with the aid of a prosthetic he continued to fight. However, the story of Sergius in Pliny’s account is not only an inspirational tale; Pliny’s source is a speech Sergius himself gave, thus making this an early piece of self-advocacy. The speech was a response to his colleagues who attempted to prevent him from performing sacrifices because they believed he had an incomplete and therefore ritually impure body. Sergius argued for his inclusion in a space that he, by virtue of his political standing and the personal valor displayed by his scars, was entitled to enter. Disability theory highlights the limited and harmful ways that people with disabilities are regarded, a predominant one being that they should be cured or made invisible. Marcus Sergius opposed this through his demand to be seen as he was, which destabilized notions about what defines a complete body.
Spatiotemporal Model for Dynamics of Covid-19
Jacob Doody, Ashok Krishnamurthy1
1Department of Mathematics & Computing, Mount Royal University
Bedřich Sousedík, Mathematics and Statistics
Proper design and implementation of public health measures against an epidemic relies on having robust predictions of the spread of that epidemic through the population. Here we created a user-friendly tool to run epidemic simulations on a variety of countries, facilitating this goal. Properties of the disease and response such as transmission rate are easily tweakable, and the simulation produces a video representation of the spread. Rather than representing the population as a linked set of regions or districts, we represent the population as a gridded map. Each grid cell has a population count, which is divided into disease compartments. Each grid cell can transmit disease to its neighbors, with a chance that declines exponentially with the Euclidean distance. We used the proposed spatio-temporal epidemic model to estimate and project the number of newly infected and death cases, and our ultimate goal is to provide insights that would support public health agencies towards informed, data-driven decision making.
This work was funded, in part, through an Undergraduate Research Award from the UMBC Division of Undergraduate Academic Affairs.
Investigating the Impacts of Misregulated Iron Homeostasis on the Development of Drosophila Melanogaster
Kaylia Edwards, Mallika Bhattacharya1
1Biological Sciences, UMBC
Michelle Starz-Gaiano, Biological Sciences
The fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster, acts as an advantageous model of study due to their genetic homology to humans and a wealth of available genetic techniques. The extensive understanding of cells in the ovary has allowed us to conduct research on elements that influence their development. Drosophila’s primary steroid hormone, ecdysone, regulates the timing of crucial stages of development. Previously published microarray data from our lab identified Ferritin 1 heavy chain homologue (Fer1HCH) as a target regulated by ecdysone signaling. Drosophila’s Fer1HCH gene encodes a subunit for the ferritin molecule, which is largely responsible for iron storage. In this study, we are investigating the role of iron homeostasis in hormone signaling and development. The flies were exposed to above average amounts of iron by inserting varying concentrations of Ferric ammonium citrate into their food. We chose to evaluate the timing of eclosion in pupal development, as well as ovarian cell viability and morphology as phenotypic readouts. Results of this investigation provided strong preliminary data indicating delays in pupal eclosion times as well as smaller germline cells at higher concentrations of iron. Investigations continue to analyze how iron depletion and enhancement affect cellular development by mutant analysis.
National Science Foundation.
Investigating Mechanistic Details of Saccharomyces Cerevisiae arginyl-tRNA Transferase Using Site-directed Mutagenesis
NnaEmeka Ejimogu
Aaron Smith, Chemistry and Biochemistry
Arginyl-tRNA transferase 1 (ATE1) is a eukaryotic enzyme that catalyzes the post-translational transfer of arginine (Arg) from an aminoacylated tRNA to a target protein via a process called arginylation. This protein modification has been shown to regulate essential physiological processes such as embryogenesis, aging, cell migration, muscle contraction, neurodegeneration, and stress. However, despite this importance, the structure, the mechanism, and the regulation of ATE1 have yet to be elucidated. The objective of this work is to determine essential conserved ATE1 residues that are involved in tRNA recognition, as tRNA recognition must occur in order for ATE1 to catalyze the transfer of an arginine from an aminoacylated tRNA to a substrate. Using our recently-solved structure of Saccharomyces cerevisiae ATE1 (ScATE1), we have used molecular docking and structural superpositioning of bacterial functional analogs complexed with tRNA mimics to identify an aspartic acid residue that we hypothesize to be important for recognition of the charged 3’ Arg of the aminoacylated tRNA. Through site-directed mutagenesis, we have generated variants of ScATE1 at this residue in order to examine this hypothesis. Combined, this work enhances our understanding of ATE1 mechanism, which could allow it to become a future therapeutic target.
This work was funded, in part, through an Undergraduate Research Award from the UMBC Division of Undergraduate Academic Affairs.
Estimation of the Planetary Boundary Layer Using Ozonesonde Sounding Data and Machine Learning Networks During OWLETS-2
Amanze Ejiogu, Rahim Kamara1, Belay Demoz2, Vanessa Caicedo3, John Sullivan4
1Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Science, University of Maryland, College Park, 2Joint Center for Earth Systems Technology, 3Joint Center for Earth Systems Technology, 4Atmospheric Chemistry and Dynamics Laboratory, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
Ruben Delgado, Joint Center for Earth Systems Technology
The Planetary Boundary Layer (PBL) is the lowest layer of the atmosphere and is directly caused by its interaction with the Earth’s surface and due to its proximity to the ground, it has major influences on air quality, weather, and climate energy. Thus, the altitude of the PBL is an important characteristic to determine, as failure to do so correctly will result in less accurate forecasts. Despite several methods of retrieving the PBL height using radiosonde soundings there is no universally accepted method. In this study, we utilize radiosonde sounding data to gather 4 measurement variables: potential temperature, relative humidity, specific humidity, and atmospheric refractivity. These are then used in tandem to algorithmically determine the value of the PBL height. This study was conducted using data from the Ozone Water-Land Environmental Transition Study (OWLETS-2) ozonesonde soundings conducted during the summer of 2018.To further improve the robustness of this method, the data is fed into a machine learning neural network to determine further correlations between atmospheric conditions and measurements.
Following Phantom Limb Pain Through the Journey of Amputation and Rehabilitation
Cortney Elick
Raimi Quiton, Psychology; Sarah Leupen , UMBC
The focus of my capstone project is to understand the extent to which phantom limb pain (PLP) is on the radar of healthcare professionals working with amputees; I will be researching to figure out if patients are being informed about PLP at each stage of the amputation and rehabilitation process. I will be surveying medical professionals (physical therapists, occupational therapists and prosthetists) as well as their patients on their perspectives of phantom limb pain. My project should lead to further research about how to close the gaps in information provided to amputees throughout the process of amputation and rehabilitation. Although this project will not lead to any direct change, it will start the process of promoting more awareness to the impacts of phantom limb pain. The prevalence of amputations in the United States is only increasing, especially with the increasing number of U.S. citizens with Type 2 diabetes. It is important to make amputees aware of the symptoms that they could have if they do not already and inform them on the proper ways to cope with phantom limb pain.
“Under This Roof”- Examining the Effect of Power Imbalances in A Family Dynamic Through Choreographic Processes
Michaela Emmerich
Ann Sofie Clemmensen, Dance
This creative investigation explores to what degree narrative and gesture based choreographic devices can be used compositionally to examine and bring awareness to the gray area in relationships affected by power imbalance. The gray area is a state in which someone involved struggles to determine what constitutes right and wrong, leading to inner conflict and confusion. My work will be examining traditional values as justification for abuse of power, and the navigation of extreme high and low emotional states caused by power imbalance in relationship structures. Negative impacts can be felt in romantic or non-romantic relationships structured by values of love or relation. The objective for the work, and the specific use of gestures and narrative-based movement, is to create a visual experience of grayness that will generate conversation around what grayness is, how to recognize it, and what to do about it.
This work was funded, in part, through an Undergraduate Research Award from the UMBC Division of Undergraduate Academic Affairs.
“Monopoly Money”: A Study of Military Payment Certificates (MPC’s) in Vietnam
Devon Fick
Meredith Oyen, History, Asian Studies
This presentation will focus on the production and dissemination of Military Payment Certificates (MPC’s) in Vietnam from 1965-1973. Developed after WWII for the purpose of stabilizing local currency and preventing exchange-rate corruption involving the desirable American dollar, the MPC initiative was relatively successful throughout the 1950’s and into the early years of American involvement in Vietnam. However, as the war dragged on, and systemic leadership and organizational problems at all levels became commonplace, the MPC became the very thing it was designed to deter; a hopelessly corrupt and abused form of currency. This presentation will show how MPC’s were viewed by American servicemen and Vietnamese merchants and citizens and the frequently-evolving laws governing their use. The highly contentious “C-Days” (Conversion Days) when American servicemen were required to remain on base so that a new series of MPC could be issued, will be described as well as the aftermath of these days which often led to increased graft and even violence. The colorful banknotes will also make for a highly-visual presentation and also include interviews with three Vietnam veterans who will describe their personal experiences with this military currency.
Utilizing Primary Source Evidence in Order to Make a More Successful Claim
Joshua Fowler, Scott Sorensen1
1Howard County Public Schools
Timothy Johnson, Education
In order for students to create a more successful claim, it is necessary that they use evidence from primary sources to support their argument. To determine the development of this skill in an 11th grade modern world history classroom, the students will be assessed through the use of document based questions. In a document based question, students are provided the primary sources or documents that they need to formulate their claim. It is the students responsibility to determine the sourcing behind a document and to use that document to support or refute their claim. By having clear expectations and scaffolded instruction, students’ development of this skill will be increased. Lesson plans will correspond between the assessment and the instructional outcome of the student. The assessments will also be modified for students based on their individual needs.
Benzoxazole Derivatives to Combat Bacterial Antibiotic Resistance
Frank Furtado, Brady Allen, Nathaniel Shindell
Paul Smith, Chemistry and Biochemistry
An important mechanism contributing to antibiotic resistance is the result of bacteria developing the ability to inactivate the drugs used to kill them. An emerging class of bacterial zinc-containing enzymes, metallo-β-lactamases (MBLs), can hydrolyze and inactivate over half of current antibiotics, including penicillins. There are no approved drugs to combat this enzyme, further highlighting the urgency of this issue. Benzoxazoles containing carboxylic acids have shown to inhibit the target MBL, New Delhi metallo-β-lactamase-1 (NDM-1). Additionally, other studies demonstrate that hydroxamic acids are effective in inhibiting the same class of enzymes as NDM-1. The effort to synthesize the target compounds include both the benzoxazole scaffold and the hydroxamic acid moiety. Based on the molecular modeling demonstrating the hydrophobic interactions and the known hydroxamic acids’ affinity for zinc, the ring system and the moiety should tightly bind to the target enzyme’s active site. The synthesis of benzoxazole-containing metallo-β-lactamase inhibitors derived from 3-hydroxy-2-naphthoic acid to combat bacterial antibiotic resistance is presented.
This work was funded, in part, through an Undergraduate Research Award from the UMBC Division of Undergraduate Academic Affairs.
Taking Psychotherapy Online: COVID-19 Changes at the UMBC Psychology Training Clinic
Emma Galambos, Christa Lewis, Isatu Jalloh
Rebecca Schacht, Psychology
Psychotherapy training clinics are staffed by graduate student therapists, who provide low-cost treatment for anxiety, depression, and other mental health disorders. Before the COVID-19 pandemic caused a shift to online services in March 2020, teletherapy was rarely offered in training clinics. Teletherapy may make therapy more accessible to patients with internet access but no transportation. In addition, the COVID-19 pandemic may have affected symptom severity of people seeking services. This study will examine data gathered as part of routine care at the UMBC Psychology Training Clinic from July 2018 through December 2022 (N = approximately 200 adult psychotherapy patients). We will examine data on treatment seeking, initiation, and retention from before (all in person) and during the pandemic (all teletherapy). We will also compare Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ) data to assess differences in depression and anxiety before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Clinical and training implications will be discussed.
Identifying Novel Deubiquitinating Enzymes that Regulate Mutant P53 in Ovarian Cancer Cells
Kevin Gibbons, Rica Perona
Achuth Padmanabhan, Biological Sciences
Ovarian cancer is the most lethal gynecologic cancer. Due to lack of early-stage biomarkers and ineffective therapeutic strategies have resulted in the disappointing 5-year survival rate, ~30%, among patients, which highlights the urgent need to identify new therapeutic targets. The tumor suppressor gene, p53, is mutated in over 90% of ovarian cancers. Mutant p53 (mutp53) has been shown to promote tumor progression and drug resistance. Previous studies revealed that deubiquitinating enzymes (DUBs), specifically USP15, play a role in mediating mutp53 turnover. We hypothesize that other DUBs exist that selectively regulate mutp53. I will determine novel DUBs that regulate mutp53 in ovarian cancer cells. This will be achieved through two aims. In Aim 1, I will establish a library of ~100 human DUBs by cloning them with a N-terminal 6xHis tag into the pcDNA3.1-IRES-GFP vector. So far, I have successfully cloned 9 DUBs into the above vector. In Aim 2, I will transfect these constructs into human ovarian cancer cells expressing different RFP-tagged mutp53. The effect of ectopic DUB expression on specific mutp53 levels (RFP intensity) will be determined using a fluorescence-based high-throughput platform. Discovering novel DUBs that selectively regulates mutp53 will help identify new therapeutic targets for ovarian cancer.
This work was funded, in part, through an Undergraduate Research Award from the UMBC Division of Undergraduate Academic Affairs. This investigation was sponsored by the U-RISE Program at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC), which is supported by the National Institute of General Medical Sciences, National Institutes of Health (NIGMS/NIH) under National Research Service Award T34 GM 136497. This investigation was also supported by the Padmanabhan Lab START-UP.
Testing the Role of Drosophila NPF as the Molecular Link Between Chronic Pain and Ethanol Sensitivity
Bailey Godwin
Fernando Vonhoff, Biological Sciences
Up to twenty-eight percent of individuals with chronic pain in the U.S., which is approximately seventy million people, use alcohol in an attempt to alleviate their symptoms due to the lack of effective treatments available. Despite the prevalence of chronic pain being associated with alcohol abuse, models mimicking the co-morbid conditions in Drosophila have yet to be thoroughly explored. Neuropeptide F (NPF), a homolog of mammalian neuropeptide Y, modulates behavioral responses linked to the reward system. It has been shown that flies deficient in NPF signaling displayed decreased sensitivity to ethanol sedation and reduced mechanonociceptive responses. The aim of this project is to characterize NPF’s role during adult development in ethanol attraction using olfactory preference in behavioral T-mazes. We hypothesize that silencing Drosophila NPF neurons may decrease reward-related signaling and will increase ethanol olfactory preference, therefore increasing the risks for addiction. In addition, a decrease of NPF-dependent signaling may also reduce the responsiveness of flies to painful stimuli. Further studies will examine the effect of NPF on chronic pain to investigate whether the modulation of pain responses is dependent on the molecular function of NPF, or a global effect of the reward system, or physiological responses to ethanol exposure.
This work was funded, in part, through an Undergraduate Research Award from the UMBC Division of Undergraduate Academic Affairs.
Investigating the Impact of First Hand Exposure to E-Cigarette Vapor Through Olfactory Guided Behavioral Assays
Janae Gordon, Shefra Shah, Jalaysia Weems
Weihong Lin, Biological Sciences
Electronic cigarettes were created in the early 2000s and became popular due to the promoting flavors and also being marketed as a “healthier alternative” to smoking cigarettes. This guise has since attracted teens and young adults to vaping products with nicotine, creating a public health issue. Although e-cigarettes have been on the market for decades, in-vivo study of the short-term and long-term effects of e-cigarette vapor is limited. We hypothesize that mice exposed to electronic cigarettes will have longer latencies to locate buried food and stronger preferences for e-cigarette flavoring. Therefore this project aims to develop our current understanding of the psychological and behavioral impacts of exposure to e-cigarette vapor. We performed two olfactory-guided behavior tests after two and four weeks of exposure to measure the impact of first-hand exposure to e-cigarette vapor using mice as an animal model. The first test is the buried food test which evaluates olfactory ability in guiding food finding, and the second is the T-maze test which evaluates flavor preference. This project also consists of developing and fine-tuning an automated processing protocol for data collection for these two behavioral assays.
This work was funded, in part, through an Undergraduate Research Award from the UMBC Division of Undergraduate Academic Affairs.
Examining Filipino-American Mental Health Attitudes, Needs, and Barriers to Help-Seeking
Elyssa Kristine Marie Granados Lou
Anne E. Brodsky, Psychology
Although an estimated 12 percent of Filipinos living in the U.S. suffer from psychological distress, Filipinos have the lowest reported rates of help-seeking behaviors among all Asian Americans (Martinez et al., 2010; Gong et al., 2003) This research assesses attitudes toward and need for mental health services among the Filipino community living in the U.S., as well as identifies the barriers to help-seeking behaviors that contribute to mental health disparities. Open-ended interviews, averaging one hour in duration, were conducted on Zoom with ten first-generation Filipinos living in the U.S., ranging in age from 22 to 57 years old. Five participants were men and the other five were women. The interviews were transcribed with the aid of a transcription service, removing identifying information, and were analyzed using a coding framework based on key themes identified from previous literature and during the interview process. Comparisons among interview response themes especially focused on the influence of age, gender, and age at immigration on attitudes toward mental health. Interpretations from this research may inform future community interventions to increase mental health service utilization among the Filipino community and support the mental health needs of future generations of Filipino immigrants.
This work was funded, in part, through an Undergraduate Research Award from the UMBC Division of Undergraduate Academic Affairs.
Exploring Stories of Political Activism and Ideological Perpetuation in Black Religious Institutions
Joshua Gray
Ann Sofie Clemmensen, Dance; Liz Patton, Media and Communication Studies
The presence of political debate and activism at dining tables, conference rooms, and other traditionally apolitical spaces has burgeoned in recent history. The Black church has been one of these politically transformed spaces that have been impactful in promoting movements around political ideologies. The Black body is political, and so are all cultural and religious practices from that experience. This research uses ethnographic and choreographic practices to explore themes of embodied Blackness, relational power, and institutionally-bound socio-political obligations. This research considers the question: how do congregants within Black Religious Institutions identify with their role in the political landscape that has led to change in diplomacy, legislation, awareness and transparency, civic engagement, and rights expansion — even on a microscale. Through collecting and interpreting oral histories within Black Religious Institutions, these stories and interactions informed a new contemporary choreographic work and an inquiry into choreographic methodologies foregrounding Africanist movement expression and values.
This work was funded, in part, through an Undergraduate Research Award from the UMBC Division of Undergraduate Academic Affairs.
Drug Release of Pirfenidone in Polyurethane Nanocapsules
Simon Ishanathan Guteng, Jr., Victor1, Mark2
1Kehinde, 2Holland
Erin Lavik, Chemical, Biochemical, and Environmental Engineering
Laser induced choroidal neovascularization (CNV) leads to substantial scarring contributing to vision loss and fibrosis. The majority of treatments for this persistent issue consist solely of anti-vascular endothelial growth factor therapy (anti-VEGF) which on its own does not address fibrosis. This leads to increased injections and risk of vision loss. The research team strives to incorporate the use of pirfenidone, a fibrosis treating drug, into treatment for laser induced CNV with the use of polyurethane nanocapsules, introducing a long term delivery of the drug. Drug release analysis is used in order to track the long term delivery status of the drug. With the help of Dr. Lavik, the team introduces alterations to the polyurethane nanocapsule synthesis in order to create a more effective release of the pirfenidone drug as well as ensure good conditions of the nanocapsules themselves by measuring size and zeta potential during the synthesis protocol. While research is ongoing, the research team has been able to progress in an understanding of the effects of the alterations on the synthesis of the nanocapsules and their long term delivery.
CyNER: A Cybersecurity Domain Specific Dataset for Named Entity Recognition.
Casey Hanks, Michael Maiden
Tim Finin, Computer Science and Electrical Engineering; Anupam Joshi, CSEE, UMBC
Named Entity Recognition (NER) is a critical component of automated knowledge extraction. It allows Natural Language Processing (NLP) models to label instances of real-world entities that are important in the context of the text. To be able to accomplish this, the NLP model needs to be trained on large corpora of human-annotated text. There are examples of general, domain-agonistic text corpora available, but they are not suited for fields such as cybersecurity, that require domain-specific text for downstream tasks such as malware analysis. NLP for cybersecurity is an emerging field, and there is a large need to develop community-accessible datasets to train existing AI-based cybersecurity pipelines to extract meaningful insights from Cyber Threat Intelligence (CTI). There are terabytes of CTI data that are disclosed on a daily basis, making it nearly impossible for human-analysts to manually sift through. The cybersecurity domain has limited training datasets available, as opposed to other domains such as Medicine or Law. We have created a large CTI corpus and are actively using it to train and test supervised and semi-supervised cybersecurity NER models using the SpaCy NLP Framework. In addition, we also aim to develop methods that allow continuous integration of incoming, up-to-date CTI information.
This work was funded, in part, by a grant from the NSA through the On-Ramp program.
Tracking Student Growth in Contextualization Skills
Nick Harris
Timothy Johnson, Education; Niklas Berry, Howard County Public School System
This Student Learning Objective was designed to allow students to exhibit growth in social studies skills, processes, concepts, and content. This was measured by district and teacher-developed formative, summative, and performance assessments. This study was created so that students could show growth in the application of historical thinking skills on a range of performance tasks using the Contextualization SLO Rubric. Teachers collected student work samples throughout the semester to assess ongoing growth in student understanding. One method of collection was to have students submit work samples throughout the school year for a portfolio that will demonstrate their mastery of key ideas and concepts in social studies content, skills, concepts, and processes. The purpose of this was to provide opportunities for students to demonstrate their understanding of social studies skills, processes, and content by representing knowledge in multiple ways. Examples included experiential exercises, processing assignments, debate, political cartoons, teacher and/or district-developed assessments, and formal and informal writing. The repercussions of this project relate to showing how, through a Social Studies class, students are able to exhibit growth in contextualization, which will have relevance beyond the classroom, and allow them to make connections and draw conclusions in their everyday lives.
