UMBC will host the annual Summer Horizons program for undergraduate students and others who are interested in learning more about graduate school admission, particularly in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) fields. The 2.5-hour workshop will feature sessions on the application timeline, GRE, Statement of Purpose, Recommendation Letters, and other topics related to preparing for graduate school.  There will be a panel hosted by current graduate students, and the keynote speaker will be the President of UMBC, Dr. Freeman A. Hrabowski, III.  (Read about Dr. Hrabowski in Time Magazine: 10 Best College Presidents, World’s 100 Most Influential People. See Dr. Hrabowski talk about UMBC on 60 Minutes. Watch Dr. Hrabowski’s  TED Talk 2013.) Summer Horizons is co-sponsored by PROMISE AGEP and the Meyerhoff Graduate Biomedical Fellows Program.

2014 Summer Horizons Program

• Wednesday, July 9, 2014
• The 2014 program will begin at 9:30 AM and will end at 12 noon. (Registration and Seating will begin at 9:00)
• Sports Zone, The Commons 2nd Floor, UMBC (University of Maryland, Baltimore County)
• This event is FREE to the public. 

AGENDA:

9:00

• Registration and Seating (Light breakfast refreshments)

9:30 – 9:40

• Welcome & Greetings
  • Justine Johnson, Associate Director, Meyerhoff Graduate Fellows Program
  •  Jesse Fox, Vice President for External Affairs, Executive Board, UMBC Graduate Student Association

9:40 – 10:00

• Information on admissions: “Preparing for Graduate School: Timelines and Choices.”
  • K. Jill Barr, Senior Assistant Dean for Graduate Enrollment Management, The Graduate School
  • Gay Warshaw, Recruitment and Admissions

10:00 – 10:45

• Funding and Elements of the Graduate School Application (GRE, Statement of Purpose, Letters)
  • Renetta G. Tull, Associate Vice Provost for Graduate Student Development & Postdoctoral Affairs, Director of PROMISE: Maryland’s Alliance for Graduate Education and the Professoriate (AGEP)

10:45 – 11:15

• Graduate School Perspectives: A Panel of current M.S. and Ph.D. scholars
  • Timothy Munuhe  – Mechanical Engineering
  • Brittny Davis – Chemistry
  • Adeboyeaga (Ade) Akinsiku -Human-Centered Computing
  • Tahira Mahdi – Psychology
  • Natasha Wilson – Chemical Engineering

11:15 – 11:45

• Introduction of the Speaker: Dr. Janet C. Rutledge, Vice Provost for Graduate Education and Dean of the Graduate School, Associate Professor of Computer Science and Electrical Engineering

 

• Keynote Address: President Freeman A. Hrabowski

11:45 AM

• Evaluations and Adjourn

12:00 PM

• Lunch

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The 2014 Summer Horizons program is open to anyone who is interested in learning more about UMBC and the graduate admissions process.  The graduate school preparation material that we will present  is applicable to most U.S. institutions.  Faculty and staff may invite prospective students to this event.  Visitors from out-of-town are welcome to attend.

Invitations are  extended to:

• All UMBC undergraduate students
• As part of the PROMISE Pathways project, undergraduate and master’s students  from schools within the University System of Maryland (USM) have a special invitation to attend
•  Students from all summer programs within the DC/Maryland/Virginia (DMV) region
• Students from NSF programs such as LSAMP, AGEP, NSF ERC, RDE etc., at any school
• McNair programs at any school.
• Students from organizations such as SHPE, SACNAS, NSBE, and AISES at any school in the country are welcome to attend.
• Students from any college or university, who are either local or will travel the distance to learn more about graduate school.
• We also invite professionals who are considering returning to graduate school for an advanced degree.

 

This program is free, but participants must register.

Summer Horizons is co-sponsored by PROMISE: Maryland’s AGEP, The Meyerhoff Graduate Biomedical Fellows Program, and The Graduate School at UMBC.

 

For additional resources, including access to funding opportunities: Please visit the Institute for Broadening Participation’s website,  “Pathways to Science,”  and fill out the form in the left corner:  http://www.pathwaystoscience.org/. The website has information on a variety of opportunities, which include as an example, a wealth of information on funding and internships through NASA:  http://www.pathwaystoscience.org/nasa.aspx. Our student participants have taken advantage of this resource in the past, and several have had offers for great opportunities.

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Directions and Parking: 

http://about.umbc.edu/visitors-guide/directions/

Metered visitor parking is available in the Commons Garage. To get to the Commons Garage, circle around Hilltop Circle (either direction) until you reach Commons Drive. Take Commons Drive toward the center for campus. The garage will be on your left. Meter fees are $.25 for each 15 minutes, quarters only, maximum time of 5 hours.

