Meet Garrett Hill, a FOUR-TIME URA Scholar! 

Garrett attended Mount Hebron High School in Howard County, where he had the opportunity to participate in the Biotechnology Career Academy at the Applications and Research Laboratory (ARL)   program and conduct research at UMBC during his senior year at Hebron. He is a senior Biochemistry and Molecular Biology major, a Meyerhoff Scholar, and conducts research in the Marten lab.

Research Title: Characterization of the PrkA Protein Kinase in Aspergillus nidulans

Describe your project:

 My project aims to investigate the way that mold repairs its cell wall after damage and how the cell organizes structures related to this repair. New understandings gained through this research can contribute to how we use fungi to make drugs and enzymes and may even help others to design new antifungal medications.

Who is your mentor for your project? 

         I work with Dr. Mark R. Marten in the Department of Chemical, Biochemical, and Environmental Engineering. As a high school senior, I was a part of a program that allowed me to participate in research at neighboring institutions, and I came across Dr. Marten and his lab when searching for research I may be interested in. After meeting and talking about the work done in the lab, something that stood out to me was how Dr. Marten stressed the importance of project ownership. Being the “expert” in the lab on a project gives students a unique level of both responsibility and drive, and this is what drew me to joining his lab.

How did you become interested in this project?

         Before starting work on this project, I had assisted some graduate students with their projects, and that’s when I learned that I had an interest in both the molecular genetics and the fluorescence microscopy that we do in our lab. This project seemed to combine both interests, so I decided to choose it when looking for a project of my own.

What has been the hardest part about your research/what was the most unexpected thing about being a researcher? 

         Something that really took getting used to was the number of setbacks I faced in my project. I quickly learned that in research, it takes many tries to get something right, and failure became much more familiar to me throughout my journey as an undergraduate researcher.

What has been the most rewarding part?

         I am very grateful to have had the opportunity to engage in research at almost every stage a projects life. I started with comprehensive literature reviews, where I then formulated my own hypotheses, and under the guidance of my mentor, I designed experiments to test these hypotheses. I also got experience communicating my science in conferences and presentations, allowing me to get a great view of what research really feels like.

How will you disseminate your research?

         I plan to present my research next spring at URCAD and look forward to the prospect of attending conferences to potentially present my work.

What is your advice to other students about getting involved in research?

           I think getting involved in research can seem a little daunting at first, so I would recommend that people just take the leap! There is a lot of exciting research being done at UMBC, so I would say to just see what’s out there and if something seems interesting, reach out to the lab to see if you can get involved. Now is the time to experiment and see what you want to do in your career, and there are many mentors here that could help you on that journey.

What are your career goals?

         After graduating UMBC, I plan to pursue a PhD in microbiology. The prospect of staying in academia and becoming a mentor for others is exciting to me, but I also look forward to exploring what other career paths I might be able to follow after graduate school.

Read more about UMBC's URA Scholars:

ur.umbc.edu

URA Workshop featuring

Corey Carter

Director

UMBC Sherman Teachers Scholars Program

AND

Music producer who elevates

listeners’ consciousness about

educational, social, and cultural issues

Research and Rhymes

Wednesday, Sept. 20, 2023

12-12:50pm

ILSB 118

2023 marks the 50th anniversary of the birth of hip hop! Guest speaker Corey Carter (Director of the UMBC Sherman Teacher Scholars Program) will join us to talk about his process in making music and being a black man in education, as well as drawing connections to auto-ethnography and counter-storytelling research structures within the creative space. Let’s talk about what it means that black men constitute only 2% of K-12 educators and getting creative with your research! How well are we doing on our "Progress Report"??

(This lecture satisfies one of the required URA workshops.)

MRCRTR’s album, Progress Report can be found on all major streaming platforms— Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon.

The Peer Review Council provides peer-to-peer accountability for all residential students at UMBC, fosters responsible citizens and a positive community modeling restorative behavior, and offers opportunities for personal development and reflection.

