Meet Caroline... She is a Theatre major and a current Undergraduate Research Award (URA) scholar. Her research focuses on the 18-30 year-old age group and trying to understand their seeming disinterest in patronizing live theatre performances.

How did you find your mentor for year research, scholarship, or artistic project?
I took a class taught by Dr. McCully in my freshman year and was enthralled by her extensive expertise and unique perspective on the theatre. I knew that I wanted to work with her from that moment, so we began a correspondence and she helped me to develop this research idea.

How did you know this was the project you wanted to do?
It’s been a passion of mine for a long time to eliminate or reduce the current stigma carried by live theatre – that it is an elitist art form for the educated and wealthy. Determining the most effective methods to engage a very underrepresented demographic seems to be an appropriate first step.

Do you get course credit for this work?
No, but I will receive a notation on my transcript from the Shriver Center and I am developing a relationship with a potential future employer.

How much time do you put into it?
It varies at this point, but once it gets into full swing, it will be at least 10 hours a week.

How did you hear about the Undergraduate Research Award (URA) program?
I started my undergraduate career as an Interdisciplinary Studies major, and it was recommended as a resource to aid in the completion of the required capstone project. Then, when I switched my majors, I still wanted to complete the project and the URA program still made sense to help make that happen.

What academic background did you have before you applied for the URA?
I have taken many theatre classes, with a good deal of business classes (like management, entrepreneurship, and marketing) mixed in.

Was the application difficult to do?
The hardest part was deciding exactly what the project should be. Once I had that figured out, the application came fairly easily.

How much did your mentor help you with the application?
I made a rough draft and my mentor helped me shape and polish the application to be the best it could be.

What else are you involved in on campus?
I am involved in the Theatre Department and the Musical Theatre Club, and I work at the Campus Information Center. I’m also in an off-campus a capella group.

What is your advice to other students about getting involved in research?
Don’t allow yourself to be limited by traditional definitions of research. You can complete research in any field, with a wide variety of projects. Let your imagination run wild, and then the nice people in the URA program can help you focus.

What are your goals for after graduation?
I plan to get a masters degree in arts administration and then work in a local theatre for a few years, while I learn all that I possibly can. Then I will open my own theatre company.

Read her abstract here...

June 1- Aug. 8, 2014

Program Description

CU LSAMP-REU is a paid summer research opportunity that provides undergraduate participants with the opportunity to work with distinguished faculty and staff as well as network with others in their field of interest through weekly luncheons.

Undergraduate students, interested in gaining a deeper understanding in an engineering-related field, have the opportunity to conduct and present research over a ten-week duration under the auspices of a Cornell Engineering faculty research mentor. Through this one-on-one partnership, participants will gain theoretical knowledge and practical training in academic research and scientific experimentation. CU LSAMP-REU was developed to aid in the retention of traditionally underrepresented minority groups in the sciences, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).

Her research focuses on the 19th-century Baltimore Quaker philanthropist Joseph Townsend. She works on-campus as an assistant at the Albin O. Kuhn Library Special Collections and she is a member of the UMBC Catholic Retrievers and of the History Student Council and National Society of Collegiate Scholars.

Is this your first independent research project?
No; this project actually grew out of a research position with the Baltimore Equitable Insurance Company, who were looking in the summer of 2012 for students to do research on their early directors, including Joseph Townsend. This translated into an Independent Study course in the Fall of 2012, and I've been continuing this work through the Spring and look to finish compiling my research during the Summer of 2013.

How did you know this was the project you wanted to do?
I had been researching Townsend along with several other Baltimore businessmen for my work with Baltimore Equitable, but I became particularly interested in Townsend once I began learning about his life. He was a key player in several of Baltimore's major historical events, and was even involved in a few scandals, and yet no one seems to know him. I knew once I had learned so much about his life through my BEI research that I could not leave this fascinating subject alone; I wanted to learn more about how he fit into Baltimore society and how he came to leave the legacy that he did.

How did you find your mentor for your research?
Dr. Kars was instrumental in helping me connect with Baltimore Equitable when they were looking for students to research their early history. She has helped me with my research from the beginning, and was my mentor in Fall 2012 when my research became an Independent Study course. She has helped me so much during my time working with Baltimore Equitable, and so it was only natural that I ask her to be my mentor for this project, which has grown out of that work.

What has been the hardest part about your research?
For my research, it has been difficult just to sift through all the information available to me. Living so close to Baltimore and having access to the Baltimore Equitable Collection and other collections at the Maryland Historical Society, as well as the Arnold Maryland History Collection at the UMBC Special Collections, and many of College Park's libraries, there is certainly no dearth of information for me to find! The trouble is finding the most useful or most interesting pieces of information and fitting them together - making an engaging story out of the mountains of facts.

What else are you involved in on campus?
I am a student assistant at our Library's Special Collections, and am very proud member of the UMBC Catholic Retrievers, as well as of the History Student Council and National Society of Collegiate Scholars.

What is your advice to other students about getting involved in research?
Trust me - there is room for it! I was worried going into my research that I wouldn't be able to handle it with a full course load and a job, but it has been really fulfilling, and I would encourage any student considering pursuing a research project not to be intimidated with the thought of extra work. It's well worth it, and is a great way to break out of the routine of classes and create new scholarship in addition to studying others!

Read her abstract here...

• Defining the project/research question
• Writing a budget
• Working with a faculty mentor

Application deadline SOON.

If you think you will be applying for a URA, e-mail mcglynn@umbc.edu to be included on the list of interested students.

The iSchool Inclusion Institute (i3) is an undergraduate research program that prepares students from underrepresented populations for graduate study and careers in the information sciences. Students undertake a year-long experience that includes two summer institutes held at the University of Pittsburgh and a year-long team research project. Students are immersed in special-topics workshops, professional development seminars, research projects, and network-building opportunities.

Past i3 Scholars have completed a variety of interdisciplinary research projects. A sample of past project topics have included:

• Viral videos and the leading factors related to online sharing
• Youth education and recruitment into STEM fields
• Gender representation in video games
• Online community building in social movements like Occupy Wall St.
• Social media and political involvement in campaigns
• Identity representation and catfishing on social media
• Environmental sustainability efforts in the information technology sector
• Psychological incentives to donate to crowd-sourced campaigns on Kickstarter and similar online platforms

The 2014 i3 will be held at the University of Pittsburgh's School of Information Sciences from June 1-27, 2014.