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ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

• UMBC President Named In Time Magazine’s Top 100 Most Influential People (baltimore.cbslocal.com)
• Reading material: Tull, R. G., Nino, M.  and Ramoutar, N. (2012).  Preparing for Engineering and Other STEM Graduate/Post-Graduate Masters and Doctoral Programs.  [Spanish Version of Section 4 here: Preparación para Programas de Maestría y Doctorado]

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Partial sponsorship for this program has been provided by the National Science Foundation, Collaborative Research: AGEP – T: PROMISE AGEP Maryland Transformation # 1309290,   PROMISE: Maryland’s Alliance for Graduate Education and the Professoriate (AGEP).  Read more about PROMISE:  https://promiseagep.wordpress.com/publications/

Related articles

• President Obama Appoints UMBC President as Chair of National Education Commission (baltimore.cbslocal.com)

PROMISE AGEP: Maryland Transformation (An NSF AGEP-T), is proud to announce the opening round of applications for the new University System of Maryland’s STEM Postdoctoral Fellowship program.

This NSF funded program is designed to promote faculty diversity by preparing diverse, talented postdoctoral trainees with the career skills needed to succeed in STEM academic research.  Fellows will propose research projects at a home institution of: University of Maryland, University of Maryland-Baltimore, or University of Maryland-Baltimore County, the three research institutions within the twelve-campus University System of Maryland.   Additionally, fellows will design opportunities for research, teaching and mentoring rotations at one or two other System institutions. In addition to an innovative research experience, fellows will receive career development guidance, participate in a community of scholarship, create new collaborations and cultivate employment opportunities. Fellows will receive a stipend plus benefits.    The fellowship period is one year.  Awards will be made to 1-2 scholars per year.

Timeline:

• Applications Due: 6/15/2014
• Application Review: 6/15/2014 – 7/15/2014
• Decision Announcement: 8/1/2014
• Postdoctoral Appointment begins: 9/1/2014

The information above is also provided in the flier below. A downloadable PDF can be found here:

USM STEM Postdoctoral Fellowship to Promote Faculty Diversity 05122014

The application deadline for positions beginning in the fall of 2014 is June 15. Applicants must be U.S. citizens or permanent residents with a PhD in a STEM field. Commitment to the goals of the program, strong academic and research credentials and an interest in teaching and mentoring will be important criteria used in the selection process.

The application will include:

• Proposal of research (limit 1 page),
• Statement of plans to advocate for diversity in the professoriate including teaching and mentoring philosophy (limit 1 page),
• Selection of 3-5 potential mentors and a brief overview of interest in each lab (limit 1 page total)
• Letters of Reference (limit 2)
• Curriculum Vitae

Submit application materials to: PROMISEMD@umaryland.edu

UPDATE, June 2014: Please note that the submission address is PROMISEMD@umaryland.edu. Please do not send applications to PROMISE@umaryland.edu. The MD must be part of the email address. 

PROMISE AGEP: Maryland Transformation (An NSF AGEP-T), is proud to announce the opening round of applications for the new University System of Maryland’s STEM Postdoctoral Fellowship program.

This NSF funded program is designed to promote faculty diversity by preparing diverse, talented postdoctoral trainees with the career skills needed to succeed in STEM academic research.  Fellows will propose research projects at a home institution of: University of Maryland, University of Maryland-Baltimore, or University of Maryland-Baltimore County, the three research institutions within the twelve-campus University System of Maryland.   Additionally, fellows will design opportunities for research, teaching and mentoring rotations at one or two other System institutions. In addition to an innovative research experience, fellows will receive career development guidance, participate in a community of scholarship, create new collaborations and cultivate employment opportunities. Fellows will receive a stipend plus benefits.    The fellowship period is one year.  Awards will be made to 1-2 scholars per year.

Timeline:

• Applications Due: 6/15/2014
• Application Review: 6/15/2014 – 7/15/2014
• Decision Announcement: 8/1/2014
• Postdoctoral Appointment begins: 9/1/2014

The information above is also provided in the flier below. A downloadable PDF can be found here:

USM STEM Postdoctoral Fellowship to Promote Faculty Diversity 05122014

The application deadline for positions beginning in the fall of 2014 is June 15. Applicants must be U.S. citizens or permanent residents with a PhD in a STEM field. Commitment to the goals of the program, strong academic and research credentials and an interest in teaching and mentoring will be important criteria used in the selection process.

The application will include:

• Proposal of research (limit 1 page),
• Statement of plans to advocate for diversity in the professoriate including teaching and mentoring philosophy (limit 1 page),
• Selection of 3-5 potential mentors and a brief overview of interest in each lab (limit 1 page total)
• Letters of Reference (limit 2)
• Curriculum Vitae

Submit application materials to: PROMISEMD@umaryland.edu

UPDATE, June 2014: Please note that the submission address is PROMISEMD@umaryland.edu. Please do not send applications to PROMISE@umaryland.edu. The MD must be part of the email address. 

