Meet Nick.

He is a Psychology major and a current Undergraduate Research Award (URA) Scholar. He has served as a research assistant at UMBC as well as Johns Hopkins and also works as a tutor and mentor in the Learning Resources Center (LRC). His current research focuses on cognitive effects of proton irradiation at differing energy levels.

How did you find your mentor for year research project?
I originally met my mentor by going to my advisor in the psychology department and asking about what research labs the department had to offer. After hearing that the psychology department had an animal behavior lab, I researched my mentor more in-depth by reading some of his research articles. I worked in his lab for one year before I approached him about doing an independent honors thesis, and because of the expensive nature of radiation research he already had a project in mind. I worked on and developed this project for about a semester before I applied for an Undergraduate Research Award.

How did you know this was the project you wanted to do?
Due to the expensive nature of radiation research I had very little choice on the topic of the project for my honors thesis (and thus the URA program). After working on the project for about a semester I designed and implemented several new behavioral experiments and really felt confident enough in my skills to take complete ownership. While the topic was narrow in scope, I had quite a bit of freedom in designing and implementing different behavioral experimental protocols and in analyzing and interpreting the data.

Is this your first independent research project?
This is my first large independent project – I think there is a large difference between being a research assistant with a lot of responsibility on a project and truly taking ownership and leadership of a project. There are so many factors to think about when designing and implementing research studies, and it has been and continues to be such invaluable experience.

Do you get course credit for this work?
I receive PSYC 498/499H credit for this work through the psychology departmental honors program (independent honors thesis). In the beginning stages I also received research practicum credit (independent reading/psychology research).

How did you hear about the Undergraduate Research Award (URA) program?
I heard about the URA program by getting a few emails via the myUMBC Undergraduate Research group. They post a lot of different research opportunities through their group and URA is just one great program of many.

What academic background did you have before you applied for the URA?
I had about two years of experience in animal behavior through two different labs (one year as a research assistant in my mentor’s lab, and one year being a research assistant at a lab at Johns Hopkins). Barring these two experiences I don’t think I would have felt confident enough to do an independent project – I needed to get direct experience in the field first. I was able to bring to my work at UMBC a few new behavioral experiments that I learned at my other lab.

Was the URA application difficult to do?
The application was not very difficult to do – in fact I believe it helped me clarify my goals and direction (much like writing an academic CV will do). The application process helped me to see where I am at and where I’d like to be, and the application allowed practice in a very important skill: proposing research.

What else are you involved in on campus?
I am involved in the Supplemental Instruction (SI) program in the learning resources center (I have been a math/chemistry SI leader for about two years and currently help lead training sessions occasionally as well). I am also a tutor and peer mentor in the Learning Resources Center and am working towards my master-level CLRA tutor certification (which is also a fantastic program to get involved in).

What is your advice to other students about getting involved in research?
Get involved as early as possible. Don’t let your self-doubts stop you from applying to research labs. Research labs don’t expect you to have a ton of relevant experience before entering; much of the training is done on the job (so it only hurts to wait). Talk to your peers and professors!

What are your career goals?
I am applying to Ph.D. programs in both Neuroscience and Behavioral Neuroscience with a focus on the neural mechanisms of animal behavior and learning. I want to be a researcher in academia.

Read his abstract here...

Chemistry and Biochemistry undergraduate majors are invited to apply for a ten-week (May 19- July 25, 2014) research program sponsored by the National Science Foundation (NSF-REU) and 3M Corporation. Program participants will receive a stipend of $4,500, a travel allowance, and housing. Participants supported by NSF and 3M must be US citizens or permanent residents of the US. Please use the application tab above to apply to the Chemistry and Biochemistry REU Program at Georgia Tech.

Each research student carries out a research project under the direction of a faculty member in School of Chemistry and Biochemistry at Georgia Tech. Projects are available in analytical, biological, inorganic, organic, physical, and polymer chemistry. Contributions by undergraduate participants often result in publication of papers in the peer-reviewed literature with the student listed as an author. 

The Princeton Neuroscience Institute (PNI) is offering a summer internship program for highly motivated undergraduates, providing education and hands-on research experience in the field of neuroscience. Participants will closely collaborate with students and faculty at the PNI on original research projects, and thereby gain invaluable first-hand experience on what it is like to be a neuroscientist.

Summer interns will also participate in group educational activities, including weekly foundational overview lectures from PNI faculty, lab meetings with the researchers with whom they will work, journal club reading groups, plus special forums on topics such as career advice and graduate school application preparation.

Applicants must be current undergraduates, US citizens, permanent residents, or foreign undergraduates attending a US educational institution.

No stipend, housing expenses or other compensation will be provided to most interns during this summer research program.  This opportunity is offered strictly as an educational experience for highly motivated students interested in pursuing neuroscience in graduate school and beyond.

Meet Caroline... She is a Theatre major and a current Undergraduate Research Award (URA) scholar. Her research focuses on the 18-30 year-old age group and trying to understand their seeming disinterest in patronizing live theatre performances.

How did you find your mentor for year research, scholarship, or artistic project?
I took a class taught by Dr. McCully in my freshman year and was enthralled by her extensive expertise and unique perspective on the theatre. I knew that I wanted to work with her from that moment, so we began a correspondence and she helped me to develop this research idea.

How did you know this was the project you wanted to do?
It’s been a passion of mine for a long time to eliminate or reduce the current stigma carried by live theatre – that it is an elitist art form for the educated and wealthy. Determining the most effective methods to engage a very underrepresented demographic seems to be an appropriate first step.

Do you get course credit for this work?
No, but I will receive a notation on my transcript from the Shriver Center and I am developing a relationship with a potential future employer.

How much time do you put into it?
It varies at this point, but once it gets into full swing, it will be at least 10 hours a week.

How did you hear about the Undergraduate Research Award (URA) program?
I started my undergraduate career as an Interdisciplinary Studies major, and it was recommended as a resource to aid in the completion of the required capstone project. Then, when I switched my majors, I still wanted to complete the project and the URA program still made sense to help make that happen.

What academic background did you have before you applied for the URA?
I have taken many theatre classes, with a good deal of business classes (like management, entrepreneurship, and marketing) mixed in.

Was the application difficult to do?
The hardest part was deciding exactly what the project should be. Once I had that figured out, the application came fairly easily.

How much did your mentor help you with the application?
I made a rough draft and my mentor helped me shape and polish the application to be the best it could be.

What else are you involved in on campus?
I am involved in the Theatre Department and the Musical Theatre Club, and I work at the Campus Information Center. I’m also in an off-campus a capella group.

What is your advice to other students about getting involved in research?
Don’t allow yourself to be limited by traditional definitions of research. You can complete research in any field, with a wide variety of projects. Let your imagination run wild, and then the nice people in the URA program can help you focus.

What are your goals for after graduation?
I plan to get a masters degree in arts administration and then work in a local theatre for a few years, while I learn all that I possibly can. Then I will open my own theatre company.

Read her abstract here...

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.