Promoting Safety During Skill-based Treatments for Dangerous Problem Behavior Delivered Via Telehealth
Alexander Harvin, Eric Neutzlig, Viola Lis
Adithyan Rajaraman, Psychology
The purpose of the current study was to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of a modified enhanced choice model when administered via telehealth to an adolescent—with autism spectrum disorder and underdeveloped language skills—living in South India. Tsami and Lerman (2019) conducted a telehealth treatment application to address problem behavior occurring in underserved areas. Results with respect to problem behavior were successful and socially validated, suggesting the possibility of meaningful outcomes via telehealth service delivery. However, some problem behavior was observed during treatments, and there may be situations where inducing problem behavior while providing remote consultation could put client and caregiver at untenable risk. Rajaraman et al. (2021) demonstrated the effectiveness of an “enhanced choice model” treatment of problem behavior that taught a complex set of social skills within evocative contexts, doing so with almost no problem behavior throughout the process. Using a modified enhanced choice model administered via telehealth, we were able to safely teach communication, coping, and cooperation skills in contexts determined to evoke problem behavior. By making an escape option always available and providing synthesized reinforcers, we were able to see no problem behavior during the treatment phases while teaching the participant over 40 complex skills.
Interaction of Ideas: Learning How to Reconnect and Contextualize After Two Years of Academic Isolation
Lexis Heber
Cheryl North, Education
It is important for students to be making connections between different ideas they encounter in what they’re reading, but many students struggle with the interaction of ideas on performance tasks. This research was conducted in an honors English Language Arts classroom for freshman students and they were asked to annotate rigorous reading passages, answer questions that require higher level thinking, and craft constructed responses with a focus on citing textual evidence and drawing inferences. Students engaged in weekly writing assignments, extended constructed response questions, and article annotations. The student growth was determined by seeing an improvement in their midyear assessment score, as opposed to the pre-assessment they took at the beginning of the year. Special focus was directed to the questions on the exam that are for the interaction of ideas. The amount of questions that aligned with that standard that were correct on the pre-assessment are compared to that of the midyear.
Assessing the Impact of Phosphomimetic Mutations on Mouse Melanopsin Signaling
Andrew Hennigan
Phyllis Robinson, Biological Sciences
Melanopsin is a visual pigment expressed in intrinsically photosensitive retinal ganglion cells (ipRGCs) that contributes to image and non-image forming visual processes, including circadian photoentrainment. It is hypothesized that Protein Kinase A (PKA) plays a role in attenuating the signaling of photo-activated melanopsin. Our laboratory has previously shown that wild-type melanopsin signaling is attenuated when the cAMP-dependent protein kinase PKA is activated in vitro. Consistent with this finding, when all three putative PKA phosphorylation sites (S182, T186, S287) in mouse melanopsin were mutated to non-phosphorylatable residues, this PKA-dependent reduction in melanopsin signaling was prevented. We therefore hypothesize that the phosphorylation of PKA at sites S182, T186, and S287 is required for PKA to attenuate melanopsin signaling. To test this, we have successfully generated a phosphomimetic melanopsin construct in which the three described sites have been changed to negatively charged residues that mimic phosphorylation. We verified appropriate expression and localization of the construct via Western blot and immunohistochemistry. Calcium imaging demonstrates that phosphomimetic melanopsin signaling is greatly attenuated. This research will contribute more to our understanding of the role of melanopsin in circadian rhythms and photoentrainment, helping us to better understand the maintenance of these characteristics in an organism.
This investigation was sponsored by the U-RISE Program at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC), which is supported by the National Institute of General Medical Sciences, National Institutes of Health (NIGMS/NIH) under National Research Service Award T34 GM 136497.
Phenotypic Characterization of Aspergillus Nidulans Protein Kinase PrkA
Garrett Hill
Mark Marten, Chemical, Biochemical, and Environmental Engineering
In the filamentous fungus Aspergillus nidulans, the protein kinase PrkA has yet to be characterized. Thought to be involved in cell-wall repair signaling, this project aims to gain insight into the function of this kinase by subjecting a mutant strain that lacks the kinase (prkA-) to a variety of phenotypic assessments. By identifying growth and morphological deficiencies in the prkA- mutant, the kinase’s function can be revealed. This project utilized fluorescence microscopy to image cellular processes thought to be associated with PrkA, allowing us to determine if PrkA plays a role in regulating these processes. We also utilized a proteomics-based approach to characterize the function of PrkA, in which whole-cell protein isolate from the deletion (prkA-) and isogenic control (prkA+) strains were subjected to liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. This approach revealed the effect that the absence of PrkA had on the level of protein expression in the cell, informing hypothesis generation and testing through analysis of the functions of these differentially expressed proteins. Identification of the function of PrkA may help to streamline the use of filamentous fungi in many industrial applications, ranging from the production of small molecule drugs to the use of fungal mycelium as plastic alternatives.
This work was funded, in part, through an Undergraduate Research Award from the UMBC Division of Undergraduate Academic Affairs.
Being Muslim Amidst the West: The Construction of Symbols of Terror
Shamis Hired
Yolanda Valencia, Geography and Environmental Systems
Islamophobia entails discrimination, bigotry, practices, and policies that work towards demonizing billions of Muslims and Islam. Western construction of Muslims as a threat to Western society and society at large has allowed for the dismantling of civil liberties around the world. Knowledge production operates to exclude, criminalize, and justify racist, colonialist, discriminatory policies as well as increased securitization policies and practices that disproportionately affect Muslims, and specifically Muslim Women. Drawing on feminist and postcolonial theory, this work focuses on analyzing how Muslim Women of color living within the West see themselves represented. In doing so, this work shows the impacts of Islamophobia and how it transforms different aspects of Women’s lives. After conducting a series of semi-structured, in-depth interviews, this study reveals that anti-Muslim discourse causes harm in the regulation of Muslim Women on a state level, normalization of exclusionary practices, the perpetuation of negative stereotypes within media, and the abundance of trauma that exists for a Muslim Woman living in the West. However, spaces and feelings of belonging despite constant hardships are being produced as well.
This work was funded, in part, through an Undergraduate Research Assistantship Support (URAS) Award from the UMBC Office of the Vice President for Research.
Bilingualism and the Onset of Alzheimer’s Disease: A Review of Behavioral and Clinical Research
Malika Hiyam
David Beard, Modern Languages, Linguistics, and Intercultural Communication
Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form of dementia in the elderly population, yet there is limited research on concrete environmental factors that prevent or delay Alzheimer’s symptoms. A potential hypothesis involving cognitive reserve, known as the neural connectivity in our brain, has been tested amongst various researchers, one of them being through the effect of bilingualism on delaying Alzheimer’s onset. Through a meta-analysis, this project examines recent behavioral, neuroimaging, and clinical research to assess whether bilingualism can be used as a tool to delay Alzheimer’s disease. Although several studies have shown that bilingualism delays symptom onset, others have failed to establish any statistical significance between the two. Due to inconsistencies in data findings, researchers have also examined possible confounding factors that drive this correlation such as immigration status and education level. Consequently, these results are discussed in relation to the two variables and implications are suggested for further development in the research field.
How Has Han Become a Core Concept in Korean Identity?
Hoa Ho
Kyung-Eun Yoon, Modern Languages, Linguistics, and Intercultural Communication
This paper addresses the socio-cultural concept of Han as an integral element of Korean identity. Han is viewed by native Koreans and Korean specialists as being “uniquely Korean,” and therefore it is anticipated that non-Koreans do not fully grasp Han on its importance to Korean identity (So Hee Chi Kim, 2017). To understand the significance of Han, this research will examine artistic productions (music, literature, drawings, etc.) that were created in the 20th century, Korea, i.e., Japanese’s occupation of Korea, Partition of Korea, followed by the Korean War, and the era of authoritarian regimes in the Republic of Korea. The research incorporates five peer-reviewed articles that analyze these historical events and their associations to Han. Other sources were 20 newspaper articles dating from the 1970s to 2010s and Daniel Tudor’s “Korea: the impossible country.” The newspaper articles allowed us to examine changes to the meaning of Han over time, especially the transition from the 20th century to the 21st century as contemporary Korea enters a period of Heung. The result was the meaning of Han remained the same and reaffirmed the consensus of Han’s definition among Koreans. Through understanding Han, we cultivate a deeper appreciation of Korean society and history.
Isaiah Hull, David Iraheta, Taheer Pierce, Aidan Simons, Camille Ollivierre
Eric Jordan, Visual Arts
Project Kindle is a two-dimensional platformer-shooter video game developed in the Unity game engine for the Capstone Games Group Project Course. The player takes control of Kindle to shoot monsters called the Onyx and stop the mastermind Coro from sending the Dream World into chaos and destruction. The game takes inspiration from several games to create a fun experience with charming characters, weapons that feel great to use, and worlds that players want to explore. The team challenged existing and developed new skills necessary for the project such as learning new software, designing art in limited resolutions and palettes, and working in a team environment. This presentation will show notable points in the game’s design and development as well as challenges the team faced along the way.
Optogenetic Manipulation of the Reward System in Drosophila and its Effects on Brain Function and Behavior
Timothy Huynh
Fernando Vonhoff, Biological Sciences
The reward system is an important network in the brain. In addition to regulating learning and memory, it is also involved in decision making and behavior. However, the molecular and cellular mechanisms of the reward system and its influence on behavior remain poorly understood. We will manipulate the neuronal activity of the reward network in Drosophila fruit flies to test how activation and inactivation of this network regulates feeding behavior. This will be accomplished via light-sensitive (optogenetic) proteins expressed in specific brain regions. Our first priority will be to test whether it is possible to revert the repulsive effect of quinine and 66% ethanol by stimulating the reward system. We will also test for any evidence of sexual dimorphism by comparing male and female responses and their sensitivity to the optogenetic manipulation. This study will use recently developed behavioral chambers (FlyPAD Arenas) in addition to novel genetic tools that allow the quantification of behavioral responses following neuronal manipulation with exquisite control. Our results will shed light into how manipulating the reward system can activate plasticity-dependent mechanisms and modify robust behaviors.
This work was funded, in part, through an Undergraduate Research Award from the UMBC Division of Undergraduate Academic Affairs.
Spatiotemporal Analysis of Fluorescent Dissolved Organic Matter in Two Urban Watersheds in Baltimore
Diego Iglesias Vega, Jahir Batista Andrade, Michael Rose
Lee Blaney, Chemical, Biochemical, and Environmental Engineering
Dissolved organic matter (DOM) plays a major role in the global carbon cycle by serving as a food source for aquatic organisms, buffering surface water pH, and influencing solar light penetration. While DOM is often considered to be composed of naturally-derived molecules from plant and animal matter decomposition, stormwater and wastewater effluent also contribute to DOM. We proposed that fluorescence excitation emission matrices (EEMs) and the dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and total nitrogen (TN) contents could be used to monitor water quality in urban and suburban streams to identify point sources of pollution stemming from wastewater infrastructure. Samples were collected from 27 sites in the Jones Falls and Gwynns Falls watersheds and analyzed using a fluorometer and DOC/TN analyzer. Our results indicated that EEMs, DOC, and TN can be applied to identify inputs of wastewater in Baltimore streams. We correlated fluorescence and absorbance parameters, such as the fluorescence index, specific absorbance at 254 nm, and the E2/E3 ratio, of stream samples with wastewater collected from sewer infrastructure in Baltimore. Future work will involve assessment of correlations with other water quality parameters and contaminants of emerging concern to validate the use of EEMs as wastewater indicators in urban streams.
This work was funded, in part, through an Undergraduate Research Award from the UMBC Division of Undergraduate Academic Affairs.
At the Birth of Modern Socialism: A Comparative Study of the Ideas of Thomas Paine and Thomas Spence
Yoni Isaacs
Daniel Ritschel, History
Toward the end of the 18th century in Britain, early harbingers of socialism began to emerge from the radical milieu. Two of the most influential forebearers of socialism were Thomas Paine and Thomas Spence. Despite sharing similar philosophical and religious frameworks, both men embraced differing proto-socialist philosophies. Spence, a forerunner of anarcho-socialism, supported the democratic ownership of land and related utilities through local government. Paine pioneered an early version of social democracy, and thus called for the creation of a broad welfare state to care for the nation’s citizens. Using these men’s pamphlets, along with articles from Spence’s newsletters, I seek to compare how their contradictory visions of societal restructuring affected Spence and Paine’s ideas relating to equality, the power of the national government, and the nature of social justice. Finally, I will seek to use the differences between Spence and Paine to define what exactly constitutes socialism. The author’s conclusion is that a definition of socialism is comparatively vague and includes all movements which seek to implement some level of equality in the socio-economic sphere as part of an objective to remake society on a more democratic and socially just line.
This work was funded, in part, through an Undergraduate Research Award from the UMBC Division of Undergraduate Academic Affairs.
Does Cytomegalovirus (CMV) Status Impact the Host Response to SARS-CoV-2?
Stephen Isabell
Mark Schleiss, Biological Sciences
The goal of the experiment is to test the immune response of two COVID vaccines in cytomegalovirus (CMV) seropositive and seronegative animals. Some studies suggest that CMV seropositivity worsens an COVID infection. Therefore, we examined the impact of CMV seropositivity in a guinea pig model. 25 guinea pigs were vaccinated with either a Pichinde virus-vectored vaccine expressing the spike (S) protein, or a purified, adjuvanted S subunit vaccine. Blood was collected pre and post-vaccination for CMV and SARS-CoV-2 S ELISA and western blot analyses. Nine of 25 animals tested positive for CMV antibodies. Six were in the vaccinated groups. Two CMV-seropositive animals who received the vector vaccine via intranasal route had a lower RBD based-ELISA titer (640) compared to CMV-seronegative females (5120). Among CMV-seropositive animals compared to seronegatives, we observed that the RBD based-ELISA titer was the same (5120) in all who received the RBD-subunit vaccine independently of the vaccination route. In this preliminary study, no statistically significant differences in COVID vaccine responses in CMV positive and negative animals (p=0.1678) were noted, although the trend toward reduced responses in CMV-seropositives merits further analyses of the impact of CMV on COVID vaccine responses in pregnant animals.
Sexually Dimorphic Effect of the Alzheimer’s Associated Gene APPL in Drosophila
Nneamaka Iwobi
Fernando Vonhoff, Biological Sciences
This project aims to study the sexually dimorphic effect of the Alzheimer’s associated gene APPL in fruit flies. This work is important because gender differences have been observed in Alzheimer’s patients, being women more likely to be diagnosed. Therefore, we will examine the sexually dimorphic role of APPL during development. This project was conducted through various experiments to study the role of APPL in the development of the reproductive system of Drosophila melanogaster. Our preliminary data indicate that mutations in the APPL gene in flies affect females and males differently. Females carrying mutations in APPL lay significantly fewer eggs than control flies. Therefore, we want to investigate the role of APPL in different developmental processes at the cellular and molecular levels and identify the cell type affected by APPL mutations involved in this egg-laying phenotype. The final product of this project is an effective comparison between the two systems of the mutant and wild-type Drosophila. We will compare and quantify morphological differences among the genetic groups at the anatomical and molecular levels. Our results may be relevant in understanding the dimorphic effects of Alzheimer’s disease in areas that have received much less attention.
This work was funded, in part, through an Undergraduate Research Assistantship Support (URAS) Award from the UMBC Office of the Vice President for Research.
Pierce Jackson, Jackie Briganti, Matt Shuck , Ben Timian, Anna Teather
Eric Jordan, Visual Arts
Designed to challenge a player’s spatial and temporal awareness through thought provoking gameplay. Set In Stone is a three-dimensional (3D) first person perspective puzzle-platforming game. The game has players moving through individual levels solving puzzles using a time travel mechanic. In order to progress through each puzzle, players are required to take actions that will help the future version of themselves proceed, while avoiding their past selves if they exist at the same time. The game was created in the Unity game engine by a mix of visual arts and computer science majors. The computer science majors worked on level design and the functional aspects of the game while the visual arts majors created 3D and 2D game assets in Photoshop, Autodesk Maya, and a variety of other programs. Students were challenged to create a difficult concept and adapt their skills to working in a team environment. Through this process the students developed crucial teamwork skills and solved problems unique to creating the game.
Impact of COVID-19 on a Language Arts Assistance Program in Urban Baltimore City Schools
Melanie James, Amber Brock1
1Psychology, UMBC
Susan Sonnenschein, Psychology
It is important to find effective ways to improve reading skills in children residing in urban communities who often do not do as well as their more affluent peers (Serpell et al., 2005) The Literacy Fellows Program, run by the Sherman and Shriver Centers, provides language arts assistance in two urban schools. We interviewed classroom teachers before (N=9), and during COVID-19 (N=8) to examine the effectiveness of the program and how the pandemic affected it. Pre-COVID-19, teachers mentioned that children received individualized attention (100%) and formed relationships (78%) with the Literacy Fellows. However, these benefits were mentioned less during COVID-19 (50% individualized attention; 38% forming relationships) when much of the instruction was virtual or hybrid. In contrast, the communication between teachers and volunteers improved when instruction was virtual. Pre-COVID-19, many teachers mentioned preparing their volunteers for class the morning of (88%); few mentioned preparing them ahead of time (44%). In contrast, during COVID-19, the number of teachers who mentioned preparing their volunteers beforehand increased (75%), and those who waited until the morning of decreased (25%). The results of this study highlight how the pandemic has both positively and negatively impacted a Language Arts assistance program.
A Comparative Analysis of South Asian Literacy Rates
Sahara Jayasinghe
David Mitch, Economics
Literacy rates in South Asian countries differ tremendously due to gender gaps and religious differences. South Asia is a region known for its culture, diversity, and rich history. As the world continues to develop, being literate has become a necessary life skill in both men and women to fit into the requirements of the modern world. The purpose of my research was to compare the literacy rates of five different South Asian countries. In order to do so, I focused on each nation’s political, religious, and cultural history and consider how these factors may have molded the educational systems of each respective country. I investigated each country’s current educational policies, educational gender gaps, as well as future to improve education and literacy. I was able to find that literacy rates are substantially higher in Sri Lanka than the other four countries considered. Ultimately, I found that the gender literacy gaps are consistently narrowing in Sri Lanka due to a mix of economic, policy, and societal advantages.
Alex Jeffries, Scott Serafin and Isaiah Hull
Marc Olano, English
Our original vision for Hunter was inspired by the team’s love for retro platformers while incorporating a more serious yet stylized tone in our visuals, writing, and our focus on swordplay as the main form of combat. During development, we taught a few new developers on our team how to use the tools provided by our engine, GameMaker Studio 2. With their knowledge, they were able to create enemy AI, design levels, and suggest reasonable additions or changes during development. Artists used Aseprite to create a lineless pixel style for all of our visual assets and Medibang Paint Pro to create the character portraits seen during dialogue. Our music was created in Famitracker and FL Studio and was inspired by early NES Capcom games. In this demo, the player will traverse 3 levels that take place within a cavern system that houses a sinister secret deep inside. The player travels with their companion Vel, a curious but ultimately well-meaning dragon wyrmling. Each level has a different end-level objective, culminating in a boss fight that closes the demo and the story arc.
Structure Function Analysis of Ovarian Cancer Oncogene Zinc-finger Protein 217
Kaily Johnson
Achuth Padmanabhan, Biological Sciences
Ovarian cancer stands as the most deadly gynecological cancer, ranking fifth among all cancer deaths in women. Due to the lack of reliable diagnostic markers, the majority of cases (>70%) are diagnosed as late stage metastatic disease. Current therapeutics are ineffective in treating metastatic ovarian cancer resulting in the poor 5-year survival rate observed for these patients (<30%). Therefore, there is an urgent need to identify mechanisms that drive ovarian cancer metastasis and identify new therapeutic targets that can improve clinical outcome. The zinc-finger protein 217 (ZNF217) gene is located at the genomic locus 20q13.32, a region frequently amplified in several cancers, including ovarian cancer. ZNF217 promotes epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition and ovarian cancer metastasis. Despite ZNF217’s role in ovarian cancer metastasis, factors that regulate ZNF217 protein levels in cells remain unknown. To address this knowledge gap, structure-function analysis is employed here to determine regions within ZNF217 that regulate its stability. Specifically, this study will determine the effect of ZNF217-depleting drugs discovered in the lab on different ZNF217 truncation mutants. Understanding cellular mechanisms that regulate ZNF217 protein levels will open new avenues to target this oncogene in cancer cells and provide insights into designing future drug therapies.
This work was funded, in part, through an Undergraduate Research Award from the UMBC Division of Undergraduate Academic Affairs.
From Text to Text: Developing Narrative Writing Through Consistency
James Jones
Sheila Robinson, Education
Whether students are writing a paper for college, an informative blog in their own time, or an email to a future employer, writing is a lifelong skill and a powerful interdisciplinary tool applicable to all people in every field. Despite writing being a quintessential multidisciplinary skill, many students are only comfortable writing in short bursts. A writer knows how and when to add details to engage the writer, yet due to the virtual world we have lived in for the past two years, students are accustomed to writing with the terseness of an online comment. Twenty-seven seventh-grade students were asked to respond to a narrative writing prompt and their responses were brief. Taking note of average adjective count and conjunction usage, a plan was developed using daily five minute writing exercises with lessons that helped students write more varying and complex sentences. The success of these exercises was measured by the students’ word output as well as their ability to connect their written ideas using conjunctions and varying forms of clauses. As students developed their writing and became capable of exuding longer strings of narrative language, they have been actively preparing for the formal and rigorous writing of the future.
“TIED” Writing Skills in Honors English 9 Students
Nayimb Joyner
Cheryl North, Education
The ability to write is critical for all students, but it is even more important to work on improving writing skills after a disruption in instruction caused by remote learning. This research focuses on a group of ninth-grade Honors English students and examines the ability of students to craft a strong thesis statement which clearly answers the prompt and states their opinion; to embed quotations and other forms of evidence within their writing; to select evidence which supports their topic sentence(s); to effectively analyze and explain how their evidence supports their topic sentence(s). Students were introduced to the TIED paragraph structure (T= Topic, I= Introduction of Evidence, E= Evidence, D= Discussion) to help them organize their writing. Through various methods including practice TIED paragraphs, exercises involving the selection and explanation of evidence, as well as other writing activities, the goal was for students to improve their writing skills within the various areas described above. Student writing was evaluated through the use of a rubric; student scores from their initial TIED paragraph will be compared to another TIED activity conducted at a later point in the class.
