Chuck Milligan, former executive director of The Hilltop Institute at UMBC and current Maryland Medicaid director, just published a featured post on blog Health Affairs titled, “Expanding Medicaid: The Smart Decision For Maryland.”

The post cites Hilltop’s analysis to explain the economic benefit that the Affordable Care Act (ACA) will provide to states and why these findings support Maryland’s decision to expand Medicaid and fully implement the ACA. It also directs readers Hilltop’s Maryland Health Care Reform Simulation reports (1, 2).

Health Affairs is a leading health policy journal and this post illustrates how Hilltop’s work is directly informing U.S. health policy.

SPECIAL SATURDAY SESSION: Success Seminar on Funding & Fellowships, with special emphasis on the National Science Foundation’s Graduate Research Fellowship Application.

“How to Fund Your Graduate Education”

Speakers: PROMISE Alumni, Dr. Frances D. Carter-Johnson and Dr. Patricia Ordóñez Rozo 

Dr. Carter-Johnson is a graduate of UMBC’s Department of Public Policy and currently serves 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 fellowships from NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP), SREB, GAANN, and GEM. As of September 2012, Dr. Carter-Johnson will be joining the Teaching and Learning Laboratory at MIT.

Dr. Ordóñez Rozo 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 Rozo has degrees in Hispanic and Italian Studies, and Computer Science.  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 Rozo was a NSF Graduate Research Fellow, and has won fellowships from Xerox, Verizon, and UMBC.

Dr. Carter-Johnson and Dr.  Ordóñez Rozo were PROMISE Peer Mentors and have collectively been invited speakers on this topic 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, UMBC, and MIT. This fall, Dr. Ordóñez Rozo will also present this topic in Puerto Rico. Our speakers’ work was presented at the “Understanding Interventions” national conference in 2012. To date, at least 10 of their mentees who have taken their workshops have won the prestigious NSF GRFP Fellowship, or other award, for a total of approximately $1 million of fellowship money! 

Saturday, September 15, 2012

Public Policy Building, Room 206

SESSION 1: “Funding Your Graduate Education.” 

10:00 AM -12:00 PM — SEMINAR (General Public)

This seminar will include general information about funding for graduate school. Information regarding a variety of fellowships will be shared. Most of the content will focus on funding that is available in the U.S. for students in STEM fields.  Many of these fellowship opportunities are sponsored by the U.S. government, and are therefore reserved for U.S. students. There will be a small amount of information available to international students and students in the Humanities and Education, but in addition to talking about general fellowships, a primary focus of this seminar will be the National Science Foundation’s Graduate Research Fellowship (GRFP).  The NSF GRFP Fellowship covers STEM fields, including social and behavioral sciences, e.g., Psychology, STEM Education, Public Policy.)

Breakfast will be served.

————————————

SESSION 2: “Starting Your Application”

12:00 PM – 3:00 PM — NSF Fastlane session (By reservation/appointment only)

To join this session, you must reserve your space in the comments below before September 7, and you must bring your laptop.  This session is for those who are making the commitment to submit the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship application. Participation in this session requires participation in SESSION 1. This session will take you through the process of logging onto the Fastlane, NSF’s online application submission website, and the presenters will assist you with the early stages of preparing your essays and documents for the fellowship application.

List of fields: http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2012/nsf12599/nsf12599.htm#appendix.

Applicants for the GRFP must meet the following criteria:

• During the senior year of an undergraduate program
• After completing their undergraduate program but prior to entering graduate school
• During the first year of graduate school
• Prior to completing the Fall term of the second year of a full-time graduate program.

Lunch will be served at SESSION 2.

[Both undergraduates and graduate students may attend SESSION 1 and SESSION 2.]

Other NSF GRFP recipients are invited to join these session to provide advice. The original MyUMBC discussion with funding information can be found here:
http://my.umbc.edu/groups/promise/discussions/113

To Attend, PLEASE RSVP:

• Students at UMBC should login to MyUMBC and click “I can Attend” here: http://my.umbc.edu/groups/promise/events/12946.
• Students from other campuses may RSVP by writing your name, discipline, and school in the comments below.
• Students from underrepresented groups in STEM, LSAMP, AGEP, ERC, other US government sponsored programs, e.g., McNair, Trio, NIH, etc.  are especially invited to attend as participating in a seminar about the NSF GRFP fits into the missions of various government agencies with regard to increasing diversity in STEM.

