·        TOEFL Board Grants

·        TOEFL International Speaker Grants

·        Library and Resource Center Award

·        TOEFL Outstanding Young Scholar Award

GSA annually funds more than 300 UMBC graduate students’ research and travel with an average of $140,000 expended. This graduate assistantship is the project manager for GSA Research & Travel (R&T) including upkeep of the R&T database, coordinating R&T processes, analyzing R&T data, and producing monthly, semester and annual reports which assist the GSA Executive Board’s strategic planning and budgeting processes.

This graduate assistantship requires knowledge of computer databases, website management, project management and systems processes. The position requires design, trouble-shooting, research, and analysis as well as the ability to work alone and on a team. Duties include database management and research on GSA R&T funding.

This position chairs the GSA Senate Travel & Research Committee, working in collaboration with GSA Senators and Executive Board members to create more efficient processes and effective reports. The GA will have a sense of project management to assist with events and long-term projects. The GA in this position should have a background in the following topics: database implementation, project management, decision technology, information management, emerging technologies.

Responsibilities: 65% database and R&T project management; 25% website management; 10% recruitment.

This is a 20-hour/week assistantship including tuition remission, stipend & GA health insurance. Stipends http://www.umbc.edu/gradschool/funding/minimum_stipend_levels.html

Send an application letter, CV, a copy of your UMBC unofficial transcripts, and contact information for 2-3 faculty/UMBC references to Dr. Jenness E. Hall hall@umbc.edu with the subject “R&T GA Position.”

Interviews will commence immediately. Position available January 6. 2014.

For almost a decade, the Alliance for Women in Media Foundation (AWMF) has been telling the stories of inspiring women from American history with its Empowering America program. In 2008, AWMF expanded the Empowering America program to share the stories of these women with middle schools across the country.

In partnership with the Ford Motor Company Fund, the philanthropic arm of Ford Motor Company, AWMF developed educational collateral and put it in the hands of teachers to stimulate and enhance classroom conversations about these female icons, who have pioneered in fields such as science, social reform, public service, sports, journalism, music and aviation. Past subjects of Empowering America programs include Annie Easley, Gloria Estefan, Gabrielle Giffords, Barbara Jordan, Christa McAuliffe, Muriel Siebert, Sonia Sotomayor, and many more.

Submission Requirements: Please submit a proposed script for the video along with a sample of previous video work and letter of recommendation from a professor or media professional. The script must include and incorporate the competition theme, Blazing the Trail: Celebrating the Women of Empowering America, and feature at least four women from the 2013 Empowering America program (booklet available here). Here are some questions to consider:

In what ways have these women influenced the course of American history? What can we learn from them?

What positive qualities do these women possess that could speak to students or future leaders?

How do these women leaders and their legacies continue to impact us today?

We encourage you to look at the 2013 Empowering America booklet to get a sense of the featured women, their accomplishments and their journeys. You are not required to focus on all of the women featured in the booklet, but must include a representative sample.

You must be full‐time undergraduate or graduate student at an accredited college or university. Please include with your submission the following information in its entirety:

Name

College or University, Expected Year of Graduation

Contact Information (mailing address, phone, email)

Copy of a valid student ID

A proposed script/outline for the two to three‐minute video, as described above

A sample of previous video work

A letter of recommendation from a media professor or media professional

Prize: AWMF and Ford Motor Company Fund will select one student winner to receive $5,000, payable to the winning student’s educational institution upon completion of the video. All production expenses are incurred by the student.

Selection: The script, sample video and recommendation along with any collateral are due December 16, 2013. A panel consisting of representatives from AWMF and Ford Motor Company Fund will choose the winning student. The winning student will be notified by December 20, 2013 with production to occur in December 2013/January 2014. The final video must be completed and received by February 20, 2014 and must include an AWMF‐provided tag line. The video must be cleared for the uses noted below. We will launch the video as part of our Women’s History month initiative.

The winning video will be posted on the AWMF web site for use by middle schools across the country, as well as incorporated into the Empowering America program wherever possible.

The video will be prominently distributed and displayed on AWM’s and social media outlets.

Determinations of appropriateness will be made in the sole discretion of AWM and Ford Motor Company Fund.

Application materials will not be returned to the student.

Employees of Ford Motor Company (sponsor), their subsidiaries, affiliates, and immediate family members are not eligible for the contest. Void where prohibited.

PROMISE AGEP: Maryland Transformation is pleased to invite you to attend and participate in the 2014 University System of Maryland PROMISE AGEP Research Symposium and Professional Development Conference. This new conference revises the former PROMISE Research Symposium, and adds a professional development component that will prepare graduate students and postdoctoral fellows for faculty positions in STEM. 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.

