Meet Kelsey.

She is a Biology major and McNair Scholar. Her research studies the effectiveness of community gardening in urban settings. In the spring of 2012, she studied abroad in New Delhi, India where she completed field studies in adolescent anemia. She hopes to pursue a graduate degree in Public Health or Nutrition Biology.

How did you find out about McNair?
During the fall of 2012 I saw various advertisements around campus that just said, “McNair Scholars Program.” Upon looking up the program, I realized it was just the program for me as a first generation and low income college student. The process of applying mirrors graduate school, which taught me a few important lessons.

What have you gained from being a McNair scholar?
Growing up with parents that struggled not having a college degree pushed me to work hard and earn a bachelor’s degree. The McNair scholars program opened my eyes to graduate school for the first time. College is not only about expanding one’s knowledge, but about learning the art of networking and following directions.

What is your most recent (or most interesting) independent research project?
I am currently working on a project in Baltimore City regarding community gardens and urban farms. The research is an exploratory study focusing on what factors contribute to adolescent girls’ eating habits. I conducted structured interviews with adolescent girls and community leaders, compared self-reported vegetable and fruit intake values to the Center for Disease Control and Preventions’ (CDC) recommended values, and merged statistics collected in the 2009-10 CDC’s National Health and Nutritional Examination Survey (NHANES).

How did you find your mentor for this project?
Most scholars do their research within their department, which focuses the search for a mentor. I, on the other hand, am doing research outside of my department. I looked at various faculty websites in Psychology, Biology, Chemistry, and Sociology and Anthropology. With the help of Dr. Davis, McNair’s mentor lesion, I sent emails to the faculty doing similar research asking them to by my mentor. I had an in-person meeting with three of the faculty members, and one has been my faulty mentor and one has been a source of support along the way.

How did you know this was the project you wanted to do?
Spring of 2012 I studied abroad in New Delhi, India. During my time there I completed field studies on adolescent anemia, which fueled my passion for adolescent health. I knew I wanted to complete a similar project in the United States, but adolescent anemia is not as much of a problem here. Childhood obesity is of major concern the United States. As I read more research journals, the information lead me to the lack of services available for adolescent girls to prevent childhood obesity.

How much time do you put into it?
All McNair scholars must enroll in a research methodologies course with three components (lecture, library, and mentor). During the semester I spent to 10-hours per week outside of class preparing my proposal, reading journals, and increasing my methodologies foundation. Now in the summer, I spend 30- to 40-hours per week on my research project and preparing for graduate school.

What academic background did you have before you started?
Methodologies and field studies in India prepared me for some of the challenges related to field research. AFST 495, the McNair research methodologies course honed my skills for research in the United States. Various Biology and Chemistry courses prepared me for understanding the research articles, and being able to explain how nutrition plays a role in childhood obesity. English classes helped improve my writing, making me a competitive applicant for research opportunities.

How much did your mentor help you with your research?
Dr. Pinet-Peralta in the Sociology & Anthropology Department, associate director of HAPP, signed on as my mentor with the understanding we would apply to publish. Our research relationship is unique, because the project is my independent research. Dr. Pinet-Peralta has coached me through how to write literature reviews, explaining methodology, and has given me links to numerous research tools. He has not only been helpful in my project, but also in talking through graduate school.

What has been the hardest part about your research?
IRB approval, budget changes due to sequestration, and getting participants. Working with adolescent girls forced me to file for expedited review, which means they are considered a vulnerable population. The first proposal took a total of 7-weeks to get approved. Sequestration limited some of my research, which added additional time for approval of modifications. After one month into research I met with my first participant.

What was the most unexpected thing?
Research is unexpected. We spend hours putting together the ideal proposal with well-thought out methodologies, but it never works out just how you planned. There are small to large obstacles every day. My supportive mentor, the always patient McNair staff, and my previous field studies have helped guide me through the ups-and-downs of this research project.

How does your research relate to your work in other classes?
My research does not directly relate to my current classwork, but does translate into the work I plan to do in graduate school and in my career.

What is your advice to other students about getting involved in research?
Take advantage of undergraduate research opportunities at UMBC. Talk with your professors and fellow classmates about their experiences. Go to the Shiver Center and Career Services Center today to get help finding a research position or internship!

What are your career goals?
I will go on to get my PhD in either Public Health or Nutrition Biology. In Public Health I plan to focus on community health or maternal and children’s health. One day I hope to work with the United States Department of Agriculture, Center for Disease Control and Prevention, UNICEF, or a related agency. Ideally I will be able to focus on nutrition, whether preventative or couple with curative medicine.

Read her abstract here...

