Through our collaborate PROMISE grant, PROMISE AGEP: Maryland Transformation, students throughout the University System of Maryland are eligible to attend professional seminars and workshops at UMBC, UMB, and UMCP.  If the event is listed on the main PROMISE website, please follow the directions to RSVP. Several seminars have university-specific registration processes. If you are planning to attend a session at a school that is different from your own, and if you are unable to register using that school’s system, please send add a comment to the bottom of this post, and email to promisestaff@gmail.com with the subject “Professional Development Seminar Registration,___seminar location___, __date of seminar____”

Seminars at UMBC:

Download the PDF: UMBC Graduate Student SEP 2014 Seminars

Seminars on MyUMBC: http://my.umbc.edu/groups/promise

Information for Postdocs: http://www.umbc.edu/gradschool/postdoc/index.html

These websites will be updated regularly. Please stay tuned. 

Seminars at the University of Maryland College Park:

Ph.D. Completion Project Workshops Fall 2014
Time: Friday Afternoons, 2:00 – 4:00 p.m.
Location: Juan Ramon Jimenez Room 2208, Stamp Student Union

September 19, 2014: Dissertation and Thesis Management

November 14, 2014: Managing Graduate Student Loan Debt

December 5, 2014: CVs and Cover Letters

Website for more information: http://www.gradschool.umd.edu/current_students/grad_diversity_student_experience.html

Teaching and Learning Workshops 
Dr. Alexis Williams, the new Assistant Director for the Professors-in-Training (PROF-it) program, a subsidiary of PROMISE, will update the PROF-it page with information about teaching workshops at College Park. She is working with colleagues at College Park’s Teaching and Learning Transformation Center at Marie Mount Hall to allow students from other campuses to participate.

Workshops are listed here: http://tltc.umd.edu/#events (scroll to “Workshops”). If you are a current UMCP student, you may RSVP through the link on each workshop page. If you would like to attend from a non-UMCP campus, send an email to tltc@umd.edu with the title and date of the workshop(s). If you drive, you will need to park in a paid visitor parking lot, but your RSVP will also include lunch as part of the daytime seminars.

Thank you to Emily Grossnickle, Coordinator of Graduate Student Programs, University of Maryland College Park.

Seminars at the University of Maryland Baltimore (UMB)

Upcoming Careers in Science Seminars, Fall 2014

Dr. Joseph Corriveau,

Director of Research and Technology, US Army Edgewood Chemical Biological Center 

Friday, September 5, 2014 at 12:00
Bressler Research Building, Room 1-008
For: Graduate Students and Postdoctoral Fellows

As the Director of Research and Technology, Dr. Corriveau is responsible for the scientific activities of Department of the Army civilian employees and on-site contractor personnel who are part of ECBC’s Research and Technology Directorate. The directorate, one of three within ECBC, supports the Department of Defense, as well as other government agencies by providing innovative science and technology solutions for chemical and biological defense.

Register Here

Dr. Melissa Hayes
Regulatory Affairs Specialist, Becton, Dickinson and Company 

Friday, October 10th, 2014 at 12:00
Bressler Research Building, Room 1-008
For: Graduate Students and Postdoctoral Fellows

Dr. Hayes, an alumna of the GPILS Graduate Program in Microbiology and Immunology, will share her career path into Regulatory Affairs. Come and learn about her experience, find out about what transferable skills Ph.D./postdoctoral fellows have that are relevant and find out more about BD (they are hiring!)

Co-Sponsored by the UMB MAPS-U

Register Here

Dr. Joanne Kamens, Executive Director, Addgene 

Thursday, November 13th, 2014 at 11:30
Bressler Research Building, Room 1-008
For: Graduate Students and Postdoctoral Fellows

Dr. Kamens received her PhD in Genetics from Harvard Medical School then spent 15 years at BASF/Abbott, ultimately serving as Group Leader in Molecular Biology. In 2007 she joined RXi Pharmaceuticals as Senior Director of Research Collaborations. In 2011, Dr. Kamens became the Executive Director of Addgene, a mission driven, non-profit dedicated to helping scientists around the world share plasmid reagents. Dr. Kamens has been raising awareness of women scientists since 1998 upon realizing that an entire week had gone by at work and not one other woman had been at any meeting she attended. Dr. Kamens founded the current Boston chapter of the Association for Women in Science. Dr. Kamens was Director of the Healthcare Businesswomen’s Association Boston Group Mentoring Program for 3 years. In 2010, Dr. Kamens received the Catalyst Award from the Science Club for Girls for longstanding dedication to empowering women in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics. She is a Fellow of the Massachusetts Academy of Science recognizing scientific accomplishment and service to the science community and the public and was recognized as one of the 2013 PharmaVoice 100 Most Inspiring.

