When did you do your Internship?
Summer 2023
Where was your Internship?
Purdue University with Dr. Tamara Kinzer-Ursem
What is the focus of your Internship?
Optimizing Antibody Conjugation using F-C Specific Oligonucleotides
What are you looking forward to the most about your Internship?
Before I started, I was most excited to step foot in a real lab and work on projects on my own.
What was the best part of your Internship OR What was the biggest learning moment of your Internship ?
As this was my first internship, the graduate student I worked with was very accommodating and I was able to learn a lot of new techniques including gel-electrophoresis, western blot, and NanoDrop.
What advice do you have for students who are interested in getting involved in research or an internship?
Go for it! Even if the topic is not exactly what you’re interested in, the experience can help hone your interest and maybe introduce a new one.
Are you a member of any clubs/campus organizations?
NOBCChE, ChewMBC, NSBE, AIChE
What are your goals after graduation?
PhD in Biomedical Engineering
Learn more about Ariel Wilson-Gray:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/ariel-wilson-gray-428646236/
]]>When did you do your Research?
Summer 2023
Where was your Research?
Hennigan Lab
What is the focus of your Research?
Developing new methods to measure atmospheric gas-phase ammonia
What are you looking forward to the most about your Research?
I am excited to deploy the instrumentation that we have been working on to collect data. It will be satisfying to see real tangible results come from something that I have worked on with other students!
What was the best part of your Research OR What was the biggest learning moment of your Research ?
The best part of my research is the people I work with, everybody in the lab is excited to be here and work on their respective projects.
What advice do you have for students who are interested in getting involved in research or an internship?
Search for faculty and read about their research through their website or their department website. Then send an email to a professor who does research that speaks to you and/or aligns with your career goals.
Are you a member of any clubs/campus organizations?
AIChE ChemE Car Team Lead
What are your goals after graduation?
Industry or M.S. in Chemical Engineering
Learn more about Benjamin Welling:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/ben-welling-352602248/
]]>When did you do your Internship?
Summer 2023 and Winter 2023-2024
Where was your Internship?
USALCO in Baltimore, Maryland
What is the focus of your Internship?
The focus of my internship was to develop an economical way to produce dry aluminum chloralhydrate. I am helping design and conduct experiments which would be used to advance the current R&D project through the pilot phase to a scaled up industrial version. I also did lab work to prepare and test the samples we collected from the experiments.
What are you looking forward to the most about your Internship?
I am looking forward to returning in the winter and seeing how the project has progressed and working on it further.
What was the best part of your Internship?
The best part of my internship was the level of autonomy I was given, as an intern, by my bosses and co-workers. We had a voice during all discussions, we could make designs and sketches independently, and give our personal feedback on the project and the direction we thought it should move.
What advice do you have for students who are interested in getting involved in research or an internship?
My advice would be, even if it's late in the spring and you haven't managed to find an internship, keep applying to postings you want. I got the text for an interview during finals week while I was taking my last exam. Definitely start applying earlier if you can but don't let rejections or a lack of responses stop you.
Are you a member of any clubs/campus organizations?
I am the Treasurer of UMBC's student chapter of AIChE as well as a member of the Chemical Engineering Jeopardy team. I play basketball for the intramural CBEE team formed by ChemE students.
What are your goals after graduation?
I want to do R&D or process engineering full time.
]]>Yoonjin Cho,
‘24 chemical engineering at Chung-Ang University, South Korea
When did you do your Internship?
Summer 2023
Where was your Internship?
Blaney Lab, UMBC
What is the focus of your Internship?
We are working to develop sampling methods for certain PFAS compounds. This is necessary as governments and regulatory agencies are actively evaluating and implementing measures to restrict the use of certain PFAS compounds and set acceptable exposure limits.
Specifically, I am working on the following projects:
-Detection of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in wastewater, and biosolids samples.
-Researching the impact of solution pH, temperature, and salt concentration on KPFAS Cl using membranes for passive sampler
What are you looking forward to the most about your Internship?