This page will serve as the official webpage for the event. Please stay tuned for updates.

________________________________________________

• Date: Friday, February 28, 2014
• Time: 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM
• Location: Kim Engineering Building
  • University of Maryland College Park
  • Room: The Rotunda
  • Directions and Parking: http://www.eng.umd.edu/visitus/directions
• Registration: Free (includes meals)
• Attire: Business Casual

________________________________________________

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: Lightening Round Talks

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

________________________________________________

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

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

Opening Remarks: Renetta G. Tull, Ph.D., Director, PROMISE: Maryland’s AGEP (University System of Maryland) and Associate Vice Provost for Graduate Student Development & Postdoctoral Affairs (UMBC)

Welcome: Ana Maria Pérez, Ph.D., Postdoctoral Associate for Diversity Initiatives, Office of Diversity Initiatives, The Graduate School, University of Maryland College Park

Oral Research Presentations

• Ashley J. Belle, UMCP
• Juan Valdez-Lopez, UMBC
• Kayla Lemons, UMBC
• William Easley, UMBC
• Viviana Monje-Galvan, UMCP

10:30 AM – 10:45 AM Networking Break

10:45 AM – 11:15 AM Lightening Round Talks

• Alexander D. Smith, UMBC
• David Colón-Cabrera, UMCP
• Adegboyega Akinsiku, UMBC
• Cherre Jefferson, UMBC
• Eric Corbett, UMBC

11:15 AM – 12:00 Noon – Kickoff Ceremony for PROMISE AGEP: Maryland Transformation

Moderator and Host: Dr. Charles Caramello, Associate Provost for Academic Affairs and Dean of the Graduate School, University of Maryland College Park

Keynote Speaker: Dr. Brit Kirwan, Chancellor, University System of Maryland

Dr. Kirwan’s Biography: http://www.usmd.edu/usm/chancellor/bio.html

12:00 PM - Poster Session & Buffet Lunch  

• Arundhathi Venkatasubramaniam, UMBC
• Saadi Habib, UMBC
• Bre-Onna DeLaine, UMB
• Kankindi Rwego, UMCP
• Jim Glenn, UMCP
• Afua Dennis, UMCP
• Kyana Beckles, UMBC
• Isaac Mativo, UMBC
• Rebekah Brown, UMB
• Alexander E. Holness, UMCP
• Sheniqua Brown, UMBC

1:00 PM Meeting of University System of Maryland Graduate Deans and STEM Deans  [Pepco Boardroom]

1:15 PM – “TED-Styled” Talks 

• Kailyn Cage, UMCP
• DeLauren McCauley, UMBC
• Christine H. Wang, UMCP

2:00 PM  - Professional Development Workshops

a) Planning in Advance for Tenure: Dr. Raheem Beyah (Associate Professor, Georgia Tech), Dr. William Robinson (Associate Professor, Vanderbilt University). [Kay Room]

Both Dr. Beyah and Dr. Robinson were AGEP students when they were in graduate school. Both now have tenure and are dedicating time and effort to training graduate students and postdoctoral fellows to plan and prepare themselves now, so that they can be ready for future success as a tenured professor.

Dr. Beyah and Dr. Robinson lead the Academic Research Leadership Symposium, in conjunction with the National Society of Black Engineers. https://www.arlnetwork.org/symposia/

About Dr. Beyah: http://users.ece.gatech.edu/~rbeyah/

About Dr. Robinson: http://www.vuse.vanderbilt.edu/~robinswh/

b) “Radio Research” – Public Speaking: Scott Morgan, President of The Morgan Group

Scott Morgan, President of The Morgan Group of Washington, DC, provides media training and public speaking tips to a variety of organizations, companies, and universities. Morgan is a Senior Associate of the Abshire Inamori Leadership Academy, at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in DC.

More about Scott Morgan:

The Morgan Group 

4:00 PM – Closing Reception & Awards Ceremony

________________________________________________

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

December 20, 2013: “Letter of Intent” to present (Email promisestaff@gmail.com with name, school, department, choice of oral category (1, 2, 3) or poster, and potential title of your presentation.)

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

January 17, 2013, *New, of Dec. 23, 2013: Deadline for “Intent to Present” emails for Lightening Round and Poster Presentationsonly.  Everyone who expressed an “Intent to Present” as of Dec. 23, 2013, 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 “Lightening Round” Category #3, and we have slots remaining for posters.