Identifying Protein-Protein Interactions of Set3 and Set4 in Budding Yeast
Isabella Justice, Winny Sun
Erin Green, Biological Sciences
This research project focuses on the protein-protein interactions of the SET-domain containing proteins Set3 and Set4. Set3 and Set4 are members of the SET domain-containing protein superfamily, which consists of proteins characterized by the presence of both a PHD finger and SET domain. Set3 and Set4 are known to play roles in the regulation of gene expression in response to environmental challenges through histone modification. Specifically, Set3 and Set4 are implicated in histone deacetylation, with Set3 known to form a complex with histone deacetylases. In particular, the protein complex that Set3 forms with is implicated in fine tuning of gene transcription, and Set4 has been shown to support cell homeostasis in oxidative stress conditions. In order to investigate the protein-protein interactions of Set3 and Set4, we created various mutant yeast strains to have identifiable protein tags and/or genetic knockdowns in order to conduct immunoprecipitation experiments. Once protein expression is verified, mass spectrometry will be used to identify the proteins that Set3 and Set4 interact with. These proteins are important to explore because their human orthologs are implicated in several major disease processes, such as cancer, or neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s, making them of relevant interest for potential therapeutic interventions.
This work was funded, in part, through an Undergraduate Research Award from the UMBC Division of Undergraduate Academic Affairs.
Elucidating Interactions Between the HIV-1 RRE and the Viral Proteins Rev and Gag
Arjun Kanjarpane, Lucia Rodriguez1
1Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, UMBC
Michael Summers, Howard Hughes Medical Institute; Jan Marchant, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, UMBC
The Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) is a retrovirus that causes acquired immunodeficiency syndrome. Current pharmaceuticals control HIV, although medication acquisition, compliance, and viral mutations present ongoing issues. To aid nuclear export of unspliced and incompletely spliced HIV RNA transcripts, the HIV-1 genome codes for Rev, an RNA-binding protein translated in early phases of viral replication. Later, Rev re-enters the nucleus and binds these transcripts via the Rev Response Element (RRE). This complex is exported into the cytoplasm where the RNA is made available for packaging and translation. The RRE also interacts with the nucleocapsid domain of the viral protein Gag. The Rev and Gag binding sites on the RRE are partially determined, however, the Gag-RRE interaction’s biological significance is unclear. This project characterizes the interaction between sections of the RRE, Rev, and Gag, using an RRE construct comprising a part of Stem I, to which both Rev and Gag bind. We used a peptide containing the arginine-rich motif of Rev, and a peptide containing Gag’s nucleocapsid domain. We will describe construct design, sample preparation, and characterization by electrophoretic mobility shift assays and isothermal titration calorimetry. With a concrete understanding of RRE-protein interactions, we can potentially identify conserved HIV drug targets.
This work was funded by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, NIH/NIAID #8 R01AI150498-32, and NIH/NIAID U54 AI540470.
The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Refugees’ Access to Health and Accessibility Resources in the United States
Zulekha Karachiwalla
Foad Hamidi, Information Systems
Refugees represent around 10% of the annual immigration flow in the US (Barrier to Healthcare Access Among Refugees with Disabilities and Chronic Health Conditions Resettled in the US Midwest). In 2021 our research focused on understanding the medical challenges and obstacles to health accessibility within the refugee population in Maryland. Refugees already have an increased probability of having disabilities or mental health challenges, coupled with the impacts of COVID-19, our research focused on learning the impact of the pandemic on existing health challenges (discussed in our previous work) and new obstacles refugees in Maryland are facing. There is a need to better understand the challenges that refugees with disabilities and their families face in host countries during the pandemic and investigate strategies used to overcome them to inform future inclusive pandemic preparedness efforts. In this presentation, we report findings from interviews conducted during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic with four experts who serve refugees in the US. Participants described the impact of the pandemic on refugees, explained challenges that the prevailing political conditions of the time added to refugees’ experiences, and identified several strategies for resilience they experienced in the communities they serve.
This work was funded, in part, through an Undergraduate Research Assistantship Support (URAS) Award from the UMBC Office of the Vice President for Research.
Coverage of Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili and the 2008 Russo-Georgian War in Russian and Ukrainian Print Media
Matthew Kelbaugh
Vira Zhdanovych, Modern Languages, Linguistics, and Intercultural Communication; Randy Kidd, MLLI
Mikheil Saakashvili, former president of Georgia, is a polarizing figure who is central to the region’s debate about whether to westernize or remain in Russia’s orbit. Ukrainian and Russian print media’s coverage of the 2008 Russo-Georgian War reveals stark differences in depicting Georgia’s leader at the time. Portrayals of Saakashvili unveil Georgian and Ukrainian nationalists’ aspirations to withdraw from Russia’s orbit and Russia’s willingness to employ military force to curtail this. Strikingly, the 2008 Russo-Georgian War had similar preliminary patterns to the 2014 Annexation of Crimea and the ongoing violence in eastern Ukraine. In each case Russia wielded political and economic pressure to obstruct nationalistic, Western-leaning politicians’ goals, stirred separatist sentiments, and conducted covert military infiltration into border areas. In both countries, the ideologies of Russian imperialism and pro-Western nationalism were at the forefront. Studying Ukrainian and Russian media’s biases with respect to Saakashvili reveals contrasting sociopolitical zeitgeists in both countries. These sentiments in turn have fueled the current conflict in Ukraine. Ukrainian print media was relatively balanced between depicting pro- and anti-Saakashvili factions, reflecting the country’s own ambivalence toward its Russian neighbor. In contrast, Russian media’s frequently monochromatic condemnation of Saakashvili sought to justify Russian interference in the region.
This work was funded, in part, through an Undergraduate Research Award from the UMBC Division of Undergraduate Academic Affairs.
Upgrading a Bacterial Comparative Genomics Platform
Abigail Kennedy
Ivan Erill, Biological Sciences
Understanding how bacterial transcriptional regulatory networks evolve is paramount to elucidate how these organisms evolve new traits, such as virulence or antibiotic resistance. CGB is a Python library for comparative genomics of transcriptional regulation in bacteria, developed with Python 2, that enables researchers to investigate the evolution of transcriptional regulatory networks. Provided with binding sites for a transcription factor and a set of target genomes, CGB can predict operons, detect orthologs between organisms, create orthologous groups and perform ancestral state reconstruction using those orthologous groups. Python 2 has been deprecated, compromising the long-term usability of CGB. After reviewing the primary literature and familiarizing myself with the existing codebase, I used Python’s 2to3 converter to port CGB from Python 2.7 into Python 3.9, manually corrected mistakes in the conversion, and updated CGB3’s dependencies. I added features to CGB3 such as weighted regulation probability for orthologous groups, the ability to change the size of the orthologous groups, and colorblind compatibility for plots. These changes allow the program to be further customized by users and increase its accessibility. CGB3 meets a growing need for a flexible platform for comparative genomics that does not rely on precomputed databases and complete genome sequences.
Dietary Patterns at Two Colonial Sites in Southern Maryland
Abigail Kennedy
Esther Doyle Read, Ancient Studies; James G Gibb, Smithsonian Environmental Research Center
Faunal remains recovered from Patuxent Point (18CV271) in Calvert County, Maryland, a late 17th-century site located at the confluence of the Patuxent River with the Potomac River, provide insight into Colonial Maryland diets. I compared dietary data from this site with data from the Roberts Site (18CV350), an early 18th-century inland site farther up the Patuxent River, to gain an understanding of colonial dietary practices and how household location affected access to food and nutrition. I identified the faunal remains (bones) from Feature 2 at Patuxent Point using a type collection to identify element and taxon. I combined this information with data from Feature 1 at Patuxent Point and to previously analyzed dietary data recovered from the Roberts Site. Dietary data include faunal, floral, and vessel remains. The data suggest that the dietary habits at Patuxent Point were heavily reliant on sheepshead fish and hogs, in contrast to white perch, catfish, and cattle at the Roberts site. Vessel remains will help determine how food stuffs were prepared for eating and for long-term storage. Household location during the Colonial period affected access to food much as current household location may have an effect on access to food.
Computational Discovery of New Functional Materials for Energy Generation and Storage
Aaliyah Khan
Joseph Bennett, Chemistry and Biochemistry
The need for more ferroelectric and antiferroelectric materials is driven by the search for new and more efficient renewable energy technology. Ferroelectrics are materials with polar ground states whose polarization can be switched via an electric field through a higher-symmetry intermediate state. Antiferroelectrics have an antipolar ground state close in energy to a ferroelectric state. We previously identified candidate ferroelectrics and antiferroelectrics in the family of known A2BX3 materials, characterized their potential energy landscapes, and investigated new compositions. Our methodology resulted in the identification of multiple candidate antiferroelectrics, both known and as yet to be synthesized. Here we determine the dynamical stability of our proposed antiferroelectric materials by using first-principles calculations to obtain both spectroscopic information and dielectric properties. We generate phonon dispersion curves and perform vibrational mode analysis for multiple compositions. We use calculations to discern whether or not a composition is dynamically stable and can be potentially synthesized, and to provide guidance on how to use compositional tuning to adjust the energy it takes to induce phase transitions in our new functional materials.
This work used the Extreme Science and Engineering Discovery Environment (XSEDE), which is supported by National Science Foundation grant number ACI-1548562 through allocation ID TG-CHE190075. The hardware used in some of the computational studies is part of the UMBC High Performance Computing Facility (HPCF). The facility is supported by the U.S. National Science Foundation through the MRI program (grant nos. CNS-0821258, CNS-1228778, and OAC-1726023) and the SCREMS program (grant no. DMS-08213.
Gabby Khan, Kaela Chen, Desmond Oliver, Andrew Carleo, Leanna Byrum, Barsat Thapa
Eric Jordan, Visual Arts
Dungeon Falling is a fun, co-operative game experience where friends can connect and play a fighting game together. The game’s main mechanics and interesting features revolve around 3 player multiplayer gameplay on separate computers with an all out, rouge-like brawl that all players participate in. The goal is for the trio of players to defeat all the enemies in the dungeon room they woke up in, and then vote for which hole to go down to leave the room they are trapped in (thus falling through the dungeon). Players all have different abilities in the game with strengths and weaknesses they will work together to overcome. In terms of team development, artists made various 2D and 3D assets of the game and utilized art software such as Photoshop and Procreate for character and world design. Programmers worked in Unreal Engine to design levels, program character and enemy characteristics, and code the framework for the world: a randomly spawning room system for players to proceed with every time they beat a level. Programmers were also tasked with enabling multiplayer gameplay through servers. We will present Dungeon Falling as well as the challenges and efforts put together as a team.
Konglish’s Implications of South Korean Culture
Gina Khan
Kyung-Eun Yoon, Modern Languages, Linguistics, and Intercultural Communication
This research investigates the emergence and influence of English in the Korean lexicon, with a focus on the Korean public’s reaction to this linguistic development in their native language. Konglish is a mix of English and Korean widely spoken in South Korea; it is a unique addition to the Korean language that has emerged through contact with English speakers and learners and through the necessity to be involved in global business (Fayzrakmanova 2016). This research analyzes the Korean public’s reaction to Konglish to discover implications about Korean culture. Utilizing academic sources about history as background, and previous studies identifying public opinion, this research analyzes a variety of responses and commentary on Konglish. The variety of opinions expressed distinguishes the multidimensionality of Korean culture. The findings of this study suggest that Korean people hold a strong sense of language purism, historical, and cultural pride. The findings also suggest an openness to globalization and undeniable creativity among the Korean population. Findings such as these will aid further research concerning how language communities react to linguistic changes and development in their native tongues.
This work was funded, in part, through an Undergraduate Research Award from the UMBC Division of Undergraduate Academic Affairs.
Using Computer Aided Methods to Quantify Expression of Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Proliferative Markers
Madi Kore
Nykia Walker, Biological Sciences
Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is one of the three types of breast cancer that is negative for estrogen and progesterone receptors, as well as protein human epidermal growth factor (HER2). TNBC accounts for 10-15% of all breast cancers. The Walker Lab is focused on determining the expression of two antibodies, Ki67 and Topo II α in tumor tissue. Ki67 is a nuclear protein that has been established as a prognostic indicator of cancer. Topo II α is an enzyme involved in DNA replication and transcription. To explore our question, we used tissue sections from four mouse models. Using direct immunofluorescence staining and confocal microscopy, we captured images of the tissue slides at 63x magnification. Fluorescence intensity of the two antibodies was measured and compared between tumor tissue and non-tumor tissue slides using a software tool called ImageJ. Fluorescence intensity was measured for a total of 1000+ cells. Fluorescent intensity of each stain correlates to a higher expression of that antibody in the tissue slide. Our results indicate a greater average fluorescence intensity for the Ki67 stain in comparison to Topo II α. Future research should be directed towards artificial intelligence mediated analysis as an alternative to manually counting cells.
Categorizing Errors to Improve Learning Outcomes
Erin Kosloski, Meghan Ceribo-Singh
Mirela Cengher, Psychology
We are conducting a systematic literature review to learn how behavior-analytic researchers categorize errors. Our ultimate goal is to use this information to develop a technology of evaluating and correcting errors that occur when people learn new information. Following the guidelines of the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses statement, we conducted a systematic review of studies which categorize and correct errors made by participants during Applied Behavior Analysis treatment. During every keyword search, we analyzed each abstract to determine whether it met the inclusion criteria; we are now conducting a full-text review of the studies to ensure that they actually meet criteria. Finally, we will conduct data analysis. For each article that meets the criteria, we will extract bibliographic information, participant information, experimental setting, methodology, and results. Out of 1,287 total results across twelve searches, seventy-seven articles met our inclusion criteria based on their abstracts. We are conducting full-text reviews and extracting and analyzing that data. Thus far, many articles which appeared to meet criteria based on their abstracts do not actually fall within the parameters for our study, and even those that do tend to analyze errors in very specific, rather than easily generalizable, ways.
This work was funded, in part, through an Undergraduate Research Award from the UMBC Division of Undergraduate Academic Affairs.
Brinkmanship and Bluffing: A Comparative Analysis
Esenam Kpodo
Brigid Starkey, Political Science
Successful management of high-stakes negotiations is an essential area of research. There are three levels of analysis in International Relations theory: the individual, the state, and the system. The Cuban Missile Crisis is used in this research as the classic example of successful presidential decision-making in a high-pressure environment of nuclear brinkmanship. Using comparative case study analysis, Donald Trump’s brinkmanship in the denuclearization talks of 2018 is compared to John Kennedy’s in 1962. Actor rationality and threat credibility are key variables in addition to a variety of negotiation contextual factors including an understanding of the two-level game, a willingness to engage in reciprocity, and trust in the counterpart’s desire for de-escalation of the crisis. Findings of this research point to notions of manufactured crisis and deployment of the so-called madman hypothesis in the Trump-Kim case. The Singapore Summit will not be a classic in the study of diplomacy but it does point to important realities about nuclear brinkmanship in the 21st century.
This work was funded, in part, through an Undergraduate Research Award from the UMBC Division of Undergraduate Academic Affairs.
Negligence, Factionalism, and the Formative Period of the Communist Party of Germany
Tyler Kruzshak
Brian Van Wyck, History
Toward the end of the First World War, many Germans began calling for peace and turned what had started as minor political factionalism on the German left in 1914 into general organizing against the war resulting in the Revolution of 1918. Though the revolution overturned the political system, the left was unable to take power in Germany. Analyzing letters, speeches, party platforms, and photographs from 1918 to 1919, this paper attempts to understand why this was the case. It focuses especially on Rosa Luxemburg, who influenced the mass exodus of radicals from the Socialist Party of Germany to the Communist Party of Germany (KPD) and attempted to guide the KPD toward electoralism with the purpose of building what she deemed to be the necessary conditions for a revolution in Germany. However, continued factional issues in the KPD regarding electoralism, and rash violence by communist agitators undermined the electoralist position and led to Luxemburg’s death. This paper demonstrates the difficulties involved in leftist coalition building and argues that KPD factionalism led to revolutionary violence that was not fully supported by many communists and ostracized it from many Germans leaving the party unable to gain broad support for their revolutionary agenda.
The Salman Rushdie Affair, Multiculturalism, and the Emergence of British Muslims
Matthew Langfitt
Brian Van Wyck, History
As media became more readily available, people became increasingly aware of group identities. Once states became aware of the usefulness of identity in politics, they began to consciously construct and encourage the formation of group identities. The Salman Rushdie affair, in which Rushdie’s novel The Satanic Verses (1988) was accused of anti-Islamic blasphemy, provides a unique case study for the construction of identity. Muslims in Britain came under intense, national scrutiny almost overnight and entirely unexpectedly. Muslims had lived in Britain for centuries, but until February 1989 had seldom been thought of as a group, since Britons had largely termed people by class and race under socialist and multicultural thought. Relying primarily on press articles, public statements, and manifestos made in response to the Salman Rushdie affair, this paper reveals that multiculturalism severely inhibited Briton’s ability to communicate with its Muslim population. Nonetheless, a thorough foray into the media of this time reveals that responses to the Salman Rushdie affair were more varied and nuanced across the political spectrum than is often assumed, and that British Muslims were forced to reckon with a new identity being thrust upon them, regardless of their feelings toward Salman Rushdie.
Understanding How Natural Reinforcers Regulate Spatial & Contextual Learning & Examining the Associated Sex Differences
Se Rin Lee, Maya Tondravi
Tara LeGates, Biological Sciences
Natural reinforcers, such as rewards and aversive stimuli, drive behavior, by increasing the chance of repeating actions paired with a positive outcome, and decreasing the chance of repeating actions paired with a negative outcome. Thus, neural circuitry regulating reward and aversion-related behaviors has been conserved through evolutionary pressure, as reward and aversion drive appetitive-seeking and social behavior crucial for survival, as well as avoidance of noxious stimuli. In order for this behavior to be facilitated, spatial and contextual information must be encoded and stored in the hippocampus. However, current literature shows a gap in understanding regarding the role of the hippocampus in active avoidance behavior, as well as sex differences in reward, aversion, social and appetitive based hippocampal-dependent learning processes. Here, we used the Conditioned Place Preference and Conditioned Place Aversion paradigms to assess contextual learning, as well as the Barnes maze to assess spatial learning, using appetitive rewards, social rewards, and aversive environments in each paradigm while identifying the associated sex differences. By characterizing how natural reinforcers and sex influence spatial and contextual learning, this may provide insight into substance abuse disorders, as well as anxiety disorders and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, of which hippocampal-dependent learning has been implicated.
This work was funded, in part, through an Undergraduate Research Award from the UMBC Division of Undergraduate Academic Affairs.
The Histological and Proteomic Effects of Hoxb13 Deletion in Mouse Prostate and Bulbourethral Glands
Logan Lineburg, Shuaishuai Liu1
1Biological Sciences, UMBC
Charles Bieberich, Biological Sciences
Prostate cancer is the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths among men in the United States. Variants of the hoxb13 gene are associated with an increased incidence and mortality from prostate cancer. Still, the exact function of the Hoxb13 protein in the context of tumorigenesis and progression is poorly understood. Preliminary histological analysis of hoxb13-knockout (B13KO) prostate glands revealed features that resembled a distinct urethral gland (bulbourethral gland) that lacks Hoxb13 expression and rarely develops cancer. We hypothesize that deletion of the hoxb13 gene may alter mouse prostate gland development to resemble the mouse bulbourethral gland and be resistant to tumorigenesis. To test this hypothesis, we dissected B13KO and wild-type prostate and bulbourethral glands for histological and proteomics analyses. Mass spectrometry was performed to create volcano plots and protein heat maps. We have identified unique structural features and changes in several protein abundances for B13KO mice compared to the wild-type. Together, these data help elucidate the role of Hoxb13 in prostate gland development and malignancies and may help identify novel therapeutic targets.
This work was funded, in part, through an Undergraduate Research Award from the UMBC Division of Undergraduate Academic Affairs.
The Port of Baltimore Through a Lens of Abolition Ecologies
Vendela Lundgren
Dillon Mahmoudi, Geography and Environmental Systems
Research on Baltimore’s history tends to focus on the pivotal role that the ports played in connecting the United States to Europe, Africa, and South America. Yet most of this research fails to dovetail Baltimore’s history with the significant role that race played in resource extraction. To fully understand this dimension, we must reframe Baltimore’s history in a way which simultaneously engages its history with insights from economic geography, abolition ecologies, and racial capitalism. Building from archival sources spanning Baltimore’s history, this presentation focuses on sugar and the social relations and global connections that become visible in shaping the city from the establishment of the sugar industry. The presentation traces how the different commodities—like slaves, sugar, tobacco, cotton, grain, petroleum, and coal—were traded through the ports, and how these different commodities necessitated particular regimes of labor, social relations, and spatial structures to fuel accumulation within the Port of Baltimore. Thus, we show the relationship between the economic and industrial development in the City of Baltimore during the 19th century, and how it has perpetuated racial capitalism and racialized structures seen in the geographic divide today.
This work was funded, in part, through an Undergraduate Research Award from the UMBC Division of Undergraduate Academic Affairs.
The Impact of Vaping on the Integrity of the Olfactory Epithelium
Sahar Mahate, Terence Lesigues
Weihong Lin, Biological Sciences
Vaping or e-cigarette usage has become increasingly more common among youth, but it has many negative effects, including olfactory dysfunction, that need to be studied further. The effect of vaping on olfactory epithelium has further implications on the health of e-cigarette users. The olfactory epithelium in the nose can be an entry point for pathogens, and damage to olfactory epithelium may increase susceptibility to certain infections, including viruses such as SARS-CoV-2. In order to better understand the impact of vaping on the olfactory system, the main olfactory epithelium (MOE) of mice exposed to e-cigarette aerosol was collected. The integrity of the olfactory epithelium was studied through histological and immunohistochemical analysis, and control olfactory epithelium was used for comparison. Currently, we are in the process of using cell stereology and measurements to determine the impact of e-cigarette aerosol on olfactory epithelium. These findings will be essential in informing the public on risks associated with e-cigarette usage.
