All posts by: UMBC News Staff

Gaurav Luthria to pursue bioinformatics Ph.D. at Harvard after intensive research experiences at UMBC

Gaurav Luthria
B.S., Bioinformatics
Summa Cum Laude
Hometown: Laurel, Maryland
Plans: Ph.D. in Bioinformatics and Integrative Biology, Harvard

UMBC has opened the doors to so many new opportunities. Working on various research projects, participating in hackathons, and learning from my professors at UMBC has been invaluable in shaping my career aspirations.

During his years at UMBC, Gaurav Luthria has used bioinformatics to explore a variety of research fields. At an internship at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine he studied genetic relationships among ancestral African populations, and at the Health Sciences and Technology Division (a joint initiative between MIT and Harvard) he used social media data to study neurodevelopmental disorders. Here at UMBC, Luthria developed algorithms to elucidate the structure of RNA molecules.

As a Meyerhoff and MARC U*STAR scholar Luthria received key mentorship that helped him establish and achieve his goals. He was also inducted into the academic honor society Phi Beta Kappa and the Carson Scholars Hall of Fame, and he received a Barry Goldwater Scholarship honorable mention.

Luthria gave back to the UMBC community by serving as a chemistry tutor and genetics teaching assistant.

Images: Luthria presents research at the end of his freshman year; photo courtesy Gaurav Luthria. Portrait by Marlayna Demond ‘11 for UMBC.

Grace Choi, heading to biostatistics Ph.D., balances academics and commitment to community

Grace Choi
B.S., Mathematics and Statistics
Summa Cum Laude
Hometown: Ellicott City, Maryland
Plans: Ph.D. in Biostatistics, University of Pennsylvania

The support from faculty and availability of undergraduate research opportunities have helped me gain vital work experience and discern my passions and skills. The rigor of UMBC classes helped me grow academically and highlighted the importance of group studying.

Choi emceeing an InterVarsity large group meeting, an activity that helped her broaden her perspectives; photo courtesy Grace Choi. Portrait by Marlayna Demond ‘11 for UMBC.
Images: Choi emceeing an InterVarsity large group meeting, an activity that helped her broaden her perspectives; photo courtesy Grace Choi. Portrait by Marlayna Demond ‘11 for UMBC.

Grace Choi is an outstanding example of the UMBC student drive to pursue academic excellence at its highest levels while also taking time to support communities and causes of personal resonance.
Graduating with a 4.0, Choi has been admitted into the Phi Beta Kappa National Honor Society and placed on the UMBC President’s Academic List. She has received numerous departmental awards, including the Outstanding Learning Assistant in Physics and Outstanding Graduating Senior in Statistics. She also received support from the UMBC Centennial Award Scholarship and Sinha Endowment for Excellence in Statistics.

Beyond the classroom, Choi has served as mission and advocacy chair for UMBC’s Relay for Life and was the secretary and large group coordinator for InterVarsity Christian Fellowship. This role involved leading discussions on topics such as faith, race, and social justice.

Arti Deore Choudhary, heading to Amazon, thanks cybersecurity faculty for honing her leadership skills

Arti Deore Choudhary
Master’s in Professional Studies, Cybersecurity
Summa Cum Laude
Hometown: Pune, India
Plans: Cloud Support Engineer, Amazon Web Services

This UMBC cybersecurity master’s program has helped me to sharpen my professional, as well as management skills in a most demanding field. Without my degree and UMBC’s support I would not have been able to reach out to professionals and grow as a cybersecurity professional.

Arti Deore Choudhary arrived at UMBC with an impressive academic and professional background, including a B.S and M.S. in computer science from Pune University in India and years of experience as an IT professional, and she graduates from her cybersecurity master’s program with a 4.0 GPA. She has been actively involved in sharing her knowledge and experience with others in the fields of computer science and cybersecurity, particularly through mentoring.

Choudhary partnered with UMBC alumnus and co-founder of LKA Computer Consultants, Larry Aikins ‘14, M.P.S. cybersecurity, to lead Teens in Technology, a seven-day cybersecurity workshop designed to educate high school students about tech security. She also competed in the Maryland Cyber Challenge in 2015, with her UMBC team making it to the semifinal round.

