Welcome & Community Building Reception

Thank you for visiting this event’s information page. We also ask that you CREATE a profile on The Center for the Integration of Research, Teaching, and Leadership (CIRTL) website: https://www.cirtl.net so that you can access materials that are part of the national center.

Please RSVP in the following link at myUMBC if you are UMBC affiliated by clicking the “I can attend” button at the bottom: https://my3.my.umbc.edu/groups/promise/events/61224.

If you do not have a UMBC account, please email promisestaff@gmail.com with the following items:

Subject line: T&L Seminar

The body of the email with the following information: Full name, Campus, and Department

Continental breakfast and lunch will be served.

Topics include:

• $2000 “Professors in Training” (PROF-it) Opportunities at the Community College of Baltimore County (CCBC) – UMBC/CCBC Teaching Fellows Program
• Teaching Undergraduates Through the “Introduction to an Honors University (IHU)” Program
• The Center for the Integration of Research, Teaching, and Leadership (CIRTL) – UMBC’s Role in the national center, and available resources
• “Teaching Disciplinary Thinking” 
• Instructional Technologies (Including Blackboard, Bb screencasting, and Bb Collaborate for virtual office hours.)  
• Conflict Resolution: What Every TA Needs to Know
• Assisting Students with Disabilities
• Counseling Center
• Panels of experienced TAs and instructors in Social Sciences and Humanities disciplines, and for Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) fields.

Don’t Miss the Opportunity to Present
FIRST TIME IN THE U.S.A

Undergraduate and graduate students are invited to submit an abstract – Extended deadline is now July 30, 2018.

For abstract submission go to the following link:

https://www.xcdsystem.com/weef/abstract/index.cfm?ID=CK3RwTr

Letter from the WEEF-GEDC chair:

“Dear colleague,

Peace engineering envisions and works towards a world where prosperity, sustainability, social equity, entrepreneurship, transparency, community voice and engagement, and a culture of quality thrive. Engineers have the power to play a vital role in delivering creative solutions that can radically transform and improve human and natural wellbeing.

As we educate future engineers, we must ensure that they embrace their role as engineers of peace. We must provide them with the skills, understanding, capacity for reflection, sense of social responsibility and ethics, and resources to successfully navigate the socio-political impacts of their projects, engage in transdisciplinary developments and frankly, imagine, design, and create a better world for us all.

On behalf of the conference planning committee, I would like to invite you to submit an abstract for presentation or poster to the 2018 World Engineering Education Forum – Global Engineering Dean’s Council to be held in the heart of the Southwest, Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Ramiro Jordan, PhD
Chair, 2018 WEEF-GEDC”

In 2003, “SUCCESS 2003” (later named the PROMISE Summer Success Institute or “SSI”) brought together graduate students in STEM from underrepresented groups in Maryland for a conference and series of workshops with the goal of building a community of scholars who would finish graduate degrees and go on to be professors and leaders in their respective fields.

We started with three schools: UMBC, the University of Maryland College Park (UMCP), and the University of Maryland Baltimore (UMB). Currently, PROMISE is led by these primary partners, and operates under the imprimatur of the University System of Maryland (USM: 12 institutions, 2 regional centers), and has partnered with the Maryland Independent College and University Association (MICUA) to include students from their 15 member and affiliate institutions) to serve graduate students throughout the state of Maryland.  PROMISE alumni are tenured professors, department chairs, NSF and NIH grantees, and leaders in government, corporate, and non-profit sectors. Our alumni are now sending their students to PROMISE, and PROMISE is pleased to be connected to the AGEP community at-large.