This work was funded, in part, through an Undergraduate Research Award from the UMBC Division of Undergraduate Academic Affairs.
Evaluation of NIH Policy Development Process
Sahar Mahate
Katie Vance, National Cancer Institute (NCI)
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has a history of investment in data sharing largely driven by policy implementation, but even with all the preexisting data sharing policies, a significant quantity of NIH research data was not being shared, necessitating an updated policy. The first agency-wide program established to increase sharing of research data was the NIH Data Sharing Policy released in 2003. NIH and other federal leaders recognized that gaps in this policy needed to be filled in order to improve adherence and further drive data sharing of federally funded research, spurring the development of the Final NIH Policy for Data Management and Sharing. This new policy was released in 2020 and will go into effect in January 2023. The purpose of this project was to critically evaluate the development and implementation of agency-wide NIH Policy for Data Management and Sharing by outlining the timeline and process and comparing it to the institute-level National Cancer Institute Moonshot PADS Policy from 2017 as a representative example. This evaluation was used to establish guidelines for developing effective data sharing policies, such as transparency and public outreach in the policy development process, prolonged implementation for policy infrastructure establishment, and improved enforcement mechanisms.
Developing a Neural Network Model to Predict Algal Blooms on the Surface of Lake Erie
Rohan Mandayam
Pengwang Zhai, Physics
The concentration of chlorophyll-A phytoplankton on the surface of Lake Erie was determined using the visible and near-infrared remote-sensing reflectance obtained from NASA’s EPIC spectroradiometer. The correlation between the remote-sensing reflectance and the chlorophyll-A concentration obtained from two other NASA satellites, the Aqua MODIS as well as the VIIRS Radiometer, was analyzed. A neural network model was developed to predict the chlorophyll-A concentration accurately using the remote-sensing reflectance. Using these predictions, a temporal analysis was performed in order to identify algal blooms on the surface of Lake Erie. Data from 2016 to 2018 was used for this analysis.
This work was funded, in part, through an Undergraduate Research Award from the UMBC Division of Undergraduate Academic Affairs.
Sameer Masri
Corrie Parks, Visual Arts
In November 2020 I had to get surgery due to a spontaneous pneumothorax, because it was the second time my lung had collapsed. This animation is a self portrait, and a combination of my first and second lung collapse. The first time my lung collapsed was more or less because of smoking but not declared the cause. In the animation I made it the direct cause. The animation is 28 seconds long, it starts off with the main character, me, smoking and having my lung collapse. It then proceeds to go through my journey in the hospital and the pain I had to endure at the end of the process. I used toon boom harmony, a vector based program to create the animation, and it took me about 75 hours to create this. I used color to make the animation look fetching and to emphasize the emotions and feeling.
Choreographing Intersectionality: A Compositional Exploration of the Challenges Black Women Face
Kayla Massey
Shaness Kemp, Dance
As a Black Woman, I create work that reflects my life experiences. The purpose of my research was to highlight experiences commonly shared by Black women and show how they may impact one’s mental and emotional health. During my research, a theme emerged; insecurities. I analyzed insecurities typically experienced by young Black girls, myself included. One’s initial sense of self is formed at a time in life where you’re most vulnerable; where any negative remark can shift how you view yourself, no matter how untrue it is. My research project was a choreographed work that addressed common insecurities known to have been developed by many Black women during childhood. Many of which involved their physical features. As a result, Black women typically find themselves battling another level of self-consciousness that may develop as they enter adolescence and follow them into adulthood. Ironically, however, the same features that young Black girls are insecure about, are the same features that are objectified and fetishized in society, particularly by people of other ethnic groups. I understand the work I’ve created is merely a starting point. I anticipate revisiting this work for further exploration, while still celebrating who I have become throughout the process.
This work was funded, in part, through an Undergraduate Research Award from the UMBC Division of Undergraduate Academic Affairs.
Structural and Functional Mechanisms of Endogenous Pain Modulation: A Literature Review
Gillian McCarthy
Raimi Quiton, Psychology
Endogenous pain modulation (EPM) is the mechanism the brain employs in order to reduce pain and prevent hyperalgesia. Chronic pain may result when the neural pathways underlying EPM are not functioning effectively. Structural and functional alterations to the brain are associated with the EPM dysfunction. Researchers have found poorer EPM is correlated with decreases in gray matter, decreased activity in the cortical and subcortical regions and increased activity in brainstem regions. Conditioned pain modulation, a laboratory measure of the function of EPM systems, has been shown to be poorer in individuals with chronic pain and has also been used as a tool to explore chronic pain treatments, including mindfulness and medication. Understanding the functional and structural differences in the brain that are associated with chronic pain and dysfunctional EPM is a critical step toward finding ways to predict and potentially prevent these changes. These findings have been examined in this review.
Spectroscopic Investigation of Metal-ligand Complexation of Tetracyclines with Magnesium and Calcium
Chelsea Mikal
Lee Blaney, Chemical, Biochemical, and Environmental Engineering; Michael Rose , Department of Chemical, Biochemical and Environmental Engineering, UMBC
Tetracyclines are a major class of antibiotics used to treat bacterial infections. These antibiotics enter the natural environment via wastewater effluent because municipal treatment plants only remove a fraction of the antibiotics excreted in human waste. During wastewater disinfection with ultraviolet light, tetracyclines undergo partial phototransformation. However, divalent metals, such as Ca2+ and Mg2+, form metal-ligand complexes with tetracyclines. These metal complexes have unique photochemical properties compared to the uncomplexed tetracycline species. In this work, we examined the absorbance spectra of doxycycline, minocycline, and oxytetracycline to characterize metal binding sites. Experimental solutions contained 35 µM of a single tetracycline, 10 mM tris buffer adjusted to pH 6.5 or 8.5, and 0–1 mM Ca(ClO4)2 and/or Mg(ClO4)2. Experimental pH values were chosen to test the zwitterionic (pH 6.5) and anionic (pH 8.5) forms of the tetracycline antibiotics. Bathochromic shifts around 370 nm were typically observed with increasing pH, indicating changes in electron density at the tetracycline pharmacophore. Calcium diminished the bathochromic shift of oxytetracycline but enhanced that of doxycycline. Magnesium enhanced the bathochromic shift of doxycycline. Minocycline absorbance was less sensitive to calcium and magnesium. These specific interactions demonstrate the importance of tetracycline molecular structure to their metal-ligand binding patterns.
This work was funded, in part, by National Science Foundation
Identification of TonB-mediated Iron Transporters in the Gram-negative Bacterium Cellvibrio Japonicus
Alexandra Misciagna
Jeffrey Gardner, Biological Sciences
Iron is an essential nutrient for bacterial growth and plays a crucial role in oxidation-reduction reactions necessary for bacterial survival. Despite its nutritional importance, iron is often limited in the environment and consequently bacteria have developed sophisticated mechanisms to acquire it. One such mechanism in Gram-negative bacteria employs TonB-dependent transporters (TDBTs), which are multi-protein complexes with inner and outer membrane components. Interestingly, some bacteria such as the respiratory pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa, have over 30 TBDTs, however, the specific substrates for these transporters remain unknown. In a related, but non-pathogenic bacterium, the saprophyte, Cellvibrio japonicus, we have identified 44 TBDTs. We have recently completed a transcriptomic analysis of C. japonicus and found 11 TBDTs that were up-regulated under low iron conditions. Additionally, we identified 29 operons predicted to be involved in iron transport including 9 with a TBDT. We are currently characterizing the functions of identified TBDTs using mutational analysis with a long-term goal being the construction of a model for iron metabolism in C. japonicus. More broadly, a better understanding of iron transport mechanisms may have biomedical applications, such as the treatment of Pseudomonas aeruginosa infections.
This work was funded, in part, through an Undergraduate Research Award from the UMBC Division of Undergraduate Academic Affairs. This work was funded by the U.S Department of Energy, Office of Science, Office of Biological and Environmental Research under Award Number DE-SC0014183. Research reported in this publication was also supported by the National Institute of General Medicine of the National Institute of Health under Award Numbers RL5GM118987, UL1GM118988, TL4GM118989, 5TL4GM118989, 5UL1G.
Impact of Bias on Birdsong Research: Male and Female Syllable Categorization in Orchard Orioles
D’Juan Moreland
Kevin Omland, Biological Sciences
Much of birdsong research focused primarily on male song. Recently researchers have documented that most songbird species have female song, and now more attention is addressing the knowledge gap between male and female birdsong. For example, little is known about the form and function of female syllables as compared to males. We categorized syllables of male and female Orchard Orioles to better understand the function of song in females. We first categorized a syllable repertoire for males and females. We used 20 males and 16 females and selected three songs from each for syllable categorization. Using sound analysis software Raven Pro, we divided each song into syllables and visually categorized and labeled them into syllable types. We will then conduct a statistical comparison of syllable similarity between males and females which will provide insight into the function of female song. Ultimately, we hope to compare syllable use in the local Orchard Oriole to syllable use in the tropical Bahama Oriole. This research provides greater insight into an area of birdsong research that was long neglected.
This investigation was sponsored by the U-RISE Program at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC), which is supported by the National Institute of General Medical Sciences, National Institutes of Health (NIGMS/NIH) under National Research Service Award T34 GM 136497.
Differentiating Genetic Manipulations in Drosophila Flies to Investigate Synaptic Refinement
Fanny Morfin-Reyes, Claudia Gualtieri1
1Biological Sciences, UMBC
Fernando Vonhoff, Biological Sciences
Drosophila flies have developed nociceptive (pain sensing) neurons that are associated with other sensory neurons such as mechanosensory neurons (pressure sensors). The nociceptive neurons are connected to interneurons called basins 2 and 4 which help build a stereotypic axon ladder structure in the central nervous system present in wild-type larvae. Meanwhile, the mechanosensory neurons are connected to basins 1 through 4. Our study focuses on the mechanism of synapse refinement which is the reorganization of synaptic partners during early stages of nervous system development. We hypothesize that nociceptive neurons would connect with basins 1 and 3 as well as 2 and 4 in early development stages, to test whether synaptic refinement mechanism regulates the precise connectivity with basins 2 and 4. The methodologies used are micro-dissection of larvae to expose the nervous system and image their neuroanatomy using a confocal microscope. The larvae express a genetic tool called green fluorescent protein (GFP) to highlight the ladder-like structure of the VNC. The anatomical views of the nociceptive ladder-like structure will change depending on the genetic mutation used. To conclude, in the future this model will be utilized to test a variety of mutations and their possible involvement in autism.
This work was funded, in part, through an Undergraduate Research Award from the UMBC Division of Undergraduate Academic Affairs.
Identifying the Barriers Towards Access to Social Services Amongst Immigrants in the Baltimore Community
Amina Musa
Kerri Evans, Social Work
This research study was designed to investigate barriers that service providers encountered when providing resources in the Baltimore area, specifically those that target the immigrant community. Baltimore is a diverse region in which 8% are foreign born (US Census Bureau, 2021). Of those, 40.8% of foreign born residents are Latin American, 21.2% are Asian, and 18.9% are African (US Census Bureau, 2019). In order to gain a better understanding of the barriers, a qualitative document analysis framework was used to deductively code over 110 websites (Bowen, 2009). Interviews were then conducted with individuals who had first hand experience in helping immigrants access resources. Using Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs as a framework, the results show that services available to meet the needs of immigrants include housing programs (12 organizations), food support (10 organizations), clothing programs (2 organizations), and financial wellbeing services (8 organizations). These resources are a crucial part in the integration of these individuals and thus impacts access to life opportunities. Identifying the gaps and barriers is an essential first step in creating and implementing culturally competent interventions.
This work was funded, in part, through an Undergraduate Research Assistantship Support (URAS) Award from the UMBC Office of the Vice President for Research.
3d Printing Modular Amino Acid Components to Create Polypeptide Models
Mickey Muscalli
Stephen Freeland, Individualized Study; Tagide deCarvalho, Department of Biological Sciences, UMBC
The use of tangible 3D models as teaching tools is a historically accepted approach to deepening one’s understanding of the complex physical realities that underlie abstract chemical structures. 3D printing represents an increasingly cheap and approachable method to producing these models and helping students and researchers alike bridge the gap between abstract understanding and physical reality. There have been past efforts to apply this method and philosophy toward the understanding of amino acid polypeptide structures and their underlying Φ (Phi) and Ψ (Psi) rotational angles. However, these attempts necessitated specific concessions be made in their design; namely, abstractions in the spatial dimensions for amino acid backbone components reduced the steric accuracy of the models in exchange for greater readability. To improve on this approach, we created a series of sterically accurate chemical models which can be assembled into polypeptide chains of any size. These models accurately represent amino acid backbone and side-chain spatial characteristics, while also allowing for free rotation along each pair of phi and psi angles. In order to facilitate future research, we also outlined a detailed creation pipeline through which any amino acid structure could be taken from a structural formula to a workable, printed 3d model.
This work was funded, in part, through an Undergraduate Research Award from the UMBC Division of Undergraduate Academic Affairs.
Determining the Genomic Drivers of Polystyrene Nanoparticle Interactions in Cancer Cells
Rachel Myers, Dr. Paula T. Hammond1
1Chemical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Joelle Straehla, Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Cancer nanomedicine is a promising venture for the delivery of therapeutics to cancerous tissue, as nanoparticles (NP) can be designed to increase circulation time, reduce early degradation and clearance, improve specificity, and lower off-target effects of encapsulated agents. However, the high variability between cancer cell lines presents a challenge in understanding which NP surface chemistries result in successful nanoparticle engagement, penetration, and payload delivery. This project focuses on using machine learning algorithms to determine the genomic drivers of NP-cancer cell interactions observed in a massively parallel pooled screening. Here, we explore techniques to translate the high-throughput cell screening data into informative genomic nanoparticle trafficking networks. Random forest algorithms, k-means clustering, and protein-protein interaction databases are employed to identify candidate biomarkers and pathways important for interactions between polystyrene nanoparticles and cancer cells across many lineages. This novel paradigm to study NP-cell interactions may provide an efficient, genomics-based approach to design nanocarriers for cancer treatment.
This research was funded, in part, by a grant to UMBC from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute through the Pre-college and Undergraduate Science Education Program.
Influence of COVID-19 on First-Generation vs. Non-First-Generation UMBC Undergraduate Students’ Academic Success
Jane Nam, Jeniffer Khorsandian, Sarah Turner, Samantha Galczyk, Diane Placide
Susan Sonnenschein , Psychology
The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the academic success and well-being of college students (Lederer et al., 2020). This study examines first-generation college students’ academic success while taking courses virtually during fall 2020 during COVID-19 because they have been a notable group for experiencing academic difficulties (Chen & Carroll, 2005, as cited in Martinez, 2021). An online survey was emailed to UMBC undergraduate students during spring 2021. We received 126 first-generation and 304 non-first-generation responses. The survey included questions about different factors that could positively or negatively affect self-reported GPA, as well as demographic questions. The different factors are based on Byrnes and Miller’s (2007) opportunity/propensity model. This included family support, peer support, institutional support, supportive professors, home environment, access to technology, financial stress, mental health, motivation, and engagement. Being a first-generation college student did not predict academic success, but there were differences between the two groups on other factors. First-generation students scored significantly higher in academic motivation and engagement but did not have higher GPAs. They also reported lower home environments, access to technology scores, and greater financial stress. The descriptive results can help colleges develop programs for first-generation students to succeed in college during unprecedented times.
This work was funded, in part, through an Undergraduate Research Award from the UMBC Division of Undergraduate Academic Affairs.
Analyzing Academic Success in Disadvantaged vs. Advantaged UMBC Undergraduate Students
Jane Nam, Jeniffer Khorsandian, Sarah Turner, Samantha Galczyk, Diane Placide
Susan Sonnenschein, Psychology
The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the marginalized population with particularly less potential access to resources and opportunities (Kantamneni, 2020). This study examined the marginalized undergraduate students at UMBC and how they have performed academically during the fall 2020 semester when instruction was virtual due to COVID-19. Students were emailed an online survey. The survey items included different factors, based on Byrnes and Miller’s (2007) opportunity/propensity model, that could potentially affect academic success. These included family support, peer support, institutional support, supportive professors, home environment, access to technology, financial stress, mental health, motivation, and engagement. Marginalized groups (N=172) were defined as Asian, Black, and Latinx; non-marginalized (N=206) were White (Kantamneni, 2020). Financial stress was a negative predictor of GPA for marginalized students whereas online student engagement was a positive predictor of GPA for non-marginalized ones. Marginalized students reported significantly higher school support, motivation, and financial stress than non-marginalized. Non-marginalized students reported greater mental stress, but reported higher GPAs than marginalized students. These results show that marginalized and non-marginalized students have different predictors for academic success, something which should be considered as colleges develop programs to assist students during these times.
Julia Nau, Toni Olafunmiloye, Max Hartley, Matt Hustead, Maddie Holbrook, Jet Thompson, Grace Lawrence
Marc Olano, Computer Science and Electrical Engineering
Lost & Found is a 2D side-scrolling RPG set in a private high school run by a mysterious club called the “Seekers”. A transfer student named Blair joins the club in hopes of improving her social status by completing quests for fellow students. The tasks grow increasingly morally questionable, and Blair must carefully consider how far she’s willing to go for the sake of popularity. Working together on Lost & Found has taught us teamwork and conflict resolution strategies, as well as time management skills. Developing these abilities in a cooperative, productive setting means we retain them well and know how to apply them practically. Each of us has gained knowledge and experience in our particular roles.
Determining the Link Between Nutrient Availability and Ovarian Cancer Metastasis
Nithya Navarathna, Kathryn Wardrup1
1Biological Sciences, UMBC
Achuth Padmanabhan, Biological Sciences
Ovarian cancer continues to be the fifth leading cause of cancer-associated deaths among women in the United States, with an extremely low survival rate (<30%). The lack of early reliable diagnostic markers cause most patients to have metastatic disease at diagnosis, highlighting the urgent need to understand factors that drive metastasis and develop clinically translatable therapeutics. Since cancer metastasis is highly dependent on the nutrients available in the tumor microenvironment, studying this can provide key insights into the pathways / regulatory mechanisms of metastatic factors. Additionally, the transcription factor Zinc Finger Protein 217 (ZNF217) is known to have an established role in driving ovarian cancer metastasis. Although ZNF217’s regulatory mechanisms are poorly understood, preliminary data in the lab suggests that glucose regulates cellular ZNF217 levels. I will determine how nutrient availability, specifically glucose and glutamine, impact ZNF217 levels and contribute to ovarian cancer metastasis. This will be accomplished by investigating the effects of various serum glucose and glutamine concentrations on ZNF217 levels (quantitative RT-PCR and Western blot analysis), and on cell migration, invasion, adhesion, and viability. In conclusion, my work will help understand the effects of nutrient availability, specifically glucose and glutamine, on ZNF217 and ovarian cancer metastasis.
This work was funded, in part, through an Undergraduate Research Award from the UMBC Division of Undergraduate Academic Affairs.
Membrane Selection to Optimize Ammonium Recovery by Donnan Dialysis
Ouriel Ndalamba
Lee Blaney, Chemical, Biochemical, and Environmental Engineering
Nutrient pollution from agricultural runoff and municipal wastewater discharge creates dead zones in surface waters that disrupt aquatic ecosystems. Due to the world’s growing population, new technologies are needed to not only mitigate the environmental effects of nutrient pollution, but also maintain food security. One promising technology is Donnan dialysis, a separation process that can selectively recover nutrients from wastewater or agricultural waste. In particular, we exploited the electrochemical potential gradients across a cation-exchange membrane placed between a sodium chloride (NaCl) draw solution and a waste solution to recover ammonium (NH4+). To optimize the Donnan dialysis system, we experimentally measured fundamental membrane parameters for the CMI-7000 and the Nafion-117 cation-exchange membranes. The first step was to determine the membranes’ affinity for NH4+ by conducting sorption experiments and calculating separation factors. The second step was to evaluate the diffusion coefficients for NH4+ and Na+ in the membranes by modeling the change in NH4+ concentration in the waste solution with the Nernst-Planck equation for 96 h of Donnan dialysis. The two factors will enable us to maximize the rate of NH4+ recovery to enable sustainable production of nitrogen-based fertilizers.
Perceptions of Online Learning and COVID-19 Disruptions Among Undergraduate Meyerhoff Scholars
Ahmad Ndir
Mariano Sto. Domingo, Psychology; Meghan Flynn, Maton Lab, UMBC Psychology Department
The advent of the global pandemic in late 2019 had wide-ranging impacts across the world. Students, in particular, were a vulnerable population that faced a multitude of educational and personal challenges. The current study explores students’ reactions to individual and societal stressors due to COVID-19 and their relationship with sense of community and online learning in the year 2021. A total of 204 undergraduate students completed an online survey in May 2021 (49% cisgender men; 81% self-reported non-White). All students were enrolled at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) at the time of data collection. Participants were members of the Meyerhoff Scholars Program, a program designed to facilitate, enhance, and support the learning experience of underrepresented minority students in the STEM field. We hypothesize that: a) student sense of community will be negatively correlated with perceptions of COVID-19 disruption; that is, the higher students’ sense of community, the less they perceive disruption due to COVID-19, and b) students who reported lower disruptions associated with the COVID-19 pandemic will report positive perceptions of online learning. Correlation, t-tests, and mediation analyses will be conducted to test our hypotheses.
Fruit and the City: Measuring the Accuracy and Bias of Public Science
Sarah Neeves
Dillon Mahmoudi, Geography and Environmental Systems
Participatory science can be a valued method for researchers as it allows for mass data collection. Without participatory science, data may be overly expensive or impossible to obtain. Participatory science data collection can produce biased or inaccurate data if participants are not educated in the subject matter, there is not a wide variety of participants, or if there is not sufficient spatial coverage of data. Using geographic information system applications, this study aims to compare complete public tree inventories to Falling Fruit inventory, a participatory science database for fruit producing trees in urban cities. This presentation will examine for accuracy as well as analyze the spatial patterns of the data to detect spatial biases along lines of income and race/ethnicity. This exploratory study will produce metrics to calculate accuracy and bias of the Falling Fruit database across the largest cities in the United States.