I look forward to improving my ability to read papers effectively and efficiently, as well as gaining practical experience in a laboratory setting and enhancing my data analysis skills.
What was the best part of your Internship OR What was the biggest learning moment of your Internship ?
I gave a presentation about the calibration curve and internal standard during a group meeting. At first, it was challenging to understand the concept, but through the process of looking things up in English and asking questions to team mates, it became fulfilling. Additionally, presenting in front of my colleagues in the lab pushed me out of my comfort zone.
What advice do you have for students who are interested in getting involved in research or an internship?
Use diverse sources, including not only academic papers but also platforms like YouTube and blogs, to gain an understanding of the topic you're interested in.
Take your time looking for fields you would like but don't hesitate to take action!
Are you a member of any clubs/campus organizations?
University of Maryland-Baltimore County(exchange student)
Chung-Ang University, Korea(senior majoring in chemical engineering)
What are your goals after graduation?
Pursuing master's degree
]]>When did you do your Internship?
Summer 2023
Where was your Internship?
W.R. Grace in Curtis Bay, Maryland
What is the focus of your Internship?
Correlating laboratory results to easily measured in-process variables in order to improve the efficiency of production in a specialty catalyst plant.
What are you looking forward to the most about your Internship?
Getting to learn new things in a real working environment
What was the best part of your Internship OR What was the biggest learning moment of your Internship ?
Getting to work in a manufacturing environment everyday and applying the skills learned in my classes to the real world. I really enjoyed seeing all of the unit operations and core concepts I've learned about come to life.
What advice do you have for students who are interested in getting involved in research or an internship?
Apply early and often! It can't hurt to apply to any opportunity that you may be interested in. Also, be sure to leverage your network. If you know somebody that works at a company you are interested in, don't be afraid to reach out.
Are you a member of any clubs/campus organizations?
Vice President of UMBC's student chapter of AIChE, ChemE Jeopardy Team Member, Current Teaching fellow for ENCH300, Past Teaching Fellow for ENCH225L and ENCH215, Subject Tutor for Chemical Engineering Classes at UMBC's Academic Success Center.
What are your goals after graduation?
Get a full time job in industry
Learn more about Ethan Banks:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/ethan-banks-b3622521b/
]]>When did you do your Research?
Summer 2023
Where was your Research?
Dr. Singh's lab, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at UMBC.
What is the focus of your Research?
Solid crystal optical properties
What are you looking forward to the most about your Research?
I am looking forward to attending and presenting a research poster at The Material Science and Technology conference during the first week of October. This should be a really good opportunity to see research going on across the country and to gain speaking experience in an academic setting.
What was the best part of your Research?
My favorite part about doing research was gaining hands-on experience with research equipment as well as working collaboratively with undergrads and grad students in the.
What advice do you have for students who are interested in getting involved in research or an internship?
My advice is to ask around about opportunities -- talk to people -- especially your professors and your classmates who are already involved in research. You won't always get internships or research directly from the people you ask, but they might know of someone who has an opening or know of an opportunity.
Are you a member of any clubs/campus organizations?
Navy ROTC, Tau Beta Pi
What are your goals after graduation?
After graduation, I will be commissioning into the US Navy, hopefully to become a submarine officer and learn about nuclear power.
Learn more about Nicholas Schmidt:
www.linkedin.com/in/nicholas-schmidt-111b56265
]]>When did you do your Research?
Center for Advanced Sensor Technology with Dr. Govind Rao at UMBC
What is the focus of your Research?
The focus of my research is fluorescent sensor technology and developing genetically encoded sensors to be used in Cell-Free Bioreactors.
What do you enjoy the most about your Research?
I am surrounded by extremely intelligent engineers and researchers from whom I have the privilege to learn so much from. I am specifically looking forward to working with my mentors, Chad Sundberg Ph.D. student and Dr. Govind Rao, to become a better researcher as well as advancing in my project.
What was the best part of your Research OR What was the biggest learning moment of your Research ?