This program is sponsored by PROMISE: Maryland’s Alliance for Graduate Education and the Professoriate (AGEP), and The Graduate School at UMBC.

Related articles

• Funding for Graduate School (gradschool360.wordpress.com)
• Annual PROMISE Summer Success Institute: August 17-18, 2012 @ UMBC & The Hotel at Arundel Preserve (promiseagep.wordpress.com)
• Learn more about graduate school: July 18, 2012 (gradschool360.wordpress.com)

Related video

Watch Dr. Frances Carter-Johnson and Dr. Ordóñez Rozo as they present an interactive workshop on funding at MIT, Summer 2012:  http://video.mit.edu/watch/msrp-fellowship-preparation-dr-francis-carter-and-dr-patricia-ordonez-11766/ (Start video at 3:39.) You may use this video as a resource before and after the September 15, 2012 workshop.

SPECIAL SATURDAY SESSION: Success Seminar on Funding & Fellowships, with special emphasis on the National Science Foundation’s Graduate Research Fellowship Application.

“How to Fund Your Graduate Education”

Speakers: PROMISE Alumni, Dr. Frances D. Carter-Johnson and Dr. Patricia Ordóñez Rozo 

Dr. Carter-Johnson is a graduate of UMBC’s Department of Public Policy and currently serves 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 fellowships from NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP), SREB, GAANN, and GEM. As of September 2012, Dr. Carter-Johnson will be joining the Teaching and Learning Laboratory at MIT.

Dr. Ordóñez Rozo 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 Rozo has degrees in Hispanic and Italian Studies, and Computer Science.  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 Rozo was a NSF Graduate Research Fellow, and has won fellowships from Xerox, Verizon, and UMBC.

Dr. Carter-Johnson and Dr.  Ordóñez Rozo were PROMISE Peer Mentors and have collectively been invited speakers on this topic 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, UMBC, and MIT. This fall, Dr. Ordóñez Rozo will also present this topic in Puerto Rico. Our speakers’ work was presented at the “Understanding Interventions” national conference in 2012. To date, at least 10 of their mentees who have taken their workshops have won the prestigious NSF GRFP Fellowship, or other award, for a total of approximately $1 million of fellowship money! 

Saturday, September 15, 2012

Public Policy Building, Room 206

SESSION 1: “Funding Your Graduate Education.” 

10:00 AM -12:00 PM — SEMINAR (General Public)

This seminar will include general information about funding for graduate school. Information regarding a variety of fellowships will be shared. Most of the content will focus on funding that is available in the U.S. for students in STEM fields.  Many of these fellowship opportunities are sponsored by the U.S. government, and are therefore reserved for U.S. students. There will be a small amount of information available to international students and students in the Humanities and Education, but in addition to talking about general fellowships, a primary focus of this seminar will be the National Science Foundation’s Graduate Research Fellowship (GRFP).  The NSF GRFP Fellowship covers STEM fields, including social and behavioral sciences, e.g., Psychology, STEM Education, Public Policy.)

Breakfast will be served.

————————————

SESSION 2: “Starting Your Application”

12:00 PM – 3:00 PM — NSF Fastlane session (By reservation/appointment only)

To join this session, you must reserve your space in the comments below before September 7, and you must bring your laptop.  This session is for those who are making the commitment to submit the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship application. Participation in this session requires participation in SESSION 1. This session will take you through the process of logging onto the Fastlane, NSF’s online application submission website, and the presenters will assist you with the early stages of preparing your essays and documents for the fellowship application.

List of fields: http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2012/nsf12599/nsf12599.htm#appendix.

Applicants for the GRFP must meet the following criteria:

• During the senior year of an undergraduate program
• After completing their undergraduate program but prior to entering graduate school
• During the first year of graduate school
• Prior to completing the Fall term of the second year of a full-time graduate program.

Lunch will be served at SESSION 2.

