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Meet the Newest Cohort of the MARC Program

The Maximizing Access to Research Careers (MARC) Program at the University of Maryland is welcoming a new group of scholars this year. Funded by the National Institutes of Health, the program prepares students who may not have otherwise had the opportunity for careers in research through hands-on lab experience, mentorship, and academic support over three years.

This year, the new scholars began their research training in the summer instead of the fall, opening with a two-week MARC Laboratory Research developed and led by program director and BIOE Senior Lecturer Dr. Debbie Goldberg. The bootcamp was built to prepare new MARC scholars for successful laboratory research, laying a foundation in research ethics, scientific thinking, technical laboratory skills, data analysis, and professional development. Students moved from the basics of responsible research and mentor relationships to hands-on wet lab techniques and the statistical methods needed to analyze experimental results.

"Leading the MARC Summer Research Bootcamp was incredibly rewarding," Goldberg said. "Watching students build confidence in the lab, form connections as a cohort, and develop a deeper understanding of the research process reinforced the value of providing research training early in their academic careers."

 

Christa Konath

Christa Konath is a rising sophomore studying chemical engineering from Frederick, Maryland. She learned about MARC through an email sent to her ENES100 class and said the program’s multifaceted approach set it apart from others she considered. 

Konath is most interested in protein chemistry and how it can be used to problem-solve and draw conclusions about medical issues, particularly mental health. Using proteomic research, she wants to examine whether the causes of mental disorders are shaped by genetic coding and then apply chemical and biomedical engineering concepts to help improve people’s lives.

The most valuable part of the program so far, Konath said, has been experimenting with different types of research. During her first summer alone, she learned basic bioengineering lab procedures with Dr. Goldberg, completed computational work identifying bacteriophages with Dr. Pop, and explored protein engineering with Dr. Karlsson.

 “The MARC Program provides a variety of research opportunities so that you can figure out what you’re most interested in early on in your research career,” she said.

Konath hopes to pursue a Ph.D. in chemical or biomedical engineering and go on to develop new approaches to mental health treatment. She believes the MARC program will help her get there through research opportunities, mentorship, and knowledge about pursuing a research career.

“I strongly urge anyone who is interested in research to consider the MARC Program,” Konath said. “Applying to this program was truly the best decision I made during my first year of college.”

 

"Leading the MARC Summer Research Bootcamp was incredibly rewarding. Watching students build confidence in the lab, form connections as a cohort, and develop a deeper understanding of the research process reinforced the value of providing research training early in their academic careers."
 

-Dr. Debbie Goldberg

Gabrielle Thomas

Gabrielle Thomas is a rising sophomore biochemistry major from Elkridge, Maryland. She applied to MARC for the chance to do years of on-campus research alongside a course covering academic and financial literacy skills. Thomas said she is most excited about being matched with a mentor, who she expects will teach her about lab work while offering advice on her future path.

Thomas is focused on personalized medicine and drug research and development. She wants to study how drugs affect the body and how to design ones that are more effective and efficient.

The most valuable part of the program so far, Thomas said, was the summer training course, where she met other cohort members and learned lab techniques ahead of her rotations. She credited Dr. Debbie Goldberg with helping her feel more comfortable in a lab setting and confident in her own abilities. “The summer training course was a very positive experience for me, and it made me even more excited to start my lab rotations,” Thomas said.

Her career goals are to earn a Ph.D. and work in pharmaceutical drug research and development. Thomas said the independent research she will do in a UMD lab through the MARC program will build her laboratory and interpersonal skills, sharpen her ability to compile and analyze data, and give her regular practice presenting findings and communicating with others.

Thomas explains how her experience in the program so far has been eye-opening. Not every day in the lab involves running experiments, she said; “some are slower and focused on maintenance” or planning, a side of research she had not considered before joining the MARC program.

 

Everett Stapleton III

Everett Stapleton III is a rising sophomore and future mechanical engineering major from Baltimore, where he attended Baltimore City College High School. A three-sport athlete who played football, wrestled, and ran track, Stapleton served as captain of his football team. Dealing with injuries, both his own and those of teammates, shaped his academic interests and long-term goals.

“My interest in this field is very personal,” Stapleton said. “As an athlete, I’ve experienced and seen the effects of injuries firsthand, and that’s what drives me to want to make a difference.”

Stapleton applied to MARC to get real exposure to research and to join a community focused on using science to solve meaningful problems. “I’ve always been interested in understanding the ‘why’ behind those issues and how we can design better solutions,” he said.

His research interests center on biomechanics and injury prevention in sports. Stapleton wants to understand how forces move through the body during high-impact activity and how flawed mechanics or equipment design can cause injury. He is particularly interested in designing protective equipment that not only absorbs impact but also analyzes it in real time and in using data and motion tracking to improve athlete safety and performance.

So far, Stapleton stated the most valuable part of the program has been learning how different labs operate and adjusting to the independence research requires. Connecting with mentors and other scholars has kept him motivated and shown him different paths he could take in research.

Stapleton’s goal is to become an engineer who designs and improves sports safety equipment, particularly for football, reducing the risk of serious injury while providing useful data on impact and performance. He said MARC will give him a foundation in research, critical thinking, and problem-solving, along with mentor relationships and hands-on experience he can apply to real-world engineering challenges.

Published July 13, 2026