The best part of my research experience are the small wins and discoveries that are made in the lab each and everyday. Through working with others, it is amazing to see what can happen when multiple different people approach a problem. I have been able to apply what I learn in my classes to my research project. I have been able to learn so much from others, and I look forward to continuing to learn and apply our research to solve real-world problems.
What advice do you have for students who are interested in getting involved in research or an internship?
My advice is to not hesitate to reach out to research labs or internships that you are interested in. Reach out early and do research ahead of time to learn about the research done in the lab.
Are you a member of any clubs/campus organizations?
I am the Secretary and Communications Conference Chair for the American Institute of Chemical Engineers as well as the Panhellenic Delegate and Historian for Phi Mu, Phi Gamma Chapter. I was also a teaching fellow for ENCH 215, Chemical Engineering Analysis, during the summer.
What are your goals after graduation?
After graduation I plan to continue my education in graduate school, to hopefully pursue my Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering.
Learn more about Terra Miley:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/terra-miley-690885268
]]>When did you do your Internship?
June 2023
Where was your Internship?
Clene Nanomedicine in North East, Maryland
What is the focus of your Internship?
I evaluated the amount of the edible gold nanoparticle medication in samples. The medication is intended to reduce the symptoms of Parkinson's, ALS, and MS.
What are you looking forward to the most about your Internship?
I had prior experience as a Federal Employee for a Federal Contractor. Working at Celene allowed me to expand my experience. I was inspired to work at Celene, a small pharmaceutical company, because they focus on developing medications for diseases that are frequently underfunded and aim to treat conditions like Parkinson's, ALS, MS, and many more.
What was the best part of your Internship OR What was the biggest learning moment of your Internship ?
The highlight of my internship was when a drug trial participant found out they were likely to be examined by the FDA and they sent a heartfelt email promising to do anything they could to support Clene Nanomedicine. The treatment they received as a drug trial participant was life changing for them.
What advice do you have for students who are interested in getting involved in research or an internship?
My advice would be to diversify the applications to help find what is best for you, even if you think you might not be eligible for some jobs. As a chemical engineering major I even applied to roles for electrical engineering at NASA and got an interview. I got interviews for positions I applied to mechanical engineering roles, process control roles, safety roles. Applying to various positions allowed me to explore all the options and select the position that was the best fit for me.
Are you a member of any clubs/campus organizations?
UMBC Crafters: Founder and President
What are your goals after graduation?
I plan to work in the industry after graduation. I am still deciding if I want to pursue a graduate degree.
]]>A PDF of the report with images, is available using the "Download Document" button at the bottom of the story on the myUMBC post.
Tithi Prajapati, Krisha Pandya, Kalina Kostova
Tithi Prajapati is a rising undergraduate sophomore pursuing a Bioinformatics and Computational Biology degree at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. She is a Meyerhoff Scholar at UMBC. Her program supports the mission of increasing the number of Ph.D. for minorities in the STEM field. Being part of such a program, and her dedication to obtaining a Ph.D., she has decided to get research experience to learn the skills and techniques which will be critical in her educational journey. She started working in the Center of Advanced Sensor Technology (CAST) because she found that CAST had various projects where she could learn various skills, both biological and technological, which are fit for her major. She enjoys working with CAST and being part of such a diverse and welcoming group. Being here only for a short time so far, she has learned multiple things -- working on the nitrate absorbance data, CO2 sensor, and creating microfluidic chips -- and she can't wait to expand her knowledge.
Krisha Pandya is a rising high school senior at Franklin High School, Baltimore County. An avid member of the Science Olympiad chapter at her school, she has found a passion for STEM over the three years of her participation there. She was introduced to CAST this summer and has assisted in several projects, under the guidance of amazing mentors. Krisha has worked with the time to conduct trial experiments for CO2 sensors and nitrate testing in tap water and DI samples. She now looks forward to planning her next academic year, applying to colleges.
