The University System of Maryland’s Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (USM LSAMP) announces the opportunity for undergraduate scholars currently enrolled at University of Maryland, Baltimore County, Frostburg State University, or Towson University to participate in programming to enhance their summer research experience. If selected, you will join a community of undergraduate researchers, attend professional development seminars, and be eligible for a financial award totaling up to $1,500 over the course of the program. Undergraduate scholars who work with distinguished STEM faculty within the University System of Maryland qualify for the award. Student scholars conduct research over a minimum of ten weeks per semester under the direction of a faculty research mentor.  

Applicants may apply for research opportunities in any of the following NSF-classified STEM disciplines: Biological Sciences, Chemistry, Computer Science, Engineering, Environmental Science, Geosciences, Mathematics, Physics/Astronomy, or technology areas associated with the preceding fields (e.g., biotechnology, chemical technology, engineering technology, information technology).

To be eligible for the research program, applicants must be:

• A US citizen or permanent resident at one of the aforementioned institutions

• In good academic standing

• Members of racial and ethnic groups that have been historically underrepresented in STEM disciplines. All students are welcome to apply

• Students who have no previous research experience

• Graduating senior ****

Program Requirements:

• Engage in research with distinguished STEM faculty within the University System of Maryland for a minimum of ten weeks beginning on Thursday, October 3rd 2019.
  
  
• Attend an orientation session on Wednesday, October 2nd from 11:00am - 1:00pm.
  
  
• Attend three professional development workshops.
  
  
• A one-page journal entry will be submitted bi-weekly
   
  
• A 2-page culminating reflection will be submitted at the conclusion of the research experience.    
  
  
• Submit a log of their time completing research every two weeks.
  


• Awardees will be required to present a research poster and/or a give a presentation of the project results at the USM LSAMP Fall Research Symposium at the University of Maryland, College Park.  Students must attend and engage with the entire conference. Research presentations at other conferences can be substituted with prior approval on a case-by-case basis.  
  
  
• Students are also encouraged to present at URCAD and SURF at UMBC or the Annual Research Symposium at the University of Maryland, Eastern Shore. 

Please note: The NSF USM LSAMP logo and funding disclaimer must be included on the poster or presentation.

Application:

We ask that undergraduate scholars completely fill out and submit the following USM LSAMP Research Program application form. The submitted application is due no later than Sunday, September 22nd, 2019.

At UMBC “you can get to where you want to go.”

Blake Hipsley ‘19, a dual degree recipient in physics and mathematics, was a McNair Scholar. Since his sophomore year, Hipsley has pursued research through the program with Michael Hayden, professor of physics. “Research helped me open up to what I want to do in the future,” Hipsley says. “I had the chance to see if it was something I wanted to do, and I decided it is.” This fall, he’ll begin a Ph.D. in physics at the University of Michigan.

Hipsley’s parents didn’t graduate from college, but always encouraged him to pursue higher education. “My mom always encouraged us to do our best and work hard,” he shares. “I think that’s why I have this drive to always be doing so much, and I put it on myself to pay for my own school.” By applying for a multitude of scholarships and working as a tutor, Hipsley was able fund his UMBC education on his own.

Without family members who had attended college, “The only people I really could talk to about graduate school were my professors,” he says. “They really helped me a lot with getting funding, writing a personal statement, and preparing for the GRE.”

Hipsley also served as the McNair Scholars Program’s inaugural teaching fellow, a role where he advises other McNair students and provides feedback to program leadership. “McNair has helped me not only get into graduate school,” he says, “but also help others who may be struggling.”

The McNair Scholars also supported Hipsley’s personal growth. “One of the benefits of the program is that you get to meet people from all different backgrounds,” he says. As a result, he tried his first sushi and watched his first Bollywood film.

With such a caring community of support, Hispley says, at UMBC, “If you work hard and keep at it, no matter where you’re from you can get to where you want to go.”

“I’m not alone in the struggles…or alone in my successes.”

Damarius Johnson ’19, Africana studies, is also a first-generation college student as well as a transfer student from the Community College of Baltimore County. Finding close-knit communities within UMBC has been the key to success. “UMBC has supportive communities that have helped me see college graduation as feasible,” he shares, “and then allowed me to go through the ups and downs that happen as a college student.”

“The McNair Scholars Program has been instrumental as far as focusing my attention on what I’d be pursuing after graduation,” says Johnson. That attention has paid off—he’ll begin a Ph.D. in history at the Ohio State University this fall.

The Transfer Engagement and Achievement Mentoring (TEAM) Program has connected Johnson with mentors and peers who have had experiences he can relate to, such as being the first in their family to attend college, transitioning from community college to a four-year school like UMBC, or experiencing college as a young black man, he says.

Johnson shares, “Having that support has been really helpful in knowing that I’m not alone in the struggles that I have, or alone in my successes. These are people I celebrate with, too.”

Several mentors have helped Johnson through his UMBC journey, and determining his next steps, including Michael Hunt, assistant director of the McNair Scholars Program; Gloria Chuku, professor and chair of the Africana studies department; and James Hamilton, an academic advisor in the College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences. He started at UMBC not knowing what he might do afterward. But now, Johnson says, “I’m most excited about my transition from being an undergraduate to being a scholar in history. I’m excited for what that journey will be like, and to be learning in a new environment.”