January 31, 2014:Abstracts and the information below are required for all presentations types. (Email all materials to promisestaff@gmail.com, with the subject: “2014 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.

________________________________________________

PROMISE AGEP: Maryland Transformation is pleased to invite you to attend and participate in the 2014 University System of Maryland PROMISE AGEP Research Symposium and Professional Development Conference. This new conference revises the former PROMISE Research Symposium, and adds a professional development component that will prepare graduate students and postdoctoral fellows for faculty positions in STEM. 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.

This page will serve as the official webpage for the event. Please stay tuned for updates.

________________________________________________

• Date: Friday, February 28, 2014
• Time: 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM
• Location: Jeong H. Kim Engineering Building
  • University of Maryland College Park
  • Room: The Rotunda
  • Directions and Parking: http://www.eng.umd.edu/visitus/directions
• Registration: Free (includes meals)
• Attire: Business Casual

________________________________________________

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: Lightening Round Talks

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

________________________________________________

AGENDA

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

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

Opening Remarks: Renetta G. Tull, Ph.D., Director, PROMISE: Maryland’s AGEP (University System of Maryland) and Associate Vice Provost for Graduate Student Development & Postdoctoral Affairs (UMBC)

Welcome: Ana Maria Pérez, Ph.D., Postdoctoral Associate for Diversity Initiatives, Office of Diversity Initiatives, The Graduate School, University of Maryland College Park

Oral Research Presentations

• Ashley J. Belle, UMCP
• Juan Valdez-Lopez, UMBC
• Kayla Lemons, UMBC
• William Easley, UMBC
• Viviana Monje-Galvan, UMCP

10:30 AM – 10:45 AM Networking Break

Exchange business cards, learn something new from the posters that will be displayed around the Rotunda, and develop new colleagues. 

10:45 AM – 11:15 AM Lightening Round Talks

• Alexander D. Smith, UMBC
• Adegboyega Akinsiku, UMBC
• Cherre Jefferson, UMBC
• Alex E. Holness, UMCP
• Eric Corbett, UMBC

11:15 AM – 12:00 Noon – Kickoff Ceremony for PROMISE AGEP: Maryland Transformation

Moderator and Host: Dr. Charles Caramello, Associate Provost for Academic Affairs and Dean of the Graduate School, University of Maryland College Park

Keynote Speaker: Dr. Brit Kirwan, Chancellor, University System of Maryland

Dr. Kirwan’s Biography: http://www.usmd.edu/usm/chancellor/bio.html

12:00 PM - Poster Session & Buffet Lunch  

Special Lunch Table Guests:

Dr. Alycia Marshall, Chair, Department of Mathematics, Anne Arundel Community College (AACC), PROMISE Alumna (UMCP), Co-PI of NSF’s $598,000 Engineering Scholar’s Program. Dr. Marshall serves as a PROMISE Alumni “Mentor-in-Residence” at each PROMISE Summer Success Institute. Under her leadership, other PROMISE alumni and students have had jobs or career-enhancing opportunities at AACC.

Dr. Elena Hernández-Ramón, Scientific Project Manager at Office of Intramural Training and Education at NIH, Researcher in Cancer/Carcinogen-DNA Interactions, President of the NIH chapter of SACNAS (Society for the Advancement of Chicano and Native American Scientists), and member of the Hispanic Organization of Toxicologists.

Dr. Marshall and Dr. Hernández-Ramón will be seated at round tables during lunch. Participants may network during lunch by joining them at their tables and sharing a meal and discussion. Please bring your CVs and be prepared to talk with them about career opportunities in their organizations.

Poster Presenters

• Arundhathi Venkatasubramaniam, UMBC
• Saadi Habib, UMBC
• Bre-Onna DeLaine, UMB
• Kankindi Rwego, UMCP
• Afua Dennis, UMCP
• Kyana Beckles, UMBC
• Isaac Mativo, UMBC
• Rebekah Brown, UMB
• Sheniqua Brown, UMBC

1:00 PM Meeting of University System of Maryland Graduate Deans and STEM Deans  [Pepco Boardroom]

1:15 PM – “TED-Styled” Talks [Rotunda]

Moderator: Serenella Linares, Plant Sciences, UMCP

• Kailyn Cage, UMCP
• DeLauren McCauley, UMBC
• Christine H. Wang, UMCP

2:00 PM  - Professional Development Workshops

a) Planning in Advance for Tenure: Dr. Raheem Beyah (Associate Professor, Georgia Tech), Dr. William Robinson (Associate Professor, Vanderbilt University). [Kay Room]

Both Dr. Beyah and Dr. Robinson were AGEP students when they were in graduate school, and have been members of the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE). Both now have tenure and are dedicating time and effort to training graduate students and postdoctoral fellows to plan and prepare themselves now, so that they can be ready for future success as a tenured professor.

