Featuring a Keynote from Dr. Saundra McGuire

Friday, September 22, 2017 · 8:45 AM – 2:15 PM

UMBC Campus – University Center

The Faculty Developing Center at UMBC extends an invitation to all PROMISE AGEP and Postdoctoral Fellows at UMBC Community to participate.

Please join us for the fourth annual Provost’s Teaching and Learning Symposium!  This symposium, part of the Hrabowski Innovation Fund initiative, will bring together UMBC faculty and staff to discuss ways to use evidence to inform teaching and learning. Samples of sessions include:

Please join us for the fourth annual Provost’s Teaching and Learning Symposium!  This symposium, part of the Hrabowski Innovation Fund initiative, will bring together UMBC faculty and staff to discuss ways to use evidence to inform teaching and learning. Samples of sessions include:

• Hrabowski Innovation Fund Fellows’ and Awardees’ Projects
• Pedagogical Innovation Demonstration
• Bridging Student Learning Outcomes & Student Success Analytics
• Closing the Loop with Evidence Based Interventions
• Effective and Efficient Grading
• Next Steps in Assessing Graduate Student Learning
• …as well as posters

For more information, please download the agenda and a detailed program.

This year’s keynote address will be given by Saundra McGuire, Ph.D., author of Teach Students How to Learn: Strategies You Can Incorporate Into Any Course to Improve Student Metacognition, Study Skills, and Motivation, Stylus Publishing LLC, 2015. 

Keynote: Get Students to Focus on Learning Instead of Grades:  Metacognition is the Key!  21st Century students come to college with widely varying academic skills, approaches to learning, and motivation levels.  Faculty often lament that students are focused on achieving high grades, but are not willing to invest much time or effort in learning.  This session will focus on the importance of helping students acquire simple, but effective learning strategies based on cognitive science principles.  We will engage in interactive reflection activities that will allow attendees to experience strategies that significantly improve learning while transforming student attitudes about the meaning of learning.

Dr. Saundra Yancy McGuire is the Director Emerita of the Center for Academic Success and retired Assistant Vice Chancellor and Professor of Chemistry at LSU. Prior to joining LSU, she spent eleven years at Cornell University, where she received the coveted Clark Distinguished Teaching Award.  She has delivered keynote addresses or presented workshops at over 250 institutions in 43 states and eight countries.  Her latest book, Teach Students How to Learn: Strategies You Can Incorporate into Any Course to Improve Student Metacognition, Study Skills, and Motivation, was released in October 2015.  The most recent of her awards is the 2017 American Chemical Society (ACS) Award for Encouraging Disadvantaged Students to Pursue Careers in the Chemical Sciences.  She received her B.S. degree, magna cum laude, from Southern University in Baton Rouge, LA, her Master’s degree from Cornell and her Ph.D. from the University of Tennessee at Knoxville, where she received the Chancellor’s Citation for Exceptional Professional Promise.

REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED FOR LUNCH!  PLEASE CLICK “I CAN ATTEND” BELOW BY SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 17 TO REGISTER FOR LUNCH.

https://my.umbc.edu/groups/fdc/events/50998

FACULTY ARE INVITED TO ATTEND ANY OR ALL PRESENTATIONS!

√ Counts toward ALIT Certificate
§ Counts towards INNOVATE Certificate
Ͼ CIRTL graduate students are invited to attend

Join us to discuss ethical, effective, and inspiring mentors

Thursday, September 21, 2017 ,· 8 AM – 8 PM

The Office of Postdoctoral Affairs and The Graduate School at University of Maryland College Park (UMD) extend an invitation to all Postdoctoral Fellows and Associates and Graduate Students of the USM System interested in pursuing an Academic Career to attend this event.

All events, save for the networking reception, will be held at the University of Maryland, College Park Campus. The reception will tentatively be held at the Milkboy Arthouse, subject to confirmation from the venue.

Adele Stamp Student Union

3972 Campus Drive

College Park, MD 20142

The registration as a cost of $15 for Non-UMD Students or Faculty members.

REGISTER HERE

The symposium has four goals:

1. To recognize and discuss the issues surrounding mentoring in STEM fields.
2. To discuss effective mentorship and advocacy techniques at all levels: PhD, Postdoc, Faculty
3. To provide a platform to connect like-minded young scientists who wish to effect change at their own institutions at the grassroots level.
4. To inspire participants to practice effective mentorship practices and promote these skill sets to their peers and colleagues at their own institutions.