Co-Sponsored by the UMB MAPS-U
Register Here 

Thank you Jennifer Guy-Aumiller, Director of Pre & Postdoctoral Trainee Career Development, UMB. 

Through our collaborate PROMISE grant, PROMISE AGEP: Maryland Transformation, students throughout the University System of Maryland are eligible to attend professional seminars and workshops at UMBC, UMB, and UMCP.  If the event is listed on the main PROMISE website, please follow the directions to RSVP. Several seminars have university-specific registration processes. If you are planning to attend a session at a school that is different from your own, and if you are unable to register using that school’s system, please send add a comment to the bottom of this post, and email to promisestaff@gmail.com with the subject “Professional Development Seminar Registration,___seminar location___, __date of seminar____”

Seminars at UMBC:

Download the PDF: UMBC Graduate Student SEP 2014 Seminars

Seminars on MyUMBC: http://my.umbc.edu/groups/promise

Information for Postdocs: http://www.umbc.edu/gradschool/postdoc/index.html

These websites will be updated regularly. Please stay tuned. 

Seminars at the University of Maryland College Park:

Ph.D. Completion Project Workshops Fall 2014
Time: Friday Afternoons, 2:00 – 4:00 p.m.
Location: Juan Ramon Jimenez Room 2208, Stamp Student Union

September 19, 2014: Dissertation and Thesis Management

November 14, 2014: Managing Graduate Student Loan Debt

December 5, 2014: CVs and Cover Letters

Website for more information: http://www.gradschool.umd.edu/current_students/grad_diversity_student_experience.html

Teaching and Learning Workshops 
Dr. Alexis Williams, the new Assistant Director for the Professors-in-Training (PROF-it) program, a subsidiary of PROMISE, will update the PROF-it page with information about teaching workshops at College Park. She is working with colleagues at College Park’s Teaching and Learning Transformation Center at Marie Mount Hall to allow students from other campuses to participate.

Workshops are listed here: http://tltc.umd.edu/#events (scroll to “Workshops”). If you are a current UMCP student, you may RSVP through the link on each workshop page. If you would like to attend from a non-UMCP campus, send an email to tltc@umd.edu with the title and date of the workshop(s). If you drive, you will need to park in a paid visitor parking lot, but your RSVP will also include lunch as part of the daytime seminars.

Thank you to Emily Grossnickle, Coordinator of Graduate Student Programs, University of Maryland College Park.

Seminars at the University of Maryland Baltimore (UMB)

Upcoming Careers in Science Seminars, Fall 2014

Dr. Joseph Corriveau,

Director of Research and Technology, US Army Edgewood Chemical Biological Center 

Friday, September 5, 2014 at 12:00
Bressler Research Building, Room 1-008
For: Graduate Students and Postdoctoral Fellows

As the Director of Research and Technology, Dr. Corriveau is responsible for the scientific activities of Department of the Army civilian employees and on-site contractor personnel who are part of ECBC’s Research and Technology Directorate. The directorate, one of three within ECBC, supports the Department of Defense, as well as other government agencies by providing innovative science and technology solutions for chemical and biological defense.

Register Here

Dr. Melissa Hayes
Regulatory Affairs Specialist, Becton, Dickinson and Company 

Friday, October 10th, 2014 at 12:00
Bressler Research Building, Room 1-008
For: Graduate Students and Postdoctoral Fellows

Dr. Hayes, an alumna of the GPILS Graduate Program in Microbiology and Immunology, will share her career path into Regulatory Affairs. Come and learn about her experience, find out about what transferable skills Ph.D./postdoctoral fellows have that are relevant and find out more about BD (they are hiring!)