[Both undergraduates and graduate students may attend SESSION 1 and SESSION 2.]

Other NSF GRFP recipients are invited to join these session to provide advice. The original MyUMBC discussion with funding information can be found here:
http://my.umbc.edu/groups/promise/discussions/113

To Attend, PLEASE RSVP:

• Students at UMBC should login to MyUMBC and click “I can Attend” here: http://my.umbc.edu/groups/promise/events/12946.
• Students from other campuses may RSVP by writing your name, discipline, and school in the comments below.
• Students from underrepresented groups in STEM, LSAMP, AGEP, ERC, other US government sponsored programs, e.g., McNair, Trio, NIH, etc.  are especially invited to attend as participating in a seminar about the NSF GRFP fits into the missions of various government agencies with regard to increasing diversity in STEM.

This program is sponsored by PROMISE: Maryland’s Alliance for Graduate Education and the Professoriate (AGEP), and The Graduate School at UMBC.

Related articles

• Funding for Graduate School (gradschool360.wordpress.com)
• Annual PROMISE Summer Success Institute: August 17-18, 2012 @ UMBC & The Hotel at Arundel Preserve (promiseagep.wordpress.com)
• Learn more about graduate school: July 18, 2012 (gradschool360.wordpress.com)

Related video

Watch Dr. Frances Carter-Johnson and Dr. Ordóñez Rozo as they present an interactive workshop on funding at MIT, Summer 2012:  http://video.mit.edu/watch/msrp-fellowship-preparation-dr-francis-carter-and-dr-patricia-ordonez-11766/ (Start video at 3:39.) You may use this video as a resource before and after the September 15, 2012 workshop.

Prepare for a successful Fall semester: Communicate with your faculty (A message for new and continuing grad students.) 

The new semester is starting and we know that first and second year graduate students are generally immersed in classes, while more advanced doctoral students are working on experiments, preparing for exams, writing the dissertation, preparing for the defense, and preparing for a job.  As part of the writing, studying, and preparing, it is important to note that all graduate students (regardless of status, whether in the first year or in the last semester of PhD candidacy) must maintain strong levels of communication with your faculty members. If you attended the 2012 Summer Success Institute, you heard about the importance of working with and connecting to faculty in several of the presentations.  Earlier in the year, we posted 5 things that you should do to be successful BEFORE classes begin.Now that classes are starting, let’s talk about 5 things that you should do DURING the semester as they pertain to faculty/student interactions.

1. Go to office hours for your faculty members … all of them. The Guaranteed 4.0 Book by Donna O. Johnson and Y.C. Chen describes the POH – Professor’s Office Hours as a must. Talk to your professors about the content that they taught in class. Talk to them about updates in the field (you are graduate students, therefore you should be able to “see” your research and topics in everyday life, in the news, in the latest journal articles, etc.) Discuss your understanding of what they are teaching.  [Faculty pay attention to the people who are coming to their office hours. Ask questions! Discuss the research! If something isn't going well, and the faculty are asked about the student, if they say "well, _____insert name ___ never came to see me," then there will be an assumption that the student isn't serious.]
2. Always keep your appointments! If you are going to be late, contact the professors in advance. If you need to request a change of appointment date or time, contact them in advance with the request. Once you make a change, do not continue to make changes. Try to maintain your scheduled appointment. [Regularly missed appointments make faculty wary of trying to make future accommodations for students. Don't fall into the category of having a reputation of missing appointments.]
3.  Go to the department’s seminars and ask questions. Faculty need to see that you are engaged in scholarly pursuits. [All graduate students need to attend the departments seminars and colloquia, even when it is not "mandated."  Schedule it like a class. This is an unwritten rule.]
4. Go to your advisor’s and committee members’ research talks. Whether the talk is within your department, or in other departments, or even at a conference that you’re attending, you should be in the audience. You should also go up to them after the talk and let them know your thoughts, ask additional questions, share some praise, or ask about something that wasn’t clear.  [This is an unwritten expectation.]
5. Make sure that you talk with all of the faculty in your department regularly. It’s not good enough for you to know your faculty. They need to know you. This is simple. They should know you beyond what your admissions file says, and beyond what  the grade beside your name says on Blackboard or their grade book.  This connection doesn’t need to extend to sharing personal business. The faculty in your department should know about your research interests, your career aspirations, your skills, and your ideas. You, the graduate student, need to open the lines of communication and make plans and time in your schedule to talk with your faculty. Some faculty have open door policies, some will talk with you by appointment, and some will have conversations with you at departmental events.

