Meet Brian and Larry. They have decided to apply for a URA Award.

"There are three different awards this year," noted Brian, who was interviewed while blow drying his luxurious hair. "You've got the usual award, open to all majors and worth up to $1,500 and then you've got the Social Science award and the entrepreneurship award. Pretty amazing opportunity. And the deadline isn't until May 1st, so we've got plenty of time!"

"Really does help us with our research," added Larry, who was interviewed while combing his mustache. "And you can even apply as a group!"

URA’s provide up to $1,500 to undergraduate students to support their research or creative work with a UMBC faculty mentor on an original project. UMBC students of all years and disciplines are invited to apply, as long as they will remain enrolled at UMBC long enough to complete the proposed work.

URCAD Presentations Featuring 

International Research/Subjects

Come see these presentations at URCAD on Wednesday, April 24th by students who conducted international research or studied international subjects!

Ninja: Japan’s Soft Power And American Appropriation

Crysshelda Kosasih, Asian Studies

Poster, 1-2:30pm, UC Ballroom

Create Freedom: 

Equipping Everyday People to use Art to End Modern-day Slavery

Mia Rickenbach, Theatre

Oral, 11:15am, UC 310

Becoming Survivor: Understanding Human Trafficking through Dance

Alexia Petasis, INDS/Dance

Dance performance, 10:30am, PAHB Dance Cube

Reconciling Nigerian Culture and Values with Western Culture: 

An Intergenerational Perspective

Chiamaka Ugboh, Gender and Women’s Studies

Poster, 1-2:30pm, UC Ballroom

The Shamanic Shaping of Korean Society

Carley MacKenzie, MLLI

Oral, 2:00pm, UC 204

Modern Dualism in Korean Contemporary Art

Sarah Natterman, MLLI

Oral, 9:45am, UC 310

Traveling the Medieval Globe

Nathaniel Litsch, Daniel Choo, Tina-Marie Miller, Crysshelda Kosasih, David, Jessop, Kris Jefferson, History

Oral panel, 11:15am, UC 312

Humphrey Jennings: Voice of the People or Propagandist for The British Empire?

Morgan Miller, History

Oral, 10:30am, UC 3123

Conservative Interest in British Fascism in the 1930s

Adam Ng, History

Oral, 2:45, UC 312

Entrepreneurship in Eighteenth-Century England

Nikki Vietz, Amber Davis, Christian Adams, Anthony Jacobs, History

Oral panel, 1:00pm, UC 310

Ninja: Japan’s Soft Power and American Appropriation

Crysshelda Kosasih, Asian Studies

Poster, 10-11:30am, UC Ballroom

Evaluating the Impact of Early Childhood Malaria on Normal School Progression in Ghana

Anna Gifty Opoku-Agyeman, Economics

Oral, 10:00am, UC310

A Comparison Between Social Service Delivery Systems in Ghana and the United States

Rebecca Mann, Social Work

Poster, 10-11:30am, UC Ballroom

Total And Methylmercury Exposure To Individuals In Artisanal And Small-Scale Gold Mining In Madre De Dios, Peru

April Laranang, Chemical, Biochemical, and Environmental Engineering

Poster, 10-11:30am, UC Ballroom

Geographical Trends In Size And Fecundity Of Japanese Harvestmen

Genevieve Ahearn, Biological Sciences

Poster, 10-11:30am, UC Ballroom

Nest Predation Of The Bahama Oriole (Icterus Northropi) By The Black Rat (Rattus Rattus) On Andros

Matthew Kane, Biological Sciences

Oral, 3:30pm, UC 310

Speciation Of Elephant Ivory Tusks From Java Sea Shipwreck To Inform Ancient Trade Routes

Claire Scott, Biological Sciences

Oral, 9:45am, Room TBA

Nest Site Characteristics Of The Bahama Oriole: Habitat Requirements Of A Critically Endangered Species

Briana Yancy, Biological Sciences

Oral, 9:45am, FA Recital Hall

Using Molecular Sexing To Determine The Validity Of In-Field Sexing Methods

Cierra McKoy, Biological Sciences

Poster, 1-2:30pm, UC Ballroom

The Ephemerality of Secondary Forests In Southern Costa Rica

Joshua David Slaughter, Geography and Environmental Systems

Poster, 10-11:30am, UC Ballroom

2019 URCAD Alumni Keynote Speaker

Dr. Eric Grollman

Student researchers and artists exploring LGBTQ+ themes!

When Eve and Eve Bit the Apple

Teresa Whittemore, Dance Performance

11:45am, Dance Cube, 337 PAHB

Traitor: An Animated Short

Julia Blurton-Jones, Visual Arts

2:30pm, Film, FA Recital Hall

Lesbian Activist Involvement In AIDS Coalition To Unleash Power(ACT-UP)

Kathy Robitaille, Gender and Women's Studies

Poster, 1-2:30pm, UC Ballroom

Perspectives Of Queer Jewish Leaders On The Intersections Of Their Jewish And Queer Identities

Cliel Shdaimah, Gender and Women's Studies

Poster, 1-2:30pm, UC Ballroom

Will You Listen?: A Critical Analysis of Gendered and Racialized Disembodied Voices in Contemporary Media Culture

Daniel Goldstein, Media and Communication Studies

1:15pm, Room TBA

The Effect of GSA Involvement on Attitudes towards LGBTQ Individuals

Trevor Pitts, Psychology

Poster, 1-2:30pm, UC Ballroom

URCAD is Wednesday, April 24 from 9am-4pm.

For more info:

aprilh@umbc.edu

Baltimore Traces: West Baltimore Street Stories (panel)
DeAndre Bright, Tony Cano, Christian Howe, Adam Czarnecki, Daniel Eiskant
Oral, 1:45, UC 312

"A Model of a Negro Village": How Environmental Racism Affects the Health of African-Americans in Cherry Hill
Lydia Coley, American Studies

Poster, 1-2:30, UC Ballroom

Combating Academic Inequity: A Community-based Approach to Cultivating a Love for STEM within Students of Color
Shadia Musa, American Studies
Oral, 2:15, UC 310

The Baltimore Sun's Reporting Legacy: Understanding the White Press and Lynching Coverage

Julia Arbutus, English

Oral, 11:45, UC 310

Get to know Olivia Mills, Writing Center Tutor

Tell us a little about yourself.

I swim, make art, animate, read and write stories. My favorite books right now are Philip Pullman’s The Golden Compass and E.M. Kinsey’s The Forges of Dawn. I listen to rock music.Being an animation student, I have the opportunity to bring worlds and characters to life. My habit of sketching a lion, cat, coyote, or dragon once per day is becoming a little silly, but I’m letting it run its due course.

Tell us about how you are involved on campus.

Through the Linehan Artist Scholars program, I participate in seminars, volunteering, creative collaborations, and more with fellow artists. This year, I am spearheading UMBC Swim Club along with some friends, and I am putting in a lot of time to make it worthwhile for everyone. I am getting more involved with my church at Gallery, Sowebo, which I found through our InterVarsity Christian Fellowship. As a Writing Center tutor, I’d also like to angle to run some on-campus workshops geared towards students who want to pursue creative writing.

How and why did you get involved in being a tutor?

I was looking for any way possible to improve my writing habits, and for the last four years I’ve been a very academic person and was tutored myself, so I wanted to reverse the roles.

What is your favorite thing about being a tutor?

Seeing the smile or the appreciation on a student’s face when something I said helped them makes my day. This is especially true if it’s not just that I helped them with their paper per say, but with the bigger picture. This could be something like encouraging a student to like writing more, or easing their anxiety about an assignment. I hope that by tutoring, I can help people see the that a writing assignment can just be a springboard into discussing or doing something they actually care a lot about.

Why should students utilize the tutoring?

I’ll speak from the perspective of when I was being tutored, and not from a tutor’s perspective.

When I would request tutoring while earning A’s and B’s, people would assume the effort was in vain. This was because they held the misconception that tutoring is geared towards underachieving students. If this was true, tutoring wouldn’t be available to all students, and you’d need to be failing a class to “qualify” for tutoring. Instead, tutoring is a free resource for any student who wants to improve their academic experience. Many times, I would go to tutoring just for the accountability. Having someone there to make sure I had time in my schedule to work on my assignments really helped.

What advice would you give students about how to prepare for a tutoring session?

Go in understanding yourself. You’re not the expert on the subject you’re studying, but you are the leading authority on how you think, what you like, and what in life is important to you. Take the time to know what your goals are. Are you a person who needs an A in this class, or would getting a C be a huge achievement to you, because this subject is outside of your comfort zone? Have you taken a class like this before, and if so, do you remember what you’ve already learned about this subject going in? Do you like what you’re learning, and if not, what could make you like it more? Have you taken the chance to learn your personality type, learning style, or if you focus best in one-on-one or group settings?

Tutors are there to be your support and help you reach your goals, so tell your tutors what you want and what you think you’re capable of. The tutor is there to help you reach (and then push!) that limit.

When and where can someone work with you through the Learning Resources Center?

I am local to the Writing Center, and enjoy taking both in-person and online appointments! Writing is a passion of mine, especially in the context of creative writing, screenwriting, storytelling, poetry, and literature. That said, I have had my foray into the sciences, so I should be reliable if you need me to help you with technical or formal writing, such as for research. Don’t forget that the Writing Center covers your professional needs as well! I can help you with your résumé, cover letter, and application materials. (I am lately writing quite a few of those for myself!)