Dr. Beyah and Dr. Robinson lead the Academic Research Leadership Symposium, in conjunction with the National Society of Black Engineers. https://www.arlnetwork.org/symposia/

About Dr. Beyah: http://users.ece.gatech.edu/~rbeyah/

About Dr. Robinson: http://www.vuse.vanderbilt.edu/~robinswh/

[While lunch is only available for pre-registered participants, this workshop is open to the public. You may register on-site for this 2 hour workshop.]

b) “Radio Research” – Public Speaking: Scott Morgan, President of The Morgan Group

Moderator: Dr. Maria Nandadevi Cortes Rodriguez, Biological Sciences, UMBC

Scott Morgan, President of The Morgan Group of Washington, DC, provides media training and public speaking tips to a variety of organizations, companies, and universities. Morgan is a Senior Associate of the Abshire Inamori Leadership Academy, at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in DC.

More about Scott Morgan:

The Morgan Group 

[While lunch is only available for pre-registered participants, this workshop is open to the public. You may register on-site for this 2 hour workshop.]

4:00 PM – Closing Reception & Awards Ceremony

________________________________________________

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

December 20, 2013: “Letter of Intent” to present (Email promisestaff@gmail.com with name, school, department, choice of oral category (1, 2, 3) or poster, and potential title of your presentation.)

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

January 17, 2013, *New, of Dec. 23, 2013: Deadline for “Intent to Present” emails for Lightening Round and Poster Presentationsonly.  Everyone who expressed an “Intent to Present” as of Dec. 23, 2013, 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 “Lightening Round” Category #3, and we have slots remaining for posters.

January 31, 2014:Abstracts and the information below are required for all presentations types. (Email all materials to promisestaff@gmail.com, with the subject: “2014 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.

________________________________________________

Dr. Christine Mallinson has recently co-authored a new book, We Do Language: English Language Variation in the Secondary English Classroom (Teachers College Press, 2014).
 
The publisher’s website notes, “We Do Language builds on the authors' highly acclaimed first collaboration, Understanding English Language Variation in U.S. Schools, and examines the need to integrate linguistically informed teaching into the secondary English classroom. The book meets three critical goals for preparing English educators to ensure the academic success of their students. First, the book helps educators acquire a greater knowledge of language variation so they may teach their students to analyze the social, cultural, and linguistic dimensions of the texts they read in class. Second, the chapters provide specific information about language varieties that students bring with them to school so that educators can better assist students in developing the literacy skills necessary for the Common Core State Standards. Third, the text empowers educators to build their linguistic awareness so they may more fully understand, respect, and meet the needs of culturally and linguistically diverse students. We Do Language features concrete strategies, models, and vignettes, as well as classroom materials developed by English educators for English educators. It is essential reading for anyone interested in learning about the role that language plays in the experiences of students, both in secondary and postsecondary environments.”
 
Professor Shirley Brice Heath of Stanford University writes in an endorsement to the book, “Full of advice and support for walking hand-in-hand with students into imaginative ways of understanding the realities of language variation, this book is pure joy for teachers and college counselors. Even more important is the guarantee that when these educators embrace the humanity and philosophy so touchingly illustrated by the authors, the intrigue of thinking deeply about speaking, writing, and reading is sure to follow for students." 

To find the book on Amazon, please visit: http://amzn.to/1cZY0fH

LLC Students - Please see below for information from the December GSA Senate meeting. 

- January 10 and 11, 2014 Dependable Strengths Workshop, GSA will pay for the first 20 graduate students to register

- February 12, 2014, 5:30-7:00 pm, Men's Basketball Cookout, all Graduate Students are invited

- March 26, 2014, Graduate Research Conference, please register by February 15th at http://gsa.umbc.edu/grc-2/

Please congratulate Jesse Fox (Biology) for his new position as University System of Maryland Student Council President and Inte'a DeShields (LLC) for being UMBC's Student Regent Nominee. These are great accomplishments and no other UMBC graduate student has ever served in these positions

The new Director of Athletics, Tim Hall, spoke at the Senate meeting and requested that graduate students contact him at halltw@umbc.edu with any ideas on how to make the RAC more attractive for graduate student.

If you should have any concerns that you would like to bring before the GSA Senate, feel free to send an email to Romy at romy.huebler@umbc.edu.