Don’t view talking with the faculty as a chore. They are people too! Enjoy the character-building exercise of taking time to know people of different academic ranks, and people with a variety of personalities. Strengthen this attribute. It will serve you well, both as a graduate student, and as you progress in your career. Have a great semester!

__________________________________________________

The text content of this post was compiled and written by the staff of PROMISE: Maryland’s AGEP and may not be copied without referencing the PROMISE organization, as “PROMISE: Maryland’s AGEP”.

PROMISE AGEP Online Information by PROMISE: Maryland’s AGEP is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.

Prepare for a successful Fall semester: Communicate with your faculty (A message for new and continuing grad students.) 

The new semester is starting and we know that first and second year graduate students are generally immersed in classes, while more advanced doctoral students are working on experiments, preparing for exams, writing the dissertation, preparing for the defense, and preparing for a job.  As part of the writing, studying, and preparing, it is important to note that all graduate students (regardless of status, whether in the first year or in the last semester of PhD candidacy) must maintain strong levels of communication with your faculty members. If you attended the 2012 Summer Success Institute, you heard about the importance of working with and connecting to faculty in several of the presentations.  Earlier in the year, we posted 5 things that you should do to be successful BEFORE classes begin.Now that classes are starting, let’s talk about 5 things that you should do DURING the semester as they pertain to faculty/student interactions.

1. Go to office hours for your faculty members … all of them. The Guaranteed 4.0 Book by Donna O. Johnson and Y.C. Chen describes the POH – Professor’s Office Hours as a must. Talk to your professors about the content that they taught in class. Talk to them about updates in the field (you are graduate students, therefore you should be able to “see” your research and topics in everyday life, in the news, in the latest journal articles, etc.) Discuss your understanding of what they are teaching.  [Faculty pay attention to the people who are coming to their office hours. Ask questions! Discuss the research! If something isn't going well, and the faculty are asked about the student, if they say "well, _____insert name ___ never came to see me," then there will be an assumption that the student isn't serious.]
2. Always keep your appointments! If you are going to be late, contact the professors in advance. If you need to request a change of appointment date or time, contact them in advance with the request. Once you make a change, do not continue to make changes. Try to maintain your scheduled appointment. [Regularly missed appointments make faculty wary of trying to make future accommodations for students. Don't fall into the category of having a reputation of missing appointments.]
3.  Go to the department’s seminars and ask questions. Faculty need to see that you are engaged in scholarly pursuits. [All graduate students need to attend the departments seminars and colloquia, even when it is not "mandated."  Schedule it like a class. This is an unwritten rule.]
4. Go to your advisor’s and committee members’ research talks. Whether the talk is within your department, or in other departments, or even at a conference that you’re attending, you should be in the audience. You should also go up to them after the talk and let them know your thoughts, ask additional questions, share some praise, or ask about something that wasn’t clear.  [This is an unwritten expectation.]
5. Make sure that you talk with all of the faculty in your department regularly. It’s not good enough for you to know your faculty. They need to know you. This is simple. They should know you beyond what your admissions file says, and beyond what  the grade beside your name says on Blackboard or their grade book.  This connection doesn’t need to extend to sharing personal business. The faculty in your department should know about your research interests, your career aspirations, your skills, and your ideas. You, the graduate student, need to open the lines of communication and make plans and time in your schedule to talk with your faculty. Some faculty have open door policies, some will talk with you by appointment, and some will have conversations with you at departmental events.

Don’t view talking with the faculty as a chore. They are people too! Enjoy the character-building exercise of taking time to know people of different academic ranks, and people with a variety of personalities. Strengthen this attribute. It will serve you well, both as a graduate student, and as you progress in your career. Have a great semester!