Arti Deore Choudhary leads a UMBC workshop for aspiring cybersecurity and technology students

Choudhary has received an Ethical Hacker Certificate and has interned with Ridgeback Network Defense, a startup technology company at bwtech@UMBC. She will soon begin a position as a cloud support engineer at Amazon Web Services.

Images: Arti Deore Choudhary leads a UMBC workshop for aspiring cybersecurity and technology students; photo courtesy of Arti Deore Choudhary. Portrait by Marlayna Demond ‘11 for UMBC.

James Loy looks ahead to Princeton Ph.D. after rich research experiences at UMBC

James Loy
B.S., Physics; B.S.; Mathematics and Statistics
Summa Cum Laude
Hometown: Taneytown, Maryland
Plans: Ph.D. in Physics, Princeton

The focus UMBC places on allowing undergraduates to perform research has prepared me to attend graduate school. The URA program is excellent at preparing students for research demands beyond their undergraduate career.

James Loy, a 2012 Burgee Regent Scholar, dove into research opportunities at UMBC. By joining Matthew Pelton’s physics lab when Pelton was still relatively new to UMBC, Loy “experienced research from the posing of the problem through to publication,” he says.

Loy is an author on a paper published in the peer-reviewed journal ACS Energy Letters. He received undergraduate research awards for his work in the 2014-2015 and 2015-2016 academic years and extended his research beyond UMBC by participating in a Research Experience for Undergraduates (URA) in Missouri focused on nanofabrication.

james-loy
 
“The focus UMBC places on allowing undergraduates to perform research has prepared me to attend graduate school,” Loy says. In addition to his academic success, Loy served as secretary for the Honors College Council, 2013-2014.

Images: Loy at his poster presentation following an REU in Missouri; photo courtesy of James Loy. Header portrait by Marlayna Demond ‘11 for UMBC.

 

Arlene Cuanias, UMBC at USG community leader, to pursue M.S.W. at University of Maryland School of Social Work

Arlene Cuanias 
B.S., Psychology
Summa Cum Laude
Hometown: Rockville, Maryland
Plans: M.S.W., University of Maryland School of Social Work

UMBC gave me the confidence to go after what I want. I have been given the tools to be successful both in school and in my personal life. The faculty and staff are amazing and it has been a privilege to have worked with them.

Arlene Cuanias submittedArlene Cuanias has maintained a highly distinguished undergraduate academic career while also serving as a leader in the UMBC community at the Universities at Shady Grove (USG), fostering a culture of caring. She was the first student member of the USG Culture of Care Network, an organization designed to look out for the well-being of all students, faculty, and staff, and she was instrumental in creating the “I Am Enough” campaign.

Cuanias served as vice president of the Tau Sigma Honors Society, was a member of the UMBC Peer Advisory Team, and earned a USG Academic Achievement Award and Distinguished Achievement Award in Psychology at UMBC. Arlene is also a Montgomery County Business Hall of Fame Scholar. She will pursue a master of social work degree at the University of Maryland, Baltimore beginning in the fall.

Images: Arlene Cuanias launches the USG Culture of Care Network, fall 2015, with the theme “I Am Enough”; photo courtesy Arlene Cuanias. Portrait by Marlayna Demond ’11 for UMBC.

Vivek Moorthy to pursue his interest in mathematics and economics research at Northrop Grumman

Vivek Moorthy
B.S., Financial Economics; B.A., Mathematics
Magna Cum Laude
Hometown: Ellicott City, Maryland
Plans: Business Management Analyst at Northrop Grumman

Assets like the Career Center and The Shriver Center, coupled with accessible faculty, create a space for students to engage with their campus and push their own boundaries. In this environment, I met hard-working and highly motivated people who pushed me to work and think more passionately than I ever have before. I will strive to carry this passion into everything I do.

As a Sondheim Public Affairs Scholar and member of the Honors College, Vivek Moorthy has committed himself to Walter Sondheim’s vision of integrating research, teaching, and learning for the benefit of society.

Throughout his undergraduate career at UMBC, Moorthy completed varied and challenging coursework that helped him realize his passion for economics and mathematics research. His numerous academic achievements include being invited to Phi Beta Kappa, Phi Kappa Phi, and Omicron Delta Epsilon, and completing a year of graduate-level course requirements in economics and mathematics.

Moorthy worked closely with The Shriver Center and Career Center to land internships at T. Rowe Price and Northrop Grumman. He will begin a new position at Northrop Grumman after graduation, with plans to eventually pursue a Ph.D. in economics.  