Co-Sponsored by the UMB MAPS-U

Register Here

Dr. Joanne Kamens, Executive Director, Addgene 

Thursday, November 13th, 2014 at 11:30
Bressler Research Building, Room 1-008
For: Graduate Students and Postdoctoral Fellows

Dr. Kamens received her PhD in Genetics from Harvard Medical School then spent 15 years at BASF/Abbott, ultimately serving as Group Leader in Molecular Biology. In 2007 she joined RXi Pharmaceuticals as Senior Director of Research Collaborations. In 2011, Dr. Kamens became the Executive Director of Addgene, a mission driven, non-profit dedicated to helping scientists around the world share plasmid reagents. Dr. Kamens has been raising awareness of women scientists since 1998 upon realizing that an entire week had gone by at work and not one other woman had been at any meeting she attended. Dr. Kamens founded the current Boston chapter of the Association for Women in Science. Dr. Kamens was Director of the Healthcare Businesswomen’s Association Boston Group Mentoring Program for 3 years. In 2010, Dr. Kamens received the Catalyst Award from the Science Club for Girls for longstanding dedication to empowering women in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics. She is a Fellow of the Massachusetts Academy of Science recognizing scientific accomplishment and service to the science community and the public and was recognized as one of the 2013 PharmaVoice 100 Most Inspiring.

Co-Sponsored by the UMB MAPS-U
Register Here 

Thank you Jennifer Guy-Aumiller, Director of Pre & Postdoctoral Trainee Career Development, UMB. 

“Funding Your Graduate Education”

An Annual “Special Saturday Success Seminar”

Speakers:

Dr. Frances D. Carter-Johnson, AAAS S&T Fellow at the NIH Center for Scientific Review

Dr. Patricia Ordóñez, Department of Computer Science, University of Puerto Rico – Rio Piedras 

Our speakers, UMBC Alumni and former NSF GRFP winners, bring their award winner seminar back to UMBC! This seminar has been presented at the National Science Foundation’s HBCU-UP national conference, the American Association for the Advancement in Science’s  Emerging Researchers Network national Conference, Harvard, MIT, Spelman, Clemson, and at others universities in Puerto Rico, Texas, and DC. Our speakers have been part of MIT’s Tech TV series, and continue to be sought-after speakers on the topic of graduate funding. 

Dr. Carter-Johnson is a graduate of UMBC’s Department of Public Policy and formerly served as a STEM Policy Analyst at Westat.  Dr. Carter-Johnson has degrees in Public Policy, Applied Physics, Pure Physics, and Mechanical Engineering from UMBC, Georgia Tech, and Spelman College. She has received research support and fellowships from NASA, NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP), SREB, The Department of Education, GEM, the American Evaluation Association, NIH, and MIT. Dr. Carter-Johnson completed her postdoctoral training at the Teaching and Learning Laboratory at MIT, and is a Science and Technology Policy Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). She currently designs studies and analyzes data to develop policy solutions to enhance diversity in the biomedical workforce at the Center for Scientific Review at the National Institutes of Health.

Dr. Ordóñez  is a graduate of UMBC’s Department of Computer Science. She is an Assistant Professor at the University of Puerto Rico Rio Piedras. Dr. Ordóñez has degrees from Johns Hopkins University and UMBC in Hispanic and Italian Studies, and Computer Science respectively.  She has taught several classes at UMBC and was a Technical Trainer for UMBC’s Training Centers, focusing on JAVA Computer Programming Certifications and curriculum development. Dr. Ordóñez  was an NSF Graduate Research Fellow, and has received fellowships and/or recognition from Xerox, Verizon, Google, The Ford Foundation, The Hispanic Scholarship Fund and UMBC. Dr. Ordóñez is the Leader of Biomedical Informatics Function for the Puerto Rico Clinical and Translational Research Consortium, and her research is   focused on applying machine learning, data mining, and data visualization to big time series data for the purpose of improving medicine and on developing assistive technologies for programming. Dr. Ordóñez also presents this workshop on graduate research funding in Puerto Rico in Spanish.

Our speakers’ work on the topic of graduate funding was presented at the “Understanding Interventions” national conference in 2012, and was published in a paper by the American Association of Engineering Education in 2013. This year, in addition to their annual workshops in Boston, their seminar, “The $10 Million Dollar Plan: Increasing Graduate Funding and Diversity in Computing” was presented at the 2014 Tapia Celebration of Diversity in Computing, in Seattle, WA. Their list of winners continues to grow, and participants who have taken their workshops have won the prestigious NSF GRFP Fellowship and other awards,  totaling more than $1 million of fellowship money! 

Learn how to apply for the NSF GRFP Fellowship, learn about the nuances of submitting a fellowship to NSF, have terms deciphered, and start your application on Fastlane – NSF’s computer system.

