Only 2 days left to check out URCAD Online, now through April 29, 2020!

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“The Process”

Ayodélé La Veau
Eve Muson, Theatre; Nicole Smith, McCourt School of Public Policy, Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce

Abstract:

As a URA scholar, I was granted an opportunity to combine my majors in Psychology and Theatre to explore Art therapy. Art therapy is defined as “an integrative mental health and human services profession that enriches the lives of individuals, families, and communities through active art-making, creative process, applied psychological theory, and human experience within a psychotherapeutic relationship” The purpose of my original study was to gather qualitative data from public secondary schools and creative arts programs within Baltimore City, on the use of the creative process as a means to teach and explore social emotional learning. Due to COVID-19, this portion of my project has been postponed. I took this opportunity to focus on my “why”, and learn more about the creative process and its benefits. I created this video to illustrate the journey from an idea or vision to a final product. Everyone has a different relationship with this journey. Engaging in the creative process is one way to monitor this relationship. There are many nuances and challenges along the way, sometimes we are able to push past them with our own tools and other times, we might benefit from some guidance. Enjoy “The Process”.

This work was funded, in part, through an Undergraduate Research Award from the UMBC Division of Undergraduate Academic Affairs.

The Campus Food Pantry needs the following items urgently:

 

Food:

Rice

Pasta

Peanut butter

Fruit cups

Cereal

Oatmeal

Canned tuna

Canned chicken

Beef jerky

 

Toiletries:

Toothpaste

Soap bars

Mini mouthwash

Toilet tissue

Baby wipe

Paper towel

 

Please visit the following links to donate to the pantry via Amazon. 

Pantry Items

Toiletries Items

 

Please use the following contact info and address for the orders:

Delivery Address

Deveraux Smith

1000 Hilltop Circle

Sherman Hall 205

University of Maryland Baltimore County 

MD 21250

 

Delivery Instructions:

This is not College Park! Please deliver to UMBC Sherman Hall 205 (on campus). If you have trouble finding the building, please get in touch with the Campus Police at 410 455 5555 or Deveraux at 202-704-7840! Thank you!

UMBC’s Sexual Assault Awareness Month online calendar includes weekly themes to help explore important concepts related to sexual violence awareness and prevention.

The Special Collections department of the Albin O. Kuhn Library & Gallery is documenting the experiences of UMBC students, staff, faculty, and other members of the campus community during the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic, and contributing them to the UMBC University Archives.  We invite you to share your stories, photographs, videos, and other documentation about the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic.

We are interested in your stories about the shift to remote instruction and learning, studying and working from home, working at on-campus and off-campus jobs, the impact of closing residence halls and other campus services, the ways you and your friends and family are staying in touch during this period of social distancing and self-quarantine, the emotional impact of the pandemic, and so on.

How you record your thoughts and experiences is up to you.  For instance, you can write in a journal, record voice memos, save your social media posts, take photographs and/or videos of life as you see it, or create multimedia works of digital storytelling.

"Of course, we can't bowl right now," said Miriam, via Zoom. "But we can still send selfies by electronic mail."

"We've always been good at selfies," added Ruth, via Zoom. "I can still put on my bowling shirt, pick up my polished bowling ball and take a mean selfie."

The Club is not presenting any bowling research at URCAD but have perusing the many fascinating student presentations.

"They are doing fantastic work," noted May, via Skype. "Like the kind of work our club does out on those lanes. I'd highly recommend checking out their presentations today just like I'd recommend not trying to beat our crew at bowling. I mean, we have won trophies."

Categories:

• Best Overall Selfie: Take a photo with a UMBC notable… (President Hrabowski, Provost Rous, Dean Cole…) or ??! … get creative!
• Best with Mentor
• Best “making of” VT presentation
• Best with Presentation

Post your photos by 12pm on Monday, May 4, 2020 for a chance to win a gift card to the UMBC Bookstore!

URCAD.umbc.edu

Contributions Of Maternal Mental Health, Parenting And Marital Relationship To East Asian American Children’s Adjustment

Ozair Qazi
Mentor: Dr. Charissa Cheah, Psychology

Abstract:

East Asian immigrant mothers face multiple stressors during the acculturation process and are at risk for developing depressive symptoms, which may negatively influence their parent-child relationship and, consequently, their children’s behavioral adjustment. Positive marital relationships could buffer against these negative effects on children’s adjustment. The present study examined the mediating role of East Asian immigrant mother’s parental warmth in the association between maternal depressive symptoms and children’s behavioral adjustment, and the moderating role of marital relationship quality on the association between maternal warmth and children’s behavioral adjustment. First-generation East Asian immigrant mothers (N=357) with preschool-aged children in Maryland reported their depressive symptoms, parental warmth, and marital relationship quality. Teachers reported children’s socio-emotional and behavioral outcomes. Results showed that maternal depressive symptoms were associated with less maternal warmth. In turn, lower maternal warmth was related to greater adjustment difficulties in children, but only when mothers reported lower levels of marital relationship quality. These findings suggest that positive marital relationship may provide additional resources to buffer against the negative effects of maternal depressive symptoms on children’s adjustment outcomes in school. Implications for promoting East Asian families’ mental health, positive relationship quality and children’s adjustment in the United States will be discussed.

