June 1- Aug. 8, 2014

Program Description

CU LSAMP-REU is a paid summer research opportunity that provides undergraduate participants with the opportunity to work with distinguished faculty and staff as well as network with others in their field of interest through weekly luncheons.

Undergraduate students, interested in gaining a deeper understanding in an engineering-related field, have the opportunity to conduct and present research over a ten-week duration under the auspices of a Cornell Engineering faculty research mentor. Through this one-on-one partnership, participants will gain theoretical knowledge and practical training in academic research and scientific experimentation. CU LSAMP-REU was developed to aid in the retention of traditionally underrepresented minority groups in the sciences, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).

Her research focuses on the 19th-century Baltimore Quaker philanthropist Joseph Townsend. She works on-campus as an assistant at the Albin O. Kuhn Library Special Collections and she is a member of the UMBC Catholic Retrievers and of the History Student Council and National Society of Collegiate Scholars.

Is this your first independent research project?
No; this project actually grew out of a research position with the Baltimore Equitable Insurance Company, who were looking in the summer of 2012 for students to do research on their early directors, including Joseph Townsend. This translated into an Independent Study course in the Fall of 2012, and I've been continuing this work through the Spring and look to finish compiling my research during the Summer of 2013.

How did you know this was the project you wanted to do?
I had been researching Townsend along with several other Baltimore businessmen for my work with Baltimore Equitable, but I became particularly interested in Townsend once I began learning about his life. He was a key player in several of Baltimore's major historical events, and was even involved in a few scandals, and yet no one seems to know him. I knew once I had learned so much about his life through my BEI research that I could not leave this fascinating subject alone; I wanted to learn more about how he fit into Baltimore society and how he came to leave the legacy that he did.

How did you find your mentor for your research?
Dr. Kars was instrumental in helping me connect with Baltimore Equitable when they were looking for students to research their early history. She has helped me with my research from the beginning, and was my mentor in Fall 2012 when my research became an Independent Study course. She has helped me so much during my time working with Baltimore Equitable, and so it was only natural that I ask her to be my mentor for this project, which has grown out of that work.

What has been the hardest part about your research?
For my research, it has been difficult just to sift through all the information available to me. Living so close to Baltimore and having access to the Baltimore Equitable Collection and other collections at the Maryland Historical Society, as well as the Arnold Maryland History Collection at the UMBC Special Collections, and many of College Park's libraries, there is certainly no dearth of information for me to find! The trouble is finding the most useful or most interesting pieces of information and fitting them together - making an engaging story out of the mountains of facts.

What else are you involved in on campus?
I am a student assistant at our Library's Special Collections, and am very proud member of the UMBC Catholic Retrievers, as well as of the History Student Council and National Society of Collegiate Scholars.

What is your advice to other students about getting involved in research?
Trust me - there is room for it! I was worried going into my research that I wouldn't be able to handle it with a full course load and a job, but it has been really fulfilling, and I would encourage any student considering pursuing a research project not to be intimidated with the thought of extra work. It's well worth it, and is a great way to break out of the routine of classes and create new scholarship in addition to studying others!

Read her abstract here...

• Defining the project/research question
• Writing a budget
• Working with a faculty mentor

Application deadline SOON.

If you think you will be applying for a URA, e-mail mcglynn@umbc.edu to be included on the list of interested students.

The iSchool Inclusion Institute (i3) is an undergraduate research program that prepares students from underrepresented populations for graduate study and careers in the information sciences. Students undertake a year-long experience that includes two summer institutes held at the University of Pittsburgh and a year-long team research project. Students are immersed in special-topics workshops, professional development seminars, research projects, and network-building opportunities.

Past i3 Scholars have completed a variety of interdisciplinary research projects. A sample of past project topics have included:

• Viral videos and the leading factors related to online sharing
• Youth education and recruitment into STEM fields
• Gender representation in video games
• Online community building in social movements like Occupy Wall St.
• Social media and political involvement in campaigns
• Identity representation and catfishing on social media
• Environmental sustainability efforts in the information technology sector
• Psychological incentives to donate to crowd-sourced campaigns on Kickstarter and similar online platforms

The 2014 i3 will be held at the University of Pittsburgh's School of Information Sciences from June 1-27, 2014.

