Meet Maniraj,

He is an Interdisciplinary Studies major and an URA Scholar. He also received the La Noue Scholarship to attend the 2016 Association of Interdisciplinary Studies (AIS) conference in University of Ottawa, where he presented his interdisciplinary research; a board game that teaches cardiovascular health. His future interests includes medical anthropology and social entrepreneurship, his final goal is to become a physician.

Maniraj's research will explore the leading cause of death worldwide, cardiovascular disease. Understanding the sociocultural construction of this non-communicable disease would advance our knowledge of how to improve care to vulnerable populations. Focused on a specific district in India, the purpose this study is to identify cultural beliefs and attitudes towards cardiovascular health among adolescents. His project was an organic transformation of his extracurricular project in educational health games.

Read more about his research here…

Interested in graduate school and/or a summer research experience in beautiful coastal Southern California?

Come to an information session with the UC Irvine Graduate Dean Dr. Frances Leslie and Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Dr. Thomas Parham who will talk about UC Irvine graduate programs as well as our summer research programs.

DATE:  Monday, December 5th from 12-1pm in Commons 329

Founded in 1965, the University of California, Irvine combines the strengths of a major research university with the bounty of an incomparable Southern California location. UC Irvine is ranked in the top 10 public schools by US News and World Reports. Over 5,000 graduate students come to UC Irvine from around the world with unique perspectives and backgrounds, but together they comprise the core of our top-rated research enterprise and an unparalleled campus culture.

With a commitment to cutting edge research, teaching, learning and creativity, UC Irvine is a driving force for innovation and discovery. Three Nobel Prize winning researchers — two in chemistry and one in physics — have helped solidify UC Irvine as a center for quality education that fosters the passionate and enthusiastic expansion of knowledge. Our robust graduate programs create the brainpower needed to make an impact on our local, national and global communities.

SURF:  The 2016 Summer Research Program application for UC Irvine is available here.
UC Irvine’s Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) program offers undergraduate and master’s diversity students an opportunity to work closely with faculty mentors on research projects and provides an intense course of graduate preparation workshops. The program, which is designed for students who plan to pursue a Ph.D. or M.F.A. degree and enter academic careers, provides the tools needed to facilitate application, admission, and enrollment to graduate school. The SURF program is open to virtually all academic fields at UC Irvine. Qualified students with interest in pursuing their graduate program at UC Irvine are especially encouraged to apply.

The University of Chicago is providing up to FOUR current UMBC undergraduates an opportunity to apply for a deep immersive experience in research activities in economics.  The program is designed for undergraduate students with strong quantitative and analytical backgrounds of ALL majors. Substantial coursework in not required.

Program Elements include:

• Students will attend workshops given by Booth faculty as part of the "Economics Undergraduate Research Experience" beginning the end of June of 2016 and extending into July of 2016.  Information about this program can be found below: https://bfi.uchicago.edu/feature-story/research-for-undergraduates
• Depending on interest and background students will be matched with research professionals, graduate students or professors to work on a specific research project in economics.  This activity will start in June of 2017 and extend until the end of August 2017.  Last year’s research activities included work in Microeconomic Theory, Operations Research, Decision-Making Under Uncertainty, International Trade and Finance and Labor Economics.
• Additional classroom instruction will be provided for those students without substantial formal exposure to economics.
• See UMBC STUDENT PROFILE FROM SUMMER 2016 HERE

Support:

• All living expenses will be covered by the Booth School and the Becker Friedman Institute
• Housing will be provided in undergraduate dormitories at the University of Chicago.
• Travel expenses will also be covered.
• Successful applicants will be offered a stipend of $10,000.

Qualifications to Apply:
We seek applicants with an interest in research and willing to work hard for the summer in a stimulating environment!
3.2 cumulative GPA or above.
Open to all analytical backgrounds including economics, finance, engineering, mathematics, physics, etc.
A strong quantitative background is a plus but is not required.

