Trainees Profiles

Hunter Maclennan

Major: Chemistry

School: Oregon State University

Research interests:

  • Energy Storage
  • Materials Science
  • Inorganic and Radiochemistry

Summer goals:

  • Establish connections with other researchers in my field and with my peers
  • Strengthen time management and research skills for future graduate studies
  • Support my research group with meaningful contributions

Ciaran “CJ” Cole

Major: Environmental Engineering, Molecular & Cellular Biology

School: Johns Hopkins

Research interests:

  • Public Health
  • Antimicrobial Resistance
  • Organic Chemistry
  • Water Chemistry

Summer goals:

  • Better understand emerging strategies to monitor wastewater contaminants
  • Learn how to perform mass spectrometry
  • Specifying research interests for graduate school
  • Networking with the UMBC community

Erin O’Leary

Major: Integrative Engineering with a focus in Environment and Energy

School: Lafayette College

Research interests:

  • Atmospheric Chemistry and Engineering
  • Renewable Energy
  • Environmental Chemistry
  • Systems Engineering

Summer goals:

  • Develop new research skills and refine existing abilities and knowledge.
  • Build meaningful connections with my fellow REU students, labmates, and PI.
  • Expand my working knowledge of Atmospheric and Environmental Chemistry in preparation for my senior thesis.

Rachel Kramer

Major: Molecular Biology, Biochemistry, Bioinformatics (MB3) and Chemistry

School: Towson University

Research interests:

  • Immunology
  • Pharmacology
  • Photochemistry

Summer goals:

  • Improve my scientific communication skills
  • Broaden my technical laboratory skills
  • Build my network

Bruke Hirgeto

Major: Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering

School: Johns Hopkins University

Research interests:

  • Molecular simulations
  • Computational chemistry
  • Climate tech

Summer goals:

  • Broaden computational chemistry technical skills
  • Strengthen reading
  • Writing skills of research literature

Portia Ewing

Major: Chemical Engineering

School: University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Research interests:

  • Water treatment of toxic contaminants
  • Drug delivery
  • Bioengineering of Cell Signaling Pathways

Summer goals:

  • Build a background in research
  • Learn new lab techniques
  • Learn about Graduate School and different career paths

Henry Poblete

Major: Environmental Engineering

School: Rutgers University-New Brunswick

Research interests:

  • Water contamination & remediation
  • Offshore wind energy
  • Urban air quality
  • Environmental & marine chemistry

Summer goals:

  • Enhance research experience, expanding knowledge of utilizing various lab equipment
  • Improve professional skills relevant to Environmental Engineering, whether in an academic or work setting
  • Expand network by developing connections with faculty, students, and the scientific community

Leah Kaup

Major: Biomedical Engineering

School: Rutgers University

Research interests:

  • Medical Imaging
  • Medical Devices
  • Bioinformatics

Summer goals:

  • Expose myself to new ideas
  • Develop technical skills for wet lab
  • Gain confidence in myself and my abilities

Ian Popp

Major: Chemical Engineering

School: University of Arkansas

Research interests:

  • Polymeric Biomaterials
  •  Therapeutic Genetic Engineering
  •  Membrane Science
  •  Early Engineering Education

Summer goals:

  • Gain insights into a variety of research topics to grow as a researcher
  • Improve my technical writing skills
  • Expand my professional network in related fields
  • Explore Baltimore and the surrounding area

 

 

Adhithi Varadarajan

Major: Chemical Engineering

School: University of Massachusetts, Amherst

Research interests:

  • Gene modification
  • Drug development
  • Smart materials
  • Food quality

Summer goals:

  • Learning new skills in the lab such as data analysis, regression tables.
  • Enhancing my coding skills
  • Networking and getting to know the community at UMBC

Amanda Thompson

Major: Biochemistry

School: McDaniel College

Research interests:

  • Organic synthesis
  • Photochemistry

Summer goals:

  • Develop lab skills with both using new instrumentation and with data analysis.
  • Build meaningful connections with other members of my cohort and mentors.

Dylan Hayes

Major: Biochemistry

School: Hampton University

Research interests:

  • Nutrition/Food Science
  • Material Science
  • Atmospheric Chemistry
  • Marine Microbiology
  • Epigenetics

Summer goals:

  • This will be my first true experience doing something related to atmospheric chemistry, so I really just want to see if this is research I would enjoy doing, as well as the techniques and practices involved that may be able to be taken forward in my
    career.

