Meet Christine. She is a history major and current Undergraduate Research Award (URA) Scholar. Her research examines the Lost Colony of Roanoke as an historical and cultural phenomenon, specifically looking into the origin of the Dare Stones in order to define the root of the Lost Colony’s appeal to Americans and as a part of North Carolinian folklore. 

How did you find your mentor for your research project?
I had taken Dr. Bouton’s 342 history class on the American Revolution as a freshman and loved the passion he had for American history. When I began looking for a mentor, he was one of the first professors who came to mind; I knew he would have invaluable insight into not only the research process, but into the specific research I hoped to carry out.

How did you know this was the project you wanted to do?
The Lost Colony is a story I grew up with, having spent much of my time growing up at the Outer Banks, North Carolina. During a stay there September of 2012, I visited Manteo and was intrigued even more by the mystery of the missing colonists. Interestingly enough, however, few people I spoke to outside of North Carolina had ever heard of the story – and as a born and bred Southerner, and an historian as well, I knew I had to do what I could to help preserve not only the legacy of the Lost Colonists, but their continued influence through myth, legend, and fact upon the American conscience.

Is this your first independent research project?
This is my first funded independent research; however, I’m simultaneously continuing to do research on Civil War-era Virginian plantations that grew out of a history class taken during my sophomore year at UMBC.

Do you get course credit for this work? How much time do you put into it?
I am not conducting this research for course credit. I spend about 20 to 30 hours a week on the project; during late July, I am spending ten days traveling to Manteo, North Carolina, as well as visiting Brenau University, Emory University, and East Carolina University in order to interview folklorists, historians, and locals of the Manteo (originally Roanoke) area.

How did you hear about the Undergraduate Research Award (URA) program?
I was aware of the URA program through attending the URCAD presentations each spring.

Read her abstract here...

This coming weekend, dozens of developers, designers, makers, students and creative problem solvers will gather in Baltimore’s Betamore for Power the Future, a 36-hour hackathon focused on building apps and tools to better all forms of energy creation and consumption. There is $5,000 in cash and other prizes up for grabs.

It’s a great opportunity for students to engage in Baltimore’s hackathon and startup community. To make it even more attractive, Betamore CEO and co-founder Mike Brenner has set up a discount code that UMBC students can use to register for free. Send email from your umbc address to Sorry, you need javascript to view this email address. to get the code.

The event, sponsored by Constellation Energy, will be held from 9:00am Saturday November 2 to 6:00pm Sunday November 3 at the Betamore campus in the Federal Hill neighborhood of downtown Baltimore at 1111 Light Street. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner on both Saturday and Sunday will be provided.

Get more information and register here.

The hackathon’s agenda includes concept pitches, team formation, around the clock working, and finally product demos on Sunday to a panel of judges that will be doling out more than $5,000 in cash and other energy-related prizes like Nest thermostats, Philips Hue light bulbs, and even free membership at Betamore to help usher a potential team’s weekend idea into a newly formed company. Designed to spotlight the creation of apps and tools that better all forms of energy creation and consumption, the hackathon will give a voice to those who want to see change and are willing to roll up their sleeves to contribute.

See more at http://betamore.com/power-the-future/.

The University of Maryland School of Pharmacy is seeking an enthusiastic and motivated individual who wants hands-on writing and editing experience, primarily for organizational websites. This individual will assist with the development of content for the School’s website (www.pharmacy.umaryland.edu), an upcoming transition to a new content management system (CMS), and other communication and marketing tasks as assigned. He or she will report to the Assistant Dean of Communications and Marketing.

Although this is an unpaid internship, credit may be offered by the applicant’s college or university commiserate with the number of intern hours performed. Interns are guaranteed published bylines.

Intern Responsibilities:

·         Write stories for the School of Pharmacy website following appropriate grammar, style, and brand guidelines.

·         Interface with faculty, staff, and students in the reporting of stories for the website. Attend relevant events and activities.

·         Create, edit, and update web pages using CMS (currently SiteExecutive and WordPress).

·         Assist with content migration  to new CMS (will be Terminal4).

·         Create and use email marketing software to send out department newsletters, event announcements, and other communications from the School.

·         Other related responsibilities as assigned.

Qualifications:

 ·         Strong writing and proofreading ability.

·         Basic understanding and experience with a CMS (i.e., WordPress).

·         Basic understanding of HTML.

·         Basic knowledge of photo editing software (i.e., PhotoShop).

·         Experience with Microsoft Office programs (i.e., Word and Excel).

·         Strong attention to detail.

·         Strong interpersonal skills and experience collaborating in a team environment.

 How to Apply:

 To apply for this internship, please submit your resume and 2-3 writing samples to Becky Ceraul, assistant dean of communications and marketing, at rceraul@rx.umaryland.edu.

On Monday, November 4^th, UMB is hosting Nobel Prize Laureate Dr. Craig Mello for a lecture followed by a Q&A session.  Dr. Mello is the Blais University Chair in Molecular Medicine and Co-Director of the RNA Therapeutics Institute at the University of Massachusetts Medical School.  He has been a Howard Hughes Medical Investigator since 2000.  His pioneering research on RNA interference, in collaboration with Dr. Andrew Fire, has been recognized with numerous awards culminating with the prestigious 2006 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine.

When:                  November 4^th, 2013 @ 9:30 am – 11:00 am

Where:                 Medical School Teaching Facility Auditorium

                              685 West Baltimore Street

                              Baltimore, MD 21201

 

The lecture is being sponsored by The Nobel Prize Inspiration Initiative, AstraZeneca/MedImmune, and the University of Maryland, Baltimore.  This interactive session will be filmed by The Nobel Prize Inspiration Initiative as part of its global program to help Nobel Laureates share their inspirational stories and insights.