• Please feel free to take a look at information that was posted for seminars in the past.  Information from the 2012 seminar: http://promiseagep.wordpress.com/2012/08/30/how-to-fund-your-graduate-education-dr-ordonez-rozo-and-dr-carter-johnson-promise-alumni-present-their-award-winning-seminar-on-saturday-sept-15-2012/
• Information from 2013 seminar (take a look at the comments for some great tips on saving money, shared by graduate students): http://promiseagep.wordpress.com/2013/08/21/jobs-fellowships-grad-school-funding-saturday-breakfast-lunch-seminar-sept-7-2013-umbc/

Funding Your Graduate Education – UMBC Workshop 2014

9:00 AM – 2:00 PM

Saturday, September 6, 2014

UMBC Sherman Hall, Room 003

(First floor Lecture Hall. Sherman Hall is between the Administration Building and the University Center. It is across the walkway from the Sondheim Building.)

PLEASE RSVP (Breakfast refreshments and lunch will be served): 

• UMBC’s students: http://my.umbc.edu/groups/promise/events/25027
• If you are not a student at UMBC, RSVP by posting in the comment section at the bottom of this message with your name, school, and discipline (academic department)/major.

Graduate students and undergraduates from all schools in the region are invited to attend this seminar. All current LSAMP Bridge to the Doctorate Fellows are required to attend the workshop, and are required to apply for the NSF GRFP.

Directions and Parking:

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

See the “Comments” section below for more details.

“Funding Your Graduate Education”

An Annual “Special Saturday Success Seminar”

Speakers:

Dr. Frances D. Carter-Johnson, AAAS S&T Fellow at the NIH Center for Scientific Review

Dr. Patricia Ordóñez, Department of Computer Science, University of Puerto Rico – Rio Piedras 

Our speakers, UMBC Alumni and former NSF GRFP winners, bring their award winner seminar back to UMBC! This seminar has been presented at the National Science Foundation’s HBCU-UP national conference, the American Association for the Advancement in Science’s  Emerging Researchers Network national Conference, Harvard, MIT, Spelman, Clemson, and at others universities in Puerto Rico, Texas, and DC. Our speakers have been part of MIT’s Tech TV series, and continue to be sought-after speakers on the topic of graduate funding. 

Dr. Carter-Johnson is a graduate of UMBC’s Department of Public Policy and formerly served as a STEM Policy Analyst at Westat.  Dr. Carter-Johnson has degrees in Public Policy, Applied Physics, Pure Physics, and Mechanical Engineering from UMBC, Georgia Tech, and Spelman College. She has received research support and fellowships from NASA, NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP), SREB, The Department of Education, GEM, the American Evaluation Association, NIH, and MIT. Dr. Carter-Johnson completed her postdoctoral training at the Teaching and Learning Laboratory at MIT, and is a Science and Technology Policy Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). She currently designs studies and analyzes data to develop policy solutions to enhance diversity in the biomedical workforce at the Center for Scientific Review at the National Institutes of Health.

Dr. Ordóñez  is a graduate of UMBC’s Department of Computer Science. She is an Assistant Professor at the University of Puerto Rico Rio Piedras. Dr. Ordóñez has degrees from Johns Hopkins University and UMBC in Hispanic and Italian Studies, and Computer Science respectively.  She has taught several classes at UMBC and was a Technical Trainer for UMBC’s Training Centers, focusing on JAVA Computer Programming Certifications and curriculum development. Dr. Ordóñez  was an NSF Graduate Research Fellow, and has received fellowships and/or recognition from Xerox, Verizon, Google, The Ford Foundation, The Hispanic Scholarship Fund and UMBC. Dr. Ordóñez is the Leader of Biomedical Informatics Function for the Puerto Rico Clinical and Translational Research Consortium, and her research is   focused on applying machine learning, data mining, and data visualization to big time series data for the purpose of improving medicine and on developing assistive technologies for programming. Dr. Ordóñez also presents this workshop on graduate research funding in Puerto Rico in Spanish.

Our speakers’ work on the topic of graduate funding was presented at the “Understanding Interventions” national conference in 2012, and was published in a paper by the American Association of Engineering Education in 2013. This year, in addition to their annual workshops in Boston, their seminar, “The $10 Million Dollar Plan: Increasing Graduate Funding and Diversity in Computing” was presented at the 2014 Tapia Celebration of Diversity in Computing, in Seattle, WA. Their list of winners continues to grow, and participants who have taken their workshops have won the prestigious NSF GRFP Fellowship and other awards,  totaling more than $1 million of fellowship money! 

Learn how to apply for the NSF GRFP Fellowship, learn about the nuances of submitting a fellowship to NSF, have terms deciphered, and start your application on Fastlane – NSF’s computer system.

