On Wednesday, Governor Martin O’Malley is expected to deliver his budget proposal for the coming year to the Maryland legislature. Last year the General Assembly garnered a lot of unwanted attention for failing to pass a budget before time ran out in the regular legislative session. WYPR’s Sheilah Kast interviewed UMBC political science professor Roy T. Meyers on Maryland Morning to learn if there might be any surprises in store for this year.

“The state has made some very tough choices over the past couple years in reducing spending,” says Meyers. Listen to the full interview to learn about the relationship between federal and state budget cuts and what Meyers anticipates in the coming year for the Transportation Trust Fund and a possible gas tax.

TO:  All Full-time, Tenure-Track Faculty

FROM: Philip Rous, Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs

I am delighted to announce a new joint UMBC-UMB Research and Innovation Partnership Seed Grant Program. This research initiative has been developed in close collaboration with our UMB colleagues with the goal of establishing, enhancing and promoting long-term research partnerships between faculty at UMBC and UMB.

The UMBC-UMB Research and Innovation Partnership Seed Grant Program provides research funding of up to $75,000 to be expended over a period of twelve months. All proposals submitted to this program must include at least one PI from UMBC and one from UMB. All areas of research will be considered for funding and all full-time tenure-track faculty members having primary academic appointments in any of UMBC’s and UMB’s colleges or schools are eligible to apply.

The request for proposals is below. To be considered for the seed grant opportunity, a proposal meeting the attached guidelines must be submitted no later than March 1, 2013.  Proposals should address the merits of the proposed research and identify and justify external funding sources that would be receptive of a full proposal that contains preliminary results obtained.

Additional information about the program and instructions for the application process are included in the attached announcement. Applications are due by March 1, 2013. Any questions from the UMBC faculty regarding the application guidelines should be addressed to Vice Provost Moreira via e-mail at moreira@umbc.edu.

RRP: UMBC-UMB Research and Innovation Partnership Seed Grant Program

The University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) and Baltimore (UMB) campuses are pleased to announce a new joint Research and Innovation Partnership Seed Grant Program for 2013.  The intent of this new initiative is to promote the structured collaboration between UMBC and UMB and to advance the institutions’ joint goals in research and innovation. Proposals submitted to this program must include at least one PI from each institution.

Our new UMB-UMBC Research and Innovation Partnership Seed Grant Program will:

• Foster creative teams of investigators working across disciplinary boundaries and campuses;
• Support new research foci to pursue future health care improvements and/or technologies; and
• Stimulate submission of innovative research proposals to federal, public or private funding agencies.

All areas of research will be considered for funding. Projects that promote and further our collaborative interests will be given preference in this year’s review. For example, one area of interest is collaborations in visualization and imaging that use tools such as fMRI thus leveraging the joint UMB/UMBC fMRI facility.

To be considered for the seed grant opportunity, a proposal meeting the attached guidelines must be submitted no later than March 1, 2013.  Proposals should address the merits of the proposed research and identify and justify NIH, NSF or other funding programs that would be receptive of a full proposal that contains preliminary results obtained. Further details are in the attached Appendix.

It is anticipated that multiple awards will be made. The final number of awards will depend on the quantity and quality of proposals received, as well as their proposed budgets. The program will have significant financial support from many sources. The maximum per grant award is $75,000. Indirect costs are not to be included in the proposal budget.

Individual investigators may submit multiple proposals but can participate as a PI on only one awarded proposal. The top-ranked proposal after peer review will be the one eligible for funding. Investigators can serve as collaborators on an unlimited number of proposals.

If you have detailed questions regarding application guidelines, please contact Sue Hobbs, UMSOM, SHobbs@som.umaryland.edu  or Antonio Moreira, UMBC, moreira@umbc.edu. Proposals must be submitted to partnershipprogram.umbc.edu as a combined pdf file prior to 5:00 PM EST March 1, 2013.

