BSOS Seniors Selected as 2016 Undergraduate Researchers of the Year
Three College of Behavioral and Social Sciences seniors were selected as 2016 Undergraduate Researchers of the Year for the university and received a $1,000 award and plaque at a ceremony held Wednesday, April 27th. The honorees include:
Casey Gaskins, Senior Hearing and Speech Sciences major with a minor in Spanish
Initially, Gaskins aspired to become a Speech Language Pathologist when she started her HESP journey, but that all changed when she began working as a research assistant in the Behavioral and Social Sciences Summer Research Initiative (BSOS SRI) program during her sophomore year. Gaskins now dreams of working as an Audiologist at the National Institutes of Health, inspired by her work with aging individuals that utilize cochlear implants due to severe or profound hearing impairments. While it is understood that temporal processing of words decreases as people with normal hearing age, very little is know about changes in temporal processing in adults that rely on cochlear implants; a topic that Gaskins is observing by analyzing the perception of words in sentences. Gaskins will soon present her final thesis proposal and continue her time here at UMD to obtain an Au.D. in clinical Audiology and a Ph.D. in Audiology.
“Receiving this award served as a form of validation for the time and effort I have dedicated to my current research endeavors,” Gaskins said. “By continuing my studies at the University of Maryland, I hope to diversify the fields of Audiology and Hearing and Speech Sciences as well as encourage young African American women to pursue doctoral degrees to expand the field of research within minority groups.”
Aaron Aber, Senior Environmental Science and Policy major with a concentration in Politics and Policy 
Similar to Gaskins, it took research experience for Aber to figure out exactly how he wanted to fuel his future career. Aber has studied subsistence fishers (individuals that rely on fish as their main food source) and rural communities in Western Maryland threatened by gas drilling, as well as urban neighborhoods in South Carolina threatened by heavy pollution. His ultimate goal is to become an environmental lawyer working with communities that face environmental injustice.
“In the future, I am looking forward to continue serving as an advocate for communities facing pollution and health hazards,” Aber explained. “That is the great thing about conducting environmental justice research – it brings academia and advocacy together. I hope to continue to bridge this divide in my future work.”
Jessica Liu, Senior Government and Politics and Economics double major
Liu seeks to someday combine data analysis with social issues, namely by working as a data scientist who makes recommendations on ways to address issues faced by particular communities. Liu has worked as a research assistant to Professor Sarah Croco, where she analyzedpresidential speeches made during times of war.Liu also wrote her senior honors thesis on China’s behavior in the United Nations Security Council by researching China’s voting record and voting statements. Liu plans to continue conducting research on international markets through her work as a research assistant in an economic division of the Federal Reserve.
“I am extremely grateful for the research experiences I had at UMD which helped lead me onto my current career path,” Liu said. “I'm looking forward to applying what I've learned from my research and time at UMD to public service.”
Published on Thu, Apr 28, 2016 - 2:22PM