__________________________________________________

The text content of this post was compiled and written by the staff of PROMISE: Maryland’s AGEP and may not be copied without referencing the PROMISE organization, as “PROMISE: Maryland’s AGEP”.

PROMISE AGEP Online Information by PROMISE: Maryland’s AGEP is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.

There are two ways to judge the success of a political convention.

The first is how effectively the event speakers can motivate and mobilize the party faithful as they prepare for the final push toward election day. The second is how well the party can engage and win over key moderate voters who might be watching the event on TV at home.

In an exceptionally close Presidential race like this one, the second of the two measurements may be the most important. But it is the most difficult to assess, particularly when sitting in the seats of the convention arena as your USDemocrazy correspondent has been this week.

There is no doubt the Republican delegates are very fired up  this year. Their disdain of everything Obama have given them a enormous sense of purpose. Here at the GOP convention there is distinct feeling destiny is on their side.

There was no better sign of this than during the rousing speech given last night by the new darling of the party, Vice Presidential nominee Paul Ryan. Though many commentators have taken issue with the content of speech citing inaccuracies and distortions, his words may not be the key element here.

The optics of the Paul Ryan speech were made in Republican political heaven. In his first major address to a nationwide audience, Ryan looked every bit the person he is… youthful, capable, like-able and sincere. Though his personal politics echo the more extreme Tea party elements of the party, he didn’t come across as a fringe political loony. He embodies the sensible face of conservatism.

The delegates responded to him in gusto. He is the new political rock star… with an adoring fan base. In this correspondent’s opinion, he is undoubtedly a future Presidential candidate of the Republican party.

Of course, that is how it felt amongst the cacophony of the Tampa convention center.

How it felt to the moderate voters watching home on TV will be more difficult to assess.

I am the Coordinator for Academic Advising in the College of Natural and Mathematical Sciences (CNMS) at UMBC.  Prior to taking this position, I served as an Academic Advisor for Life Sciences in UMBC’s Departments of Biological Sciences and Chemistry & Biochemistry for six years. However, my background in science goes back much farther than that…

I was a Biology major at Salisbury University, mainly focused on ecology and botany coursework. I spent the summer between my sophomore and junior years as an intern with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation’s Bureau of Fisheries at their Region 7 Field Office. Meanwhile, I decided that I also wanted to help new students adjust to life at Salisbury. I was selected for a leadership role in their New Student Experience Wilderness Orientation program - a position that I held from the end of my freshman year through the summer after my senior year - and served as a Peer Instructor for the New Student Experience Classroom Orientation twice.

After earning my B.S. in Biology, I worked as an Environmental Education/Public Use intern with the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service at Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge in Virginia.

Ultimately, I found that helping students find their way through their first year in college was more rewarding to me than surveying streams or conducting nature programs.  I returned to Salisbury for a Master of Education degree focusing in Post-Secondary Education, continuing to work with the New Student Experience programs and interning with University Admissions. After completing my graduate degree, I worked for several years in Student Activities and Registrar’s Office positions before becoming an academic advisor.

What is my mentoring philosophy? 

Mentees: The responsibility to make decisions that move you in the direction of your goals – and responsibility to accept the consequences of those decisions – now rests firmly on your shoulders. I see myself as a coach, helping you prepare in advance for the moments when decisions must be made, and giving you signals from the sidelines. I can provide guidance, information, or even just a listening ear when you need to “talk things out.”  I can share with you the good and bad decisions that I made as a student, and what difference those choices have made for my life in the long run. I also understand that you may be out of your comfort zone in so many ways during your first year, and that our conversations will not always be about your academic progress.

What do I enjoy most about mentoring freshman students? 

I enjoy the “A-HA!” moment, when students finally feel at home in their chosen field. Sometimes, the process of choosing the field that suits them best takes some trial-and-error, but that makes it all the more rewarding. Having begun my UMBC career as an advisor to freshmen in the Life Sciences, I’ve now been here long enough to watch former advisees walk across the stage at Commencement – some in the major they started in, some not – and I am so proud of them! I look forward to seeing you do the same.

Want to learn more about me? Watch for information on our first Group Mentoring meeting!