Understanding the Mental Health Impact of Pre-Migration Experiences and How Rohingya URMs Form Bonds on US Resettlement
Nick Nemphos
Kerri Evans, Social Work
The Rohingya people are a persecuted ethnic and religious minority group that live in what is now modern-day Myanmar that researchers know relatively little about. The study began with a systemic review of the literature to examine the living conditions, discriminations faced, and how these often-traumatic events have impacted the mental health of Rohingyas. Next, in partnership with two national refugee resettlement agencies, a series of 10 focus groups with social service providers in the Rohingya Unaccompanied Refugee Minor Foster Care Program were conducted to gather information about how resettled Rohingya youth are adjusting to life here and the ways that they are building social connections and how those connections can lead to a sense of welcome and belonging. The themes that emerged from the data include a desire to live with other Rohingya, bonds with other refugees, bridges with US-born service providers, sharing culture and food, and participation in Muslim community. As events abroad have grown more difficult for the Rohingya we may be seeing more Rohingya URMs settled here in the US in the coming years and this work will help service providers understand their history and better serve them.
This work was funded in part by Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service and the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops/Migration and Refugee Services, two national refugee resettlement agencies.
Exploring Aspects of the Asian American Identity Through Contemporary Poetry
Harley Nguyen
Lia Purpura, English; Emily Yoon Perez, English; Sharon Tran, English
For my project, I wrote a collection of poetry reflecting the ways Asian American identity intersects with important and charged events of 2020 and 2021, particularly the murders of George Floyd and Breeona Taylor. These five topics are: the model minority myth, the history of Asian American women in the United States in regard to violence and hypersexualization, the representation of Asian American people in contemporary media, and finally a reflection about the project about the frustrations of existing as an Asian American writer in predominantly white settings. My research was conducted by looking at news reports, podcasts, and interviews that reflect on contemporary Asian American issues while the creative writing part of the project was conducted by reading and engaging with other major Asian writers who wrote about similar topics. This research will hopefully establish a nuanced perspective of Asian American people in the United States: a diverse group of individuals who are both a victim and complicit in the fabric of racism within the United States. My presentation will be a combination of research and creative work.
This work was funded, in part, through an Undergraduate Research Assistantship Support (URAS) Award from the UMBC Office of the Vice President for Research.
Cultural Heritage Preservation in Vietnam: Recollecting the Missing Pieces and Preserving Cultural Identity
Ivy Nguyen
Christopher Brown, Global Studies
The aim of the study is to analyze issues surrounding cultural preservation in Vietnam. Due to a long history of foreign invasion and territorial disputes between Vietnam and its neighboring countries, many cultural values were already lost to war. Specifically, French imperialism, the collapse of the last monarchy and efforts for modernization left a missing piece in Vietnamese history in terms of cultural development. In attempt to revisit the forgotten period of cultural preservation, I review historical sources about Vietnamese society from the second-to-last dynasty and during French imperialism in Southeast Asia to collect evidences of the disconnection between many Vietnamese generations and their own cultural values. Then, I review literature about Vietnamese society, language and arts in the contemporary period in order to evaluate the importance of cultural preservation with the occurrence of economic renovation while globalization is evolving. Along with governmental efforts to reconstruct historical sites, citizens play a vital role into bringing issues around cultural heritage preservation into attention recently. This research serves as a case study for understanding the roles and responsibilities of citizens in the journey of preserving tradition and values in which prevent a society from becoming a part of a globalization’s homogeneity.
Autonomous Maze Solving Micro-Robot
Abid Niaz, Pranav Papali, Ryan Hagler, Alex Gomes
E F Charles LaBerge, Computer Science and Electrical Engineering
MM22B is a capstone project that involves the designing, constructing, and refining of an autonomous robotic device capable of navigating a maze of unknown configuration. The implications of this project extend to a larger scale, including the development of autonomous and commercial vehicles by means of dedicated hardware with software integration. When forming the final robot, a modular approach serves to merge both the software and hardware operational pieces together. The software module includes programming the interface between sensors and the navigation algorithm. Navigation depends on the implementation of the A* search algorithm. This software processes data received from sensors and encoders, deciding the optimal path for maze traversal. Due to the small scale of this project, a microcontroller is determined to be the optimal hardware solution. The microcontroller allows for a ‘mouse-like’ size robot to traverse the maze. To date, the prototype is constructed and successfully accomplishes the basic requirements of the project, such as movement and object detection. The final goal is to refine the prototype into a completed product that seeks the optimal path for traversal.
Rhyme and Reason Have Returned! The Phantom Tollbooth as Interdisciplinary Allegory
Paul Ocone
Steven McAlpine, Individualized Study
Through textual analysis, this paper approaches Norton Juster’s children’s novel The Phantom Tollbooth as an allegory of the need for interdisciplinary education and research. In the novel’s allegorical form, as the protagonist, Milo, journeys through the Kingdom of Wisdom, he is bewildered by the characters he meets, who represent specialized forms of knowledge and navel gaze in disciplinary silos. Milo doesn’t see any rhyme and reason in the knowledge created by these self-interested characters; indeed, the Princesses Rhyme and Reason are missing, leaving the land topsy-turvy. It is only through the integration and re-unification of knowledge that the demons can be defeated and Rhyme and Reason restored. Additionally, Milo, who is a disaffected and unenthusiastic student at the beginning of the story, is able to find a love of learning and knowledge. However, there are elements in the narrative that romanticize colonial conquest; considering these problematic elements, a postcolonial reading of the text highlights the need for epistemological pluralism in the revaluation of indigenous knowledge traditions. Thus, this paper argues that The Phantom Tollbooth can serve as a guiding light for interdisciplinary practice and a reminder of the urgent need for integration in education and in research.
Contested Spaces: Negotiating Social Norms in Online Fandom
Paul Ocone
Bambi Chapin, Sociology and Anthropology
This presentation explores the construction of online fan spaces and their cultures. In particular, the research addresses questions of how fans create and negotiate social norms within virtual participatory fan spaces, as well as how they integrate and navigate diverse attachments to the objects of their fandom. To complete this project, I used digital ethnographic methods including participant observation within an online space in which fans discuss and share their interests. I also conducted one informational interview with a forum leader and a person-centered interview focused on one fan’s experience. This study demonstrates how social norms and the affordances of social media platforms intersect to influence how fans interact as they negotiate conflict and difference. This project thus speaks to broader conversations in fan studies about conflicts in fandom, as well as discussions in anthropology about conflict, cultural norms and values, and difference.
Could Cryoprotective Genes from Freeze-Tolerant Organisms be the Key to Longer Preservation of Human Organs?
Ezinne Oguguo
Ed Boyden, Biology
Today, only 10% of the global need for organ transplantation is met. Organs can be kept cool on ice for 12-24 hours after surgical removal, allowing a short time window for transplantation. Studying nature’s diverse pool of freeze-tolerant organisms, we aim to identify promising cryoprotective molecules that could allow the cryopreservation of human cells. To develop a high-throughput phenotypic screen to identify novel cryoprotective genes, a bioinformatics analysis was conducted using multiple sequence alignment, Hidden Markov model (HMM)-based homology search, sequence clustering and literature analysis. We established collaborations with various species experts to gather tissue samples of freeze-tolerant organisms to build entire genome and transcriptome libraries. We proposed to use a survival screen upon freeze/thaw cycle with the human embryonic kidney cells(HEK293). To determine the baseline for survival, HEK cells were frozen in the presence and absence of the common cryoprotectant, dimethyl sulfoxide(DMSO) and upon thawing, 0.3% to 74.4% of the cells survived, respectively. Our goal is to analyze the cells that have the survival rate similar to the cells frozen with DMSO and identify which genes from our libraries are expressed in these cells. Ultimately, promising candidates identified from this screen could provide new mechanisms to advance organ cryopreservation.
The Distorted Self: An Interactive Exploration of Identity and Self-Perception
Phoebe Oh
Evan Tedlock, Visual Arts
This interactive installation allows guests to see and interact with their reflection. Their movements and behaviors can trigger distortions in their reflection, which is captured with a Kinect Sensor and displayed on a monitor that acts as their mirror. The specific distortions that affect the user’s image reference mirror and reflection motifs in historical paintings and contemporary films, both of which include pieces that were the most popularized creative mediums of their respective cultural contexts and time periods. As the user continues to watch and interact with their reflection, the compounding distortions eventually turn the user’s reflection into a disjointed, only vaguely recognizable depiction of themselves. Through this inaccurate reflection, users are shown how a single minded obsession with themselves inevitably leads to an altered self-image, where the person they believe themselves to be is not the person they really are.
This work was funded, in part, through an Undergraduate Research Award from the UMBC Division of Undergraduate Academic Affairs.
Optimizing Evolutionary Algorithm Metaparameters for the Inference of Dynamic Models of Growth and Shape
Firekunmi Ojo, Jason Ko
Daniel Lobo, Biological Sciences
Planaria have extensive regenerative capabilities, regrowing any lost tissues and restoring proper body proportions. To better understand this complex regulation of shape, we have developed a mechanistic mathematical model that can explain how interactions between different morphogen signals can regulate planarian shape during growth and degrowth. A crucial aspect of modeling is finding parameters that can recapitulate phenotypes observed in vivo. However, inferring such parameters for complex models is challenging. Thus, we created a machine learning framework that mimics biological evolution, evolving an initial random population of parameter sets towards one that enables the model to closely match experimental data. However, this search process is time consuming, as it requires simulating the model with each parameter set, and one simulation can take over an hour. Importantly, the runtime of the search can be influenced by evolutionary metaparameters, like the size of the population or a threshold of acceptable error in the model. Here, we study the effect of different metaparameters by manipulating them and creating a data analysis pipeline to understand the relationship between their values and search performance. This work will aid in developing new machine learning algorithms to reverse engineer the mechanisms behind the maintenance of biological shape.
This work was supported by the National Institute of General Medical Sciences of the National Institutes of Health under award number R35GM137953. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.
Investigating the Expression and Potential Function of the Shroom3 Antibody in Zebrafish
Chelsea Okeh
Rachel Brewster, Biological Sciences
This project focuses on investigating the role of Shroom3 in neurulation in zebrafish (Danio rerio) to uncover conserved pathways between zebrafish and humans. Neurulation is the process whereby the neural plate converges to become the neural tube- the progenitor of the brain and spinal cord. Problems in neurulation result in the formation of neural tube defects (NTDs) that can be fatal in infants. Shroom3 is a protein known for its role in epithelial morphogenesis for actions like apical constriction, apicobasal cell elongation and regulating cell shape. To test this, we performed in situ hybridization (ISH)- a technique used to visualize where an RNA transcript is localized, and immunolabeling- detection and localization of a protein within a tissue or organ- on twenty-four hour zebrafish embryos. By performing these experiments, we were able to better understand the localization of Shroom3 expression. There is great interest in Shroom3 to determine whether it plays a role in basally recruiting actomyosin in zebrafish, along with plausible effects in neuroepithelial development. The process of neurulation is not fully understood in humans but by studying conserved pathways between zebrafish and humans we can hopefully use zebrafish as a model to better understand, treat, and prevent neurodevelopmental diseases.
This investigation was supported in part by The U-RISE Program at UMBC (supported by the National Institute of General Medical Sciences, National Institutes of Health [NIGMS/NIH] under National Research Service Award T34 GM 136497) a grant to UMBC from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute through the HHMI adaptation project.
Setting Strategic Targets for Global Tuberculosis Control: A Critical Policy Analysis
Yetunde Oshagbemi
Zoe McLaren, School of Public Policy
Tuberculosis (TB) is the second leading infectious disease killer after COVID-19. More people die from TB than HIV/AIDS annually. In 2020, about 1.5 million people died from TB compared to 680,000 from HIV/AIDS. Since the recognition of TB as a global emergency in 1993, the World Health Organization (WHO) launched three different strategies to control the growth of TB— the Directly Observed Therapies strategy in 1994, the STOP-TB strategy in 2006, and the END-TB strategy in 2015. All three strategies have failed to reach their main targets. For example, the END-TB strategy had a goal of achieving fewer than 85 cases per 100,000 people by 2020; yet there were 8,904 cases per 100,000 people in 2019. The literature on best practices for goal setting states that goals should be specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and timely (SMART). Though current WHO TB strategies are specific, measurable, and relevant, they are neither attainable nor timely. This paper will present a policy analysis for global TB and discuss alternative options that address shortcomings of these strategies. I will discuss policy options to bring TB policy in alignment with the SMART goals literature with the aim of improving TB policy to reduce global TB mortality.
Population Survey of Invasive Nest Predators on Andros Island in The Bahamas
Eriberto Osorio, Michelle Moyer1
1Biological Sciences, UMBC
Kevin Omland, Biological Sciences
Rats are invasive introduced species on many tropical islands, and they are known to be nest predators. The black rat (Rattus rattus) is a documented threat for many songbirds in the Caribbean. The Bahama Oriole, Icterus northropi, is a critically endangered songbird species endemic to the Andros Island complex in the Bahamas. In the 1990s, the oriole went locally extinct on the island of Abaco. Currently very little is known about predators of this species, but nest predation may be a factor that is attributing to the decline of the Bahama Oriole. This survey will use peanut butter wax baits called WaxTags to evaluate whether rats are present in different habitats on Andros. Preliminary studies found little evidence of a rat population in native pine forest, which would be very good news for the conservation of the Bahama Oriole.
This work was funded, in part, through an Undergraduate Research Award from the UMBC Division of Undergraduate Academic Affairs.
Job Stress in Nursing Assistants at a Long-term Care Facility
Olivia Paolucci
Lira Yoon, Psychology
Stress, whether caused by an internal thought or external event, can ignite unfavorable emotional states and consequently, influence one’s everyday actions. We investigated the job-related stress that nursing assistants (NAs) at a long-term care facility experience using ecological momentary assessment (EMA). EMA involves repeated assessment of participants’ current experiences in real-time instead of relying on their retrospective recall. We specifically focused on NAs because of high levels of job-related stress they encounter, and the emotional stability needed to efficiently perform occupational duties. For five working days, participants completed five EMAs per day, indicating their mood, stressors, emotion regulation strategies utilized for any stressors causing them at least some stress, and perceived effectiveness of the strategies they employed. Four female NAs participated. While none of the stressors prompted emotion regulation, several stressors were rated as causing “a little” stress (e.g., Unable to take a break, Feeling rushed, Dealt with rude family members, Lack of support from supervisor). Although the current findings highlight the resiliency of NAs, they might change as we recruit more participants. Given the high turn-over rates, it would be important to better understand NAs’ job-related stress and the ways they handle their stress.
We acknowledge the support of the University of Maryland, Baltimore, Institute for Clinical & Translational Research (ICTR) and the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS) Clinical Translational Science Award (CTSA) grant number 1UL1TR003098.
Characterizing the Activity of the UAS-roGFP-GRX1 Sensor in Drosophila Melanogaster
Crystal Parry
Fernando Vonhoff, Biological Sciences
Lisinopril is a cardiovascular medication used in clinical settings to lower blood pressure. Findings from previous studies show that administering Lisinopril to certain fly lines also lower the amount of mitochondrial respiration. Cells can produce antioxidants which can clear reactive oxygen species (ROS) to reduce their impact. Glutathione is one of the antioxidants that the cell uses to combat oxidative stress. When glutathione is oxidized, its oxidized form can also cause damage. Excess of oxidized glutathione has been implicated in higher amyloid beta plaque load in neurons, which is linked to Alzheimer’s disease (AD). It is hypothesized that increasing doses of lisinopril will lead to increased levels of glutathione, which will decrease levels of amyloid beta plaque in the form of A-42 protein aggregation in Drosophila melanogaster. The roGFP-GRX1 sensor has been complexed with the UAS system in order to visualize varying levels of oxidation in Drosophila brains. We have tested how the roGFP-GRX1 responds to the oxidant and reductant, diamide (DA) and dithiothreitol (DTT) to measure oxidation levels in the fly model of AD. Future experiments using additional methods of genetic modification and immunohistochemistry will shed light on the proposed relationship between ROS and AD.
This work was funded, in part, through an Undergraduate Research Award from the UMBC Division of Undergraduate Academic Affairs.
How Does Financial Literacy Affect Student Loan Behavior?
Zinedine Partipilo
Tim Gindling, Economics
The student loan crisis has become more severe in the past few years. My research aims to understand if students with greater financial literacy make better decisions over the mix and magnitude of different student loans. Federal financial aid is generally a better financial decision than private loans since Federal financial aid charges lower interest rates than private student loans and may provide grants that don’t need repayment. This makes applying for Federal-aid a desirable financial decision. Yet, many students who might qualify for Federal aid do not take the first step to obtain aid–completing the Federal Application for Federal Student Aid. Students must complete FAFSA in order to be considered for aid. Completing FAFSA is also a requirement for many subsidized student loans provided by state governments and universities. Applying econometric analysis to data that include detailed information on both financial literacy and student loans, this research tests if students are more likely to complete FAFSA or to take out fewer private loans if they have higher financial literacy. If this research finds that higher financial literacy leads to more completion of FAFSA, this suggests increased financial literacy may be a partial solution to the student loan crisis.
Investigation of Set6 Lysine Methylation Targets in Saccharomyces Cerevisiae
Savannah Pearson
Erin Green, Biological Sciences
Set6 is one of twelve members of the SET domain-containing protein family in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Several members of this protein family function to modify histones and nonhistone targets by catalyzing methylation on lysine residues. Little is known about Set6 as there are no previously known functions or substrates. Set6 has a SET and MYND domain, which suggest that it may function to mediate protein-protein, or protein-DNA interactions as well as lysine methylation. Previous in vitro studies have shown that Set6 methylates several proteins and our lab has preliminary data identifying new candidates important for regulating proteome quality control. This project aims to confirm the substrates of Set6 methylation using methylation assays with recombinant proteins in order to determine the potential role of Set6 in the proteostasis network. The findings from this project will provide a model for investigating Set6 and other members of the SET domain-containing protein family. Overall, these experiments will contribute to our knowledge of SET and MYND domain-containing (SMYD) proteins and how their substrate methylation functions in development and age-associated diseases.
This investigation was sponsored by the U-RISE Program at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC), which is supported by the National Institute of General Medical Sciences, National Institutes of Health (NIGMS/NIH) under National Research Service Award T34 GM 136497.
Building the Foundation for: “Emerging: The Educational Journey of Immigrant Students”
Ashley Pereira
Kerri Evans, Social Work; Jiyoon Lee, M.A. TESOL Program, Department of Education, University of Maryland, Baltimore County
Immigrant students in grades K-12 face a host of barriers that can hinder academic success which school staff members can help to reduce. For this reason we have begun the development of an evidence-based educational game to be used as a training tool for K-12 train educators, administrators, and school counselors. To develop the game content, the student RA’s helped Dr. Kerri Evans and Dr. Jiyoon Lee to conduct both a systematic review and a qualitative content analysis of newspaper articles to identify factors that support or hinder the academic success of immigrant students. Both of these articles are in preparation for publication. Some emerging themes include the following: language acquisition, student acculturation, access to resources (on the micro, mezzo, and macro levels), dominant culture attitudes, and social support. Though this project is still in development, there are some important advancements that will contribute to producing this training tool. Identifying these factors will contribute to the growing body of resources that educators, administrators, and counselors can utilize to better support immigrant students and contribute to their success.
This project was funded by the Hrabowski Innovation Fund Implementation and Research Award.
Creating Effective Reasoning: Improving Scores Regarding Students’ Reasoning Skills
Johnreed Peria, Mary Duncan1
1Educator, AACPS
Timothy Johnson, Education
In the 8th Grade Social Studies Curriculum, students are tasked with presenting their content area knowledge using the CER format, in which they provide a claim statement, relevant evidence, and reasoning as to how the evidence used supports their claim. In order to improve student scores on these assignments, especially regarding the reasoning portion, where they scored the lowest on the baseline, various instructional tools were used over the course of nine weeks, in this case, the breakdown of the claim, evidence, and reasoning individually, the modelling of the process, and exercises in grading mock CERs using the same rubric the students are graded with. This rubric scores each section on a two point scale, for a total of six points. Writing samples were taken from 20 8th grade students of varying backgrounds, five students from each of four class periods. This research is applicable to other types of learning across subjects and potentially across age groups as well.
Examining Hippocampus and Nucleus Accumbens Connectivity in Regulating Reward Behavior
Kelsey Person, Ashley Copenhaver
Tara LeGates, Biological Sciences
Forming associations between rewarding stimuli and the circumstances in which those stimuli are encountered is critical for survival, yet little is known regarding the neuronal mechanisms underlying the integration of reward, contextual, and spatial information. The nucleus accumbens (NAc) integrates a large amount of information to produce reward behavior. The hippocampus, which plays a large role in learning and memory, is known to project to the NAc. The hippocampus is composed of two regions, dorsal and ventral, which are thought to be functionally distinct. However, recent findings suggest more overlap in their innervation patterns than previously appreciated. This raises new questions regarding the integration of these two pathways in the NAc. To identify regions in the NAc that are dually innervated, we injected an anterograde AAV5-Syn-eYFP virus into the dorsal hippocampus and an anterograde AAV5-Syn-mCherry virus into the ventral hippocampus to independently label dorsal and ventral hippocampus axonal projections in the NAc. Using confocal microscopy, we identified areas of overlap in the NAc Shell and quantified this overlap in subregions of the shell. The results of this study will inform future behavioral and electrophysiology experiments to determine how these hippocampal regions influence reward learning through their effects on the NAc.
This investigation was funded, in part, by the U-RISE Program at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC), which is supported by the National Institute of General Medical Sciences, National Institutes of Health (NIGMS/NIH) under National Research Service Award T34 GM 136497.
