Did you know that there are new PROMISE programs that will focus on faculty diversity in engineering and the biomedical sciences? The PROMISE Academy was funded in October 2018 and bears the official title:

The AGEP Alliance State System Model to Transform the Hiring Practices and Career Success of Tenure Track Historically Underrepresented Minority Faculty in Biomedical Sciences

The PROMISE Engineering Institute is funded by NSF’s Engineering Division, and focuses on preparing diverse engineering graduate students and postdocs for the professoriate, and exploring ways to support the professional development of early-career engineering faculty.

A new landing page has been developed to capture the University System of Maryland’s NSF-funding pipeline professional development programs, based on our #ThinkBigDiversity hashtag: https://thinkbigdiversity.com/

You are invited to attend on November 8, from 4:00 PM to 6:00 PM a writing for publication seminar hosted by the Graduate Student Association (GSA) and PROMISE.

Place: Meyerhoff Building, Room 120

Agenda:

4:00 – 4:30   Registration & Dinner Service

4:30 – 4:40   Welcome

4:40 – 5:30   Panel presentation

5:30 – 6:00   Panel Q&A

The following are topics that will be covered as part of our seminar and discussion:

Please RSVP at the following link: https://my3.my.umbc.edu/groups/promise/events/65426

Some students who have been advising the administration, on repairs to lighting around the campus, here is an update from Chief of Staff.
The attachment below illustrates what is being done.

See the attached document for the update.

Professors-in-Training – PROF-iT Series

PROF-iT Series with Dr. Linda Hodges

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.

Speaker: Dr. Linda Hodges, Associate Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs and Director of the Faculty Development Center, UMBC Faculty Development Center.

Linda C. Hodges was Director of the Harold W. McGraw, Jr. Center for Teaching and Learning at Princeton University from 2003-2009 before retiring to Maryland. She holds a doctorate in biochemistry from the University of Kentucky and was a faculty member for over 20 years before transitioning into faculty development. Prior to coming to the McGraw Center in 2001, she was the William Rand Kenan, Jr. Professor of Chemistry at Agnes Scott College near Atlanta, Georgia. During her faculty tenure at two different institutions, she taught a wide range of courses, participated in faculty governance, and served as department chair. In 1999 she was one of 28 faculty chosen nationally to study and assess new pedagogical approaches as a Carnegie Scholar of the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. She has published widely on her work in faculty development, engaged student learning, and effective teaching practices. Her special interests are in pedagogies of engagement and the scholarship of teaching and learning.

Dates: Friday, October 12 and Saturday, October 13, 2018.

Location: UMBC, Commons Building, Rooms: 331 and 328.

Time: 9 am – 5 pm (each day).

This activity is open to any full-time UMBC employee who is working on a thesis or dissertation, at any university, e.g., UMBC employees who are in the doctoral program at Frostburg University. This activity is also open to UMBC graduate students who are full-time employees, career professionals, or non-traditional returning students.

Dissertation Coach: Dr. Wendy Carter-Veale

Applications are open until September 21, 2018.

To be considered for this DH please complete the following:

Registration: Please log into myUMBC (https://my3.my.umbc.edu/groups/promise/events/62952). Click the “Going” button at the bottom, *AND* follow the application procedures on the main website for the Dissertation House: https://dissertationhouse.wordpress.com/apply/. The application period to apply to attend this Dissertation House will close on September 21st.

Event Details:

• The Dissertation House runs from 9 AM – 5 PM, for two days, Friday, October 12 and Saturday, October 13.

• Students must plan to attend the full session, for each of the 2 days. 

• The daily schedule includes 2 mini-lectures and 5 hours of writing per day.

• Breakfast, Lunch, and a snack will be served daily.

• The Dissertation House is free for UMBC’s graduate students.

• There are 18 spaces available for the Dissertation House. 

• Details regarding eligibility can be found on the application page of the website for the Dissertation House.

Read about The Dissertation House in UMBC’s Alumni Magazine: Byrne, R.  (2011, Fall) “The Write Stuff”, UMBC Magazine. p. 12. More information about the Dissertation House: https://dissertationhouse.wordpress.com/about/

2. Postdoctoral position at CMU in experiments on instrumentation and engineering techniques to develop novel invasive and noninvasive neurostimulation

3. Postdoctoral position in Grover/Chamanzar/Barth labs at CMU in experiments on novel invasive and noninvasive neurostimulation

A postdoc position at the intersection of experimental and computational neuroscience is available working jointly with the labs of Pulkit Grover, Maysam Chamanzar, and Alison Barth at Carnegie Mellon University (Pittsburgh, PA). The team’s goal is to develop advanced theoretical techniques, closely with experimental validation, for invasive and noninvasive neurostimulation for advancing treatment of disorders such as epilepsy, Parkinson’s, and brain injuries. The research project will exploit previously unknown or unexploited biological and physical phenomena that arise from examining the neural system from a combined biological, physical, and information-theoretic/control perspective. The project spans studies on rodents, monkeys, and eventually humans. The role of the postdoc will be to conduct and lead electrophysiology experiments on rodents with novel as well as existing instruments. This is an opportunity to work on a challenging scientific problem in a highly interdisciplinary and vibrant environment. The postdoc will be affiliated with the Carnegie Mellon Neuroscience Institute, and will get the opportunity to work with a team of researchers from various disciplines ranging from Biological Sciences, ECE, BME at CMU as well as clinicians at University of Pittsburgh.

Requirements: PhD in a related discipline (Neuroscience or Biomedical Engineering) with a strong experimental research record. Experience in invasive electrophysical recordings and/or stimulation in mice or non-human primates. Prior experience with patch clamp recording and slice electrophysiology. Experience with in-vivo recording and stimulation will be helpful. Experience with optical (1-photon or 2-photon) calcium imaging is also a plus. The labs are committed to the professional development of the members, making this position a valuable preparation for those interested in academic, industrial or entrepreneurial careers. The position has no mandatory teaching or administrative duties.

The ideal start date is Jan 2019. The position is initially for 12 months with the possibility of renewal. Compensation will be competitive, and commensurate with relevant experience. CMU has competitive benefits (including comprehensive medical insurance) and is an equal opportunity employer.

Candidates should send a CV, a statement of research experience and interests, expected date of availability, and the contact information for three references to pulkit@cmu.edu and mchamanz@andrew.cmu.edu with the subject line “Neuro-Stimulation Postdoc”. Application review will proceed until the position is filled.