If you are interest please review the attached flyer and submit your application by September 29, 2023

Applications are now being accepted for 2023-24 cohorts of the Autism Hiring Program with a new program beginning this fall in Anne Arundel County in partnership with the Anne Arundel Workforce Development Corporation!  The program now serves residents of Anne Arundel, Montgomery and Howard County/Surrounding Counties.

The next session application deadlines are September 15^th for the Mid-Maryland Fall Session (Residents of Howard County and Surrounding Areas); and October 15^th for the Anne Arundel Fall Session (Residents of Anne Arundel).  The complete schedule for all three locations is below:

ANNE ARUNDEL COUNTY (NEW!) - Anne Arundel County Residents Only

FALL 2023: Late October-December 2023 – Deadline to apply is October 15, 2023

WINTER 2024: January-March 2024 – Deadline to apply is January 15, 2024

SPRING 2024: April-June 2024 – Deadline to apply is March 15, 2024

FALL 2024: September–November. 2024 – Deadline to apply is August 15, 2024

MID-MARYLAND: Residents of Howard County & Surrounding Areas

FALL 2023: September-December 2023 - Deadline to apply is September 15, 2023

WINTER 2024: January-March 2024 - Deadline to apply is January 15, 2024

SPRING 2024: April-June 2024 - Deadline to apply is March 15, 2024

MONTGOMERY COUNTY: Montgomery County Residents Only

FALL 2023 - This session is now full. Please check back for 2024 dates as they are scheduled.

The Autism Hiring Program was created by the Howard County Autism Society to advance workplace neurodiversity and acceptance, connecting businesses to an untapped workforce of skilled Autistic adults and targeting jobseekers not supported by existing systems.  It is provided at no cost to attendees. The ideal candidate for this program is someone who comes to it with an open mind, is committed to their own success, and whose ultimate goal is to find and sustain meaningful employment. Other requirements: 

·       Has an Autism diagnosis

·       High school degree/GED (may have certifications, some college and/or college degree) 

·       Not currently receiving services from DDA, DORS, an agency, or employment specialist/counselor 

·       Able to attend weekly peer group and 1:1 sessions independently with our staff virtually and in person 

·       Responsive to requests from our staff to schedule meetings, coaching sessions, interviews, trainings 

At the same time, the program engages employers to ensure a good fit for candidates AND add to their bottom line.  It provides training for managers and staff on neurodiversity, ADA compliance, inclusivity, and natural supports while creating a sustainable system through which they can hire and retain great candidates.

Support for the program has been provided by Howard County, MD, Howard County Workforce Development, WorkSource Montgomery, Anne Arundel Workforce Development, an FY23 Congressional Community Project Funding grant,  Gula Tech Foundation, Arbor Dog Foundation and many generous individual and corporate donors.    

The 2023 Women of Color (WOC) STEM DTX conference, hosted by Career Communications Group, Inc., is taking place October 12-14, 2023 with options to participate either in-person or online. The conference features leadership and professional development programs in addition to a career fair where many top national and local companies in the STEM fields are actively recruiting STEM interns and professionals.

You will need to register to participate. Open to ALL students! You can register to participate until the day of the event. However, it will take about 15-30 minutes for registrations to be activated and to gain access to the platform.

·       The job fair is free! To participate in the online job fair only, go to: https://s4.goeshow.com/ccgroup/womenofcolor/2023/job_seekers_registration.cfm

·       To participate in the full conference (in addition to the career fair) go to:  https://s4.goeshow.com/ccgroup/womenofcolor/2023/student_registration.cfm and select whether you will participate “in-person” (Detroit, MI) or “online”

·       The fee for attending the full online conference is $50. 

·     If you are interested in attending in-person and have not already notified the Career Center, please register on the WOC website (link above). You will be responsible for the hotel, airfare, and the $100 conference registration fee. 

If you have any questions, please contact Diane Crump-Fogle (crump@umbc.edu) or Chrisi Giannakaris (chrisig@umbc.edu) from the UMBC Career Center.