The Winter Dissertation House is coming to UMBC (January 17-20, 2017). Graduate students who plan to participate should follow the application procedures on the application webpage for the Dissertation House (below). Open application period: November 29, 2016– January 13, 2017. (Please note that there are only 12 to 15 slots for this event, consider applying early). Applications received after January 6, 2016 will be considered for the DH waiting list.

Event: Winter 2017 Dissertation House

Dates: January 17, 2017 – January 20, 2017

Time: 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM each day

Location: University of Maryland Baltimore County, Commons 328 and Commons 329

Registration: Please login to MyUMBC (http://my.umbc.edu/groups/promise/events/45501), click “I can attend” below, *AND* follow the application procedures on the main website for the Dissertation House: https://dissertationhouse.wordpress.com/apply/. Application period to apply to attend the Dissertation House: Nov. 29, 2016 – Dec. 30, 2016

Event Details: 

• The Dissertation House runs from 9 AM – 5PM, for four days, Tuesday, January 17 through Friday, January 20.
• Students must plan to attend the full session, for each of the 4 days. 
• 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 15 to 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 DissertationHouse: https://dissertationhouse.wordpress.com/about/

Dissertation House Application Procedures

Both the on-campus setting and the retreat setting provide Dissertation House participants with productive and rewarding scholastic engagement.  Students who participate in this program will spend each day thinking, writing, and sharing ideas about their doctoral dissertations.  Students will learn effective time-management skills; learn how to set small manageable goals, and will meet with a dissertation coach in one-on-one consultations to discuss and address obstacles that might prevent them completing their degrees.

The Dissertation House period can span either a Tuesday – Friday (9 a.m. – 5 p.m., non-residential) or a Friday – Sunday weekend (includes evening sessions) commitment to focus on the doctoral dissertation.  The Dissertation House activities focus on areas where students typically have difficulty: conceptualizing a topic, writing a literature review, transitioning from a proposal to a dissertation, analyzing data, writing the last chapter, and editing.
Students may apply to attend the next Dissertation House during open application enrollment, by submitting two parts of an application.

PART I:

I. Submit a brief description (maximum 2 pages, font size 11-12 point 1 inch margins) that describes the project that you wish to accomplish during the Dissertation Houseperiod.  Applications will neither be reviewed nor accepted outside of the application enrollment period.

PART II:

II. Please use the following guidelines  for the application:

(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

Dates/Location: January 19 to 22th (Tuesday – Friday), 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM. Dissertation House will be held in COMM 329 (for Dissertation House) and COMM 332 (for one-on-one sessions).

Application Enrollment Period: Application can be submitted within a designated 2-week period, usually scheduled 1-2 months prior to the next Dissertation House session.  Email applications to promisestaff@gmail.com.  Please use the words “Dissertation House” in the subject line of your email.

Selection Process: Eighteen participants will be selected for participation in the Dissertation House.  The following applicants will have priority:  (1) Applicants who plan to finish the Ph.D. within the next 6 months; (2) Individuals who are working on dissertations and theses rather than a proposal; (3) Applicants who submit earliest; and (4) Individuals who appear most able to benefit from the services offered at the Dissertation House.

If your application is accepted, you will receive an acceptance notice via email and additional details about the Dissertation House.  All students, including those who have not applied or those who are not selected, have the option to participate in the next online challenge, a virtual version of the Dissertation House: https://dissertationhouse.wordpress.com/blog-online-challenge/winter-2016-challenge/

The Winter Dissertation House is coming to UMBC (January 17-20, 2017). Graduate students who plan to participate should follow the application procedures on the application webpage for the Dissertation House (below). Open application period: December 9, 2016– January 6, 2017. (Please note that there are only 12 to 15 slots for this event, consider applying early). Applications received after January 6, 2016 will be considered for the DH waiting list.

Event: Winter 2017 Dissertation House

Dates: January 17, 2017 – January 20, 2017

Time: 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM each day

Location: University of Maryland Baltimore County, Commons 328 and Commons 329

Registration: Please login to MyUMBC (http://my.umbc.edu/groups/promise/events/45501), click “I can attend” below, *AND* follow the application procedures on the main website for the Dissertation House: https://dissertationhouse.wordpress.com/apply/. Application period to apply to attend the Dissertation House: Nov. 29, 2016 – Dec. 30, 2016

Event Details: 

• The Dissertation House runs from 9 AM – 5PM, for four days, Tuesday, January 17 through Friday, January 20.
• Students must plan to attend the full session, for each of the 4 days. 
• 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 15 to 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 DissertationHouse: https://dissertationhouse.wordpress.com/about/

Dissertation House Application Procedures

Both the on-campus setting and the retreat setting provide Dissertation House participants with productive and rewarding scholastic engagement.  Students who participate in this program will spend each day thinking, writing, and sharing ideas about their doctoral dissertations.  Students will learn effective time-management skills; learn how to set small manageable goals, and will meet with a dissertation coach in one-on-one consultations to discuss and address obstacles that might prevent them completing their degrees.