Vivek Moorthy submitted

Images: Vivek Moorthy with his fellow Sondheim Public Affairs Scholars, whom he credits for guiding, inspiring, and challenging him throughout his four years at UMBC; photo courtesy of Vivek Moorthy. Portrait by Marlayna Demond ’11 for UMBC.

Hailey Lynch pairs all-star academic record with high-level internships to prep for investment career

Hailey Lynch
B.S. Mathematics
Summa Cum Laude
Hometown: Baltimore, Maryland
Plans: Investment Fellow, T. Rowe Price

The education I have received at UMBC has undoubtedly prepared me to enter the professional world. I truly believe that I would not be the thinker that I am today had I chosen to attend another institution.

Hailey Lynch is an academic powerhouse, earning her degree in mathematics with a perfect 4.0 record, supported by numerous competitive university and state scholarships. She has also worked hard to take advantage of prestigious internship opportunities that have opened the door to an engaging industry career. While at UMBC, Lynch has completed internships with the Hershey Company and UMBC’s department of physics. She says UMBC’s Career Center support was instrumental in preparing her for a career upon graduation.

Hailey Lynch shares her personal story with prospective students and their families at UMBC’s New Student Day

Lynch shares that she is particularly thankful for the nurturing and supportive faculty, staff, and students who helped shape her educational experience. “I am surrounded each and every day by peers who continue to astonish me with their intelligence and drive,” she says.

Images: Hailey Lynch shares her personal story with prospective students and their families at UMBC’s New Student Day; photo courtesy of Hailey Lynch. Portrait by Marlayna Demond ‘11 for UMBC.

Olivia Spicer follows passion for biotechnology to continue groundbreaking hormone research

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Olivia Spicer
Ph.D., Marine, Estuarine, and Environmental Sciences
Cum Laude
Hometown: Bayou Vista, Louisiana
Plans: Biotechnology researcher

The faculty at UMBC have allowed me to travel the world, conducting research, and to broaden my skills in biological research.

When Olivia Spicer crosses the stage to formally receive her Ph.D., she’ll do so as a scientist already recognized for groundbreaking discoveries in her field. Spicer researches targeted mutations in the gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) in zebrafish. These hormones play critical roles in reproduction.

Spicer’s doctoral dissertation focused on the molecular mechanisms of peptides (chains of amino acids, the building blocks of protein) in the brain that influence reproduction.  As part of her research at the Institute of Marine and Environmental Technology with Yonathan Zohar, she received the Binational Agricultural Research and Development (BARD) Fund Graduate Student Fellowship, providing her the opportunity to spend three months on research with a neuroscience collaborator at Tel Aviv University in Israel. In addition to travel for the fellowship, Spicer has attended numerous other scientific conferences and meetings to present her research.

Images: Spicer in the Negev Desert in Israel during her three-month fellowship; photo courtesy of Olivia Spicer. Portrait by Marlayna Demond ‘11 for UMBC.

Matthew Kelly to pursue interest in German language and culture through Fulbright teaching assistantship in Bavaria

Matthew Kelly
B.A., Modern Languages, Linguistics, and Intercultural Communication
Cum Laude
Hometown: Conway, New Hampshire
Plans: Fulbright Teaching Assistantship, Germany

UMBC has not only helped me achieve my goals, it has helped me become the person that I am today… The past four years at UMBC have been the best four years of my life.

Matthew Kelly’s passion for German language and culture has shaped his UMBC experience and the next steps in his academic career. As a standout student in modern languages, linguistics, and intercultural communication, Kelly has received numerous awards, including the Plogman Language Award and his department’s Palomares Award for Excellence in Service and Academic Achievement.

Matthew Kelly completes a pass in a UMBC ice hockey team game

Kelly has been very involved with the UMBC ice hockey team, as a player, team vice president, and a recruiter, and enjoys connecting his love of hockey with his interest in German. He was a student teacher and assistant ice hockey coach at Mt. Hebron High School in Howard County, and led a group of Mt. Hebron German language students on a campus visit of UMBC. He also served as a German tour guide for area high schools at the German Christmas Market in Baltimore’s Inner Harbor.

Kelly is a recipient of the 2016 J. William Fulbright Grant and will teach English in Bavaria, Germany, following graduation.

