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The Understanding Interventions (UI) that Broaden Participation in Science Careers conference, focused on ongoing research on how to intervene in STEM education in order to increase positive student outcomes in STEM-related fields, was held this year between March 2-4, 2018. Two PROMISE graduate student team members had the opportunity attended and present ongoing research on behalf of the National Science Foundation sponsored University System of Maryland (USM) PROMISE Alliances for Graduate Education and the Professoriate (AGEP) institutions.

Erika Aparaka, M.Ed., M.A. a PhD candidate in the Department of Teaching and Learning, Policy and Leadership at the University of Maryland, College Park, presented a 20 minute talk entitled, “Using Alternative Space and a Psychological Sense of Community within Underrepresented Minority Student Professional Development to Aid Student Retention and Reduce Attrition”. Her early Sunday morning talk discussed PROMISE’s annual Summer Success Institute (SSI), SSI’s role as a third space for underrepresented minority (URM) students in USM institutions, and SSI’s success in providing a motivational space for mentors to inspire degree completion and future academic aspirations in URM STEM students. Mrs. Aparaka found the conference to be a “great opportunity to learn about the research and efforts around increasing equity and opportunity [in education] through programmatic interventions” similar to the PROMISE alternative spaces she is analyzing in her dissertation work. Further, she was invited to present her research as a poster at the California AGEP National Research Conference.

Shawnisha Hester, LGSW, a second-year Ph.D. student in the Department of Language, Literacy, and Culture at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, presented a poster Saturday evening entitled, “The Role of Social Media in Increasing Psychological Sense of Community and Cultural Capital: A Grounded Theory Approach”. Her poster illustrated how PROMISE’s use of the social media hashtag #ThinkBigDiversity can aid in fostering a positive psychological sense of community and the gain of cultural capital for URM students. While Ms. Hester says she went into the conference “a bit nervous about conveying [her] information in an accurate and professional way”, but left “feeling inspired and invigorated with what the possibilities of my contributions to the next conference will be.” This was her third time attending the UI conference, but first time attending as a presenter.

Both Erika and Shawnisha’s presentations analyzed the professional development programming provided by the National Science Foundation’s PROMISE: Maryland’s Alliance for Graduate Education & the Professoriate (AGEP) program, in which they participate in the student community and as UMBC-based team members under the direction of Dr. Renetta Tull. They found the opportunity to present at the UI conference to provided additional presentation practice, mentoring, and networking opportunities to what PROMISE strives to offer every student in its community.

–  Denise Williams

In the following feature published by UMBC News we are proud to highlight three of our PROMISE students: Ashley Wayne Thomas (National Science Foundation Bridge to the Doctorate Fellow and PROMISE Participant), Juan Valdez (National Science Foundation Bridge to the Doctorate Fellow and PROMISE Participant), and Denise Williams (National Science Foundation Alliances for Graduate Education and the Professoriate Fellow and PROMISE participant).

Original article published in UMBC News, University of Maryland, Baltimore County by Sarah Hansen: https://news.umbc.edu/umbcs-40th-graduate-research-conference-to-focus-on-communication-and-collaboration/

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“UMBC’s 40th Graduate Research Conference, hosted by the Graduate Student Association on March 28, 2018, will give master’s and Ph.D. students a chance to share their work, receive constructive criticism on their communication skills, and connect with researchers from all corners of the university. This year’s conference will also include talks from Carole McCann, professor and chair of gender and women’s studies, and Taka Yamashita, professor of sociology and gerontology, on the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration, as well as a special presentation by the Alan Alda Center for Communicating Science.

“A major part of the experience as a grad student is to create new knowledge or new modes of creative expression, and to write the best possible thesis or dissertation,” says Jeffrey Halverson, associate dean of UMBC’s Graduate School. As a complement to the research itself, he explains, “the Graduate School also wants to emphasize practicing and honing one’s ‘soft skills’—that is, communicating your results, finding interdisciplinary crossroads to explore, and taking advantage of professional development opportunities.”

Students will present more than 50 posters and give 20 short talks. Four panels—focused on health, machines, global issues, and communities—will allow graduate researchers to share their work in an interdisciplinary context. All students who present posters or give talks receive feedback from faculty judges on their presentation strengths and how they might more effectively share their work with different audiences in the future.