This work was funded, in part, through an Undergraduate Research Award from the UMBC Division of Undergraduate Academic Affairs.

Want to become a URA Scholar like Ozair, and get up to $1500 to support your research? Apply by May 15th!

ur.umbc.edu/ura

Join us for URCAD Online, happening NOW through April 29th!

URCAD.umbc.edu

Abstract:

What is the Effect of the Writing Center as it Relates to Transfer Students and Persistence?

Michael Brisbane, Mary Gallagher1, Rose Jackson2, Ira Degawan3, Kevin Curtin3
1Macklin Center for Academic Success, USG, 2Office of the Executive Director, Universities at Shady Grove, 3Psychology, UMBC
Mentor: Diane Alonso, Psychology

University transfer students may not be as equally likely as non-transfer students to utilize student services such as the writing center due to demographic and academic characteristics. In this sense, transfer students could be seen as having less access to resources and academic support, placing them at a higher risk for attrition. Attrition (or persistence) research examines the factors and mediating roles associated with student completion or graduation rates. Two related factors of paramount importance are self-efficacy and self-regulation, defined as the feelings about one’s ability to achieve a goal, and to plan, organize, and carry out the objectives of that goal, respectively. This study explored the relationship between transfer students’ characteristics, writing center usage, and persistence. Implementing a mixed-methods approach, self-report measures were used to gauge writing self-efficacy and self-regulation levels. Additionally, qualitative methods adopting the phenomenological approach were implemented by conducting interviews with 20 students to yield themes associated with high and low writing center usage. The qualitative research expanded and elaborated on the transfer student experience with the writing center.

URCAD Online is happening NOW through April 29th!

URCAD.umbc.edu

Abstract:

A Cultivation Of Rape Culture In D.C., Maryland, And Virginia Universities

Nadia BenAissa
Mentor: Kate Drabinski, Gender, Women’s, and Sexuality Studies

The normalization of sexual violence is known in the literature as rape culture. Four year universities in the United States have historically cultivated rape culture. The public has a vested interest in knowing what is or is not being done to dismantle rape culture and prevent sexual assault on campuses, in order to hold these institutions accountable. The scope of this research was select universities within the D.C., Maryland, and Virginia area. This research recognizes commonalities within the cross populated universities that cultivate rape culture and identify how inconsistent metrics have left universities unaccountable. A social constructionist and mixed methods approach was used to explore how institutional betrayal has exacerbated the problems with campus climate surveys and further distanced people of color and LGBTQ+ individuals from reporting. An archival analysis of university policies, rape culture, and Title IX was conducted, along with a statistical analysis of campus sexual assault surveys. The archival analysis suggests that despite updates to laws/policies, universities have failed to reach their more diverse populations. The data analysis suggests that the differing modes of surveying campus climates has led to statistically insignificant results that cannot affirm that new university sexual violence policies are working.

While prior editions of the Review dating back to 2014 are available online, this is the first entirely-virtual launch of the journal. By publishing the Review online, we hope to maintain the spirit of open access and collaborative research that has defined the Review since its beginnings. Please enjoy!

In addition, we are opening applications for a new Editor for the Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences! If you are interested in joining the staff of the Review, fill out this application form and we will contact you with further steps.

-The Editors

Ghina Ammar

Kristina Atanasoff

Courtney Monaco

Maxi Wardcantori

Join us for URCAD Online happening NOW through April 29th!

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Rakaia Kenney, Fenge Ni

Mentors: Weihong Lin, Biological Sciences; Tatsuya Ogura, Biological Sciences, UMBC

Abstract:

While e-cigarette usage and associated diseases have been a hot topic for the past year, little research has been done on the adverse health effects caused to the upper respiratory system from vaping. I have been conducting an analysis of how goblet cell proliferation in the mouse nasal respiratory epithelium (RE) is affected by e-cig vapor exposure. Goblet cells are mucus secreting cells, reacting to tissue irritation through increasing their density and producing more mucus, which can block alveoli and indicate inflammation. In my experiment, mice were exposed to nicotine containing e-cig vapors for four weeks, with control mice being exposed under the same conditions but with air. The mice are euthanized, dissected, and the head is preserved, after which coronal sections are placed serially on slides. I proceed with a hematoxylin and eosin stain and take 10- or 20-X images using a light microscope. The goblet cells are manually counted, respiratory epithelia length is measured using ImageJ, and goblet cell density is calculated and compared. I have found a significant difference in goblet cell density in nicotine exposed mouse’ RE of the nose compared to control mice, indicating an inflammatory response in the nose in response to e-cigarettes.