“Hopefully it’s the beginning of something good for my family,” says Johnson, who has younger siblings. “I’m really happy to be able to honor them by getting to this point, because they’ve done a lot to support me.”

“[My] parents came here to give me a better life, and I’m living it.”

Ashley Batista ’19, biological sciences, is the first member of her family to graduate from college. Her parents emigrated from the Dominican Republic in search of new opportunities, and Batista was determined to make the most of her college experience. She chose to attend UMBC after hearing a woman of color speak at a UMBC event about the opportunities she was able to access as a UMBC alumna.

“I felt like she represented me,” Batista says. “I just felt really empowered, and I enjoyed how rigorous the coursework would be here. I thought it would challenge me but also prepare me well for whatever I choose to do after.”

Ashley Batista ’19, biological sciences, presents her first research poster at SURF 2018. Fernando Vonhoff (left) is her research mentor. Photo courtesy Ashley Batista.

Once on campus, Batista was particularly excited to hear about the Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation summer research fellowship—a program that supports students in historically underrepresented groups in STEM. But because she didn’t have a faculty mentor or research project lined up, she put the application aside. That was until Peter DeCrescenzo, project coordinator in the Office of Academic Opportunity Programs, reached out to encourage her to apply, offering to help connect her with a mentor.

That summer, Batista started working on Alzheimer’s research with biology professor Fernando Vonhoff, and it’s changed her life.

Being in the lab “opened a lot of doors for me to network and to figure out opportunities and programs I could be involved in after graduation,” she shares. She notes that the research itself “was really gratifying. It changed my whole perspective and my goals.” A reproductive health-focused Alternative Spring Break also helped Batista identify her path forward toward an obstetrics or pediatrics career.

On top of her research experience, Batista began organizing multicultural learning events for the UMBC community as a sister in the Zeta Sigma Chi Multicultural Sorority, Inc. That work “helped me understand and teach others about different perspectives, and create an environment where people can be open to discussion, respectful, and nonjudgmental,” she shares. “ I think that’s something that I can transfer wherever I go.”

She adds that her sorority sisters have been a huge source of support during her time at UMBC.

Batista says that while it adds challenges, being a first-generation college student has been motivating. “Whenever I’m feeling overwhelmed, I remember that my parents came here to give me a better life, and I’m living it,” she says. “It motivates me to keep going and make them proud—and to make myself proud, because I know it will be rewarding in the end.”

Ashley Batista ’19 (standing, second from right) and sorority sisters from across the East Coast volunteer at the non-profit Share Baby. Photo courtesy Ashley Batista.

The University System of Maryland’s Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (USM LSAMP) announces the opportunity for undergraduate scholars currently enrolled at University of Maryland, Baltimore County, Frostburg State University, or Towson University to participate in programming to enhance their summer research experience. If selected, you will join a community of undergraduate researchers, attend professional development seminars, and be eligible for a financial award totaling up to $3,000 over the course of the program. Undergraduate scholars who work with distinguished STEM faculty within the University System of Maryland qualify for the award. Student scholars conduct research over a minimum of eight weeks per summer under the direction of a faculty research mentor.  

Applicants may apply for research opportunities in any of the following NSF-classified STEM disciplines: Biological Sciences, Chemistry, Computer Science, Engineering, Environmental Science, Geosciences, Mathematics, Physics/Astronomy, or technology areas associated with the preceding fields (e.g., biotechnology, chemical technology, engineering technology, information technology).

To be eligible for the research program, applicants must be:

• A US citizen or permanent resident at one of the aforementioned institutions

• In good academic standing

• Members of racial and ethnic groups that have been historically underrepresented in STEM disciplines. All students are welcome to apply

• Students who have no previous research experience

• Underclassmen who have less than 60 credits

Program Requirements:

• Engage in research with distinguished STEM faculty within the University System of Maryland for a minimum of eight weeks beginning on Monday, June 10th 2019.
  
  
• Attend an orientation session on Monday, June 3rd from 11:00am - 12:30pm.
  
  
• Attend weekly programming on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from 11:00am - 12:30pm.
  
  
• A one-page journal entry will be submitted each week based on your experience 
   
  
• A 3-5 page culminating reflection will be submitted at the conclusion of the research experience.    
  
  
• Submit a log of their time completing research every two weeks.
  


• Awardees will be required to present a research poster and/or a give a presentation of the project results at the USM LSAMP Fall Research Symposium at the University of Maryland, College Park.  Students must attend and engage with the entire conference. Research presentations at other conferences can be substituted with prior approval on a case-by-case basis.  
  
  
• Students are also encouraged to present at URCAD and SURF at UMBC or the Annual Research Symposium at the University of Maryland, Eastern Shore. 

Please note: The NSF USM LSAMP logo and funding disclaimer must be included on the poster or presentation.

Application:

We ask that undergraduate scholars completely fill out and submit the following USM LSAMP Research Program application form. The submitted application is due no later than Friday, May 3rd, 2019.