The Special Collections department of the Albin O. Kuhn Library, in partnership with the History department and the Center for Digital History Education, is happy to announce that the Joseph L. Arnold papers are now open for research use. Dr. Arnold’s vast collection of research papers include two manuscripts on the history of Baltimore: one organized chronologically and another, thematically by ethnic and social groups. Making up the bulk of the collection, however, are files on more than 350 distinct topics in Baltimore history. Each file contains up to 150 newspaper articles (mostly from the Baltimore Sun), in addition to pamphlets, chapters from books, and Dr. Arnold’s hand-written notes, on a specific topic. These files, arranged into 14 categories, cover the economic, social and political history of Baltimore and focus mainly on the period between the Civil War and World War I. Topics range from annexation to abattoirs, from baseball to the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad, from marriage to manufacturing, and from streetcars to sewage. We are still processing additional records, including Dr. Arnold’s teaching materials, so be sure to check back as new items are added to the collection.

Dr. Arnold’s manuscripts, in Series I and II of the collection, represent the culmination of more than thirty years of research on Baltimore history. Although it was never completed for print publication, the Special Collections staff has been working with his widow Mary Jane Arnold, University of Baltimore historian Dr. Elizabeth Nix, and UMBC alumna Theresa Donnelly to prepare the manuscript for online publication. We envision free, open access for this invaluable resource. Once the material is online, it will be readily searchable and accessible to anyone with an interest in Baltimore history—both within and outside of the UMBC community. We anticipate that the manuscript will be online this fall.

As I have been handling these files over the course of the academic year—placing the contents of each file into new, acid-free folders to ensure that the papers last as long as possible—I have enjoyed picking up bits and pieces of what life was like for previous generations of Baltimoreans. To my surprise, I have been struck by how much has not changed over the past two centuries. I ran across so many headlines that seem like they could be from today: reporting on last night’s Orioles game, a new stall opening at Lexington Market, construction on Charles Street, the weather causing difficulties for commuters, upcoming graduation celebrations at Western High School, vacationers flocking to the Eastern Shore, heated debates among members of the City Council, family reunions at Druid Hill Park. The advertisements also provide a window into Baltimore of yesteryear.

Joseph Larkin Arnold (1937-2004) was a prominent urban historian and a key leader at UMBC for most of his career. Dr. Arnold joined the faculty of UMBC—then a very young institution—in 1968 after earning a PhD in social history at the Ohio State University. In his three and a half decades here Dr. Arnold fulfilled a variety of campus leadership roles, including a term as Acting Librarian in 1979-1980. He taught undergraduate and graduate courses on American cities, Baltimore history, historical research methods, and comparative urban history, among other topics. In his field he became known as “the dean of Baltimore historians” for his extensive research on Charm City’s transition from a colonial tobacco port to a modern metropolis. The author of six books and over 60 articles, chapters, and reviews, Dr. Arnold was in the final stages of writing a comprehensive history of Baltimore at the time of his death in January 2004.

Auni Gelles has been working with the Joseph L. Arnold papers and manuscript this year. Auni is graduate student in the History department and Graduate Assistant for the Center for Digital History Education and the Special Collections department in the AOK Library. She will continue her work with the Arnold papers next year. Thank you, Auni!

Interested researchers can learn more about the Joseph L. Arnold papers from the online finding aid or by contacting the Special Collections department at speccoll@umbc.edu or (410) 455-2353.

Dear Graduate Students at UMBC,

The Council of Graduate Schools (CGS) is working with universities across the country to learn more about the financial needs of graduate students. We're asking all graduate students, including those who are working full-time, to participate in this conversation by completing a survey. 

We launched the survey in April, but CGS is allowing us to offer a BONUS ROUND for the "Survey of Financial Standing" for those graduate students who did not complete the survey last month. We have winners for the initial round: $500 in prizes! For this BONUS ROUND, There will be three additional prizes of $50 gift cards! *ALL* graduate students from all disciplines are eligible, including both part-time and full-time students.  

The following information was sent to all graduate students on May 7th: 

The Graduate School is administering the CGS Survey of Financial Standing, so that UMBC and graduate schools around the country can understand, and better serve, graduate students' financial needs.  If you did not take the survey in April 2014, please click:

 https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/PS8BHG9

As part of our ongoing commitment to security, the Unix Infrastructure will be conducting its quarterly patching of systems.  While many of the systems will be patched without any service disruption, there are several systems which require the downtime of key services.  The schedule below outlines which key services will be offline and for how long.

Friday May 23rd, 6pm to 12am

• myUMBC lite page will be up resulting in reduced myUMBC functionality

• The sites (wordpress) web hosting environment will be down

• The new web hosting environment will be down (pages will be available but any database calls will not work)

• All HFS (user) servers will be down

• Student mySQL databases will be offline

• RT will be down (expected to be down 6pm to 8pm)

• Userpages will be down

• Wiki will be down

• License5 will be down (autodesk, cadence, idl, schrodinger, xilinx)

• Student mySQL databases will be offline

• Perseus will be down

There will be no data loss during the outage and no user action is required prior to the downtime. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact the Technology Support Center at x53838.