Link to PROMISE SSI archive: https://promiseagep.com/promise/the-promise-summer-success-institute-ssi/

We will be using Whova (you can download it from Google Play or the App Store) for our event’s agenda, so please make sure to download the app and create a profile using the same email address you will be using to register at the following link when requesting your ticket:

Download Whova app:

Get Whova Now

Sneak peek of our event’s agenda: Whova agenda

If you are prompted to input an invitation code, use the following: PROMISE2018

UPDATE: 10:00 AM EST, Weds. 8/15/18: 

Our ticketing process has ended, but we have made space for you at the conference! Since you plan to come, we will need you to register onsite on Saturday. However, let us know that you are coming and send an email asap to promisestaff@gmail.com with the subject “PROMISE SSI 2018 On-site.” Within the message, please give us the following information (a quick 3-minute exercise): 1) Name, 2) Institution, 3) Academic discipline, 4) Department, 5) Current level (MS, PhD, Postdoc, etc.), 6) Long-term degree goal, and 7) Career goals (short-term, and long-term). We also encourage you to open or fire up your Twitter account and tweet using the hashtag #ThinkBigDiversity to let us know that you will be with us on Saturday, 8/18/18!

FAMILIES ARE INVITED TO ATTEND. We are honoring “The Jessica Effect.”

$$ This conference is free.

 The conference is sponsored by the National Foundation and our partners. We encourage you to support our speakers through purchasing their books and engaging with them on social media.

Join us for SUCCESS 2018, a Maryland Pipeline Professional Development Conference, which will include activities for undergraduate students through the USM’s Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (LSAMP) on August 17, and the PROMISE SSI on Saturday, August 18.

Attire: Business and business casual. We are asking that all guest plan to wear colors that represent our cohesion as an alliance. All of the logos for the University System of Maryland’s institutions and schools that are partners in the PROMISE Engineering Institute have combinations and variations of these colors.

Social Media: #ThinkBigDiversity

Our hashtag for @PROMISE_AGEP is #ThinkBigDiversity is most prominent on Twitter, however, we also post on our PROMISE Instagram (#ThinkBigDiversity on Instagram) and PROMISE Facebook (#ThinkBigDiversity on Facebook) pages. Please join us in the #ThinkBigDiversity movement.  (ASEE paper: Hashtag #ThinkBigDiversity: Social Media Hacking Activities as Hybridized Mentoring Mechanisms for Underrepresented Minorities in STEM; Computing Research Newspaper: Expanding the Pipeline: PROMISE Brings a New Phase of #ThinkBigDiversity to Maryland Grad Students).

PROMISE Summer Success Institute (SSI) 2018:

8/18/18

Saturday, August 18, 2018

(Pre-conference LSAMP-sponsored activities for undergraduate students Aug. 17, 2018.)

For Sponsorship Package options to support the 2018 SSI please click on the following link: Sponsorship packages for the PROMISE AGEP Summer Success Institute 2018.

PROMISE

#ThinkBigDiversity

Global. STEM. Inclusive.

Agenda (To be updated):

Friday: 8/17/18 (Pre-conference)

• 8:30 AM – 5:30 PM: LSAMP Bridging Conference for New/Incoming Undergraduate and Transfer Students

  • 2nd Floor Ballroom

• 6:00 PM: Speakers’ Orientation Welcome Dinner

  • Washington Room, 2nd Floor

Saturday: 8/18/18

• 7:45 AM – Registration – Coffee & Networking

  • 2nd Floor Atrium

• 8:18 AM – Welcome & Opening Session

  • Opening Statement: Yarazeth Medina, Program Coordinator, University System of Maryland (USM) PROMISE AGEP & USM Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (LSAMP); Graduate Student Development & Postdoctoral Affairs, UMBC
  • Introduction to the SSI: Renetta G. Tull, Founding Director, PROMISE AGEP & the PROMISE Engineering Institute, Professor of the Practice (College of Engineering & IT, UMBC)

• Career & Leadership Development Breakfast Program 

  • Dr. Talitha Hampton-Mayo: Branding Yourself for Academic and Professional Success
  • Dr. David Mayo, Project, Engineer, Aerospace Corporation (UM College Park Alum)
  • Dr. Sandra M. Quezada, Assistant Dean for Admissions, Assistant Dean for Academic and Multicultural Affairs, Assistant Professor of Medicine, Course Director for Medical Spanish, University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB)
  • Dr. M. Antonio Silas, Director of Off-campus Student Services, UMBC
  • Maria Lund Dahlberg, Program Officer with the Board on Higher Education and Workforce focused on the Science of Effective mentoring in STEMM. She has worked with a number of groups across the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, including the Committee on Science, Engineering, Medicine, and Public Policy, the central Office of Communications, and the National Academy of Medicine.
• 
  •  World Wildlife Fund: Global Careers in Conservation
    • 1. Mary Ta, Program Officer, Sustainability Research and Development2. Dawn Deskins, Senior Program Officer, Business Services3. Annisah Smith, Business Services Intern4. Megan McDaniels, Program Associate, Resilient Coastal Ecosystems
      5. Grace Lee, Associate Specialist, Activism and Outreach