• Please feel free to take a look at information that was posted for seminars in the past.  Information from the 2012 seminar: https://promiseagep.wordpress.com/2012/08/30/how-to-fund-your-graduate-education-dr-ordonez-rozo-and-dr-carter-johnson-promise-alumni-present-their-award-winning-seminar-on-saturday-sept-15-2012/
• Information from 2013 seminar (take a look at the comments for some great tips on saving money, shared by graduate students): https://promiseagep.wordpress.com/2013/08/21/jobs-fellowships-grad-school-funding-saturday-breakfast-lunch-seminar-sept-7-2013-umbc/

Funding Your Graduate Education – UMBC Workshop 2014

9:00 AM – 2:00 PM

Saturday, September 6, 2014

UMBC Sherman Hall, Room 003

(First floor Lecture Hall. Sherman Hall is between the Administration Building and the University Center. It is across the walkway from the Sondheim Building.)

PLEASE RSVP (Breakfast refreshments and lunch will be served): 

• UMBC’s students: http://my.umbc.edu/groups/promise/events/25027
• If you are not a student at UMBC, RSVP by posting in the comment section at the bottom of this message with your name, school, and discipline (academic department)/major.

Graduate students and undergraduates from all schools in the region are invited to attend this seminar. All current LSAMP Bridge to the Doctorate Fellows are required to attend the workshop, and are required to apply for the NSF GRFP.

Directions and Parking:

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

See the “Comments” section below for more details.

UMBC shuttle service now offers routes from UMBC campus to downtown Baltimore

UMBC's transit service has created two new shuttle routes designed to connect the UMBC community to several areas of downtown Baltimore, including the Inner Harbor, Lexington Market, Baltimore's sports stadiums, and the University of Baltimore (UMB) campus.

The new routes provide students, faculty, and staff the opportunity to connect UMBC projects, activities, and academic programs to Baltimore City. It also supports members of the UMBC community living in the Baltimore area with direct access to campus.

The shuttle service will operate two different routes to account for traffic and congestion in and around the city. Please visit our bus schedules and maps for more information on route stops and departure and arrival times. We also encourage you to check out the UMBC Transit Tracker for real-time location of our shuttle buses.

The new shuttle routes are a free service for the UMBC community, funded by the parking and transportation student fee. You will need to show a valid student ID to access this service.

If you have any questions or concerns, please call the Transit Office at 410-455-2454 or e-mail transit@umbc.edu.

Hi everyone!

Come to the IFC at 4:30 every Monday-Saturday to pray the rosary with your fellow Catholics! Every day and all semester long, our Blessed Mother is there to hear our intentions and intercede for us!

Every so often, we’ll chat with an alum about what they do and how they got there. Today we’re talking with author Krista Wagner ‘99, English, about her career and newly published book, Intent.

Name: Krista Wagner (formerly Brooks)
Job Title: English Instructor
Focus Area: Composition and Literature
Grad year: May 1999

Q: What drew you to UMBC for your studies?
UMBC is a very reputable school and is interested in seeing their students excel. The English department is committed to ensuring that their students grow exponentially in critical reading, writing, and thought.

Q: Besides working on your latest novel, Intent, what have you done in your spare time?
I also wrote a screenplay for Intent. I received my M.F.A. in Creative Writing from National University in 2013. I have been an Adjunct English Instructor since 2008.

Q: Were there any particular influences in your life that contributed to your novel?
The idea for Intent seemed to come from nowhere. However, my love for thrillers and desire for truth both contributed to the movement of the plot. My three children and husband and my love for God carried me through the journey of writing the story.

Q: Can you recall any professors or advisors at UMBC who inspired you?
Professor Michael Fallon inspired my creativity through avenues of poetry. Professor Suzy Anger was especially enjoyable to work with as she helped me see how much further I could go with my writing.

Q: What has been your greatest achievement in your career as a writer? Your greatest challenge?
My greatest writing achievement is this novel–my first. The screenplay version of it was most challenging as it wasn’t easy to leave so much “white space” and be forced into thinking in blocks of pure action and dialogue.

Q: What do you enjoy most about your profession?
I love being able to help students realize their potential. The ways of writing are infinite, and I enjoy seeing my students harness their gifts and strengthen their ability to perceive what they are capable of.

Q: Is there any advice you’d like to give to students at UMBC?
Hold onto your integrity and never give up. There is a light at the end of the tunnel.