Meet Mary.

She is a Dance and INDS major and current Undergraduate Research Award (URA) scholar. Her current research measures the benefits of dance lessons on children. She is also a Linehan Artist Scholar, the President of the Dance Council of Majors and has served as a Welcome Week Leader for the past three years.

How did you know this was the project you wanted to do?
I have always wanted to combine my passion for the Arts with my purpose to advance the Arts in education through policy. With the creation of my Interdisciplinary Studies Major titled “Arts Advocacy”, I knew that I wanted to do research that would help me grow as an advocate. I also love to teach dance, so I knew this project would be a lot of fun!

Is this your first independent research/artistic project?
This is my first independent research project of this type, but I previously received the Linehan Summer Research and Study Award to study dance for three weeks with Doug Varone and Dancers in New York.

Do you get course credit for this work?
Yes! This research will also be presented as my Interdisciplinary Studies Capstone.

How did you hear about the Undergraduate Research Award (URA) program?
I had attended URCAD several times and many of my friends had done research through the URA. After seeing their projects and learning about their experiences, I wanted to do it, too!

What academic background did you have before you applied for the URA?
I was a Junior when I applied to the URA, so I had completed most of my core and degree requirements. One of the classes that has helped me the most in completing the analytical portion of this research was POLI 301- Political Science Research Methods with Dr. Carolyn Forestiere. She became my URA mentor and has been infinitely helpful in designing, implementing, and completing this research.

Was the application difficult to do?
The application was easier than I thought it would be. I found it really helpful to attend the workshops provided, and would recommend working closely with your mentor while completing the application.

What has been the hardest part about your research?
The hardest part of my research was definitely coordinating with all the necessary people to implement my dance program within the Summer Learning Program. I began planning with the local YMCA in December, but by May they had gotten so busy that it was hard to schedule meetings about my research. I had to be persistent while also trying not to be bothersome, as I understood they had a lot they were trying to plan.

What was the most unexpected thing?
I thought that the children I worked with would like dancing, but I didn’t expect that on the last day they would all want to know where to take dance lessons and wanted to know if I would be coming back next summer! They were a little bit resistant at the beginning, so I wasn’t expecting that sort of reaction to the dance program in the end. It was unexpected, but I was so happy!

How does your research relate to your work in other classes?
Because I am an Interdisciplinary Studies Major, I designed my coursework to eventually lead up to this research project. I took classes in research, dance, sociology, political science, and social work that all related to my project in some way.

What else are you involved in on campus?
I am a Linehan Artist Scholar, the President of Dance Council of Majors, and have been a Welcome Week Leader for the past three years.

What is your advice to other students about getting involved in research?
Don’t be afraid to ask for help!!! Everyone I have worked with on this project has been more than happy to help me and I am really grateful for that. It is easy to think that because you designed the project you shouldn’t ask for help, but that is not the case!

What are your career goals?
While I know that I want to be an advocate for the arts, I do not exactly know how I want to do this. In the Spring, I will be interning with Americans for the Arts working on arts education governmental affairs. I’m really looking forward to this experience helping me shape my career goals.

Did you transfer to UMBC from another institution? Where?
I started at UMBC as a freshman and will be graduating next May!

Read her abstract here...

The Nebraska Summer Research Program is a consortium of NSF funded Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) and other summer research opportunities programs (SROP).

One unique feature of the Nebraska Summer Research Program is the partnership between the REU and SROP programs and the Office of Graduate Studies. Students benefit in having a community of scholars in which to learn and to share research with.

This intensive summer research experience provides mentoring and research experiences while allowing scholars to preview graduate school life. Students with a strong interest in graduate programs are particularly encouraged to apply, as are those from populations traditionally underrepresented in graduate education.