The Influence of Maternal Stress on the Regulation of GPR158 in Adolescent Mice
Kennedy Person
Laurie Sutton, Biological Sciences
GPR158 is a G Protein-Coupled Receptor that is a critical regulator of stress responses. The abundant release of glucocorticoids following a stressful event allows induces upregulation of GPR158 levels, specifically in the prefrontal cortex which is a key brain region associated with mood regulation. In adult mice, GPR158 levels are easily detectable and are altered by exposure to stress, however, in pups GPR158 are very low and the impact of stress is unknown. To determine the influence of early life stress on GPR158 levels in mice pups, a maternal stress paradigm will be performed. Pups will be separated from the dam for 3 hrs. for 14 consecutive days. The stress paradigm is accompanied by protein extraction, isolation, and standardization from the prefrontal cortex that was collected from the control and stress mice pups. Following these steps, a western blot will be performed to determine the GPR158 levels of the mice pups who have undergone maternal separation (stress paradigm) compared to non-stress mice (control). The conclusion from this study will determine if maternal stress affects GPR158 levels and help us to understand the molecular mechanism(s) involved in stress responses.
This work was funded, in part, through an Undergraduate Research Award from the UMBC Division of Undergraduate Academic Affairs.
Structural Assessment of the Ternary HIV-1 Complex: Gag Polyprotein, Cyclophilin A, and Viral RNA
Caela Phillips
Michael Summers, Chemistry and Biochemistry
Essential to HIV-1 replication is binding between its genomic RNA (gRNA) and group specific antigen (Gag) polyprotein. The nucleocapsid (NC) domain of Gag interacts with the core encapsidation signal of gRNA, allowing it to be packaged to form an immature virion. An image of this binding interaction has yet to be obtained, and we seek to gain information by creating a ternary structure consisting of Cyclophilin A (CypA), gRNA, and the Capsid-Nucleocapsid (CANC) domains of Gag. CypA is a prominently distributed human protein that aids in HIV-1 replication. Although a CA-CypA structure has been already solved, its addition to the CANC-gRNA complex will increase the overall molecular weight and make cryogenic electron microscopy (cryoEM) studies more feasible. Before analyzing the ternary complex with cryoEM, binding between these components and the ability of the Gag polyprotein to carry out necessary interactions for viral replication will be examined using biochemical techniques including crosslinking, electrophoretic mobility shift assays, nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), and analytical size exclusion chromatography. Crosslinking experiments of CypA and CANC on SDS-Page gels have successfully been established. Overall, our research will provide structural insights on the process of early virus assembly, which may provide new approaches for future drug design.
This investigation was sponsored by the U-RISE Program at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC), which is supported by the National Institute of General Medical Sciences, National Institutes of Health (NIGMS/NIH) under National Research Service Award T34 GM 136497.
StoryCorps Storytelling: Migratory Loss and Enduring Values Told by Afghan Immigrant Women
Izaiah Plaza, Zainab Amjad, Elyssa Kristine Marie Granados Lou, Chantal Anicoche, Chloe Fong, Carmen Jee, Danielle Black
Anne Brodsky, Psychology
The Soviet Union’s invasion of Afghanistan in 1979 precipitated the migratory response for many Afghan citizens to flee their war-torn homeland and seek refuge. In this study, we analyzed four interviews with Afghan women and their families that reflect the experiences of immigration to the United States following the Soviet Invasion. The audio interviews, accessed through StoryCorps, a non-profit organization that allows for the recording, preservation, and sharing of American stories from various backgrounds were approximately 35 minutes in length and manually transcribed. Identifying information was omitted from the transcripts to protect the identities of the participants. Direct transcriptions were coded for recurring themes of both symbolic and physical loss, as well as the enduring values of migration and idealization of the homeland as the result of war-related displacement which were salient in the discussions of grievance and hope. This study brings attention to the mosaic that is migratory loss, in which aspects of generational, class, and gender differences suggest nuance in the dialogues of stories about migration.
Determination of Planetary Boundary Layer Height from Radar Wind Profilers
Dahne-More Pluck, Kevin Carbajal-Rodriguez
Ruben Delgado, Physics
The Planetary Boundary Layer (PBL) holds nearly all energy, water vapor, and trace chemical species transported into the atmosphere. This layer changes periodically and experiences a sharp gradient at its peak— or PBL height (PBLH)— which determines the volume of aerosol dispersion within this layer. Wind profilers, an active remote sensing instrument, measure vertical profiles of wind speed and direction. This instrument transmits radio pulses into the atmosphere, which backscatters small amounts of signal after interacting with particulate matter. Antennas receive these backscattered signals, measuring the strength and frequency of the backscattered energy. Wind profilers utilize the Signal-to-Noise Ratio (SNR) to identify the PBLH, signified by sharp gradients in the SNR profile. The Covariance Wavelength Transform (CWT) detects changes in signals containing sharp gradients and analyzes this data to create accurate models for the PBLH. Precise measurements of the PBLH using the CWT depend on the dilation factor, which changes with the time of day. Due to the harmful effects of particulate matter and ozone, forecasting air quality conditions is essential to public well-being. Since the PBL determines the dispersion of most aerosols, studying the PBLH is fundamental for accurate models for forecasting air quality conditions.
This work was funded, in part, by the NOAA-CESSRST Research Fellowship.
Animating Bouboulina: An Interactive Painting Project
Bella Possidente
April Householder, Undergraduate Research & Prestigious Scholarships; Corrie Parks, UMBC, Visual Arts
“Animating Bouboulina” uses experimental animation to bring a painting to life, telling the story of Laskarina Bouboulina, a heroine of modern Greek history and commander of her own fleet during the Greek War of Independence (1821). The painting, commissioned by Dr. April Householder to be dedicated to the Bouboulina Museum in Spetses, Greece, depicts Bouboulina alongside her descendant and founder of the museum, Philip Demertzis-Bouboulis. It is the first painting of Bouboulina to be created by a female artist, and highlights her humanity and vulnerability in contrast with her idealized reputation, while also honoring the founding of the museum. Working closely with Dr. Householder, I have produced a collection of short animations that tell Bouboulina’s story, bringing to life various symbols featured in the painting that each represent a concept or important event in her life. Using Adobe Photoshop, Premier, and After Effects, I developed experimental methods of converting the original painting into animated motion, mimicking cut-paper animation with digital cutouts and creating sophisticated rigs that combined cutouts and hand-drawn pieces. This work explores the creative potential of the ongoing digitization of art and art history, and challenges the traditional narrative surrounding Bouboulina while simultaneously celebrating her achievements and legacy.
This work was funded, in part, through an Undergraduate Research Award from the UMBC Division of Undergraduate Academic Affairs.
Escape from the Epithelium: A Role for Trol in Collective Border Cell Migration
Mackenzie Primrose
Michelle Starz-Gaiano, Biological Sciences
Cells coordinate their motility in a process called collective migration, which is imperative for development, wound healing, and disease progression in humans. Many genetic regulators of cell migration remain unknown, and thus, we utilize the border cells, which collectively migrate in the fruit fly ovary, as a model system to efficiently characterize these mechanisms. Border cells in Drosophila are suitable for investigating collective cell migration as they are genetically well conserved with humans and easy to visualize in transparent tissue. Previous research has found that the extracellular matrix (ECM), a dynamic meshwork of proteins that supports cell rigidity and signaling, plays an important role in cell migration and ovary development. Here we elucidate the potential role of Trol, a secreted ECM protein homologous to the human ECM component perlecan, in collective migration. Using genetic manipulation, we induced overexpression and knockdown of Trol in border cells and observed defects in their migration when compared to controls. Furthermore, we are evaluating the possibility that Trol impacts how border cells detach from neighboring cells or how they receive external signals. This study will provide further insight into how ECM components like Trol impact collective cell migration and detachment.
This work was funded, in part, through an Undergraduate Research Award from the UMBC Division of Undergraduate Academic Affairs.
Hearing What You See: Improving Brass Performance with Tonal and Rhythmic Patterns
Tim Provost
Kimberly Feldman, Education
The ability to quickly decipher a piece of music upon first sight and play it without an aural reference is a fundamental indicator of musical development. This kind of playing, called sight-reading, is one of the most valuable skills for a young musician to cultivate. Often, brass players struggle with sight-reading due to the playing techniques of their instruments. One method to improve this kind of musical literacy involves studying and practicing foundational musical patterns. With this knowledge, students eventually learn to recognize and “hear” music by sight alone. This study examines the development of students’ sight-reading ability when these patterns are incorporated into their daily warm-ups. The test group was a seventh grade brass class in a suburban middle school consisting of seven trumpet players, four trombone players, one baritone player, and one tuba player of diverse racial and socioeconomic backgrounds. These students sang, played, and read tonal and rhythmic patterns every class. To assess students’ initial sight-reading ability, they were given an eight measure pretest that evaluated their accuracy on rhythms, pitches, and intonation on a scale of one to four. Students’ improvements in these areas were assessed through periodic sight-reading exercises and an eight measure posttest.
Using Solar Tracking Technology to Study Year-Round Territoriality of the Northern Mockingbird
Aiman Raza
Kevin Omland, Biological Sciences
Understanding the characteristics of a species’ territoriality is critical for developing conservation strategies. Mockingbirds are one of the few songbird species in the Northeastern U.S. that maintain territories year-round. However, there has been a lack of substantive information about their movement across the annual cycle. This project investigates the territory and habitat use of the Northern Mockingbird (Mimus polyglottos) throughout the year. We are using mockingbirds as a model species to test a cutting-edge, long-term tracking system (Cellular Tracking Technologies – CTT). We attached a solar-powered radio LifeTag to a mockingbird in November 2021 and have been monitoring it using CTT Locators, which are handheld radio trackers. Six CTT Nodes were placed in a grid across the study site and have been recording the signal detections from the focal mockingbird. The CTT Locator and Nodes have successfully and continuously detected the LifeTag attached to the focal bird, providing detailed information about the bird’s movements without the need for recapture. We will use this data to calculate a home range and a kernel density estimate. This study serves as a pilot tracking method for other species with year-round territories, including many tropical species such as the endangered Bahama Oriole (Icterus northropi).
This work was funded, in part, through an Undergraduate Research Award from the UMBC Division of Undergraduate Academic Affairs.
Characterizing the RNA-Protein Complex Interaction Between the HIV-1 5′ Leader and EIF4E
Kierra Regis, Karndeep Singh
Michael Summers, Chemistry and Biochemistry
The HIV-1 is a retrovirus that infects helper T-cells and suppresses the immune system. Currently, some treatments aid in managing HIV; however, there is no cure. Due to the high mutation rate of HIV-1, current therapies have the potential to become ineffective. Therefore, there is a need to develop new therapeutics that target conserved regions of the HIV-1 RNA genome. The 5′ leader (5′-L) is a highly conserved region of the HIV-1 RNA genome that exists in equilibrium between two conformations: monomer and dimer. 5′-capped RNAs beginning with one guanosine (Cap1G) adopt the dimeric conformation whereas 5′-capped RNAs beginning with two or three guanosines (Cap2G and Cap3G, respectively) adopts the monomeric conformation. Although, we have determined that the eukaryotic translation initiation factor 4E (eIF4E) is unable to bind to Cap1G leader RNAs due to sequestration of the cap, it is unknown which components of the monomeric 5′-L regulate binding of eIF4E. We hypothesize that unstructured elements of the monomeric 5′-L region regulate binding affinity of eIF4E as the RNA interacts with basic residues after the 5′-cap binds to the binding pocket of eIF4E. To characterize the RNA-protein complex, we propose using NMR approaches that involves selective isotopic labeling of eIF4E.
This research was funded, in part, by a grant to UMBC from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute through the Pre-college and Undergraduate Science Education Program.
Porting Fortran Comet Simulation Code to MATLAB
Onkar Rekhi
Roy Prouty, CSST
The Fortran programming language has long been used as a general-purpose and scientific computing language. It is an older programming language that gained its popularity by its use in the scientific community for its highly-optimized engineering and scientific simulations. The problem with Fortran however, is that it is an outdated language lacking many modern features. Thus, the effort to translate significant legacy Fortran code, such as the comet simulation code, into a modern language such as Matlab or Python is apparent. This code, originally written by Nalin Samarasinha, is used to constrain the chemistry and dynamics of comets based on certain parameters. Translating it (porting it) to a modern language would be invaluable, as it would allow easier portability and extension between modern programming languages and allow for modern parallel computing pipelines to be used for increased performance. The porting of this legacy code to Matlab is completed and results from both versions are compared throughout the parameter space available as input to the code.
This work was funded, in part, through an Undergraduate Research Assistantship Support (URAS) Award from the UMBC Office of the Vice President for Research.
Kaylee Reyes, Destiny Barber, Ruqaiyah Dasti
Carolyn Forestiere, Political Science; Fernando Tormos-Aponte, UMBC Public Policy, UMBC Political Science
The discipline of American political science has made an inadequate effort to fully integrate the ideas and research of intellectual women and people of color. As a result, students are being taught normative perspectives on a range of political issues that can’t be easily applied to their realities. “Diversify PoliSci” is an initiative by students and faculty to challenge dominant ideologies, policies, and practices that have historically devalued the importance of diversity and inclusion in political science. The aim of this initiative is to create an environment in which students from marginalized groups are and feel represented, seen, and therefore valued in their learning space. For this project, diversifying the department means committing to dismantling existing social and educational biases within the discipline and departmental culture by integrating a broader range of ideas and perspectives into the learning process. Following careful investigation into existing literature on diversity and inclusion in the field of political science and practices in various political science departments, as well as examining the racial ideologies that undergird the production of knowledge in the discipline. Knowing that the department has limited resources, we developed five recommendations and potential avenues for increasing diversity in UMBC’s political science classrooms.
Characterization of a Mouse Model with Telomere Shortening
Safa Riaz
Charles Bieberich, Biological Sciences
Genomic instability is a hallmark of cancer that can arise when telomeres become critically short. Telomeres are unique structures at the ends of linear chromosomes that serve to protect genomic DNA from degradation. The goal of this work is to elucidate the role of telomere shortening in the natural history of human prostate cancer. We generated an innovative mouse model with an inducible expression of the gene that encodes for the enzyme Telonase, which is a fusion protein of a telomeric-DNA binding protein and an endonuclease that shortens telomeres. In cells with shortened telomeres, we hypothesized that the Alternative Lengthening of Telomeres (ALT) pathway will be activated. To test this hypothesis, we assessed transgene expressivity in two independent mouse founder lines carrying a Doxycycline-inducible, prostate-specific Telonase transgene. Our goal is to identify the line with highest Telonase protein expression, which will be used to study the effects of shortened telomeres in prostate pathology. Pursuing this model will allow further exploration of this phenomenon, in vivo, which will provide a deeper understanding of how shortened telomeres lead to genomic instability. The results of this study to characterize the phenotypic presentation of telomere shortening and its downstream effects will be reported.
This work was funded, in part, through an Undergraduate Research Award from the UMBC Division of Undergraduate Academic Affairs.
The Effects of Maternal Stress on the Development of Anhedonia in Offspring
Roshnee Roberts
Tara LeGates, Biological Sciences
Early Life Stress (ELS) has lasting effects on one’s life, including depression. To study the neurobiological effects of ELS, we used the limited bedding and nesting paradigm (LBN), where mice were raised with limited resources, modeling impoverished environments that have lasting effects on human health and wellness. Pregnant dams were placed in LBN or control environments before giving birth, and raised pups under those conditions. Upon weaning, mice were housed under standard conditions. We monitored maternal behavior from PD0-PD8. We examined the effects of LBN on stress outcomes in adolescence (PD45) and adulthood (PD90) by measuring serum corticosterone levels and depression-related behaviors using the Sucrose Preference and Social Interaction Tests. The hippocampus is a key brain region sensitive to stress and involved in depression, so we examined hippocampal-dependent learning using the Y-Maze. Preliminary data demonstrated no significant indications of stress or significant differences in depression-related behaviors or hippocampal-dependent learning. These results prevent us from concluding a relation between ELS and the onset of depression. In hopes of promoting early detection and prevention, we will repeat this experiment with a larger sample size to better understand the characterization of depressive symptoms in relation to early life stress.
This work was funded, in part, through an Undergraduate Research Award from the UMBC Division of Undergraduate Academic Affairs.
Identifying How Harmful Language Ideology Manifests and Spreads on Social Media Platforms
Caleb Ruck
David Beard, Modern Languages, Linguistics, and Intercultural Communication
Language ideologies reflect the ways we make sense of languages, their speakers and discursive practices. Such ideologies are known to be spread in institutions such as schools, hospitals and workplaces, but not much attention has been paid to the way contemporary social media outlets such as TikTok and YouTube provide a platform for influencers and the consumers of their content, which may intentionally (or unintentionally) create and spread harmful language ideology. These trends reinforce the naturalization of race and language, and capitalize off of prescriptivism, the belief that there are rules that govern “standard” and “good” language, and that forms of language that do not meet these standards are inferior. Whether or not they have malintent, content creators convey messages to their viewers to the detriment of minoritized members of our society. This research project used Nelson Flores’ and Jonathan Rosa’s framework of raciolinguistics to analyze the ways popular linguistics-themed content on TikTok and YouTube contribute to the issue. Through a qualitative analysis, harmful language ideology was found to manifest on social media platforms through the reproduction of trends that promote white supremacy and the unequal distribution of prestige based upon the national, ethnic and linguistic background of participants.
This work was funded, in part, through an Undergraduate Research Award from the UMBC Division of Undergraduate Academic Affairs.
Developing Recombinant Anti-RNA Antibodies for RNA Analysis Inside Cells
Tasnia Sadat, Hasan Al Banna
Deepak Koirala, Chemistry and Biochemistry
Antibody derivatives, including single-chain variable fragments (scFvs), are widely used for targeting proteins intracellularly. Genetically encodable markers, such as green fluorescent protein (GFP), are used to create scFv-GFP fusions, allowing the visualization of target proteins through fluorescence. Previous studies have also shown the recombinant expression of protein-targeting scFvs in bacteria. However, we lack such antibody-based toolkits for analyzing cellular RNAs. Here, we aim to transform an existing anti-RNA Fab BL3-6, that binds to an RNA hairpin, into an scFv. When fused with GFP, this scFv will allow visualization of RNA targets tagged with the corresponding epitope. We prepared expression plasmids based on the pET-22b(+) vector to express the scFv, derived from Fab BL3-6 and its scFv-GFP fusion, in BL21 Escherichia coli cells. The lysate of scFv-GFP was visually different from scFv only. As these proteins are 6xHis-tagged, we purified them using a nickel column through fast protein liquid chromatography. Currently, we are testing the binding of these proteins with corresponding RNA targets, using native polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. We also aim to determine the crystal structures of scFv and scFv-RNA complexes. After investigating the scFv-RNA interactions in vitro, these reagents will be used to analyze RNA molecules inside cells.
The Use of Virtual Reality to Assess the Effect of Acute Stress on Food Selection in Emerging Adults
Fouad Saiedy, Huiguang Ren1
1Psychology, UMBC
Charissa Cheah, Psychology; Karen Chen, Information Systems, UMBC
Obesity has become an increasingly significant problem in the U.S. Dysregulated eating (e.g., emotional eating, loss of control eating, disinhibited eating) has been shown to be associated with the increasing risk of obesity. Emerging adults (18- to 25-year-old individuals) face increased risk for developing dysregulated eating habits due to the challenges that they face during the process of developing independence and exploring future possibilities. Stress has been proposed as one important factor surrounding the increase in weight gain of emerging adults. Previous studies have found associations between chronic stress and dysregulated eating behavior among emerging adults. However, studies on acute stress influencing eating behavior have produced inconsistent results. The present study aimed to address these discrepancies by employing a virtual reality (VR) public speaking task to induce acute stress in participants and evaluate their food selection. Thirteen undergraduate students from UMBC participated in the VR experience, including a public speaking, stress-inducing, task and pre- and post-food selection tasks. Participants’ heart rate variability (HRV) and galvanic skin response (GSR) were measured throughout the experiment to examine their stress response, and associations with their food selection.
This work was funded, in part, through an Undergraduate Research Award from the UMBC Division of Undergraduate Academic Affairs.
Studying the Effects of Copper Ingestion in Flies with Alzheimer’s-associated Gene APPL
Isabella Salguero Cespedes
Fernando Vonhoff, Biological Sciences
This study will determine if the ingestion of the heavy metal Copper, affects fitness and brain function of Drosophila melanogaster with differential expressions of the beta-Amyloid precursor protein (APPL). One of Alzheimer’s Disease physio-pathological characteristics is the presence of senile plaques made up of aggregations of beta-Amyloid peptides generated by APPL. These plaques contain a copper binding domain. While copper is considered an essential nutrient, its excess has been found to have toxicological effects. Copper in mining, fossil fuels and plumbing has caused a major environmental and public health issue, as copper pollution in the air (via dust particles) and water is common. Due to the higher production of Aβ aggregates in APPL gain of function flies, which would bind with free Copper, we hypothesized that copper ingestion would have decreased toxicological effects in D. melanogaster flies with the APPL gain of function in contrast to Wild Type and APPL loss of function ones. Our results may be relevant in understanding molecular mechanisms underlying neurodegeneration associated with Alzheimer’s disease promoted by diet-dependent nutrients.
This investigation was sponsored by the U-RISE Program at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC), which is supported by the National Institute Of General Medical Sciences of the National Institutes of Health under Award Number T34GM136497. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.
Investigating the Origin of PTEN Protein Loss in Transgenic HOXB13-MYC/p53 Rats
Madison Santizo
Charles Bieberich, Biological Sciences
One in seven men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer in their lifetime. Men with the less severe form of the disease respond well to front-line therapies, with 5-year survival rates exceeding 95%. Men that develop the more aggressive form of the disease do not respond to therapies, and consequently the 5-year survival rate drops to 29%. Combined prostatic MYC activation and tumor suppressor PTEN loss are the best predictors of poor outcome in men with the disease. In a transgenic rat model of prostate cancer, with prostatic MYC activation and constitutive deletion of tumor suppressor Tp53, the tumor suppressor PTEN protein expression is spontaneously lost in 100% of tumors. We hypothesize that DNA rearrangements encompassing the Pten gene is responsible for PTEN protein loss in the rat prostate tumors. To test this hypothesis, we will analyze DNA from rat tumors to confirm the loss of PTEN protein is a consequence of alterations in the Pten genomic locus. We will characterize the mutations to better understand the mechanism of protein loss. Understanding this alteration in PTEN will allow for a more accurate model of human prostate cancer which will allow for better drug development, treatment, and prognosis of the disease.
