• GAO found that there are nearly 1 million college students at risk of becoming food insecure, marking the first time the federal government has acknowledged food insecurity on campus in a significant way.
• The federal government spends billions of dollars on higher education each year, and this report finds that some students are at risk of dropping out because they cannot eat.
• “[The report] put it very clearly for us that we can see that especially first-time students, first-generation students, students who are raising children, single parents, face increasing obstacles to be able to complete that critical college degree,” Senator Patty Murray, the top Democrat on the Senate’s education committee says.
•  Middle-class students, those who are “too rich for Pell and too poor to afford college,” struggle as well. And they may not be as likely to use things such as the food pantry.
• Murray says that addressing food insecurity is one of her top priorities as Congress negotiates a reauthorization of the Higher Education Act, the major federal law governing colleges and universities. “Often, we just talk about the tuition costs and dealing with that,” she says. “It has to be broader than that— [it has to be] all of the costs that come to a student as they try to complete college, including food and housing.”
•  Sara Goldrick-Rab, a higher-education professor at Temple University and a leading scholar on campus hunger, put it more bluntly. The report shows “that food insecurity is a college-completion issue,” she says. “We’re undermining our federal investment in financial aid by not paying attention to this. We have to stop pretending like living expenses are not educational expenses.”

Keep an eye out in the next few weeks for how you can help support Retriever Essentials as we begin taking steps toward institutionalization and securing sustainable support for our students years to come.

About NREL

At NREL, we focus on creative answers to today’s energy challenges. From breakthroughs in fundamental science to new clean technologies to integrated energy systems that power our lives, NREL researchers are transforming the way the nation and the world use energy.

More on their link: https://www.nrel.gov

“Join us in building a clean energy future. At NREL, you’ll discover how you can make a difference in the world while also growing professionally. We combine our mission with our heart, making NREL a place where you can grow your passion inside and outside the lab.”

More information about opportunities at NREL: https://www.nrel.gov/careers/discover-nrel.html

Active job opportunities (last checked January/2019):

• Postdoctorate – Chemical/Mechanical Engineering for Thermal-Fluid Modeling
• Postdoctoral Researcher – Buildings Materials and Thermal Science
• Post Doctoral Position in Thermo-Mechanical Fatigue Analysis
• “Commercial Buildings Research Engineer – Energy Modeler” (Los Angeles)
• Graduate Intern Position in Solar Collector Optical Characterization using Image-Processing
• Geothermal-Modeling and Simulation Scientist
• Building Research Engineer – Electrical Power Systems
• Researcher – Control and Optimization
• Post-Doctoral Researcher –Development of system engineering tools for wave energy converter applications
• Post-Doctoral Researcher – Structural and Mechanical Engineer in the Water Power Program
• Postdoctoral Researcher – Design and Systems Engineer in the Water Power Program
• Postdoctoral – Integrated Transportation-Energy Systems Modeler

“Students Maya Hanna, MPH, and Juan-David Rueda, MD, received the Department of Pharmaceutical Health Services Research’s (PHSR) Student Travel Scholarship to present their research at the 2018 International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research meeting in Europe. Other PHSR awards to graduate students included the Harris Zuckerman Scholarship to Yoon Hong, PharmD, the Donald O. Fedder Memorial Fellowship to Jacquelyn McRae, PharmD, and the Dr. Arthur Schwartz Memorial Scholarship to Chengchen Zhang, MPH.” (pages 8-9)

Please see page 16 regarding our STAR-PREP Fellows. This is outstanding news!

More about this message from the Presiden in the December 2018 edition at the following link: https://www.umaryland.edu/media/umb/president/the-presidents-message/2018-19/December-2018.pdf

The UMB Graduate School, Writing Center, and PROMISE Program Dissertation Boot Camp are returning to UMB the Dissertation House on January 15-17, 2019.  If you haven’t heard about this dynamic program or if you would like to learn more about how it works, visit this direct link to the following 2016 CBE Life Science Education article “The Dissertation House Model” by Carter-Veale, Tull, Rutledge, and Joseph.

Additional Required Application Materials                

The lead publisher of this article and director of Dissertation House, Dr. Wendy Carter-Veale, will guide us through the program as our dissertation coach. As part of your application, she needs your responses to the following prompts. By January 5, 2019, submit your responses in an email to

·         Dr. Erin Golembewski, Senior Associate Dean, Graduate School: egole001@umaryland.edu

·         Dr. TaShara Bailey, PROMISE program: tbailey@umaryland.edu

·         Dr. Wendy Y. Carter-Veale, UM PhD Completion & PROMISE Coordinator: drcarter@umbc.edu,

·         James Wright, Acting Associate Director of the Writing Center:  james.wright@umaryland.edu.

Submit a brief description (maximum 2 pages, font size 11-12 point 1 inch margins) that describes your project and what you wish to accomplish during the Dissertation Houseprogram.

Please use the following guidelines:

(1) Summary of the project, including research question(s), data or texts, and method

(2) Amount completed on the project to date

(3) Any obstacles that you are encountering that hinder completion of the dissertation.

(4) Include the following header information with the description:

• Name
• Address
• Telephone numbers (home, office, and fax)
• E-mail address
• Academic Program and Year in the program

Program Details

Where/Location: UMB Green Room, 1^st Floor, SMC Campus Center, Room 115

When: January 15, 16, and 17 from 9am-5pm

Food: Breakfast provided 8-8:45am each day

Lunch 12-1pm provided each day

Afternoon snack provided each day

Coffee piping hot and available all day!

Who/Participants: Focused instruction for PhD student currently writing dissertations

Parking: Visit the SMC Campus Center link here and scroll down to “Parking Options”

We will send a full schedule of the program to you after the January 5 deadline for additional application material. If you have any questions, please contact Dr. TaShara Bailey at tbailey@umaryland.edu and/or James Wright at james.wright@umaryland.edu.

We look forward to receiving your additional materials and seeing you at the Dissertation House!