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is pleased to announce the availability of scholarships (includes internships) to college sophomore students majoring in STEM disciplines related to oceanic and atmospheric science, research, or technology, and supportive of the purposes of NOAA's programs and mission, e.g., biological, social and physical sciences; mathematics; engineering; and computer and information sciences. 

NOAA is accepting applications from students who will have Official Junior status in Fall 2014.

Summer Research Opportunities Program-
SROP UW-Madison

The University of Wisconsin-Madison offers a number of Summer Research Opportunities to undergraduate students. It is a unique chance for undergraduates to work closely with faculty mentors and graduate students in their major discipline. Students accepted into research programs are matched with faculty whose expertise and interests match the student’s research interest. Students gain valuable skills for success in post-graduate studies and careers in their chosen field. Upon completing their summer research, students have the opportunity to present and receive reviews of their individual work.

Meet Christine. She is a history major and current Undergraduate Research Award (URA) Scholar. Her research examines the Lost Colony of Roanoke as an historical and cultural phenomenon, specifically looking into the origin of the Dare Stones in order to define the root of the Lost Colony’s appeal to Americans and as a part of North Carolinian folklore. 

How did you find your mentor for your research project?
I had taken Dr. Bouton’s 342 history class on the American Revolution as a freshman and loved the passion he had for American history. When I began looking for a mentor, he was one of the first professors who came to mind; I knew he would have invaluable insight into not only the research process, but into the specific research I hoped to carry out.

How did you know this was the project you wanted to do?
The Lost Colony is a story I grew up with, having spent much of my time growing up at the Outer Banks, North Carolina. During a stay there September of 2012, I visited Manteo and was intrigued even more by the mystery of the missing colonists. Interestingly enough, however, few people I spoke to outside of North Carolina had ever heard of the story – and as a born and bred Southerner, and an historian as well, I knew I had to do what I could to help preserve not only the legacy of the Lost Colonists, but their continued influence through myth, legend, and fact upon the American conscience.

Is this your first independent research project?
This is my first funded independent research; however, I’m simultaneously continuing to do research on Civil War-era Virginian plantations that grew out of a history class taken during my sophomore year at UMBC.

Do you get course credit for this work? How much time do you put into it?
I am not conducting this research for course credit. I spend about 20 to 30 hours a week on the project; during late July, I am spending ten days traveling to Manteo, North Carolina, as well as visiting Brenau University, Emory University, and East Carolina University in order to interview folklorists, historians, and locals of the Manteo (originally Roanoke) area.

How did you hear about the Undergraduate Research Award (URA) program?
I was aware of the URA program through attending the URCAD presentations each spring.

Read her abstract here...

On Monday, November 4^th, UMB is hosting Nobel Prize Laureate Dr. Craig Mello for a lecture followed by a Q&A session.  Dr. Mello is the Blais University Chair in Molecular Medicine and Co-Director of the RNA Therapeutics Institute at the University of Massachusetts Medical School.  He has been a Howard Hughes Medical Investigator since 2000.  His pioneering research on RNA interference, in collaboration with Dr. Andrew Fire, has been recognized with numerous awards culminating with the prestigious 2006 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine.

When:                  November 4^th, 2013 @ 9:30 am – 11:00 am

Where:                 Medical School Teaching Facility Auditorium

                              685 West Baltimore Street

                              Baltimore, MD 21201

 

The lecture is being sponsored by The Nobel Prize Inspiration Initiative, AstraZeneca/MedImmune, and the University of Maryland, Baltimore.  This interactive session will be filmed by The Nobel Prize Inspiration Initiative as part of its global program to help Nobel Laureates share their inspirational stories and insights. 

The DOE Scholars Program offers unique opportunities that introduce students or post-graduates to the agency’s mission and operations. Participants in the DOE Scholars Program gain a competitive edge as they apply their education, talent and skills in a variety of scientific research settings within the DOE complex. Appointments are available in a variety of disciplines at participating DOE facilities nationwide.

Being selected as a DOE Scholar offers the following benefits:

• Career possibilities with the nation’s leading sponsor for scientific research
• Opportunities to learn from top scientists and subject matter experts
• Stipends of up to $650 per week (depending on academic status)
• Travel arrangements to and from appointment site

Applicants must be US Citizens and undergraduates, graduates or post-graduates of an accredited college or university.  The program is open to majors in: Engineering; Physical Sciences; Environmental Sciences; Computer Science and Information Technology; Physics; Business; Policy; Program Management; Mathematics; Statistics; Safety and Health; Accounting and Finance; Law; Communications; and other related areas.

Want to learn more about the DOE Scholars program? E-mail doescholars@orise.orau.gov or visit website.