This investigation was sponsored by the U-RISE Program at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC), which is supported by the National Institute Of General Medical Sciences of the National Institutes of Health under Award Number T34GM136497. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.
Investigating Epigenetic Regulation of Drosophila melanogaster Through the Analysis of Core Histone Changes
Hadia Saroya, Karen Griffin , Devonique Brissett
Jeff Leips, Biological Sciences
Aging is the greatest risk factor for several chronic diseases. Epigenetic alterations within the genome are a hallmark of aging. Trimethylation on histone 3 of lysine 4 (H3K4me3) is a histone modification associated with increased gene transcription. Elevated core histone expression promotes lifespan extension. Alterations in the levels of H3K4me3 and core histone levels can result in epigenetic changes contributing to differences in aging and lifespan. However, the role of H3K4me3 in regulation of rates of aging and lifespan is unclear. In this study, we will generate survivorship curves using three genotypes of Drosophila melanogaster to assess whether lifespan is influenced by sex and genetic background. To test whether H3K4me3 is associated with lifespan, we will perform histone extractions on flies at young (5-7 days) and middle-age (40-52 days) followed by western blotting to determine the abundance in H3K4me3 and H4 core histone levels in each genotype and sex at each age. Understanding how H3K4me3 contributes to differences in lifespan based on sex and genetic background may provide insight for developing personalized strategies to treat age-related diseases and encourage healthy aging.
Jennifer Satz, Allison Malihom1
1Howard County
Jennifer Harvill, Education
100% of students in Grade four will demonstrate growth towards mastery of Visual Arts Standard Design/Organization and Craftsmanship as measured by performance on a range of tasks and identified through initial data analysis. These skills are important to develop possible steps to creating effective artworks. Artists and students develop crafts and envision their artworks. They learn to use materials, techniques, and studio practices in their work. HCPSS Visual Art High School Essential Curriculum guides instruction and focuses on four criteria that are encompassed within any art problem. Students will demonstrate growth through three projects, Coat of Arms, Shields, and Castle Sculptures. Coat of Arms is the Baseline, Shields is Mid-Point, and Castle Sculptures is the End Point assessment. Based on the scores of 14 students, two students earned one, two students earned two, and 10 students earned three on the baseline performance task. The learning objective will be consciously making good design and compositional decisions to develop the most effective visual response. Employing strategies and techniques to refine and ensure the quality and presentation of completed artworks. Data demonstrates students need assistance in visually communicating design and compositional elements to develop an effective visual response in a performance task.
Breast Cancer Induced Changes in Adipose Tissue Morphology
Irina Sbornova
Nykia Walker, Biological Sciences
Adipose tissue has been implicated in the development and progression of Breast Cancer. Adipocytes adjacent to invasive cancer cells, referred to as cancer-associated adipocytes (CAAs), support Breast Cancer tumorigenesis and metastasis by secreting certain adipokines which are utilized by cancer cells. Carcinogenic tumors induce morphological changes in surrounding adipose tissue: CAA’s appear irregular in shape and smaller in size. My project’s hypothesis was that adipocytes in tumor tissue would be smaller and less consistent in size than in untreated normal tissue. Using Hematoxylin and Eosin stained stromal tissue slides, light microscopy images were captured and analyzed using ImageJ software. A total of 36 images from six mice were used and over 25,000 cells were analyzed. Results showed differences in average adipocyte size and overall distribution of sizes based on treatment. As compared to untreated tissue, tumor tissue exhibited a larger number of adipocytes similar in size to CAA’s. These findings support previous work on the topic of Breast Cancer remodeling surrounding stromal tissue toward a pro-metastatic phenotype. Identifying novel biomarkers of Breast Cancer, such as CAA’s, has the potential to improve current diagnostic and treatment practices for the millions of people worldwide suffering from the disease.
Moffat Fitting and Iterative Registration of Synthetic Stellar Images in Preparation For Superresolution
Mason Schuckman
Roy Prouty, CSST; David Chapman, Computer Science and Electrical Engineering, UMBC; Don Engel, Computer Science and Electrical Engineering, UMBC
The accurate registration of astronomical images without a world coordinate system or authoritative catalog is useful for visually enhancing the spatial resolution of multiple images containing the same target. Increasing the resolution of images through superresolution techniques can improve the performance of commodity hardware, allowing more science to be done with cheaper equipment. Many superresolution techniques are reliant on the accurate registration of input images, which is why this project is focused on accurate star finding and registration. In this work, synthetic star field frames are used to explore techniques involving star detection, matching, and transform-fitting. Using Moffat stellar profiles for stars, non-maximal suppression for control-point finding, and gradient descent for point finding optimization, we are able to obtain better accuracy than other modern algorithms such as AstroAlign. To validate that we do not overfit our method to our synthetic images, we manipulate real telescope images and attempt to recover the transformation parameters.
This work was funded, in part, through an Undergraduate Research Award from the UMBC Division of Undergraduate Academic Affairs.
Motivations for the Pursuit of Ancestral Knowledge in Contemporary Baltimore, Maryland
Jess Sellner
Camee Maddox-Wingfield, Sociology and Anthropology; Bambi Chapin, Anthropology, UMBC
In recent years, there has been an increased drive by individuals to seek ancestral knowledge and this study explores the nature of that rise. Related scholarship suggests that access to ancestral ways of knowing is sought by individuals attempting to shape and/or reclaim identity, decolonize thoughts and practices, reconnect with the land and preserve culture. An analysis of these pursuits may contribute to global conversations about climate change and systemic inequalities through the anthropological lens of cultural ecology and indigenous healing traditions. This research employs contextualizing literature, participant observation, interviewing and digital anthropological methods to explore the complex motivations of individuals seeking ancestral knowledge in the Baltimore, Maryland area. The study analyzes qualitative data gathered from two local groups with an interest in ancestral ways of knowing and a combined, active membership of about 150 persons to demonstrate the varied methods and motivations embodied by individuals seeking traditional solutions to contemporary problems.
COVID-19’s Effects on Elementary School Teaching
Avnee Sharma
Bambi Chapin, Sociology and Anthropology; Sarah Fouts, American Studies, UMBC
Teaching in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic has been a tumultuous experience that educators have had to adjust to with minimal preparation. Teachers have switched back and forth from in person to online teaching throughout the pandemic, adapting to the changing regulations and policies even as they manage their own health and care for others in their personal lives. In order to explore how they have coped with COVID and how it has affected their teaching practice, I conducted ethnographic research in a Maryland public elementary school during the Spring of 2022. In this presentation, I focus on one teacher’s experiences, contextualizing it with fieldnotes from participant observation, additional interviewing, and story circle activities. I use this case study to illustrate what public school teachers have gone through, the creative ways they have worked to continue to serve their students, and what teachers want the public to learn from their experience throughout the Coronavirus pandemic.
Creating an Asynchronous Optical Sampling-Based THz-Imaging System to Detect Defects on Metal Armor
Mansoor Shehzad
L. Michael Hayden, Physics
The aim of this project was to use THz time-domain spectroscopy to non-destructively evaluate and identify corrosion and defects in the coatings of metal armor. Terahertz time-domain spectroscopy (THz-TDS) is a spectroscopic technique in which a sample’s properties and shape are examined using short pulses of terahertz radiation. Non-Destructive Evaluation (NDE) using Terahertz (THz) time-domain spectroscopy (TDS) has the potential to be used for a variety of applications including medical imaging, security screening, and in manufacturing. We used the asynchronous optical sampling (ASOPS) technique to obtain THz images of known metal and silicon calibration samples to determine and improve imaging resolution. We used time-of-flight measurements of both the samples and the substrate to form images of high contrast. Signal processing techniques like waveform smoothing and signal averaging as well as optimizing stage position helped create images with resolution as small as 1 mm. Further improvements in imaging techniques will help determine the remaining lifespan of coatings on an armor, providing a fast and reliable way of determining if the coating needs to be replaced and thus saving time and money.
This work was funded, in part, through an Undergraduate Research Award from the UMBC Division of Undergraduate Academic Affairs.
Investigating Ethanol and its Neuroprotective Effects in Aging Drosophila(flies)
Christina Shrestha
Fernando Vonhoff, Biological Sciences
Neurodegeneration has been associated with aging in a lot of organisms. Examples of devastating neurodegenerative diseases in humans include Alzhiemer’s and Parkinson’s, which are thought to accelerate degeneration. The purpose of this research is to use Drosophila to test if the constant exposure to a low dosage of ethanol would provide neuroprotective effects and slow down aging-dependent neurodegeneration. We will study wildtype flies and flies expressing genetic manipulations associated with Alzheimer’s disease in cohorts exposed to different ethanol concentrations in addition to a control cohort that is not exposed to ethanol. For this, adult flies will be exposed to ethanol in their food using capillary feeders throughout their lifespan. In uniform intervals, we will use behavioral tests to observe signs and the extent of behavioral decline in all cohorts. We will perform flight tests, negative geotaxis or climbing assays, and test the righting reflex after tapping. We will also perform sedation experiments to test their tolerance after the constant ethanol exposure. We will also analyze anatomical differences in specific flight motoneurons as the flies age to determine the effects of ethanol on neuronal anatomy. Our results may be relevant in understanding the beneficial effects of ethanol exposure on aging-dependent neurodegeneration.
Automatic Glucose Monitoring System by Periplasmic Binding Protein-based Biosensor
Christopher Slaughter, Hasibul Hasan, Lynn Wong
Govind Rao, Center for Advanced Sensing Technology; Xudong Ge, Chemical, Biochemical, and Environmental Engineering
Glucose is the primary currency of energy in many physiological and cellular processes, consequently monitoring glucose is of key importance in both medical applications and bioprocesses. In the microbial system such as E. coli fermentation, maintaining the optimal concentration of glucose is needed to maximize product yields for the development of drugs. These yields can lower the cost of drugs, such as insulin, cancer therapies, and vaccines. Historically, there have been extensive investigations conducted on periplasmic binding proteins as an alternative to enzymatic biosensors for glucose measurement. The binding proteins go through conformational changes when they bind to specific substrates and can be quantified by introducing suitable fluorophores to estimate the substrates’ concentration. However, an integrated system with an aseptic sampling technique is yet to be reported for automatic and continuous glucose monitoring, especially for bioprocesses. Our research presents a prototype for automatic glucose monitoring based on Glucose Binding Proteins (GBP), capable of monitoring concentrations from a few micromolar to several hundreds of millimolar glucose. The monitoring setup includes a novel sampling system, a specially modified chromatography column to hold the immobilized GBP, and a microfluorometer for efficient fluorescence measurement, all of which are combined into a compact portable device.
Synthesis of Reverse Fleximer-Cytosine Nucleoside Analogues as Potential Antiviral Therapeutics
Viviana Smart
Katherine Seley-Radtke, Chemistry and Biochemistry
Many nucleoside analogues are used as therapeutics against cancers and viruses, such as Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) and coronaviruses. Many viral enzymes undergo point mutations and conformational changes within their active sites which can lead to drug resistance. This can reduce the potency of antiviral drugs against their viral targets. To potentially overcome this issue, the Seley-Radtke lab has synthesized nucleoside analogues that possess flexible purine base moieties, known as Reverse Fleximers. This involves a “reverse” connectivity for the split purine base, i.e. connecting the pyrimidine base instead of the imidazole to the sugar. The additional flexibility introduced to the purine base moiety allows for the nucleosides to bind into enzyme active site conformations that aren’t accessible to the naturally fused purine base moiety. Their antiviral activity is evident when comparing previously synthesized reverse flex-analogues from our group to Ribavirin, an FDA approved drug for chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV). In comparison to Ribavirin, the reverse flex-analogues exhibited better activity against herpes simplex virus (HSV) and vaccinia virus (VV) in HeLa cells. The aim for the current project is to synthesize reverse flex-Cytosine nucleosides and apply modifications on the pyrimidine base in order to explore new potential antiviral activity.
This investigation was funded, in part, by NIH/NIGMS T32 GM066706 (KSR and CW).
Little Mountain Town: A Small Community’s Struggle with Its Difficult History
Alexa Smith
Denise Meringolo, History
This research project examines the town of Braddock Heights, Maryland as a case study on the 1980s resurgence of the Ku Klux Klan. I examined the previous events and preexisting conditions that fueled white supremacy in the community, as well as analyzing the actions of the Klan and others’ responses from 1980-2015. My research assessed the extent to which community healing has occurred in Braddock Heights and proposes further action. I utilized primary and secondary sources to answer my research questions, as well as testimony from Braddock Heights residents. My research fits into previous literature in that the project studies the impact of the Klan on a specific community. However, my work varies from past research in that other case studies tend to examine communities during the 1920s resurgence of the Klan, while this presentation studies a community during the 1980s resurgence. Previous works studying the 1980s resurgence tend to focus on larger areas of the United States. Though those studies answer important questions, it is equally important to understand why the Klan was able to hold a given community in its grasp in recent memory and how this community recovered. I examined the latter two questions in my work.
This work was funded, in part, through an Undergraduate Research Award from the UMBC Division of Undergraduate Academic Affairs.
Using Text Evidence to Write Effectively
Christina Smith
Cheryl North, Education
One valuable life skill is that when one makes a claim, they must support it using textual evidence instead of solely relying on subjective thoughts or feelings. This research examines twenty-eight students enrolled in gifted and talented level English “class” and their ability to back up their arguments. Prior to a formal assessment of their skills, students were given instruction on how to craft an argument using thesis statements, topic sentences, evidence and finally commentary. Baseline data was collected at the beginning of the school year in a formal assessment and graded using the AP grading rubric for argumentative essays. This assessment provided the instructor with data to establish each student’s acquisition of mastered skills versus areas in need of improvement. The purpose of this study is to investigate “effective” teaching methods to produce a measurable increase in student’s ability to use textual evidence effectively to write cohesive and complex claims and essays. By the end of the 2021-2022 school year the students will have completed six assessments which will support the initial desired outcome of a positive increase in student’s ability to support their ideas effectively.
A Robust, Cost-Effective, and Anatomical Myoelectric Control Interface
Xavier Smith, Ian Jackson, Erick Kengni, Matthew Makila
Ramana Vinjamuri, Computer Science and Electrical Engineering
Upper-limb circumstantial amputations impair the intimacy between an individual and their environment, ultimately decreasing their quality of life. When an amputee is fitted with a prosthetic hand, the ability for the user to accurately manipulate the hand is imperative. Myoelectric prosthetics, which are electromechanically controlled artificial limbs, were thus designed to help amputees regain precise control of their appendages and help them perform physically complex tasks in their everyday lives. However, the lack of a robust and cost-effective prosthetic control interface to interpret electromyographic signals into precise finger movement presents a major accessibility barrier for amputees. Many studies have detailed approaches towards developing powerful control interfaces, but the complex implementations prove to be computationally and economically expensive. We aim to address this problem by designing a novel deep learning model whose internal structure replicates the relationship between innervated skeletal muscle and the central and peripheral nervous system, with intent to deploy it on an economical programmable logic device. We plan to conduct verification trials with amputees in order to help them get one step closer to a truly accurate hand prosthesis that is economically accessible and reliable for those in need.
This work was supported in part by the National Science Foundation. Grant No# NSF CAREER Award HCC-1845197.
The Design and Synthesis of Fleximer Analogues of Telbivudine and Lamivudine
Owen Sparr, Grayson Pipher
Katherine Seley-Radtke, Chemistry and Biochemistry
The CDC reports 250+ million people are affected by Hepatitis B virus (HBV) worldwide. Although there is a vaccine, availability is limited in developing nations. Treatments primarily consist of nucleos(t)ide analogues, with L-nucleosides showing particular effectiveness against HBV, e.g. Lamivudine (3TC) and Telbivudine (LdT). However, current treatments fail to fully eradicate the virus in chronic infections. Additionally, the development of drug resistance is another challenge in achieving a functional cure, thus increasing the need for novel, effective antivirals. In 2001, Seley-Radtke introduced a novel class of nucleoside analogues called “fleximers”. Fleximers have exhibited broad-spectrum antiviral activity due to the added flexibility afforded by the split purine nucleobase into its imidazole and pyrimidine moieties connected by a single carbon-carbon bond. This added flexibility may also help overcome point mutations related to resistance. Later, in 2008, Seley-Radtke introduced “reverse fleximers” in which the fleximer connectivity is “reversed”, with the pyrimidine connected to the sugar rather than the imidazole. This maintains the split purine motif while also resembling substituted pyrimidines, thereby allowing for recognition by both purine and pyrimidine metabolizing enzymes. Herein we present the synthesis of reverse fleximer analogues of 3TC and LdT with sights set on generating more effective HBV treatments.
This work was funded, in part, through an Undergraduate Research Award from the UMBC Division of Undergraduate Academic Affairs.
Investigating the Effects of E-cigarette Liquid and Vapor Exposure on Primary Olfaction Cell Mitochondria in Mice
Sean Starkloff, Shefra Shah , Farhan Augustine1
1UMBC
Weihong Lin, Biological Sciences; Tatsuya Ogura, Biological Sciences
Electronic cigarette use has significantly increased over the past decade, creating concerns about unknown potentially adverse health effects. Due to the exponential increase in the popularity of e-cigarettes, the dangers of vaping and the negative repercussions of it are incompletely understood. E-liquid constituents primarily include flavorants, nicotine, propylene glycol, and vegetable glycerin. Its aerosol contains toxic heat bi-products, which can produce damaging effects on cells in the olfactory epithelium. This project aimed to investigate how the morphology of mitochondria in olfactory supporting cells, microvilli cells, and olfactory sensory neurons were affected by exposure to diluted e-cigarette liquid and vapor condensate. We labeled mitochondria with fluorescence dye, imaged their morphology changes and performed data analysis. T-tests showed significant differences between control vs e-liquid and e-liquid vs e-vapor microvilli cells with respect to mitochondrial label intensity, area, length, and thickness. Statistically significant differences were also found in mitochondrial dye intensity of control vs e-vapor microvilli cells, and control vs e-liquid olfactory sensory neurons. Further analysis and research will help to explain why significant differences are observed, and whether or not there are correlations between exposure type and the alteration of several mitochondrial properties in individual cells.
This work was funded, in part, through an Undergraduate Research Award from the UMBC Division of Undergraduate Academic Affairs.
Development of Novel Tube-in-tube Donnan Dialysis Reactors from Recovery of Ionic Nutrients From Synthetic Urine
Kaylyn Stewart, Hui Chen, Fabian Amurrio
Lee Blaney, Chemical, Biochemical, and Environmental Engineering
Nutrient pollution is one of the most costly and widespread environmental issues in our society, particularly in aquatic systems. The objective of this project was to simultaneously recover both anionic and cationic nutrients, including nitrogen, potassium, and phosphorus, from synthetic urine by Donnan dialysis with novel tubular reactors, which minimize energy and chemical requirements and maximize the rate of nutrient recovery. Over 75% of phosphorus and 74% of ammonium were removed from synthetic urine with commercial membranes in an unoptimized reactor system. We aimed to improve the ratio of membrane surface area-to-reactor volume by manufacturing custom, tube-in-tube, brominated-poly(phenylene oxide)-based membrane modules. The nutrient-rich synthetic urine was passed through the outer tube, while the salt-laden draw solution flowed through the inner tube. The customized reactors exhibited surface-area-to-volume ratios of up to 0.47 cm2 mL-1, nearly seven times greater than the commercial tubular reactor system (0.06 cm2 mL-1). This advancement improved the rate of nutrient recovery. The selectivity coefficients of the brominated-poly(phenylene oxide)-based ion-exchange membranes were evaluated for ions in synthetic urine to improve understanding of competitive mass transport through the membranes. The results of this work will enable new opportunities to decrease nutrient pollution and create a sustainable nutrient cycle.
Investigating the Inheritance of Stress-Dependent Molecular Changes Through Paternal Pathways in Drosophila Melanogaster
Aris Stovall
Fernando Vonhoff, Biological Sciences
Environmental and psychosocial stressors can cause adverse health outcomes and increase the health gap between those who are exposed and those who are not. This project investigates the molecular mechanisms underlying the inheritance of stress and evaluates the epidemiological changes and their effect on the next progeny’s life outcomes. Previous studies have been successful in mimicking human psychological stress in Drosophila melanogaster, or fruit flies. The assay consists of restraining male flies between two sponge plugs for 10-hour increments and crossing them with females with an allele that has a red pigmentation readout, which is sensitive to varying stress levels. We first tested whether the genetic background of different fly stocks influences survivorship of flies exposed to the stress treatment. Our initial results indicate that the control fly line W1118 is more sensitive to the restraining treatment than the wildtype line DGRP-774. We are now measuring levels of red pigmentation using a spectrophotometer in order to validate the sensitivity of the allelic readout. This research can be used in preventative medicine and policies as it relates to environmental hazards and non-optimal living conditions, both domestically and abroad, as it may reveal the long-lasting effects of stress in multiple generations.
This work was funded, in part, through an Undergraduate Research Award from the UMBC Division of Undergraduate Academic Affairs.
Measuring Hostility and Sexism in the Gaming Community Based On the Perception of Gender By Voice
Emily Tanis
Mejdulene Shomali, Gender and Women’s Studies
For a long time, the gaming community has been dominated by men, and those men have often expressed hostility towards people of other gender identities, especially those with a more feminine presenting voice. The gaming community’s hostility towards feminine presenting individuals has often dissuaded them from taking on the hobby seriously. This study investigated the online environment of multiplayer first person shooter (FPS) games and the attitude of public lobbies towards individuals based on how their gender is perceived over voice chat. The study had one person play 15 games of the FPS game Valorant. The player stayed constant while the speakers changed every five matches. Five matches were played with a masculine presenting speaker, five matches were played with a feminine presenting speaker, and five matches were played with no speaker, to offer a control group. The speakers marked every time they experienced some form of hostility, sexism, or microaggression in order to determine which voices garnered the most hostility. The goal of the study is to determine if there is a link between sexist and hostile behavior in these public gaming lobbies and the perception of gender based on voice.