The Dissertation House period can span either a Tuesday – Friday (9 a.m. – 5 p.m., non-residential) or a Friday – Sunday weekend (includes evening sessions) commitment to focus on the doctoral dissertation.  The Dissertation House activities focus on areas where students typically have difficulty: conceptualizing a topic, writing a literature review, transitioning from a proposal to a dissertation, analyzing data, writing the last chapter, and editing.
Students may apply to attend the next Dissertation House during open application enrollment, by submitting two parts of an application.

PART I:

I. Submit a brief description (maximum 2 pages, font size 11-12 point 1 inch margins) that describes the project that you wish to accomplish during the Dissertation Houseperiod.  Applications will neither be reviewed nor accepted outside of the application enrollment period.

PART II:

II. Please use the following guidelines  for the application:

(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

Dates/Location: January 19 to 22th (Tuesday – Friday), 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM. Dissertation House will be held in COMM 329 (for Dissertation House) and COMM 332 (for one-on-one sessions).

Application Enrollment Period: Application can be submitted within a designated 2-week period, usually scheduled 1-2 months prior to the next Dissertation House session.  Email applications to promisestaff@gmail.com.  Please use the words “Dissertation House” in the subject line of your email.

Selection Process: Eighteen participants will be selected for participation in the Dissertation House.  The following applicants will have priority:  (1) Applicants who plan to finish the Ph.D. within the next 6 months; (2) Individuals who are working on dissertations and theses rather than a proposal; (3) Applicants who submit earliest; and (4) Individuals who appear most able to benefit from the services offered at the Dissertation House.

If your application is accepted, you will receive an acceptance notice via email and additional details about the Dissertation House.  All students, including those who have not applied or those who are not selected, have the option to participate in the next online challenge, a virtual version of the Dissertation House: https://dissertationhouse.wordpress.com/blog-online-challenge/winter-2016-challenge/

The Broader Engagement (BE) program at the Society of Industrial and Applied Mathematics 2017 Computational Science and Engineering (SIAM CSE17) conference is now accepting applications!  Deadline to apply is December 16, 2016. SIAM CSE17 will be held in Atlanta, GA on February 27-March 3, 2017.  SIAM CSE17 BE will engage undergraduate and graduate students in conference activities, the CSE community, and provide special programming to enhance their experience as well as impact their career trajectory. BE participants are recruited from underrepresented groups, such as women, minorities, people with disabilities, first generation scholars, and people from under-privileged backgrounds.

The BE program will provide a rich scientific program, mentoring, and career and professional development to students who aspire to broaden their experience in research-based professional activities.

CSE is indispensable for leading edge investigation and engineering design in a vast number of industrial sectors that all rely increasingly on advanced modeling and simulation, including:

• aerospace
• automotive
• biological
• chemical
• semiconductor technologies

Special themes for this year’s conference include:

• applications in science, engineering, and industry
• biomathematics
• data analytics and visualization
• data-driven modeling and prediction
• multiphysics and multiscale computations
• novel discretization and fast solvers
• numerical linear/multilinear algebra
• scientific software and high-performance computing
• simulations on emerging architectures, and many more

Come and join the community, advance your career, and explore your future possibilities.

First time conference attendees welcome.

In addition to the full conference program BE will be organizing

• STEAM (STEM+Art)  Workshop and a Discussion about Multidisciplinary Research, Diversity, and Inclusion
• High Performance Computing (HPC) Workshop
• An Introduction to Parallel Computing on the Raspberry Pi Workshop
• Guided affinity groups to increase learning while attending conference technical sessions
• Mentor Protégé Program
• Professional, career, and leadership development activities
• Community activities
• Opportunities to present your research
• Tour of Google Fibre Academy facilities and other activities

Jump start your career and explore the possibilities!

Applications are due: Friday, December, 16, 2016.

