Throw in a partridge for $15. It turns out you shouldn’t try to match the spending spree from that old Christmas carol “12 Days of Christmas” because the total of all 364 gifts would come to a whopping $107,000.

Sound high? Mashable Breaks it down:

• Partridge, $15; last year: same
• Pear tree, $189.99; last year: 169.99
• Two turtle doves, $125; last year: same
• Three French hens, $165; last year: $150
• Four calling birds (canaries), $519.96; last year: same
• Five gold rings, $750; last year: $645
• Six geese a-laying, $210; last year: $162
• Seven swans a-swimming, $7,000; last year: $6,300
• Eight maids a-milking, $58; last year: same
• Nine ladies dancing (per performance), $6,294; last year: same
• 10 lords a-leaping (per performance), $4,767; last year: same
• 11 pipers piping (per performance), $2,562; last year: $2,428
• 12 drummers drumming (per performance), $2,776; last year: $2,630

We can only hope none of you had a christmas list like this because as far as we know black friday and cyber monday had no deals on pipers piping.

“As the growing season winds down, one Baltimore City school garden has harvested next to nothing. A project intended to enliven lessons or inspire healthier eating came down to four neglected beds yielding two cinder-block-sized zucchini.” This is the start of a commentary written by UMBC graduate student Bess Keller, public policy, in the Baltimore Sun, about an unsuccessful school-community collaboration and why she believes it failed to reach its potential.

Keller suggests that the problem was one of misplaced incentives. She writes, “Recognition accrues to organizations and the people in them for getting money, starting a project, building something, chalking up partnerships, looking environmentally conscious. The hard work of making a project meaningful in the life of a school — meaningful enough that people on the scene will own the innovation — can easily go unrewarded.” Read the full commentary to learn more.

Katrin Patterson ’11, a double major in anthropology and gender and women’s studies, was featured this month on the Volunteer Maryland website for her role with Ardmore Enterprises, through which she will launch a volunteer program that will bring more awareness to the capabilities of individuals with intellectual or developmental disabilities

Read the Volunteer Maryland story here.

Patterson, who graduated cum laude, was a France and Merrick Scholarship and the Walter Sondheim Maryland Non-Profit Leadership Scholarship, as well as a member of the President’s Commission for Women. After graduation, she traveled to the University of Botswana on a Fulbright research grant to study the gendered and psychosocial dynamics of HIV transmission. In addition to her work with Ardmore, she’s also in the process of applying to graduate schools of public health.

We asked Katrin to answer a few questions about her experiences.

Q:  How did you wind up working with Ardmore Enterprises?
A:  I didn’t choose Ardmore so much as they chose me. I applied very late in the application cycle, and Ardmore was one of the last (Volunteer Maryland) partner sites that had not yet chosen a Volunteer Maryland Coordinator. After interviewing with and being accepted by Ardmore, I took the contract because I felt like it would be an interesting and challenging experience. I have no formal experience working for or with individuals with developmental or intellectual disabilities so I was curious to see how I would grow through the experience. Even within the first couple of months, I have been confronted with all manner of personal and professional learning experiences; at times frustrating, at others enlightening, there’s rarely a dull moment at Ardmore as we work to develop and implement a volunteer program and gear up for our 50th anniversary next year!

Q:  What are your plans for the future?
A:  I would love to go into health education. Both my time as a Fulbright Student and as a VMC have shown me that there are a lot of misperceptions and misinformation about health and illness, and I am eager to rectify the situation. I am particularly interested in community-based health programs and health education for women, and so am looking to build upon and connect the two BAs I have from UMBC in either a Master’s or doctorate program. Health is not a uni-dimensional aspect of a person or their community, and public health is a field that recognizes this.

