Gabrielle Franks is a Linehan Scholar and URA award recipient who is majoring in Music Technology ('20).

Title of your research project: Producing an Extended Play Compact Disc (EP) Release: A Multinational Collaboration

Describe your project: My project proposal is to do research on how music is written and marketed to venues and radio stations via the internships I’ll be participating in over the summer, and then how an EP is recorded/produced, and how music marketing differs in the UK from the US at Newcastle in the Fall of 2019. I will additionally create a concise outline as to what the foundational steps are for releasing an EP (with little to no help from outside sources, like marketing agencies, record labels, etc). I’ll have an exhibition of this EP at some sort of reception - could be a senior recital, where the EP is performed live, or just at a reception of some sort outside of school.

Who is your mentor(s) for your project? Alan Wonneberger, Music Technology

How did you find your mentor? Why did you choose them? Alan is the head of my major department, so I figured it was my best choice to have him aid my research project.

How did you become interested in this project? I have been writing and recording music since I was quite young, and thought it would be really special to conduct a research project about it! Considering Spring 2020 will be my last semester at UMBC, I wanted to make my mark on the community, and explore the world of creating and marketing music. 

What has been the hardest part about your research/what was the most unexpected thing about being a researcher? Documenting all of my experience so far has probably been the most difficult aspect of it. I didn't fully expect how time consuming writing everything down and remembering to take pictures/videos of my experience would be.

What has been the most rewarding part? Being able to see and hear my own progress on this project is extremely rewarding. From recording demos of songs I'd written back in January 2019, to beginning the recording process with scratch tracks now in September, is really exciting - I'm looking forward to having a completed project by the time April 2020 rolls around. Time has flown!

How will you disseminate your research? I plan to orally present my research at URCAD 2020, and am also considering having a senior exhibition next Spring.

What is your advice to other students about getting involved in research? Find research that you're passionate about - making, recording and promoting my own music is what I enjoy doing, and have done for a long time. Doing what you love makes getting all the work involved done much easier.

What are your career goals? 

After graduating in Spring 2020, I plan to continue my career in Radio Broadcasting/Music Programming.I also plan on pursuing a career in music by touring and performing.

Check out the other exciting undergraduate research 

projects by URA Scholars: https://ur.umbc.edu/ura/current-scholars/

Jonathan Sikora is a Biology major with a Psychology minor who will graduate in 2021.  He is a URA Scholar and a member of the Honors College.

Title of your research project: Comparing song repertoire size in male and female Eastern Bluebirds

Describe your project: 

I am investigating whether male and female Eastern Bluebirds can sing the same number of songs. This will help further our understanding of female song in songbirds; an emerging field in ornithology. 

Who is your mentor(s) for your project? Dr. Kevin Omland

How did you find your mentor? Dr. Omland taught my BIOL 142 class. He made a posting on blackboard looking for field assistants for an undergraduate researcher's independent project. I applied, and was eventually accepted into the lab. 

Why did you choose them? I thought Dr. Omland's work was incredibly interesting, and I loved what the Omland lab was doing. I thought that having the opportunity to work in this field would would be a great way to expand my interests and find something I'm really passionate about.

How did you become interested in this project? I had already assisted with a previous project on female song in Eastern Bluebirds, and I really enjoyed the experience. Doing research out in the field was unlike any other experience I had before. When Dr. Omland offered me the opportunity to lead a similar project of my own, I knew right away that it was something I wanted to do.

What has been the hardest part about your research/what was the most unexpected thing about being a researcher? Recording birdsong out in the field can be quite a challenge. It took me a while to understand how much goes into making a quality recording. Finding the correct distance, positioning, and recording settings all proved to be difficult tasks.

What has been the most rewarding part? Having the opportunity to explain my work is definitely the most rewarding part about research for me. I love being able to explain my findings to others and how they apply to the world around us, and I'm so grateful that this experience has afforded me that opportunity. 

How will you disseminate your research? I will be presenting at URCAD and possibly publishing my results in a peer reviewed journal. 

What is your advice to other students about getting involved in research? Talk to your professors in your favorite classes and see if you can get involved with their work. Try to find something you're really passionate about. And don't think that research has to be strictly within the sciences, as there are many different types of research you can get involved with (social sciences, art, history, etc.).

What are your career goals? After graduation, I plan on attending medical school and becoming a physician. 

Check out all of our URA Scholars: 

https://ur.umbc.edu/ura/current-scholars/

The Kuhn Library now provides access to course reserves through Ares from Atlas Systems; this new software seamlessly integrates with Blackboard (Bb) for streamlined availability and processing. Instructors who wish to submit course reserves requests and students who want to access their faculty reserves listings can now do so directly from their course site in Bb. 

Questions? Email reserves-group@umbc.edu, visit our Course Reserves Information page, or stop by the Check-Out desk at the Library.

Information on submitting materials for course reserve can be found on our instructor’s guide page (download PDF)

We moved the Yum Shoppe inside the lower level of the Bookstore! Come celebrate the Yum Shoppe’s new digs with us from August 24th – August 30th!

Stop by and participate in any of the events and enter to win the ultimate Yum Shoppe Fan Prize giveaway! (Includes, a Coca-Cola Slushy machine, Coca-Cola blanket, Coca-Cola headphones, $50 Bookstore/Yum Shoppe Gift Card, and Bookstore T-Shirt).