Information about the program can be found here: http://shinstitute.org/siam-cse17-broader-engagement-program-2/

To apply visit: https://ssl.linklings.net/conferences/SHInstitute/

 
— ~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~

The L’Oréal-UNESCO For Women in Science Program is offering $60,000 fellowships for five women who are in a postdoctoral program in the STEM fields! Applications will open on November 28, 2016 and close on February 3, 2017. Detailed information about the postdoctoral fellowship is below. For further information, please visit their website at  www.lorealusa.com/forwomeninscience. 

Event: Next PhD Completion Workshop: “Growing Your Community: Skills for Mentoring and Networking” with Dr. Stephen Thomas

Date: Monday, November 21, 2016

Time: 10:00 AM – 11:00 AM

Location: University of Maryland College Park Campus, 2124 Lee Building – RSVP Required

Register at: go.umd.edu/mentoring2016

Event Details: Learn from experts about the impact of compassionate mentoring, and the importance of this style of mentoring in supporting graduate students. Attendees will learn the differences between a “mentor” vs. an “advisor,” gains skills for networking and learn the importance of networking to build your community, and get insights about mentoring and networking options. Limited seating. Light refreshments, coffee and tea will be provided.

Speaker: Dr. Stephen Thomas

                   Professor of Health Services Administration

                   Director of Maryland Center for Health Equity

For a full biography of Dr. Stephen Thomas, please see the following link: http://sph.umd.edu/people/stephen-b-thomas

This event is sponsored by the UMD Graduate School, Office of Graduate Diversity and Inclusion (OGDI), Graduate Student Government, and PROMISE: Maryland’s AGEP.

For questions, please contact:

Christopher Perez

Associate Director Office of Graduate Diversity and Inclusion & UMD PROMISE AGEP Coordinator

Email: cperez6@umd.edu

Job Description

POSTDOCTORAL ASSOCIATE, BIOLOGICAL ENGINEERING, Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research-Belcher Lab, to work on cutting-edge medical infrared fluorescence imaging research as part of an interdisciplinary and highly collaborative team of scientists and engineers. Will be responsible for enhancing the Belcher lab’s capabilities in medical fluorescence imaging and analysis of cellular-sized features through deep tissue; and overseeing model development as well as instrument use, maintenance, and troubleshooting. Other responsibilities will include communicating results to the scientific community through publications and presentations and supervising undergraduate students and laboratory technicians.

Job Requirements

REQUIRED: A Ph.D. degree in biophysics, optics, materials science and engineering, biological engineering, chemical engineering, chemistry, or a related field; experience with advanced fluorescence imaging, instrument design and setup, and software and hardware development; strong interpersonal and excellent oral and written communication skills; ability to follow safety procedures and maintain a safe work environment. Seek a highly motivated individual who is able to contribute in a multidisciplinary team setting, prioritize and perform multiple tasks simultaneously, and execute detailed technical protocols meticulously. Experience with small animal models is desired. Supervisory experience is preferred. Please apply at http://careers.mit.edu, Job #14180.

Candidate selection will be made through evaluation of the quality of publications in areas relevant to the posted research requirements, records of accomplishments entered into the candidate’s CV, descriptions of research and educational experiences provided in application materials, and strength of professional references.

11/7/16

MIT is an equal employment opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment and will not be discriminated against on the basis of race, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, disability, age, genetic information, veteran status, ancestry, or national or ethnic origin.

PROMISE AGEP: Maryland Transformation is pleased to invite you to attend and participate in the 2017 University System of Maryland PROMISE AGEP Research Symposium and Professional Development Conference on February 17, 2017. This conference replaces the former PROMISE Research Symposium, and adds a professional development component that will prepare graduate students and postdoctoral fellows for faculty positions in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM, which includes social sciences) disciplines. This year, PROMISE also invites undergraduate students to come to hear graduate students’ presentations, and to participate in workshops that will prepare them to be graduate students with an eye on becoming future faculty members.

This conference seeks to provide a venue that will allow students to present their work at any stage, receive feedback in preparation for presenting at larger venues, and provide training that will prepare participants for faculty careers.The event is free and meals are provided. Please apply to present at the conference using the rules in the “Call for Presentations” section below and register using Eventbrite link to register to attend the conference.

