Our Crowdfunding Groups
To get The Catalyst off the ground, we want to print hard copies of our issues and foster undergraduate research outreach, which will bring our journal and cause to the forefront of the community. Undergraduate research has made each of the editors time at UMD extremely enriched, and we hope to share this with others. We want to launch UMD's bioengineering research journal to new heights, encompassing a larger scope and promoting undergraduate research to more people with each issue.
Through Launch UMD, we would like to print hard copies of The Catalyst to give to new and prospective students and organize undergraduate research outreach events. We believe that by doing so, we can further foster an undergraduate research environment and promote research to the community. Research has become such an integral role in our lives and our educational careers. It is our hope to encourage a similar excitement for research by distributing hard copies of The Catalyst and organizing research outreach. We appreciate your help in aiding us to reach these goals. Mostly, we thank you for your commitment to experiential learning through research in the bioengineering and biotechnology realm.
We are a group of dedicated, research savvy undergraduate students. Ten undergraduates (Sriramya Ayyagari, Adam Berger, Dalton Chasser, Havisha Garimella, Soha Hassan, Dani Mahsan Khalilzadeh, Haig Pakhchanian, Kevin Pineault, Bryan Pinsky, and Dimitri Tito) currently run all aspects of the journal, with help from our faculty advisor, Dr. Angela Jones. We are all extremely active members of the University of Maryland community. Members also participate in the University Senate, SGA, Gemstone Honors Program, Biomedical Engineering Society, and Tau Beta Pi Honor Society, among many other groups. Despite our involvement in many facets of campus life, we are all involved in research. Furthermore, we care about helping other students publish their work or begin research of their own.
Our mission is to publish novel student research, promote local research competitions and seminars, and interview current students, alumni, and faculty in a journal format in order to garner undergraduate student interest in bioengineering and biotechnology.
The Catalyst is published once each semester, and is open for the submission of abstracts from any student conducting research related to bioengineering and biotechnology. Sources of student research articles can come from a research experience at faculty-run lab on campus, honors program or thesis, and/or internship.
The journal’s main goals are the following:
Galvanize interest and spur involvement in undergraduate research for students whom are not currently involved in research.
Create a medium for current undergraduate researchers to publish their findings.
Develop a more connected community of researchers and students on campus.
Allow undergraduate researchers to expand their research experience and influence with The Catalyst’s social impact section and interview sections.
Since our founding in the spring of 2014, three issues of The Catalyst have been published online. In addition to editing article submissions, the editorial board also regularly interviews undergraduate students and alumni in industry, medicine, and graduate school to produce articles that offer useful counsel about coursework and careers in health and biotechnology. Members of the editorial board attend relevant research-related events on campus and in the D.C. area. They travel, take photos, and interview participants. For example, board members attend and/or present at the annual Fischell Festival, undergraduate research fair, senior capstone design day, and UMD-JHU biomedical engineering competition. You can link to our three previous issues below.
Gifts in support of the University of Maryland are accepted and managed by the University of Maryland College Park Foundation, Inc., an affiliated 501(c)(3) organization authorized by the Board of Regents. Contributions to the University of Maryland are tax deductible as allowed by law. Please see your tax advisor for details.
This will ensure that we can publish interesting undergraduate research-related news accompanied by photos. This level will help print one hard copy of our issue.
This will ensure that we can publish interesting bioengineering related news stories. This level will help print two copies of previous editions to put in the Bioengineering student lounge.
This will ensure that good, accessible undergraduate student research is published in The Catalyst. This level will help print five copies of our most recent edition for distribution.
This will ensure that the editorial team can continue to produce high quality issues. You will receive a special thank you in our next issue. This level will help to print 15 copies of our upcoming issue for distribution.
This will ensure that the news covered in our issues is timely and appropriate. You will receive a special thank you in our next issue. This level will help The Catalyst establish a presence at the UMD-JHU BMES Undergraduate Research Day for more outreach.
This will ensure that each issue presents the news stories and research in the best way possible. You will receive a special thank you in our next issue. This level will help us to do undergraduate research outreach events.
This will ensure that we can reach out to undergraduates pursuing research and help them to write, polish, and publish their research so as to garner interest from others. You will receive a special thank you in the next issue and a hard copy of the Winter issue once it is published. This level will help sustain our undergraduate research outreach efforts for one semester.
This will ensure that everything runs smoothly and high-quality issues are produced. You will receive a special thank you in the next issue and a hard copy of the Winter and Summer issues once they are published. This level will sustain our undergraduate research outreach efforts and printing of our journal for one year.