• 8:45 “Your Social Media Presence on the World Stage and Claiming your Place as a Global Change Agent”

  • Speaker:  Dr. Renetta G. Tull, Founding Director of PROMISE,  Engineering Report II team for the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), Global Engineering Deans Council/Airbus Diversity Finalist, VP for Initiatives for the Latin and Caribbean Consortium of Engineering Institutions (LACCEI). Twitter @Renetta_Tull.
  • Interactive Breakfast Round Tables with Hosts continue with the keynote.
  • 2nd Floor Ballroom

• 9:30 AM – “The James West LEGENDS Panel: Transferring the Wisdom”

• This panel honors Professor James West: Inventor, Professor, Diversity Champion.  US News and World Report states, “ANY MODERN PHONE CALL placed, voice recording captured, karaoke song belted or conversation amplified via hearing aid would not be possible without James West.” Read more here: https://www.usnews.com/news/stem-solutions/articles/2018-01-24/scientist-james-west-on-finding-passion-inventing-the-electret-microphone-and-pushing-through-adversity

• • Moderator: PROMISE Co-Founder, Dr. Janet C. Rutledge, Vice Provost and Dean of the Graduate School, UMBC, Associate Professor, Computer Science and Electrical Engineering.
  • Dr. James E. West, Professor, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Johns Hopkins University.
  • Dr. Eugene M. DeLoatch, Dean Emeritus, School of Engineering, Morgan State University.
  • Dr. Johnetta G. Davis, PROMISE Co-Founder, Former Associate Dean of the Graduate School – University of Maryland College Park, Professor Emeritus, University of Maryland College Park
  • Via Twitter – Dr. Lydia Villa-Komaroff, Co-Founding Team Member of SACNAS – the Society for Advancing Chicano/Hispanic & Native American Scientists.
  • Closing Tribute: Dr. Darryll Pines, Dean, A. James Clark School of Engineering, and Nariman Farvardin Professor of Aerospace Engineering.

Panel Sponsor: 

• 10:20 AM Circle of Doctorates & Embracing “The Pact”

  • Setting the Stage with Dr. Karsonya “Kaye” Wise Whitehead, Associate Professor, Loyola University, and Host of Radio Program, “Today with Dr. Kaye” – WEAA 88.9FM (NPR affiliate), @KayeWhitehead

• Dr. Daniel Jean, Executive Director of EOF and Academic Development, EOF and Academic Success, Montclair State University, @WordsTravel

• 11:00 AM #ThinkBigDiversity Group Tweets, Part I 

• 11:10 AM Networking Break

  • #ThinkBigDiversity Memories
    • Make sure to come by and say “hi” to Jamie Lybarger.
      • Find her set-up on a table near the ballroom entrance.
      • She will help you make a sign that you can use for the photo contest.
    • Whova #ThinkBigDiversity Photo Shoot & Contest
    • Networking with Speakers

• 11:30 AM #ThinkBigDiversity Breakout Sessions

11:30 CONCURRENT SESSION #1: Advanced Undergraduate Students and New/Incoming students:  Preparing for your First Year in Graduate School and Preparing for the NSF GRFP Fellowship

Baltimore Room – 2nd Floor

Part 1: Preparing for your First Year in Graduate School

• Dr. Levon Esters, Associate Professor, Department of Agricultural Sciences Education and Communication, Purdue University.
• Dr. Marquita Qualls, Leadership Coach/Founder, Entropia Consulting, Inc.
• Dr. Hiro Okahana, Council of Graduate Schools.
• Miryam Gerdine, Health Resources and Services Administration, and Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health