Application process:
Required materials:  
- Current Resume or Curriculum vitae
- Personal Statement: Two page discussion of the candidate's objective for the summer and future research goals.  Include why you are interested in the program.
- Two letters of recommendation.
- Unofficial Transcript

Please send these materials via e-mail to:      
Christine Routzahn, Director
UMBC Career Center
routzahn@umbc.edu, 410-455-3671

Deadline to Apply:  Rolling Admission, Absolute deadline to apply is Friday, December 9, 2016

For additional details, contact Christine Routzahn at 410-455-3671 or routzahn@umbc.edu

A weekly round-up curated by Women’s Center staff member, Michael Jalloh Jamboria

In the spirit of my friend, who gave us the glorious name ‘Slaying on the Weekly’, every week I will be bringing you some interesting, funny or thought-provoking content from the internet! Be sure to join us next week for more and continue to slay!

Article of the Week:

The Women’s Center is dedicated to our mission. In our effects of promote gender equity and serve marginalized communities, we want to provide a few resources and encourage all of the UMBC Community to reach out to the Women’s Center. We want to hear your worries, questions and concerns. In the meantime, check out our list of resources.

• Speak Up: Responding to Everyday Bigotry (Southern Poverty Law Center)
• Preparation for January by Demographic Issue
• Oh Crap! What Now? Survival Guide (pages on various demographic issues/concerns)
• Surveillance Self-Defense
• Web-Security: Harm Reductionist Guide
• Solidarity Networks
• Concrete Suggestions in Preparation for January 2017’s change in American government (by demographic issue, but for any interested readers)
• Information on long-term birth control options

UMBC Happenings:

Professors and activists within the Gender + Women’s Studies Dept have started a petition to Pres. Hrabowski and other provosts to make UMBC a sanctuary institution. Want to sign? Click on the link to add your name and affiliation to the petition!

This week was Black Lives Matter week. They had a plethora of great events that helped mobilize students and expand on their definition of Black Lives Matter. The UMBC event page for Black Lives Matter week has recounts and pictures from the week, in case you missed the festivities.

Check out the Black Lives Matter memorial display on the Quad

Song of the Week:

I’ve been listening to really great music recently, and I want to share that with all of you! This week’s song is ‘Get Up, Stand Up’ by Bob Marley + the Wailers.

Before I leave you, I’m sure you are all aware that next week is Thanksgiving. I understand how difficult it can be to navigate going home and being with family, especially over longer periods of time. Feministing’s Guide to Surviving the Holidays is a great resource for tips pertaining to how to gendered expectations, political arguments and more. Take care!

Enjoy the Holidays! See you soon!

Beginning in the Spring of 2017, Baltimore Independent Dance Artists (BIDA) will engage with four journalism students and emerging dance critics to be paired with four separate professional dance artists/companies for the duration of the spring 2017 BIDA Season (January-End of May 2017). The interns will engage with their respective artist partners through open rehearsals, performances, interviews and research.

This opportunity is open to Dance Majors/Minors, Journalism, English or Communication Majors and Minors

Dance Journalism Internship Objectives:

●       To engage writers and aspiring journalists with an interest in dance writing with professional dance artists/companies over time in order to enhance the journalistic skills of the writers, and the development of a dance artist or company.

●       To provide thoughtful and informed dance writing about professional Baltimore area dance artists and companies in order to strengthen the discourse about dance in our region.

Dance Journalism Internship Program Description:

Journalism interns will be required to produce the following written documents, which will be published through online channels including the BIDA website and blog. Each intern will be paired with an BIDA Season artist or company in order to develop the following:

●       500 word artist/company or BIDA overview

●       1,000 word overview of a current creative work that the artist partner is developing 

●       500 word Preview of a work to be presented by the artist partner during the season

●       500 word Review of a public performance presented of an artist (other than the partner artist) during the BIDA season Interns will receive a complimentary press ticket to the shows they are reviewing.

Dance Journalism Internship Program Impact:

This program directly addresses an identified need for the development of informed and articulate dance writers in the Baltimore area dance community.