Last year, over 940 volunteers gave 34,272 hours of support in a wide variety of important activities. Volunteers are needed to engage guests in fun, educational interactions on grounds and in the community; to help our Horticulture Department to maintain plantings around the Zoo, supervising animal interactions at the KidZone (goat yard) and camel rides, supporting office personnel with administrative projects, leading crafts and games at special events, and much more.  The Zoo offers volunteer positions for people with all types of schedules and interests, and we are hoping to add approximately 120 new volunteers this year.

During the Open House, there will be information sessions at 11:30, 12:30 and 1:30 where guests will learn about the essential role volunteers play in conservation education, grounds keeping, and visitor support.  Current volunteers and staff will be on hand to discuss spring openings, including training, scheduling, and the rewards of volunteering. We will also have representatives on hand to discuss college internships, and the Junior Zoo Crew, our unique service-learning program for teens ages 14-17.

GOVERNOR'S SUMMER INTERNSHIP PROGRAM (http://shrivercenter.umbc.edu/students/the-scholars-programs/gsip/), Deadline:  March 11th 
The Governor’s Summer Internship Program introduces college students to the unique challenges and rewards of working within MD State Government while earning a $3,000 stipend.  For 10 weeks (June 3 – August 9), interns:- Work in state government agencies on substantive projects, including drafting speeches and correspondence, tracking legislation, attending hearings, assisting with constituent case work, and researching policy options.  - Participate in seminars with top Maryland officials and make site visits to State facilities.  - Develop policy papers on a significant issue facing Maryland (e.g. the Chesapeake Bay, crime, care for the elderly) and present their findings in person to the Governor.

WALTER SONDHEIM JR. NONPROFIT LEADERSHIP INTERNSHIP PROGRAM (http://shrivercenter.umbc.edu/students/the-scholars-programs/maryland-nonprofit-leadership-program/), Deadline: March 15th  The Maryland Nonprofit Leadership Program offers paid summer internship opportunities in the nonprofit sector to college juniors, seniors, and graduate students attending Maryland institutions.  Participating interns work for ten weeks full-time from June4th to August 10h while participating in bi-weekly seminars in nonprofit management.  Each participating student receives a $3,000 stipend.

MDOT FELLOWS INTERNSHIP PROGRAM (http://shrivercenter.umbc.edu/students/the-scholars-programs/mdot/), Deadline: March 8th  The Maryland Department of Transportation (MDOT) Fellows Internship Program is designed to introduce Maryland’s most promising college students to the rewards and challenges of working within Maryland’s integrated transportation system.  Interns can gain experience in policy development, marketing, international relations, computer networking, engineering, planning and financing, public relations, and neighborhood conservation.  Placement opportunities are available at the MD Aviation Administration, MD Port Administration, MD Transit Administration, Motor Vehicle Administration, MD State Highway Administration, MD Transportation Authority, or The Secretary’s Office. Participating student earn $3,500 during 8 weeks this summer (June 10 to August 2nd).

“Spiritual Music and its Relation to Personality”

This is my last semester at USG/UMBC and I will be graduating this spring. I received academic credit for doing my own study (as well as to write a research paper) but I mainly did this for the sake of conducting research in general. Some people enjoy playing sports, going to the movies, etc. I enjoy doing research because it enables me to expand my knowledge and to apply what I have learned during my years as an undergraduate at USG/UMBC. I also like to explore other ways to benefit people through research.

I definitely plan to go to graduate school, but first I need to get a job that can pay for it. For the immediate future I plan to pace it down a bit because I have not stopped since my senior year in high school. I have taken summer courses ever since and I need a small break before I venture into the world of graduate school. I also plan to continue pursuing psychology as my major but I want to specialize, and get my Masters, in a more holistic discipline, such as “Transpersonal Psychology.” 

I was a transfer from Montgomery College to USG and this transition was a little difficult because I was not used to writing research papers using the APA format. For this reason I had to adapt myself to this new way but I easily picked it up. One of the reasons that I joined the “Writing Fellows Program” was to help those students who were still at Montgomery College and who were going to struggle if they were not used to the way things are done at the upper level.