Kalina Kostova is a rising freshman in high school, attending Centennial High School in Howard County, Maryland. While she might not have much experience in the STEM field, she has always been curious about it and is eager to expand her knowledge. During her internship at CAST, she helped collect nitrate absorbance data. Kalina is very grateful for everything she was taught by her mentors and for their responsiveness to any issues she faced during this experience. She is interested in pursuing a career in STEM in the future and looks forward to working with others in similar fields.
STEM is an acronym grouping together fundamental interdisciplinary principles: Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics. It is a commonplace term pertinent to the conversation of the various technical undergraduate degrees and career possibilities today.
To understand the situation in STEM, we interviewed a few women in STEM. In the interview, they all gave similar responses to the question, "how do you maintain a good balance between your personal and professional life?"
Revati Kadolkar, a graduate student at the University of Maryland-Baltimore County said, "it is a challenge."
Like the other interviewees, she describes that the gender gap is very much prominent and that the household duties do eventually take a toll. Kadolkar positively affirms the importance of consistency though -- women must enable themselves to be consistent through their work to create their impact.
STEM fields have been primarily male-dominated, despite some developments in the 20th and 21st centuries[1]. From an MIT study, in 2023, the percentage of women in the STEM workforce comes to a marginal 28% around the world. When comparing statistics of other big nations specifically, we see that the United States has 24%, European Union has 17%, Japan has 16%, and India has 14% women in the STEM workforce [3]. Hence, not just in the US, this is a worldwide problem. Women are largely seen working lower-level administration positions at lower pay rates than their male counterparts.
Statistics show women in healthcare comprise 80% of total employment, but a closer look at the statistics evidences only 21% of this population holds upper executive positions even in healthcare [6]. Women are much less likely to have stature enabling them as authoritative figures responsible for decision-making and upper management. Their skill sets are undermined evident by the continual absences of more women in the engineering and computational science areas, and surgery.
In an interview with Dr. Sadhika Jamisetti, an Assistant Professor in the Department of Family and Community Medicine at UT Southwestern Medical Center, she points out, "In terms of female to male ratio, we actually have more females, because I'm in family medicine, but if you get out of family medicine and you go to different specialties, like surgical, especially surgical, might not see as many women...". She still believes there is hope, and aspires that one day there will be more women in STEM. Excelling in multiple specialties, not confined to just one.
Dr. Prerna Joshi, working more at the technical forefront, also feels similarly. A senior scientistelectrochemistry at Xerion Advanced Battery Corp in Ohio, she says, "In the field of electrochemistry I have not seen more women, they either go in biology as in pursuing medicine or in chemistry as in polymer related things but they don't usually go towards the physics kind of field in science." But she too hopes that this problem will be fixed soon.
Women are more involved in the social standpoint of the world. They are more likely to read blogs, make up a huge audience of social media content readers, and generally they tend to stay more engaged in world affairs than men [4]. Having such strong involvement adds value to their perspective and their activeness and dedication proves to be of significant value towards the society. A strong attribute of females that STEM cannot put away. Not just females, diversity in STEM is critical as a whole.
When seeking a solution to challenges and problems faced, the lack of diversity in STEM acts as a barrier. Increasing diversity in the STEM field will bring new ideas and creativity, which will only help foster more development within STEM. This development is only possible when multiple perspectives are taken into account. STEM should be more inclusive of minority groups including not just women, but marginalized racial groups and children.
With the many opportunities and career choices today, lies the future of the new generation. This new generation needs to be informed on how they can contribute to the advancement and progression of their lives by being part of STEM. Diversifying STEM is diversifying an ideology that promotes stronger collaboration and unity.
Dr. Sai Kiran Mani, how she found her way
"It's amazing how different minds think differently. [It makes for] a dynamic environment."
As postdoctoral fellow at UMBC, Dr. Sai Kiran Mani focuses her research on the development of low-cost and effective sensors for water samples, specifically nitrate sensor. She is a strong believer that passion drives an individual and firmly stands for collaboration in the workspace.
