Recipients of the 2025 URSCA Grants Announced

The Office of Undergraduate Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity (URSCA) is pleased to announce the recipients of the 2025 URSCA Awards. These awards, totaling $133,000 in funds, provide support to undergraduates in the Krieger School of Arts & Sciences who wish to pursue independent, student-designed research projects over the course of a one-year grant period, from Summer 2025 through Spring 2026 (or a two-year grant period, in the case of the Ethan M. Posner Fellowship). URSCA awards several different grants and scholarships for research and creative activity across all disciplines of the Krieger School. Each awardee works with a faculty mentor in their discipline, and with research mentors in the URSCA office.

Below is the list of this year’s URSCA Awardees and their project titles. Stay tuned for a list of additional awardees — and more than $150,000 more of funding — as we are still finalizing the Kelly-Clyne Grant, the Meg Walsh Award, and the Woodrow Wilson Fellowship.

Dean’s ASPIRE Grant

The Dean’s ASPIRE Grants (Arts and Sciences Projects, Investigations, and Research Endeavors) are designed to promote independent research projects among our exceptional undergraduate students in the Krieger School of Arts and Sciences (KSAS). These awards, which range from $500 to $5,000, enable undergraduates in KSAS to pursue original research, work closely with a Hopkins faculty mentor, and advance knowledge for the world.

Ben Andreesen ’26 (Anthropology)
“Painting into Prescence: Muralism in Cartagena”

Julie Fan ’27 (Molecular and Cellular Biology)
“Facial Emotion Processing in People with HIV: Elucidating the Differential Impact of Threat- and Deprivation-Related Adverse Childhood Experiences”

Ido Harlev ’26 (History)
“Historical Memory, or Lack Thereof, of the American Loyalists before the First Centennial”

Anika Kale ’27 (Public Health Studies)
“Exploration of the innovation and adoption of Mobile Ophthalmic Units that provide eye care to reduce blindness in rural Maharashtra, India”

Harmanpreet Kaur ’26 (Biophysics)
“Identification of SOX2 Transcription Factor Binding Partners during Zebrafish Hearing Regeneration”

Prarthana Sanjay Daswani ’27 (Molecular and Cellular Biology)
“Unveiling the Role of Senescent Cells in Muscle Regeneration and Fibrosis: A Path to Regenerative Medicine”

Hailey Saya Tomlinson ’26 (Sociology)
“Polyvictimization as an Incarceration Determinant for Transgender Women of Color”

Lara Stevens ’26 (Chemistry and Biology)
“CHIP phosphorylation protects ovariectomized mice following ischemic cardiac injury”

Trace Terrell ’26 (Public Health Studies)
“Assessing the Cultural and Operational Feasibility of Countries in the North American Numbering Plan to Adopt the Three-Digit 988 Dialing Code for a National Suicide Prevention and Mental Health Crisis Hotline Service”

Ember Ye ’26 (History of Art)
“Light, Body, Burning Touches: The Materialization of Memory in Body Casts by Marcel Duchamp and Alina Szapocznikow”

Jessica Zhang ’27 (Molecular and Cellular Biology)
“Investigating the potential role of GPR39 in Lithium-Induced Nephrogenic Diabetes Insipidus”

Albstein Research Scholarship

The Albstein Research Scholarship (up to $5,000) is open to undergraduate and graduate students in both Krieger and Whiting who are pursuing intensive research in brain science, especially Alzheimer’s research.

Hanish Edupuganti ’27 (Neuroscience)
“Investigating the Effects of CUL1 Haploinsufficiency on Neurodevelopment in Mice”

Xiping Le ’27 (Neuroscience)
“Investigating the involvement of medial prefrontal cortex to sensory cortex projections in contextual flexibility”

Justina Miao ’26 (Neuroscience)
“Neuroprotective Role of Mast Cell-Specific Receptor (Mrgprb2/X2) in Multiple Sclerosis”

Jack Shi ’27 (Applied Mathematics and Statistics)
“PAANIB-1, a MIF nuclease inhibitor’s effects on cognitive deficits in mice with Tauopathy”

Sonya Zhang ’26 (Neuroscience)
“Unraveling the Connection Between IGF-1/mTOR Pathways and APOE4 in Alzheimer’s Disease: A Study Using Human iPSC-Derived Hippocampal Organoids”

Bander Family Fund Award

The Bander Family Fund Award is intended to encourage students to think creatively in defining work that can only be done outside the classroom. The work may be independent research, a creative venture, or an internship directly related to a field of study.

Mrigaanka Sharma ’26 (Molecular and Cellular Biology)
“The Third Place Project”

John Camp and Mindy Farber ’74 Endowed Award

The John Camp and Mindy Farber ’74 Endowed Award (approximately $4000) was created to support undergraduates conducting research in brain science, with preference given to students performing research related to brain cancers.

Jean Michael Ashby ’26 (Molecular and Cellular Biology)
“Investigating the Role of XBP1 in Modulating the Immunosuppressive Phenotype of Recurrent Glioblastoma”

Jeffrey Ma Shiu and Emily Liu Endowed ASPIRE Award

The Jeffrey Ma Shiu & Emily Liu Endowed ASPIRE Award (Arts and Sciences Projects, Investigations, and Research Endeavors) is designed to promote exploration among exceptional undergraduate students in the Krieger School of Arts & Sciences who are determined to pursue original research in the brain sciences, especially in areas related to developmental and behavioral psychology in children. 

Sonny Ravinder ’26 (Neuroscience)
“3-Dimensional Computational Modeling of Glioblastoma Multiforme Tumors Using Machine Learning”

TC Taylor ’26 (Neuroscience)
“miR-16-5p and miR-124-3p block the immunosuppressive phenotype of GBM cells in vitro”

Dr. Saraf Memorial Award

The Dr. Saraf Memorial Award supports up to two Krieger undergraduate students per year for the purpose of participating in an international independent research study in the humanities or social sciences. Each awardee receives up to $7,500 to fund their research project and is encouraged to dream big in designing a project that will take them to one or more international locales.

Dua Hussain ’26 (Anthropology and Medicine, Science, and the Humanities)
“Mujhe Depression Hai: (Mis)translations and Mental Health Training in Pakistan”

Lana Milman ’26 (Neuroscience and French)
“The Flowers that Paved the Way: Public Scholarship on Three Baltimore Women and the Making of Artist Henri Matisse”

Ethan M. Posner Fellowship

The Ethan M. Posner Fellowship provides $11,000 of funding over a two- to three-year research period for two exceptional KSAS students – one in the natural sciences and one in the arts, humanities, or social sciences – who share Ethan’s passion for research and determination to make a difference in the world.

Natalie Bernstein ’27 (Psychology and Political Science)
“All’s Fair in Love and Politics: Can frustrations with dating explain political sexism in young adults?”

Sareen Muthyala ’27 (Biophysics)
“Unraveling Cardiac Retinoid Metabolism: Enzymes, Mechanisms, and Implications for Heart Failure”