Feonil Limiac

Major: Molecular Biology, Biochemistry, and Bioinformatics (MBBB)

School: Towson University

Research interests:

  • Water Disinfection Byproducts (DBPs)
  • Biomedical Genetics
  • Biochemistry
  • Endocrinology, Diabetes, and Metabolism

Summer goals:

  • Enhance communication as a scientist
  • Build my network

 

Hanifah Shoneye

Major: Biomedical Engineering

School: University of Illinois at Chicago

Research interests:

  • Biomedical Imaging
  • Engineering
  • Computing Analytics
  • Bioinformatics
  • Computer Science

Summer goals:

  • Network
  • Gain knowledge
  • Increase skill set
  • Find passion

 

Madilyn “Gracie” Holm

Major: Chemical and Biological Engineering

School: Colorado School of Mines

Research interests:

  • Renewable energies/Energy transition
  • Material sciences
  • Drug development
  • Type 1 Diabetes

Summer goals:

  • Gain a deeper understanding of photochemistry and its applications
  • Develop new lab techniques
  • Connect and grow within the scientific community at UMBC
  • Explore and learn more about the area!

 

 

Megan Harmon

Major: Environmental Chemistry

School: Illinois Institute of Technology

Research interests:

  • Environmental Chemistry
  • Atmospheric Chemistry
  • Water Chemistry
  • Renewable Energy

Summer goals:

  • Make connections with the faculty and students
  • Gain research skills and learn new lab techniques

Nicholas Berry

 

 

 

Raina Miller

Major: Biology-Chemistry

School: Southern Nazarene University

Research interests:

  • Organic Chemistry
  • Epidemiology
  • Immunology
  • Parasitology

Summer goals:

  • Expand my research expertise and networking.
  • Grow a better understanding of what research looks like.
  • Have the opportunity to grow in my love of science and discovery.

 

Rianna Minter

Major: Biological Sciences

School: Delaware State University

Research interests:

  • Cancer Biology
  • BioPharmaceuticals
  • Genetics

Summer goals:

  • Increase proficiency in scientific communication
  • Increase professional network
  • To learn and increase my knowledge in new disciplines

Sydney Braithwaite

Major: Forensic Chemistry

School: Towson University

Research interests:

  • Drug identification
  • Pharmacology
  • Toxicology

Summer goals:

  • Build my communication skills as a scientist
  • Build my research skills with hands on experience
  • Learn about environmental contaminants and how to mitigate their impact.

 

2022 BEMORE REU trainees

Aderinsola Adeleke

Major: Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering

School: John Hopkins University

Research interests:

  • Bioengineering
  • Environmental exposure to pollutants

Summer goals:

  • I would like to be well versed on the impact of isoprene emission on urban air as well as secondary organic aerosols that exist in our environment
  • I hope to build long term connections with Pls and fellow REU researchers while learning from their perspective and various backgrounds
  • I hope to develop various lab techniques as well as my public speaking skills and writing skills

Charlie Dickerson

Major: Chemical Engineering

School: Tufts University

Research interests:

  • Energy Storage
  • Renewable Energy
  • Atmospheric Chemistry
  • Materials Science

Summer goals:

  • Learn from my lab teams and develop meaningful connections
  • Contribute my perspective and excitement for research and the environment to my group’s goal

Paul Dinh

Major: Chemical Engineering

School: University of Florida

Research interests:

  • Pharmaceuticals
  • Environmental
  • Renewable energy

Summer goals:

  • To expand my professional network
  • To learn how to communicate effectively
  • To explore the pharmaceutical field

Jessica Dong

Major: Bioengineering

School: University of Maryland, College Park

Research interests:

  • Biopharmaceuticals
  • Microbiology
  • Genetics
  • therapeutics

Summer goals:

  • Learn new skills in the lab such as data analysis, laboratory methods, and the use of new machinery

Amanda McKee

Major: Chemistry

School: Millersville University

Research interests:

  • Organic chemistry
  • Polymer Chemistry
  • Environmental materials chemistry

Summer goals:

  • Know enough about the project that I can give a presentation on it
  • Learn where everything is located within the lab

Mael Ndalamba

Major: Biochemistry

School: Loyola University Maryland

Research interests:

  • Neuroscience: Being the field I am hoping to go into, I would love to get more experience and a better understanding
  • Genetics: I find genetics to be very interesting and at the source of many health-related issues
  • Environmental: Growing up, I have always had a lot of interest in the environment and wanting to find ways to improve it around the world
  • Pharmaceutical science: Comprehending the process of how drugs are made

Summer goals:

  • Developing skills and improving myself as a scholar
  • Making new friends
  • Volunteering every weekend

Shavier Small

Major: Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering

School: John Hopkins University

Research interests:

  • DNA nanotechnology
  • Dynamic materials
  • Mycelial materials
  • Biotechnology

Summer goals:

  • Learn microscopy techniques
  • Develop technical and scientific writing skills
  • Learn about the properties of a new substance that aids in designing materials (fungi !)

Ali Sulehria

Major: Biomedical/Chemical Engineering

School: Tulane University of Louisiana

Research interests:

  • Materials and Mechanics for Biomedical applications
  • Synthesis and production/treatment of materials
  • Tissue and Microenvironment engineering

Summer goals:

  • Gain familiarity with inorganic transition metal and polymer chemistry
  • Learn a chemical perspective to material synthesis
  • Become more comfortable with independent research