Panel Sponsors:

Part II: Preparing for the NSF GRFP Fellowship

• • Dr. Frances Carter-Johnson, Data Scientist, National Science Foundation

  • Dr. Lola Brown, Assistant Dean for Research, Weill Cornell Medicine

• 11:30 CONCURRENT SESSION #2: Continuing Students: Squad Goals! Learn how to find your squad, avoid isolation, and work together to finish your degree 

Washington Room, 2nd Floor

Perhaps you have friends from childhood, undergrad, cousins, or people who were in some of your classes in grad school, or connections that you made through PROMISE. You can make a pact and a plan with your “squad” to meet your goals, and complete that graduate degree.

• • • Squad Goals Moderator: Dr. Yaihara Fortis-Santiago with online video guest: Dr. Mónica I. Feliú-Mójer, Program Manager, University of California San Francisco.
    • Special Guest Stories and Advice From:
      • The Dream Girls – Jacqueline Ladd, MS, Washington Bible College & Loyola University Maryland, Gaye Stokes, Liberty University & Loyola University Maryland, Schonette Jones-Walker, Esq., Wesleyan University & Howard University. “From Jersey to Japan, between them, these women have experience as military veterans, wives, mothers, grad school, but most importantly — friends. They are “The Dream Girls” and they keep each others’ dreams alive. They will inspire you too!” (Schools: Washington Bible College, Loyola, Georgetown, and Howard U.)

• • • The Sorors – Dr. Silvia L. Mazzula, Associate Professor, Department of Psychology, City University of New York, and Dr. Cynthia Guzmán – Founder and President of Owl Springs Consulting, LLC. (Online participation)
      • Two sorors, different colleges, different states, different times, become PhDs, mental health experts, and on a social justice mission

Dr. Guzmán is Founder and President of Owl Springs Consulting, LLC (OSC), which aims to build culturally competent care and capacity within healthcare facilities that serve the American Indian/Alaskan Native community. Owl Springs Consulting, LLC (OSC) is a firm supporting tribal sovereignty, self-governance and self-determination efforts through the assumption of eligible programs via Self-Governance compacts or Self-Determination contracts authorized under the 1975 Indian Self Determination & Education Assistance Act.

• • • The #HU7 – Seven former engineering undergraduates from Howard University decide that they will all get PhDs. More than 20 years later, they are among leaders in areas of education, non-profit, government, and industry.

The #HU7: Full Story

1. Dr. Jaret C. Riddick (Mechanical Engineering): Dr. Riddick on LinkedIn, Director, Vehicle Technology Directorate (VTD) at the US Army Research Laboratory (ARL).

2. Dr. John S. Davis, II (Electrical Engineering): Senior Information Scientist; Professor, Pardee RAND Graduate School; Co-Director, Center for Scalable Computing and Analysis, The RAND Corporation.

3. Dr. Renetta Garrison Tull (Electrical Engineering): Associate Vice Provost for Strategic Initiatives at UMBC, Professor of the Practice in the College of Engineering and IT.

4. Dr. Makola M. Abdullah (Civil Engineering): Dr. Abdullah is the 14th president of Virginia State University.

5. Dr. Carl A. Moore (Mechanical Engineering): Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering at the Florida A&M University- Florida State University College of Engineering.

6. Dr. Kimberly L. Jones (Civil Engineering): Professor and Chair of the Department of Civil Engineering at Howard with profile pages here, and here.

7. Dr. Fred Ware (Electrical Engineering): Dr. Ware specializes in hardware platforms for video and digital imaging. He has worked for several companies including Raytheon and CISCO.

