The University of Michigan Program in Biomedical Sciences (PIBS) invites you to explore your choice in science through our Preview Visitation this October 2-3, 2014. 

Preview includes:

• an all-expense-paid visit for selected participants (and their advisors)
• activities and workshops on applying and attending graduate school at U-M
• one-on-one and group interactions with faculty from 14 PhD programs
• networking with current graduate students and peers from across the country
• tour of campus, facilities and the city of Ann Arbor

Find more details on our event flyer and apply online.  Rolling acceptances will begin on thepriority deadline of Friday, 8/15.  All application materials are due by the final deadline of Monday, 9/1.

Note: Competitive applicants will possess extensive research experience, two letters of recommendation, plans to pursue a PhD (particularly starting fall 2015) and a background that contributes to diversity in the biomedical sciences at Michigan.  Students from underrepresented racial and ethnic groups, low-income family backgrounds, first-generation U.S. citizens, and first-generation college students are especially encouraged to apply. Students must be U.S. Citizens or Permanent Residents to be eligible.

Meet Kathy. She is a Psychology major who is graduating this Spring! Her research explored parental control in the Chinese immigrant and European American context. 

After discussing my interest in cross-cultural research, Dr. Cheah recruited me as a research assistant for her Culture, Child and Adolescent Development Lab.

How did you know this was the project you wanted to do?
While I was collecting data through conducting qualitative interviews with European American mothers for Dr. Cheah’s project, I began to develop my own research questions and decided to further examine parental control in both the Chinese immigrant context and European American context.

My career goal is to eventually conduct cross-cultural research examining the socialization and expression of emotions in families and to teach psychology in an academic setting.

Read her abstract here.

The Biomedical Sciences Graduate Programs Preview Weekend is a unique visit to the University of Minnesota campus for prospective graduate students interested in one or more of the following Ph.D. programs:

• Biochemistry, Molecular Biology & Biophysics (BMBB)
• Integrative Biology & Physiology (IBP)
• Microbiology, Immunology & Cancer Biology (MICaB)
• Molecular, Cellular, Developmental Biology & Genetics (MCDB&G)
• Neuroscience (NSCI)
• Pharmacology (PHCL).

When will the Preview take place?
Thursday, September 25 - Saturday, September 28, 2014

Who is eligible to attend?
Those who will be invited to the Preview must be US citizens or permanent residents who will be applying for entry into graduate school in Fall of 2015. The program is most interested in students enrolled at institutions outside the upper midwest who may be unfamiliar with the outstanding training environment provided by the University of Minnesota. Students from under-represented racial and ethnic groups, low-income family backgrounds, first-generation U.S. citizens, and students with disabilities are especially encouraged to apply.

What are the benefits of attending?
The Preview activities will provide opportunities for students to meet informally with the directors of graduate study, faculty and current graduate students of the six biomedical sciences doctoral programs. There will be tours of campus that will let students gain a feel for the research and laboratory environments where they would work. There will be time for the attendees to learn about the graduate programs so that they can decide which one might best meet their career goals and interests. There will also be activities to introduce you to the quality of life in the metropolitan area of Minneapolis - St. Paul. Any participants who apply to one of the biomedical sciences graduate programs will have their application fee paid. If you are selected to attend, pending the availability of funds and the results of your GRE scores, you will also be invited to participate in the admission interview weekend for the program or programs you apply to.

What is the Cost to Attend?
Visit expenses (including airfare, lodging, and on-campus meals) are provided for those who are selected to attend. We expect to invite 15 students to attend the Preview.

Application & Selection Timeframe
The online application is open and invitations will be made in the summer of 2014.

Name: Larry Wilt       

Hometown: Buffalo, NY, USA

Alma Mater: Binghamton U (NY State)

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.