Images: Matthew Kelly completes a pass in a UMBC ice hockey team game; photo courtesy of Matthew Kelly. Portrait by Marlayna Demond ‘11 for UMBC.

Mark Fisher’s UMBC experience prepares him for leadership role in U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

Mark Fisher
B.S., Mechanical Engineering
Hometown: North East, Maryland
Plans: Second Lieutenant, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

Teaching freshmen students in their first engineering course has taught me the power of making an impression on young students in the STEM field, while at the same time teaching me organization and how to work with faculty.

Mark Fisher has enjoyed taking on new challenges and responsibilities as an emerging leader throughout his time as a mechanical engineering student at UMBC, from ROTC to the classroom to the res hall.

Fisher has served as battalion commander of the Johns Hopkins ROTC program, of which UMBC is an affiliate university. In the ROTC program, he explored leadership styles to prepare him to serve as a commissioned officer in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers after graduation.

Mark Fisher and his wife Skylar on their first date at the ROTC ball

Fisher has worked as a teaching assistant introductory engineering over the past three years, assisting first-year engineering students and, most recently, serving as lead teaching assistant. He has also served as lead resident assistant in UMBC housing.

Beyond providing experiences that have helped Fisher define a path for his future career, UMBC has also played an important role in his personal life. Fisher met his wife, Skylar Dewees Fisher ‘16, biological sciences, on the first day of classes in their freshman year, and they married this January. They will graduate together this spring.

Images: Mark Fisher and his wife Skylar on their first date at the ROTC ball; photo courtesy of Mark Fisher. Portrait by Marlayna Demond ‘11 for UMBC.

John Fritz, AVP of information technology, examines how data can help students improve their academic success

John Fritz
Ph.D., Language, Literacy, and Culture
Summa Cum Laude
Hometown: Elkridge, Maryland
Plans: Continuing as UMBC’s Assistant VP of Information Technology

UMBC has allowed me to reinvent myself multiple times… I couldn’t be more appreciative or thankful for the opportunities to study my work and wear so many hats in my 21 years at UMBC.

John Fritz has worn several hats at UMBC over the last 21 years, and he credits the university with enabling him to reinvent himself and to grow through multiple careers. After Fritz began working at UMBC in 1995, he transitioned from working in public relations to information technology. His curiosity and thirst for knowledge led him to pursue his Ph.D. to study if technology, particularly the Learning Management System he was overseeing, could inform students through data analytics that help improve their academic success.

Fritz’s daughter Zoe is currently a sophomore at UMBC, and his wife Dawn earned her master’s degree in teaching at UMBC in 2008. John shares that earning his Ph.D. has been one of the most rewarding things he has ever accomplished and is proud to begin UMBC’s 50th anniversary year as both a leader in UMBC’s administration and an alumnus.

John Fritz pool photo

Images: UMBC’s outdoor pool, where throughout his time as a student, employee, and even now as a parent, Fritz spends time swimming laps, which he says has been a great stress reliever and think tank to sort through issues and opportunities. Photos by Marlayna Demond ‘11 for UMBC.

Essence Fredericks, standout scholar-athlete, heads to multinational PricewaterhouseCoopers

Essence Fredericks
B.S., Financial Economics
Hometown: Baltimore, Maryland
Plans: Audit position at PricewaterhouseCoopers, LLC

[UMBC] has provided all the tools to help better equip me for my future and has also allowed me access to numerous internship and service opportunities to help me prepare for my future.

Essence Fredericks has taken full advantage of her time at UMBC by pairing her two passions: excelling in the classroom and on the track. Fredericks’ academic honors include Honors College membership, a Dean’s Scholarship, T. Rowe Price Scholarship, and multiple dean’s list honors.

Essence Fredericks submittedAs a member of the Women’s Track and Field Team, she competed in several America East Championships in the 500m, 800m, and the 400m hurdles. She was also a standout at other events including the ECAC Championships, George Mason Invitational, and Sykes & Sabock Challenge.

Through internship and service opportunities, Fredericks developed a strong skill set to become highly prepared for a career in financial economics. After graduation, she will begin a full-time audit position at PricewaterhouseCoopers, LLC, a leading multinational professional services network.

Images: The track at UMBC, where Essence says she was able to pursue her dreams each day and develop memories and friendships that will last a lifetime; photo courtesy Essence Fredericks. Portrait by Marlayna Demond ’11 for UMBC.

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