Satyr: Explore and Fight Your Way Through A Fantastical Post-Apocalyptic World
Anna Teather, Aidan Brown, Evan McRae
Lynn Cazabon, Visual Arts
Satyr is a two-dimensional Metroidvania-inspired game with an emphasis on storytelling and world-building. The playable character Pan, a young boy who is part deer and part human, becomes possessed by the goddess Reya and they must work together to take down an evil empire. The player can explore an open world, fight enemies, and unlock new powers as they learn more about the world and the mysterious beings that inhabit it. The game was made in Unity and combined digital animation with hand-drawn watercolor paintings to create a unique visual style. It was a challenge for the lead artist to create paintings and use Photoshop to convert them into Unity assets. Programmers learned how to create fun fighting mechanics as well as enemies with artificial intelligence, efficient dialogue systems, inventory and collectible items, and much more. The level design had to be carefully planned out to effectively utilize the player’s abilities and provide a fun challenge. The development of Satyr provided a great opportunity to gain experience in team-based game development, as well as learn how to overcome challenges and explore video games as an artistic medium.
Growth and Fission Dynamics During Asexual Reproduction
Biniam Teferedegn
Daniel Lobo, Biological Sciences
The regulatory networks controlling whole-body morphology and patterning are poorly understood due to their complexity integrating genetic, signaling, and mechanical interactions. Precise quantitative and computational analyses are needed to extract mechanistic understanding from dynamical datasets of whole-body development and regeneration. The annelid Pristina leidyi is a freshwater worm which grows continuously, regenerate any body part, and reproduce asexually by fission. However, the regulatory networks triggering these behaviors, controlling body patterning, and signaling missing parts are currently unknown. In this project we computationally analyzed the growth, fission, and regeneration dynamics of P. leidyi under different nutrition levels by extracting their morphological configurations through time. The computed dynamics of length and growth rates revealed that P. leidyi fed with a high nutrition regime grew faster and fissioned earlier compared to animals with a low nutrition regime. However, the results showed that the body length necessary for fission was 6 mm, independently of the feeding regime. These results are paving the way for understanding how complex morphologies are patterned during growth, which signals trigger the fission behavior for asexual reproduction, and how tissues are restored during regeneration.
URISE.
Drawing Conclusions, Stating a Claim, and Supporting with Evidence from Various Sources
Payton Tibbo, Kalina Salsman1
1Patapsco Middle School of Howard County
Timothy Johnson, Education
This research aimed to demonstrate growth towards mastery in stating a claim and supporting that claim using evidence from a text or other resource. Growth has been measured based on a rubric that uses input from the HCPSS and UMBC SS Historical Thinking Rubric. The student group consists of 22 students; 9 boys and 13 girls. There are 6 IEP students, 1 ELL student, and one student with a 504. Growth has been determined based on levels of mastery determined by a consistent rubric scoring a baseline, mid-point, and end-of-year assessment based on document analysis. The baseline data for this SLO was averaged from a baseline assessment titled, “Signers of the Declaration of Independence.” As a baseline, the class performed with an average score of 2.73 out of 8. Citing evidence is an integral skill in being able to have relevant and informed dialogue about important topics across almost all contents. Supporting their claims urges students to consider WHY they have drawn the conclusions they have, and to select relevant details that they believe “prove their case.” Students must understand the importance of determining the credibility of their arguments and the sources they have used to draw their conclusions.
Connecting Government Class to Real-World Events
Alexander Tomlinson
Timothy Johnson, Education
Applying high school government course materials to real-world predictable situations is key to making learning relevant to students in this class. This is one of the major goals of any course. It is especially vital to government class to improve students’ engagement and academic assessments. To improve students’ ability, you need to have a measurable starting point by assessing the ability of the students. Once this happens classroom lessons should begin focusing on making connections between course concepts and to real events that have happened. A cycle of teaching students to make connections and assessing ability ensue until students become proficient in making connections on their own when current events are brought into the classroom. This will show that students are becoming proficient in making connections through learning how to make connections through continued classroom practice of bringing real-world predictable situations into classroom instruction in high school government courses.
Investigating Conditioned Place Aversion and Brain Regions Involved in the Acute Stress Response
Maya Tondravi, Se Rin Lee
Tara LeGates, Biological Sciences
Aversion to threatening stimuli is an evolutionarily conserved behavior critical to the survival of organisms. The ability of organisms to associate aversive stimuli with contextual cues within their environment is necessary to anticipate and effectively respond in the future. Altered motivation, deficits in learning, and disrupted processing of motivating stimuli are all associated with psychiatric disorders. However, the neuronal mechanisms mediating contextual learning remain elusive. By conditioning mice to associate different environments with an aversive stimulus, we hope to develop a model of contextual based learning to study the neuronal mechanisms responsible for integrating aversive stimuli with related contextual information. We utilized an arena with two chambers distinguished by visual cues connected by a middle corridor. A group of mice were conditioned to associate visual cues with physical restraint. We found that the mice spent less time in the restraint-associated chamber demonstrating that restraint can elicit contextual-based learning. We then sought to determine the brain regions activated during acute stress by measuring cFos expression after restraint. We will then employ optogenetics to determine how specific neural circuits mediate this response. Our findings will be important in understanding the neurobiological basis of aversion with implications for how we understand psychiatric disorders.
This investigation was sponsored by the U-RISE Program at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC), which is supported by the National Institute Of General Medical Sciences of the National Institutes of Health under Award Number T34GM136497. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.
Hanna Tran
Corrie Parks, Visual Arts
Sunshine, a rotoscoped short, is a loving tribute to my late guinea pig who passed away at the beginning of the Spring 2021 semester. It is meant to capture a few moments of my life with him, and resonate with any pet owner who loved a pet in their life. The film was made by selecting a rough timeline of videos from when he was alive. These clips were imported into Clip Studio Paint and drawn over using the rotoscope method. The brushes used were meant to evoke a soft feeling. I also animated sunshine coming from him to emphasize the light he brought into my life. This contrasted the gray tones used in the background. I sang the song “You Are My Sunshine,” for the soundtrack, as it was what I sang to him in the final days of his life. I collaborated with my brother, a musician and producer, and he provided the guitar track as well as assisted with the production of the cover song. The film is meant to be an emotional piece and tribute to a loved one, as well as express that even a small guinea pig can be the light of one’s life.
How and Why We Run: Investigating the Experiences of Blind and Visually-Impaired Runners
Mei-Lian Vader
Ravi Kuber, Information Systems
Running offers a convenient and affordable method of keeping fit and maintaining good cardiovascular health. In this paper, we describe the experiences of a group of runners whose practices are rarely profiled: individuals who identify as legally-blind, some of whom run competitively, while others run for purposes of leisure. We specifically focus on planning strategies undertaken, experiences running both with and without sighted guides, the impact of situational and environmental factors, and the ways in which technology is utilized. The study has revealed a set of insights which if capitalized upon could offer considerable promise to support independent running. These include examining ways to reduce levels of uncertainty faced by runners, supporting autonomy, providing greater levels of environmental awareness, and aiding socialization when running. Findings from the work offer promise to interface designers to improve inclusiveness when developing technologies to support runners.
Sociocultural Factors That Impact Chronic Pain in Communities of Color: A Literature Review
Paige Van Ditta
Raimi Quiton, Psychology
The purpose of this review was to understand factors contributing to racial differences in chronic pain. Prior research in the field has shown greater clinical and experimental pain sensitivity among BIPOC; however, little is known about contributing factors. To analyze these factors, a literature review was conducted examining inter- and intra-cultural differences within BIPOC communities that may impact pain. Special interest was paid to coping strategies, English language acquisition, acculturation to the United States, and perceived racism. Overall results show commonalities among BIPOC groups. The experience of racism was positively associated with higher pain among all groups, while acculturation status among immigrants was inversely associated. Poor English skills were observed as a barrier to adequate health care. Unique to Native American groups, federally funded medical loan forgiveness programs that relocate physicians to reservations provide unstable care to patients with chronic conditions. Overall findings conclude that the experience of racial stressors and lower acculturation status may lead to the disparities observed from BIPOC samples.
Second Language Learning’s Impact on Student’s Linguistic and Cultural Perspectives
Grace VanGorden
Kyung Eun Yoon, Modern Languages, Linguistics, and Intercultural Communication
There is a general consensus that foreign/second language learning does affect the learner’s perspective of the world, whether through the way the language is taught or through the level of culture that is taught along with it; however, there is a lack of information on how foreign/second language learning can affect or change the perspective of the learner. This study will focus on how foreign/second language learning in college can impact a person’s perspective in both a linguistic and cultural sense. Can students’ perspectives be widened through learning to combine cultural viewpoints, and does the way they learned/were taught have an impact on the degree to which this is possible? If this topic can be better understood, teaching strategies for better language learning and increased linguistic and cultural salience may come to light. Data will be collected through surveys, which will be distributed through social media and via email to UMBC students with at least two- years of experience taking language classes or self-study. The goal of this research is to provide insight to assist instructors to better understand and teach students for a higher level of fluency, understanding, and self-efficacy through teaching culture along with language.
This work was funded, in part, through an Undergraduate Research Assistantship Support (URAS) Award from the UMBC Office of the Vice President for Research.
The Role of Not1 in Gastrointestinal Distress in Drosophila Melanogaster: A Model for Autism and Gut Health
Laura Ventura
Fernando Vonhoff, Biological Sciences
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) describes a range of neurodevelopmental conditions characterized by difficulties in communication and social interaction. ASD can be accompanied by comorbidities such as anxiety and depression, sleep disruption, and gastrointestinal (GI) problems. Though not previously on the radar as an ASD-linked gene, mRNA-turnover-associated CNOT1 has emerged as a promising gene in the study of ASD. The current research presented here aims to elucidate the role of CNOT1 in GI distress in the setting of ASD neurogenetics using Drosophila fruit flies. We are using RNAi-based tools to downregulate Not1 expression to test for their effects in the fly digestive and nervous systems. Our results may be relevant in understanding the genetic basis of symptoms observed in autistic patients.
This work was funded, in part, through an Undergraduate Research Award from the UMBC Division of Undergraduate Academic Affairs.
Substantially Supporting Assertions
Matthew Vorce
Timothy Johnson, Education
The ability to analyze multiple sources of information and form a unique, well-supported argument is not only an essential skill in a history classroom, it is an essential skill for any productive citizen in the information age. To promote the development of this source-based analysis, a group of 32 High School Juniors have been observed for their ability to construct an argumentative essay that is supported by multiple sources. Student scores were determined using the International Baccalaureate rubrics for Communicating and Thinking Critically. The Communicating rubric focuses on the students’ ability to communicate effectively using the designated style, structure their essay and arguments appropriately, and document their sources using the proper format. The Thinking Critically rubric focuses on the students’ ability to analyze sources to form valid, well-supported arguments, interpret a range of perspectives, and criticize the origins/purposes of a source and the implications of their perspective. By providing students with multiple opportunities to display these skills through essay writing, the development of their ability to form unique, well-supported arguments has been tracked over the course of several weeks. This data has been used to guide changes in classroom instruction to ensure further development of these skills.
High-Definition Real Time Zoetrope
Gavin Ward, Gavin Hope, Jordan Plotkin, Sam Brosh
E F Charles LaBerge, Computer Science and Electrical Engineering; Eric Dyer, Fine Arts, University of Maryland, Baltimore County
The purpose of this project is to create the High-Definition Real Time Zoetrope (HDRTZ), a modernized and high quality zoetrope that the user can easily interact with via a mechanical crank. Zoetropes are an early method of animation technology consisting of a circular image that creates the illusion of motion when rotated at the correct speed. The HDRTZ consists of two major components: a camera and a projector connected to an FPGA, and a mechanical crank connected to an Arduino. The Arduino wirelessly transmits raw crank data to the FPGA which then processes the live-camera feed to produce the image rotation. This project is part of a collaboration with Professor Eric Dyer of the UMBC Fine Arts Department to produce an interactive art exhibit showcasing the Professor Dyer’s zoetrope art. The HDRTZ was successfully designed and constructed before being displayed at a local exhibition in the Pennsylvania College of Art and Design from November 2021 to January 2022. There are plans for the HDRTZ to be displayed in other galleries around the world. Work continues on HDRTZ upgrades.
This work was funded, in part by the Fine Arts Department.
Preparation of Bifunctional Dendronized Gold Nanoparticles for Combination Chemotherapy
Ismael Watts-Ouattara
Marie-Christine Daniel, Chemistry and Biochemistry
Drug selectivity and drug resistance remain some of the biggest challenges for designing chemotherapeutic drugs, and drug delivery systems can help in this regard. A lack of selectivity may result in unwanted and potentially fatal side effects. Drug resistance can significantly reduce the efficacy of a drug and cause increasingly larger doses to be required. As such, drug delivery systems can increase the selectivity of a drug by directly delivering it to the drug target. Combining these systems with two or more chemotherapy drugs achieves combination chemotherapy and reduces the risk of developing drug resistance. The goal of this project was to create a bifunctional gold nanoparticle drug delivery system. These gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) were functionalized with dendrons, which were terminated with either the drug cisplatin or doxorubicin. A pH-sensitive acylhydrazone bond was used to attach doxorubicin and a pH-sensitive coordination bond for cisplatin. These bonds are cleaved in acidic conditions (pH <5.5) which enables a controlled release of the drugs once the AuNPs are inside acidic lysosomes inside the tumor cell following endocytosis. The dendrons were characterized using 1H NMR and mass spectrometry, and the functionalized gold nanoparticles were analyzed using absorption spectroscopy, dynamic light scattering, and zeta potential.
This work was funded, in part, through an Undergraduate Research Award from the UMBC Division of Undergraduate Academic Affairs.
Exploring Autistic America: Changing Perspectives of Autism Spectrum Disorder Throughout the 20th and 21st Centuries
Giuliana Weiss
Elaine MacDougall, English
The purpose of this paper is to explore the changing perceptions of autism spectrum disorder in the United States throughout the 20th century and early 21st century, with a specific focus on how these perceptions have affected the lives and treatment of autistic individuals in America. From popular films like 1988’s Rain Man to Autism Speaks’ highly controversial short film “I am Autism,” the general public’s reaction to the condition we now refer to as autism spectrum disorder has been characterized by a lack of consistency and considerable confusion. By examining the complex relationship between the media and the public’s perception of autism, we can gain a more complete understanding of where we, as a society, need to improve in regards to our treatment of neurodiverse and autistic individuals. Autism is not an illness to be “cured,” and by debunking myths about autism, critically analyzing fear-mongering tactics used in reference to autism, and centering autistic voices in our narratives, we can better recognize the importance of the autistic community and its place within the neurodiversity rights movement as a whole.
This work was funded, in part, through an Undergraduate Research Assistantship Support (URAS) Award from the UMBC Office of the Vice President for Research.
Trying to Be Medical Barbie: Undergraduate Expectations About Health Professional Program Admissions
Chamini Welikala
Bambi Chapin, Sociology and Anthropology
Despite continuing increases in the number of applicants annually, the Association of American Medical Colleges found that most medical schools still accept the same number of students as they have in previous years. Pre-health advising committees, online preparatory programs, and alumni all offer students advice on how to become competitive for one of these limited seats. Not only are students told that they will need stellar academics to get into one of these highly selective schools, they are also told they should exemplify personal strengths as well. They should have impressive extracurricular achievements and have heroically overcome obstacles, and they should not demonstrate any mental or physical health challenges. Through participant observation with study groups and pre-medical, pre-dental, and pre-pharmacy clubs at UMBC in Spring 2022, this research explored how undergraduate students conceptualized characteristics of a strong pre-health candidate. By attending to the priorities that students used to structure their daily lives, this study reveals ways in which they have internalized perceptions of being worthy enough for professional schools. As they try to become “medical Barbie,” students conceal what they think of as weaknesses that could actually lead them to have greater empathy for patients and diversify the healthcare field.
Rachel Wesley
Ann Sofie Clemmensen, Dance
This research is a creative inquiry into the audience experience of dance through the development of a choreographic model in which the audience is an active partner in the creative outcome of a live performance. Using a real-time digital audience survey, the data will influence the work’s compositional algorithm (score) and these collective responses will determine the compositional structure of the live dance performance, including costume, choreography, and audience seating. The research culminates in an interdisciplinary dance work that seeks to alter the current structure that defines the audiences’ role as a passive observer of dance.
This work was funded, in part, through an Undergraduate Research Award from the UMBC Division of Undergraduate Academic Affairs.
Effective Writing Across Genres
Jada Williams
Cheryl North, Education
Good writing depends on the ability of the author to incorporate ideas, organization, voice, word choice, sentence fluency, conventions, and presentation in a cohesive and interesting way. This research focused on a group of seven students in a standard English 7 class who displayed a notable need for improvement in their writing in these areas. The purpose of this research was to analyze how practicing each writing trait individually and utilizing them across genres can improve student performance on written assignments. Student growth was determined by their ability to increase their score by at least 5 points or achieve a score of at least 18 points (75%) on subsequent writing assignments. To achieve this goal teachers implemented various writing exercises and focused mini-lessons. Students were asked to write expository, descriptive, argumentative, and compare and contrast essays.
Analyzing the Russian Federation’s Impact on Global Cyber Security
Nathaniel Wooddell, Michael Duong
Vira Zhdanovych, Modern Languages, Linguistics, and Intercultural Communication
Since the early 2000’s the Russian Federation has managed to surpass many better funded nations in the field of cyber warfare. Additionally Russia has become a destination of choice for cyber criminals to operate out of. From the attacks against Georgia in 2008, to the 2021 ransomware attacks against the United States, to the recent cyber attacks against Ukraine, it is clear to see that the Russian Federation has developed a massive impact on global cyber security. In an effort to better understand the significance of the Russian impact on Global Cyber Security, our team has analyzed the preferred attack vectors, strategies, methodologies, and targets of the most prominent Russia based Advanced Persistent Threats (APTs). Additionally our team has analyzed the societal, social, and legal factors which have shaped the Russian Federation’s approach to both international and domestic cyber crime, and cyber warfare. By combining both a societal, and technological analysis our team was able to take a multifaceted approach to analyzing the Russian Federation’s Impact on Global Cyber Security.
Understanding the Impact of Consent Decrees in the Music Industry on the Earnings of Songwriters in The United States
Lauren Wotring
Jeffery Davis, Political Science
Consent decrees between the Department of Justice and performing rights organizations (PROs) in the United States, have artificially depressed the earnings of individual songwriters since 1941 when they were first introduced. The original purpose of consent decrees on royalties in the music industry was to ensure a competitive market. Royalties are distributed to songwriters by performing rights organizations like the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) and Broadcast Music Inc. (BMI). These organizations represent songwriters and license their music to the general public. However, the rates of performance royalties have thus-far been set by one judge, assigned to each PRO. In this paper, I explore how consent decrees in the music industry have impacted the earnings of songwriters in the U.S., through interviews with the Senior Vice President of ASCAP, the Executive Director of the Nashville Songwriters Association International, and songwriters currently trying to make a living writing music. I evaluate the extent by which we expect to see royalties in future rate court proceedings comply with the Music Modernization Act of 2018, which changed the rules by which royalty rates are set, and predict whether the interests of songwriters will be better protected by the law.
This work was funded, in part, through an Undergraduate Research Award from the UMBC Division of Undergraduate Academic Affairs.
Vivian Yeh, Gregory Claver, Faith Madeoy Gault, Keara Cogan
Eric Jordan, Visual Arts
Castle Drift is a three-dimensional racing game developed in Maya and Unity as part of the Senior Game Groups Project Capstone class. Three-dimensional kinematics were applied to a player-controlled vehicle that travels across various fantasy-themed environments. Artists modeled and textured magical scenes, including a castle bridge, woodland forest, gem-encrusted cave, evening cliff, and cloud canopy. Creative decisions were informed by the visual appeal of the game, and the artists drew concept art to develop the style before making low-poly models in the prototype phase. Programmers refined the vehicle’s physics and coded interactions with patrolling animals and other obstacles. The user is able to utilize various techniques to adjust velocity, such as drift controls and golden speed boosters around the track. In the cloud area, low-gravity settings enable the vehicle to glide through the sky and reach the finish line. Design decisions throughout the process were made with the player in mind, prioritizing gameplay and the presence of strategies inherent to the appeal of racing games.
Analyzing the Expression of Shroom3 in the Zebrafish Anterior Neural Plate
Rianna Zacharias
Rachel Brewster, Biological Sciences
Primary neurulation is the process via which a flat sheet of cells, the neural plate, bends at hingepoints to form the neural tube, the precursor of the brain and spinal cord. The neural plate bends and folds around the medial (MHP) and dorsolateral hinge points (DLHP) to promote fusion of the neural folds. MHP formation involves apical constriction of highly polarized epithelial cells, mediated by recruitment and contraction of an actomyosin belt. The Brewster lab has recently observed bi-lateral clusters of cells that form at the lateral edges of the zebrafish neural plate and appear to undergo reverse/basal constriction, and hence have been labeled “reverse hingepoints” (RHPs). We hypothesize that RHPs are essential for elevating the neural folds, a prerequisite for neural tube closure. Shroom3 is an F-actin binding protein previously implicated in apical constriction of MHPs and hypothesized to localize to the basal surface of RHPs where it would recruit actomyosin contractile machinery. The goal of my project is to determine the localization of Shroom3 in zebrafish by performing wholemount in situ hybridization with a shroom3 riboprobe and immunolabeling with a custom Shroom3 antibody. We expect Shroom3 to be distributed apically in tissues that form tube-like structures.
This work was funded, in part, through an Undergraduate Research Award from the UMBC Division of Undergraduate Academic Affairs.
4/15/2022