• 11:30 CONCURRENT SESSION #3: Postdocs, Professors, and Professionals – PP&P: Advancing Your Professional Life

Severn Room – 2nd Floor (Ballroom, Far right)

Moderators: Dr. Autumn M. Reed,  Director of UMBC STRIDE, Coordinator, Faculty Diversity Initiatives ADVANCE Program, UMBC Office of the Provost

Dr. Blessing Enekwe, Program Director, Postdoctoral Affairs, University of Maryland College Park

Round Table Leaders:

• Improving your LinkedIn Profile: Dr. Elisse Wright Barnes, LinkedIn Trainer
• How to Win a Center Grant: Dr. Maria Tamargo – City University of New York.
• Pursuing Faculty Excellence Without Going to “The Sunken Place” – A look at the B-Index: Dr. Beronda Montgomery – Michigan State University, Lead for “mentorWELL” – Follow @BerondaM
• How I became a Department Chair: Dr. Leona Harris, Chair, Division of Sciences and Mathematics, Associate Professor of Mathematics, College of Arts and Sciences,University of the District of Columbia
• Writing a Career Award: Dr. Brian Burt, Iowa State University
• How I became a “Queen Maker” – Examples from developing women leaders: Dr. Gilda Barabino,  Berg Professor and Dean of The City College of New York’s Grove School of Engineering.
• How to Publish without Perishing: Dr. Ramon Goings, Loyola University [via Twitter @RamonGoings].
• Tips for preparing strong research funding proposals to the intelligence community: Dr. Carl McCants, Technical Director at Office of the Director of National Intelligence, National Counterintelligence and Security Center (ODNI-NCSC).
• Developing a global reputation through excellence in teaching: Dr. Spencer Benson, Founder and Director of Education Innovations Intl. Consulting/University of Macau, former Director, of the Centre for Teaching and Learning Enhancement, University of Macau SAR, PRC, (2013-2017), and former director of the Center for Teaching Excellence at the University of Maryland, College Park MD, US (2003-2013).

Panel Sponsors:

NSF Career Award #1651808 – PI: Dr. Brian Burt

• • • Evaluations: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/FDM6SSL

• 1:00 Luncheon: “Invitation to Engage”

  • Welcome: PROMISE AGEP Co-PI, Jeffrey Franke, Assistant Dean and Chief of Staff, The Graduate School, University of Maryland College Park
• 
  • Ballroom – 2nd Floor

  • Table Hosts – Administrators, Faculty, and Staff from the University System of Maryland.

• 1:45 Luncheon Program

  • Welcome from the University System of Maryland – Dr. Joann Boughman, Senior Vice Chancellor for Academic and Student Affairs

• Recognition of Doctoral Candidates 

  • All doctoral candidates will be invited to come to the front to share their name, school, department, dissertation topic, and expected year of graduation.
  • Moderators:
    • Dr. Erin Golembewski, Senior Associate Dean, Graduate School, University of Maryland Baltimore (UMB)
    • Dr. TaShara C. Bailey, Senior Program Specialist and PROMISE Director, University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB)
    • 

      

• 2:00 Special Guest Speaker:

Astrophysicist Dr. Keivan Stassun, 2018 AAAS Mentor Awardee, Stevenson Professor, Physics & Astronomy, Vanderbilt University

Professor
Senior Associate Dean for Graduate Education and Research, College of Arts and Science
National Science Foundation CAREER Award (2004)
Research Corporation Cottrell Scholar (2006)
Ford Foundation Fellow (2007)
Fletcher Foundation Fellow (2009)
American Association for the Advancement of Science Fellow (2012)

Article: Astrophysicist Keivan Stassun Wins 2018 AAAS Mentor Award

Sponsor: American Association for the Advancement of Sciences (AAAS)

• 2:30 #ThinkBigDiversity Dessert “Tweet” Reception

  • Hotel Ballroom
  • Renew the Pacts
  • Meet speakers and mentors
  • Solidify connections
  • Make new friends!

MUSIC by: Dr. Damon Bradley/DJ, Creator of TechnoFist – NASA Engineering Leader & International DJ, brings his music to the PROMISE SSI. Dr. Bradley was the DJ for another PROMISE event in May. Read more here, regarding his commitment to STEM and to music. We are pleased to have him join us. He is a rocket scientist and a DJ. Guests can chat with him about pursuing passions.