According to her, having mentors and experts who are willing to give their guidance helps alleviate the pressure of benchwork in STEM.
Dr. Preety Ahuja, on why she chose STEM
Dr. Preety Ahuja is an Assistant Research Scientist at UMBC with a Ph.D. in Electrochemistry from the University of Delhi, India. A reputed member of the Center for Advanced Sensor Technology (CAST) here at UMBC and as a mother, Dr. Ahuja has shifted her research focus to the development of non-invasive room-temperature CO2 monitors for neonates.
Dr. Ahuja decided she wanted to make safer sensors that would not be irritable to newborns with sensitive skin. Current CO2 sensors for newborn care are within the temperature ranges of 44-45 degrees Centigrade; these temperatures are extreme for younger children, especially neonates [7].
In her statement, she mentions she wanted to do this for her daughter. She has first-hand witness of the technologies used for neonate care and opines that huge improvements are needed within healthcare especially on technologies for postnatal and neonatal care. She aspires to initiate the change through CAST.
At CAST, she has the freedom to be able to begin her project. The reason Dr. Ahuja was able to do this is because she had the opportunity to do so -- something not many women have access to.
Dr. Pegah Rezaei, on her journey to the US
Dr. Pegah Rezaei has been part of the CAST team at UMBC. She described her experience in Medical School in Turkey, where medical students from neighboring countries would come to Turkey to study. She realized the differences in medical advancement even between borders, not everyone has the same access to medicine.
To explore this, she got interested in research, and came to the US to start her post doctorate after medical school. As part of her research, she has been working on developing the CO2 monitoring device relevant to the escalating opioid crisis.
These three women with three different backgrounds yet they come together to work in a lab in another country. Together they continue to show their knowledge and motivation towards research by being strong leaders in their respective fields, working towards the creation of low-cost and highly effective sensors such as nitrate and CO2 sensors.
There are fewer women relative to men in STEM. Even fewer minority-based women. There is a need for regulation in underdeveloped policies and agendas which facilitates a culture where women are discredited and remain segregated in the opportunities they are given to succeed. To say the least, America has yet to cross the 50% benchmark but there is still change to come about, slowly but surely.
We would like to thank Dr. Venkatesh Srinivasan, the Assistant Professor at CAST, for giving us the opportunity to write this paper and for setting up interviews. We would like to extend our appreciation to the interviewees, Dr. Preeti, Dr. Sai Kiran Mani, Dr. Sadhika, Dr. Joshi, Dr. Pegah, and Revati Kadolkar. They have all been a great source of inspiration for us.
We lastly extend our gratitude to Dr. Govind Rao, the Director and Chairman of CAST, who has welcomed us to be a part of the CAST team. Thank you.
1. Environmental Protection Agency. (n.d.). EPA. https://www.epa.gov/perspectives/whyrepresentation-matters-girls-and-women-stem
2. Filed in Employment Trends Data and Technology Career Information By: Emily Krutsch, V. R. - N. 4. (n.d.). Stem day: Explore growing careers. DOL Blog. https://blog.dol.gov/2022/11/04/stem-day-explore-growing-careers
3. The gender gap in Stem. MIT Professional Education. (2023, July 12). https://professionalprograms.mit.edu/blog/leadership/the-gender-gap-in-stem
4. Posts. (2022, March 2). The importance of women in STEM: Why diversity matters. Her Culture. https://www.herculture.org/blog/2022/3/2/the-importance-of-women-in-stem-whydiversity-matters
5. Special topics annual report: Women in the stem. US EEOC. (n.d.). https://www.eeoc.gov/special-topics-annual-report-women-stem
6. The stem gap: Women and girls in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics. AAUW. (2022, March 3). https://www.aauw.org/resources/research/the-stem-gap/
7. Use of transcutaneous CO2 monitoring in NICU (May 2019). (n.d.). https://www.ashfordstpeters.net
Photo credit: Tithi Prajapati. Krisha Pandya, Kalina Kostova and Tithi Prajpati (From left to right)