Event: PROMISE Research Symposium

Location: University of Maryland College Park

Adele H. Stamp Student Union – Center for Campus Life

3972 Campus Dr

Colony Ballroom

College Park, MD 20742

8:00 AM – 4:00 PM

Attire: Business Casual

Transportation: There will be free transportation from UMBC to UMCP. Please send an email to promisestaff@gmail.com by Feb. 7, 2017 with the subject title, “2017 Research Symposium Bus,” with your name, school, and phone number. The bus depart from the UMBC Commons Loop at 7:40 AM. This location is between The Commons, The Physics Building, and The Public Policy Building – on Commons Drive, near The Commons Garage. [This is NOT the Administration Drive loop in front of campus.] The bus will depart from UMCP at 4:15 PM and arrive at UMBC around 5:15 PM.

Parking details and additional information will be added to the comments section of this post. 

RSVP: This event is open to both people who are presenting and to observers. To present at the conference, please follow the directions as per the “Call for Presentations” section below. All attendees are required to register on Eventbrite (https://www.eventbrite.com/e/spring-2017-university-system-of-maryland-promise-agep-research-symposium-professional-development-tickets-29756428278?err=29)

• Presentation slots are limited to graduate students within the University System of Maryland.
• A custom webpage will be designed for each presenter. The presenter’s website will include a photo, bio, abstract, synopsis of research, and list of other relevant publications or presentations as applicable. Students who participated in 2014, 2015, and 2016 can update their current pages.
• Postdocs from universities and organizations outside of the University System of Maryland can participate as mentors and judges for poster sessions.
• All graduate students and postdocs are invited to participate as audience members and attend the professional development workshops.
• Undergraduate students are invited to attend to learn from the presentations, and to participate in special workshops dedicated to preparing for graduate school, with a focus on thinking about becoming a professor in the future.
• Faculty from within the USM are invited to serve as judges to provide constructive feedback.

Join us! Registration is free. 

Agenda

Colony Ballroom, Adele Stamp Student Union, University of Maryland College Park

8:00 AM – 9:00 AM: Arrival, Breakfast Refreshments, Registration, Poster Set-Up

9:00 AM – 10:30 AM: Opening Remarks, Traditional Oral Research Presentations

10:30 AM – 10:45 AM: Networking Break

10:45 AM – 11:15 AM: “TED-Style” Talks

11:15 AM – 12:00 PM: Lightning Round Talks

12:00 PM: Buffet Lunch Mentoring Discussions

12:45 PM – 1:30 PM: Poster Session and Dessert Reception

1:30 PM – 3:30 PM: Professional Development Workshops

• For graduate students and postdoctoral fellows:
  • “Invitation to Engage: Becoming a Faculty Member in Maryland”
    •  Welcoming remarks: Office of Academic Affairs, University System of Maryland
    • Panel: Faculty and Administrators from USM schools
    • Roundtable discussions with faculty
    • Report out and declarations of engagements
• For visiting undergraduate students
  • “Preparing for Graduate School – A Pipeline for Future Faculty” 
    • Sponsor: The University of Maryland Baltimore (UMB)

3:30 PM – 4:00 PM: Closing Reception and Awards Ceremony

Types of Presentations

This conference will feature STEM-based oral presentations, posters, and professional development seminars. Participants are invited to submit abstracts to participate in three oral categories, and one poster category.

Oral Category 1: Traditional Research Presentations

[7 minutes presentation, 3 minutes critique, 2 minutes of questions, traditional PowerPoint presentation]

Oral Category 2: TED-Styled Talks

[5 minute talks + 5 minutes for critique/questions, PowerPoint presentation with images only – no text]

Oral Category 3: Lightning Round Talks

[2 minute talks with timer on the screen, no PowerPoints, no critique.]

Call for Presentations

If you are interested in presenting, please follow the schedule below:

December 31, 2016: “Letter of Intent” to present. This very short email should include  name, school, department, choice of oral category (1, 2, 3) or poster, and potential title of your presentation. Email to promisestaff@gmail.com with the title, “2017 PROMISE Research Symposium – Intent to Present.”

“TED-Styled” and “Lightning Round” titles must be tailored to appeal to a general audience.

January 20, 2017,  Deadline for “Intent to Present” emails for Lightening Round and Poster Presentations only. Everyone who expressed an “Intent to Present” as of Dec. 31, 2016, will be in line for the presentation style of their choice. Those who did not specify a category will be given a space for a poster. All of the slots in the “Traditional Presentation” Category #1, and the “TED-Styled Talk” Category #2, are taken, and we will not accept any more requests for those categories. We have some slots remaining in the “Lightning Round” Category #3, and we have slots remaining for posters.

January 31, 2017: Abstracts and the information below are required for all presentations types. Email all materials from all four categories below to promisestaff@gmail.com, with the subject: “2017 PROMISE Research Symposium Presenter Information.”