Among the many roles that scientists play, mentoring younger scientists is one which researchers are rarely trained for. In the current STEM research environment, where lack of funding is but one of the systemic issues faced by young scientists, the roles, responsibilities, and career trajectories are changing. Organizations such as Future of Research and Rescuing Biomedical Research have been formed in recent years to address systemic issues facing academic research. Others, such as the National Mentoring Research Network, have arisen to address the training needs of those who wish to remain in academia but receive no formal training in how to supervise and mentor students. Still, there are gaps in the cultural awareness and value of being an inspiring leader, promoting a positive work environment, and in having happy, mentally fit employees. Where other industries recognize these benefits, academic culture lags.

But all of these issues are intertwined, and lead to the pessimism and learned helplessness found in many young researchers regarding their careers across the nation and the world. Because system, training, and culture all intersect to provide a scientist’s well-being and productivity, Labmosphere and Future of Research are holding a conference in collaboration with UMD-College Park to discuss current mentorship practices and the way in which they could be improved upon.

This whole day conference will take place at the end of National Postdoc Appreciation week (September 21st). It will consist of three speakers with break-out sessions in between the talks, as well as a mentorship panel at the end followed by discussion and a networking reception.

Tentative schedule:

8:00 – 9:00 AM

Event Registration and continental breakfast served in main auditorium

9:00 AM – 10: 30 AM

9:00 AM Opening remarks (Blessing Enekwe (UMD); Jeff Franke (UMD); Gary McDowell (FoR))

9:30 AM Keynote Speaker (UMD-Faculty and NRMN Core faculty (Dr. Sandra Quinn))

10:15 AM Questions and first talk wrap-up

10:30 AM – 12:00 PM

Break-out Sessions for workshops:

Culturally Aware Mentoring (Dr. Sandra Quinn)

Local Advocacy (Gary McDowell and Union of Concerned Scientists)

12:00 PM – 1:00 PM

Networking lunch in the main auditorium

1:00 PM – 2:30 PM

1:00 PM Hypercompetition in Research (Dr. Chris Pickett, Rescuing Biomedical Research)

1:45 PM Courageous and Value-Based Leadership in Academic Research (Brooke Deterline, Courage to Lead)

2:45 PM – 4:00 PM

Break-out Sessions for second round of workshops:

Mentorship across the industry/academia divide (Will Olds, Proteintech)

Support Networks (Juan Pablo Ruiz, Labmosphere)

4:00 PM – 5:30 PM

Workshop wrap-up and mentoring panel:

Meg Bentley, Director in Residence of Laboratories, Dept of Biology, American University

Andy De Los Reyes, University of Maryland

Belinda Huang, George Washington University

Chinonye “Chi-Chi” Nnakwe, American Association for the Advancement of Science

5:45 PM – 6:00 PM

Transfer to Milkboy Arthouse for Reception

6:00 PM  –  8:00 PM

Final remarks by organizers and networking reception

Official website: http://futureofresearch.org/college-park-2017/

For more information please contact:

Blessing Enekwe, Ph.D.
Program Director, Office of Postdoctoral Affairs (OPA)
The Graduate School, University of Maryland
2123 Lee Building,
7809 Regents Drive, College Park, MD 20742
(301) 405-6009 I  blessing@umd.edu  I  gradschool.umd.edu  I  @UMDGradSchool
Advancing graduate education. Enhancing the graduate student experience.

ALL PROMISE AGEP Community invited to attend! Postdocs from the USM System are welcome to join!

Friday, September 15, 2017 · Noon – 2 PM

UMBC Campus – The Commons: 329

This seminar is part of the PROF-it (Professors-in-Training) series. Participants will learn how to develop a syllabus, manage time in the classroom, and plan content for the semester. Guest Facilitator: Dr. Linda Hodges, Director, UMBC Faculty Development Center.

Tuesday, September 12, 2017 · Noon – 1:30 PM

UMBC Campus – Engineering 102

Create writing assignments to deepen understanding

The Faculty Development Center at UMBC extends an invitation to all UMBC AGEP and PROF-it students to participate.

Join FDC and Writing Center staff to learn how to create writing assignments that scaffold students’ writing skills, deepen their understanding and connection to the subject at hand, and prepare them to adapt these skills to other situations. We’ll explore ways to help students focus on the writing process with special attention to guiding students towards effective use of the Writing Center.  Lunch is provided.

* Part of Provost’s New Faculty Lunch series – all faculty are welcome to attend
√ Counts toward ALIT Certificate
§ Counts towards INNOVATE Certificate
Ͼ CIRTL graduate students are invited to attend

Our advising offices are located in ITE 202-206. Email and telephone contact information is available here.

Ephesians 5:15-20 (NIV) - Be very careful, then, how you live-not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is. Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

“Paul shifts from the metaphor of light (Ephesians 5:8-14) to the themes of wisdom and the Spirit. He presents these two complementary and essential features of the Christian life that believers need if they are to conduct their lives in ways that are pleasing to God.

The conduct of all believers should be characterized by wisdom.  This is consistent with Paul’s prayer for his readers that God will impart wisdom to them through the Spirit (Ephesians 1:17).” [Clinton E. Arnold, The Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament: Ephesians, pages 341, 345]

Prayer & Worship: Lord, I need your wisdom today to live in ways that are pleasing to you. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Song: “10,000 Reasons (Bless the Lord)” by Matt Redman - https://youtu.be/XtwIT8JjddM

- EK

Arissa Falat ‘18, biochemistry and molecular biology, knew last spring how she wanted to spend her summer vacation: making new discoveries in a lab. She did just that, working with Steven Fletcher, associate professor of pharmaceutical sciences at University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB) to create mimics of tiny protein structures that could fight cancer by disrupting the mechanism that allows tumors to grow unchecked. Each day she painstakingly carried out complex synthesis reactions, purification processes, and verification techniques to move the project forward.

Falat is one of eight UMBC undergraduates who worked full time in UMB pharmaceutical sciences labs this summer as part of a new internship program sponsored jointly by UMB and the UMBC Office of the Provost, and managed at UMBC by the Office of Academic and Pre-professional Advising. The students presented their work at both a UMB poster session and UMBC’s Summer Undergraduate Research Fest, held in August.

Ken Baron, assistant vice provost for academic advising and student success, coordinates the program at UMBC. He is committed to helping students “get grounded in their career areas early,” and focuses on connecting students at all levels—not just juniors and seniors—with research opportunities.

Zachary Clifford ’20, chemistry, has enjoyed the opportunity to do impactful hands-on research early in his undergraduate career. Clifford’s work for Maureen Kane, associate professor of pharmaceutical sciences, involves analyzing data sets to identify small molecules that may be biomarkers for damage caused by radiation exposure. It was a big shift from the inorganic chemistry research he did in high school, but Clifford says it helped him recognize that “data analysis is a very important part of the scientific process.” He intends to pursue a research career and already plans to work with Zeev Rosenzweig, professor and chair of chemistry and biochemistry at UMBC, this fall.

Alexandra Morris ’19, biochemistry and molecular biology, says the internship taught her “so much beyond what I learned in class”—knowledge that can really only be gained through lab experience. She worked to modify the structure of a common cancer drug to reduce its toxicity to healthy cells in the lab of Fengtian Xue, assistant professor of pharmaceutical sciences. “It was really rewarding because I had a clear goal,” she shares. Morris hopes to pursue a clinical internship next summer, and to continue her education after UMBC with a Pharm.D.

Additional participants this summer were Kellie-Ann Kelly ’19, biological sciences; Cierra McKoy ’20, biological sciences; Temiloluwa Okusolubo ’19, biological sciences; Racheal Spruill ’19, biological sciences; and Anh Tran ’18, biochemistry and molecular biology.

Previous participant Joanna Lum ’19, biological sciences, is now a year out from an influential internship with Peter Swaan, professor of pharmaceutical sciences. She believes strongly in the lasting impact of summer lab internships. “Before this experience, I had no idea what working in a lab was like, let alone considering it as a career,” she shares, but “after spending eight consecutive weeks learning and asking questions in the lab, I began loving what I was doing, and I started seeing myself doing this in the future.” Now she does research in the lab of Erin Green, assistant professor of biological sciences, and intends to pursue graduate school in the biomedical sciences.

Baron is excited to continue to formalize and expand the internship program as part of the growing connections between UMBC and UMB. Developing a new program to provide diverse, faculty-guided research opportunities for undergraduates involves a lot of moving parts, but, Baron says, it also represents “the best of what a university can do for its students.”

Banner image: Kellie-Ann Kelly ’19 discusses her research at a UMB poster session. All photos by Marlayna Demond ’11 for UMBC.