Lipi Mukherjee, a fifth-year Ph.D. student in atmospheric physics, is participating in the GRC for the second time. The first time, she benefited from both presenting a poster and observing other students’ talks. “It showed me what a good talk looks like, and how you can take advantage of a platform like GRC,” she shares. Her advice? “Take it seriously. It can be your first step in developing your presentation skills, and it is a very unintimidating environment.”

Juan Valdez ‘12, biological sciences, M.S. ‘13, applied molecular biology, a fifth-year Ph.D. student in biological sciences, and a prior GRC participant, agrees. “Any sort of practice in presentation is super valuable,” he says. UMBC’s applied molecular biology master’s program and Bridge to the Doctorate program both required Valdez to present, and he’s glad they did. He says it was scary at first, but he’s seen huge improvements in his presentation skills based on honest feedback from the judges. To uncertain grad students considering presenting, he says, “Just do it.”

Graduate students who are close to completing their degrees may also participate in the Three Minute Thesis (3MT) competition. In the 3MT contest, which began at the University of Queensland in 2008 and now is held at over 200 universities worldwide, graduate students are challenged to present a three-minute talk encapsulating their entire dissertation. The winners continue on to a national competition.

“I think my research is really cool, but sometimes I struggle with trying to explain to people what I do,” says Alex Rittle, a third-year Ph.D. student in geography and environmental systems and a member of the GRC planning committee. “3MT is basically practicing your elevator speech. How do you distill everything you’re doing—which is going to be hundreds of pages of a dissertation—into three minutes? It helps me think about the essence of what I’m doing.”

This year, 3MT participants have had the opportunity to prepare for their talks one-on-one with Scott Morgan, a communication skills expert. After reading Morgan’s book, Mustafa Al-Adhami, M.S. ‘15 and a second-year Ph.D. student in mechanical engineering, was excited for the opportunity to work with him and hone his 3MT presentation. Al-Adhami, who is a budding entrepreneur, notes that “this is how it works in real life—you don’t get much time to present your idea, so I thought the 3MT would be good practice for the future.”

Last year’s 3MT winner, Denise Williams, a third-year Ph.D. student in chemistry, emphasizes that beyond the value of presenting her own work, she’s particularly enjoyed the opportunity to connect with graduate students working in vastly different fields, whom she wouldn’t just run into in the lab or the classroom.

Morgan Bunting, a gerontology Ph.D. student and member of the GRC planning committee, agrees. “GRC gives graduate students training on how to ace professional conferences in the field, and by participating, students practice how to communicate their research in an accessible way,” she says. “It’s also just a wonderful way to engage the community and learn what amazing work is going on in the Graduate School.”

Learn more about this year’s program on the research conference website.

Image: Ashley Wayne Thomas, a Ph.D. student in mechanical engineering, discusses her research with a fellow student at GRC 2017. Photo by Marlayna Demond ’11 for UMBC.”

– Sarah Hansen

Original article published in The Elm, University of Maryland, Baltimore by Lou Cortina: https://elm.umaryland.edu/promise-event-promotes-diversity-in-stem-academia/

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“In the effort to increase diversity in the field of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM), PROMISE: Maryland’s Alliance for Graduate Education and the Professoriate (AGEP), looms large. Using resources from University System of Maryland institutions, the initiative aims to connect graduate students and postdoctoral scholars from under-represented ethnicities to professional development opportunities and pathways to careers in academia.

One of the program’s signature events is the PROMISE AGEP Research Symposium and Professional Development Conference, which was held Feb. 16 at the University of Maryland, College Park. About 20 students, faculty, and staff from the University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB) participated in the daylong event at the Adele H. Stamp Student Union, and they left feeling enlightened, empowered, and thankful.

The conference consisted of research presentations, “TED-style” and “lightning-round” talks, poster sessions, and professional development workshops, followed by a closing reception and awards ceremony. Erin Golembewski, PhD, senior associate dean of the UMB Graduate School, was a moderator and helped lead the University’s contingent along with TaShara Bailey, PhD, MA, UMB’s PROMISE director and diversity fellow on the President’s Diversity Advisory Council.

Dominique Earland, a scholar in the University of Maryland School of Medicine’s (UMSOM) STAR-PREP program, said attending the conference was a win-win, providing what she called “a wonderful learning experience outside of the lab and reinforcing the supportive, inclusive culture of UMB.”