1. Formal Abstract (250 words or less). Biographical Sketch (250 words or less)
   • Font: 12 Point, Times New Roman
   • Heading, Left-justified:
     • Title (Bold)
     • Name (Italicized)
     • Department (No abbreviations)
     • University (No abbreviations)
2. General Summary of Graduate Research (250 words or less)
3. High Quality Photograph
4. Numbered List of up to 5 publications and or/presentations. Please give precedence to publications and conference proceedings as applicable.

All presenters must register. Click and register by clicking the orange button below.

Are you in the field of the Biological Sciences?

Are you trying to improve your elevator speech? Or, are you working how to effectively  deliver your research to a particular audience?

If you answered “yes” to the above questions, then, this multi-day conference is an opportunity for you!

Currently, applications for the 2017 Young Scientist Seminars (YSS) are now open (application deadline is Dec. 15, 2016). The YSS is open to PhD students and postdoctoral fellows in the biological sciences. Four accepted applicants will have the opportunity to attend a multi-day workshop in San Franscisco, CA where all expenses are provided by the Albert and Mary Lasker Foundation. The event is organized by the Alan Alda Center for Communicating Science and iBiology.

As per their website, winners will have the opportunity to:

”

• Participate together in a workshop to receive first-rate science communication training from the Alda Center for Communicating Science. During the workshop, they will make improvements to their 30-minute research talks.
• Record their improved 30-minute research talks in a studio after the workshop.
• Receive a $500 honorarium.
• Have their studio-recorded research talks featured on iBiology.org and broadly advertised!”

For more information regarding the application requirements and more details about the Young Scientist Seminars, please visit https://www.ibiology.org/ibioseminars/young-scientist-seminar-series.html.

Congratulations to Dr. Renetta Tull, director of Maryland’s PROMISE Alliance for Graduate Education and the Professoriate (AGEP), for being the recipient of the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) 2016 Claire L. Felbinger Award for Diversity!

Dr. Renetta Tull receives the Claire L. Felbinger Award for Diversity at the ABET Awards Gala in Baltimore, MD on October 28, 2016.  Photo: Courtesy of Dr. Renetta Tull’s wordpress website

On October 28, 2016, the ABET Awards Gala was held in Baltimore, MD to award and recognize members for their outstanding achievements. One of these awards, the Claire L. Felbinger Award for Diversity, was awarded to Dr. Renetta Tull. The Claire L. Felbinger Award for Diversity is awarded to a recipient who resembles Claire L. Felbinger in advocating diversity. Claire Felbinger was a member of the Board of Delegates where she was the first person to bring up the topic and significance of diversity. Since then, she has been an active and influential advocate on diversity, including the creation of a policy on diversity. She passed away in 2008, but her advocacy in diversity continues to live on. Each year, ABET presents the Claire L. Felbinger Award for Diversity to recognize people who walk in her footsteps and carry out the same goals and visions.

Dr. Renetta Tull was awarded this prestigious award for her “visionary leadership as founding director of the PROMISE: Maryland’s Alliance for Graduate Education and the Professoriate and her commitment to achieving greater diversity and inclusion in technical fields.” PROMISE AGEP was initially founded in 2003, which was an alliance between the University of Maryland Baltimore County (UMBC), University of Maryland Baltimore (UMB), and the University of Maryland College Park (UMCP). As stated on our website, “PROMISE: Maryland’s AGEP is a university system-wide effort for the state of Maryland to facilitate underrepresented STEM graduate student and postdoctoral professional development and pathways to careers.” In 2013, PROMISE AGEP expanded to outreach to the entire University System of Maryland (USM) and to postdoctoral fellows. The new expansion also included a new Professors in Training (PROF-IT) program, which allowed graduate students to teach at universities within USM, Anne Arundel Community College, the Community College of Baltimore County, and Ana G Mendez University Capital Area Campus.

PROMISE AGEP provides professional development seminars/workshops, conference opportunities, and networking opportunities. It is also an excellent support system for all graduate students and postdoctoral fellows. Our mission is to help increase graduate student retention, provide a support system and a sense of belonging for graduate students, particularly underrepresented minorities in STEM fields, and increase the graduation rate of underrepresented minorities. Through PROMISE AGEP, Dr. Renetta Tull is helping to achieve greater diversity and inclusion in technical fields.

Congratulations, Dr. Renetta Tull, for receiving the 2016 Claire L. Felbinger’s Award!

Event Details: 

Agenda:

Details as per the CIRTL website: