Meet David, he is a Physics major and an undergraduate researcher. The focus of his research will be to calculate, both analytically and numerically, the emission anticipated from the relevant radiation processes of jets such as synchrotron and inverse-Compton emission.

How did you find your mentor for year research project?
Last semester I decided that I wanted to do research and asked some people in my department about how to get started. I was directed to the astrophysics department and there I found one of the professors that I had taken a couple of courses with. Because I had taken classes that were relevant to the research subject that we would be doing, it seemed like a good fit.

How did you know this was the project you wanted to do?
I always enjoyed astronomy and I had also found that I liked the astrophysics course that I had taken last semester. The subject seemed to be very interesting and something that would give me a better idea of what working in the astrophysics field would be like.

Is this your first independent research project?
Yes, it is. It seems like something that is a great experience and perhaps something that I would have wanted to do more of if I could.

Do you get course credit for this work?
Yes, we placed the research for this semester under a category of a three-credit senior research 499 course. This will help me to fulfill the credit requirements for upper-level classes needed to graduate.

How did you hear about the Undergraduate Research Award (URA) program?
My mentor told me about URA. A researcher of his had previously been accepted as a URA scholar and he suggested that I apply as well.

What academic background did you have before you applied for the URA?
I had transferred from community colleges after deciding that I wanted to do physics. I then took all of the required courses in my major as well as a few electives before applying for the URA.

Was the application difficult to do?
It could have been fairly difficult due to the fact that it was hard to know many details of the subject that the research was going to be about prior to actually starting. With the help of my mentor it was not too hard, however.

What has been the hardest part about your research?
All of it is fairly challenging but enjoyable also. The theory is not very simple and it can be hard to understand how a quantitative analysis of a process is formulated based on a qualitative idea of the physical processes involved.

How does your research relate to your work in other classes?
The information and knowledge obtained from my classes is fundamental in the research that I am conducting. Also, as a result of the research requiring a large amount of in-depth topics, the knowledge gained will help me in future classes.

What are your career goals?
Hopefully I will find something related to what I have been studying and perhaps to what I have been researching. I am not certain about the exact area I want to go into but doing this research will help me decide.

Did you transfer to UMBC from another institution? Where?
I spent a little time taking classes at community colleges in the area before I decided that physics was the subject that I wanted to pursue.

Read more about David's research here... 

• 45,000 signed articles on every aspect of the visual arts, with more than 23,000 subject entries and 21,000 biographies
• More than 6,000 searchable images from such outstanding organizations as the Metropolitan Museum of Art, as well as 40,000 editorially selected image links to museums and galleries, provide essential visual support for art history scholarship.
• Historical account and critical discussions of aethetics.
• 1800 dictionary entires on art terms, critical periods, and styles in the visual arts
  

Read more about Rajashree's research here... 

• Tests that were originally developed for research and were not made commercially available.

• A growing selection of multilingual test instruments.

• Information about select tests that are available from commercial test publishers.

• Nearly 57,000 historical documents
• More than 80,000 biographies of historical figures
• More than 1,990 full-text reference books, encyclopedias and non-fiction books
• Nearly 46,000 historical photos & maps
• More than 80 hours of historical video

The Science Undergraduate Laboratory Internship (SULI) program encourages undergraduate students to pursue science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) careers by providing research experiences at the Department of Energy (DOE) laboratories. Selected students participate as interns appointed at one of 15 participating DOE laboratories. They perform research, under the guidance of laboratory staff scientists or engineers, on projects supporting the DOE mission.

The SULI program is sponsored and managed by the DOE Office of Science’s, Office of Workforce Development for Teachers and Scientists (WDTS) in collaboration with the DOE laboratories.

Applications for the SULI program are solicited annually for three separate internship terms. Internship appointments are 10 weeks in duration for the Summer Term (May through August) or 16 weeks in duration for the Fall (August through December) and Spring (January through May) Terms. Each DOE laboratory offers different research opportunities; not all DOE laboratories offer internships during the Fall and Spring Terms.

Read more about Talmo's research by clicking the link below...

Incoming INDS major and transfer student Sophia Venero Shimabukuro was one of two undergraduate students selected to speak at the August 22 Fall Opening Meeting. Ms. Venero is a transfer student from Montgomery College where she graduated with honors as an Associates of Art, as a Phi Theta Kappa member and Vice- President and as a Montgomery Scholar. She will be majoring in Interdisciplinary Studies with a minor in Biological Sciences.  Ms. Venero has been awarded the UMBC Presidential Scholarship which will cover her full- time tuition for two years. She plans to volunteer at the Shriver Center with the Success Program.  Ms. Venero has also been working as the Program Manager for KEEN Greater DC, which is a non-profit dedicated to providing exercise and recreational activities to persons with disabilities. Ms. Venero aims to become either a Physician or Physician's Assistant.  She is pleased to be joining INDS, and we are pleased to have her!