Earland found the conference educational and said it enhanced her professional development. “I not only listened to various STEM research presentations, I also was able to network with other under-represented minorities at different stages of their education and training,” she said. “Additionally, the professional development workshop offered insight into the future. I hope my career can incorporate research and grass-roots community development.”

Scholars, PhD Candidates Make Their Mark

Earland was joined by six other scholars and the academic program specialist, Leanne Simington, from STAR-PREP (Science Training for Advancing Biomedical Research Postbaccalaureate Research Education Program), a one-year mentored training initiative designed to encourage and prepare recent baccalaureate graduates from under-represented groups in the biomedical sciences for successful entry into a top-notch graduate program. STAR-PREP mentors Bret Hassel, PhD, and Gregory Carey, PhD, faculty members from the UMSOM Department of Microbiology and Immunology, served as faculty judges for the day. Harry Choi, PhD, postdoctoral fellow in the Center for Shock, Trauma and Anesthesiology Research at UMSOM, also served as a judge.

One of the scholars, Mc Millian Ching, was awarded first place for his lightning-round talk, where participants were tasked with condensing their research goals and findings into two-minute oral presentations. Ching, whose presentation was titled “Functional Analysis of PGE₂ Pathway Members MRP4 and EP4 in Ovarian Cancer,” praised the University System of Maryland’s commitment to diversity in the sciences and hopes it will extend to all fields of study.

“The PROMISE AGEP Research Symposium is a platform for budding scholars coming from under-represented backgrounds to showcase their ability to do and present research on par with their well-represented counterparts,” Ching said.

Amanda Labuza, a PhD candidate in the neuroscience program at the Graduate School, earned first place for her oral research presentation, “Understanding Regulation of Intercellular Calcium.”

She also presented a research poster, “NOVA: Providing Graduate Students with Outreach Opportunities to Baltimore.” NOVA (Neuroscience Outreach and Volunteer Association) works with programs and Baltimore schools to teach young students about neuroscience and increase their enthusiasm for studying science.

“I had the opportunity to practice presenting my data in a clear, concise manner to a general audience,” Labuza said. “This provided experience in removing jargon and making my research clear to the public. In my advocacy work, it is important to be able to quickly explain research to non-scientists.”

Jackline Joy Martín Lasola, a PhD candidate in the UMSOM Department of Microbiology and Immunology, also presented a research poster, “Interrogating the Role of Interleukin-1 Receptor-Associated Kinases (IRAKs) in Mediating Response to Immunotherapies for Solid Tumors.”

Professional Development Workshops Offer Perspective

Edith Hernandez, another STAR-PREP scholar along with symposium attendees Hilary Bright, Kaia Amoah, Elena Muse, and Kayla Rayford, enjoyed the professional development workshops in particular. She said the panel speakers brought a refreshing perspective on what should be expected when preparing for a career in academia. UMSOM assistant professors Cara Felter, PT, DPT, Department of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Science, and Danya Khoujah, MBBS, Department of Emergency Medicine, lent their expertise to the panel.

“Many unique ideas were shared and discussed among rising researchers in the field of STEM, including a training focus on teaching and mentoring the next generations of minority scientists,” Hernandez said. “The event showcased a tight-knit minority enrichment community that encouraged scientific discussion among peers and professional development in academia.”

Da’Kuawn Johnson, an MD/PhD student at UMSOM, worked as a volunteer at the conference and said he appreciated the way it was structured. “The organizers were careful to provide a snapshot at each level in the process — from postdoctoral fellow to professorship and administration in academia,” he said. “I think that attention to detail was much needed to demystify the route to professorship for minority students.”

Added Earland: “The workshops also discussed the transition from postdoc to first faculty appointment. Several speakers were professors, and each had a unique perspective on the value of teaching. Specifically, Dr. Khoujah encouraged the audience to find ways to gain teaching experience earlier rather than later.”

Johnson said he was moved during a professional development panel by comments from John T. Bullock, PhD, MRP, a Baltimore City councilman and former professor in the Department of Political Science at Towson University.

“The quote that resonated with me was, ‘There is a lot of work to be done and not a lot of people who are willing to do it. If you want to do more, ask for more. You will be surprised at the number of yeses you will receive,’” Johnson said. “I believe it is very important for students at our stage to know that people actually will listen to us and that we can feel comfortable to ask for what we want.”

— Lou Cortina