Q: Did any experiences at UMBC especially prepare you for what you’re doing now?
A:  I would definitely say that UMBC helped to impart a strong sense of service and civic responsibility to me. I lived in the Shriver Living-Learning Community for my first two years at UMBC (the first year as a resident, the second as the Community’s resident assistant), and all of the service I completed shaped the way I approach service now. I had a lot of opportunities to develop leadership skills by participating in an ASB to West Virginia, participating in a STRiVE retreat, and being an undergraduate teaching assistant for the GES department. I remember feeling very supported and empowered by both individuals and organizations on campus (the Women’s Center comes to mind!), and all of those influences have come together to allow me to approach my current position as a VMC with confidence, creativity, and empathy.

Katrin was also profiled in a feature on UMBC’s Class of 2011. Read it here.

Maryland State Delegate Jon Cardin ’96, MPP, has formed an exploratory committee for a potential run for Maryland attorney general in 2014, according to an AP article published in the Daily Record. Cardin, who is the nephew of the recently re-elected U.S. Senator Ben Cardin, is currently serving his third term as delegate for Baltimore County.

The AP story notes, “According to a report in the Gazette newspapers of Montgomery County, Jon Cardin will be holding a fundraiser for the exploratory committee on Dec. 4 at a private home in Baltimore.”

Cardin, who has represented residents of northwest Baltimore County since 2003, serves on the Ways and Means Committee. He was honored as UMBC Outstanding Alumnus of the Year for the Social and Behavioral Sciences in 2009.

Maryland State Delegate Jon Cardin ’96 has formed an exploratory committee for a potential run for Maryland attorney general in 2014, according to an AP article published in the Daily Record. Cardin, who is the nephew of the recently re-elected U.S. Senator Ben Cardin, received his M.A. in public policy from UMBC. He is currently serving his third term as delegate for Baltimore County.

The AP story notes, “According to a report in the Gazette newspapers of Montgomery County, Jon Cardin will be holding a fundraiser for the exploratory committee on Dec. 4 at a private home in Baltimore.”

Psychology professor Robert Provine was featured in a November 26th web article published on the Canadian news network CTV’s website, which discussed the mystery of why people get the hiccups.

Provine, whose book Curious Behavior: Yawning, Laughing, Hiccupping, and Beyond was published in August, spoke with reporter Helen Branswell about his research into the involuntary action, which can often occur after drinking too much.

He also discussed possible cures, which can include being observed by another person. Provine noticed this particular approach when he attempted to record hiccupping children during his research. “In fact, my first nine attempts to do this in every case the hiccupping stopped as soon as I turned the tape recorder on,” he said. “That’s my tape recorder cure.”

Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) Program

Genetics, Genomics & Development, Biochemistry, Molecular & Cell Biology, and Biophysics, Cornell University

June 2 - August 9, 2013

Eligibility: Most students entering their junior and senior years majoring in the life sciences with an overall GPA of 3.0 or higher. Preference will be given to students with strong interest in gaining research experience in preparation for graduate study. Members of underrepresented minority groups, students with disabilities, and women are encouraged to apply. Participants in the REU program must be U.S. citizens or permanent residents. Students who will have completed the bachelor's degree by May of this academic year are not eligible for REU programs, but are invited to apply to the University's graduate programs (see http://mbg.cornell.edu/).

Compensation: The stipend will be $3,400. In addition to the stipend, housing in an on-campus residence hall with other REU students is provided, along with supplemental compensation for transportation while on campus. A travel budget to and from Ithaca is also provided. 

Application Procedure:

1. Please complete the application form below.  The application, including transcript and letters of recommendation, are due by January 15, 2013, with rolling admission until spaces are filled.

2. Please request two letters of recommendation from faculty members or employers familiar with your abilities, interests, and motivation towards research. Please include with your application the complete e-mail addresses and regular mail addresses of the individual providing the letter. Letters may be sent via regular mail to the address below, or by e-mail (preferred) to   MBG_REU@cornell.edu       

3.  Please send a copy (unofficial is fine) of your transcript either by e-mail or to the address below.

Cornell University Contact:

REU Program in the Life Sciences

c/o Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics

107 Biotechnology Building

526 Campus Road

Ithaca, NY 14853-2703

Attn: Program Manager