Social Media Stars:

Tweeting Live from SSI 2018:

Dr. Stephani Page, Founder of #BlackAndSTEM, @The PurplePage

Dr. Patti Lopez, Latinas in Computing @LatinasInC

• 4:00 Speakers’ Networking Reception

  • Hotel – Upper Floor (by invitation)

Sunday: 8/19/18 (Post-conference)

• • • 9:00 AM “Annual Graduate Student Breakfast & Chat”

      • Breakfast with Dr. Renetta Tull, PROMISE Director. Each year, following the SSI, Dr. Tull meets with grad students over breakfast and coffee for a casual chat. Discussions can include anything related to work, career, or life.
      • Location: Bagels ‘N’ Grinds Restaurant (across the street from the Hotel at Arundel Preserve, 7791 Arundel Mills Boulevard
        Hanover, MD 21076) – Cost: On your own – typical cost of bagel sandwich and coffee will be less than $10.

Photographers: 

{IMAGE – FEATURED}

In 2003, “SUCCESS 2003” (later named the PROMISE Summer Success Institute or “SSI”) brought together graduate students in STEM from underrepresented groups in Maryland for a conference and series of workshops with the goal of building a community of scholars who would finish graduate degrees and go on to be professors and leaders in their respective fields.

We started with three schools: UMBC, the University of Maryland College Park (UMCP), and the University of Maryland Baltimore (UMB). Now, in 2017, PROMISE is led by these primary partners, and operates under the imprimatur of the University System of Maryland (USM: 12 institutions, 2 regional centers), and has partnered with the Maryland Independent College and University Association (MICUA) to include students from their 15 member and affiliate institutions) to serve graduate students throughout the state of Maryland.  PROMISE alumni are tenured professors, department chairs, NSF and NIH grantees, and leaders in government, corporate, and non-profit sectors. Our alumni are now sending their students to PROMISE, and PROMISE is pleased to be connected to the AGEP community at-large.

{BUTTON – EVENTBRITE}

$$ This conference is free, sponsored by the National Foundation and our partners. We encourage you to support our speakers through purchasing their books and engaging with them on social media. 

Please save the date, and mark this page so that you can join us for SUCCESS 2018, a Maryland Pipeline Professional Development Conference, which will include activities for undergraduate students through the USM’s Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (LSAMP) on August 17, and the PROMISE SSI on Saturday, August 18.

Social Media: #ThinkBigDiversity

Our hashtag for @PROMISE_AGEP is #ThinkBigDiversity is most prominent on Twitter, however, we also post on our PROMISE Instagram (#ThinkBigDiversity on Instagram) and PROMISE Facebook (#ThinkBigDiversity on Facebook) pages. Please join us in the #ThinkBigDiversity movement.  (ASEE paper: Hashtag #ThinkBigDiversity: Social Media Hacking Activities as Hybridized Mentoring Mechanisms for Underrepresented Minorities in STEM; Computing Research Newspaper: Expanding the Pipeline: PROMISE Brings a New Phase of #ThinkBigDiversity to Maryland Grad Students)

PROMISE Summer Success Institute (SSI) 2018:

8/18/18

Saturday, August 18, 2018

(Pre-conference LSAMP-sponsored activities for undergraduate students Aug. 17, 2018.)

The Hotel at Arundel Preserve, Hanover, MD

For Sponsorship Package options to support the 2018 SSI please click on the following link: Sponsorship packages for the PROMISE AGEP Summer Success Institute 2018.

Global Citizenry and PROMISE as the Ubiquitous Alternative Space

#ThinkBigDiversity III

Tentative Agenda:

• 7:45 AM – Registration
• 8:18 AM – Welcome from Dr. Tull and then Breakfast Roundtables
• 9:00 AM Plenary
• 9:40 AM Plenary
• 10:20 AM Circle of Doctorates
• 11:00 AM Group Tweets, part I 
• 11:10 AM Networking Break
  • #ThinkBigDiversity signs
  • Networking, Photos, posting
• 11:30 AM #ThinkBigDiversity Breakout sessions
  • New students: 
  • Continuing Students: 
  • PPP: 
• 1:00 Lunch
  • USM hosts
• 1:45 Recognition of Candidates
• 2:00 Speaker
• 2:30 Reception

The School of Engineering at Campbell University (http://www.campbell.edu/engineering/, http://www.campbell.edu/about/history-quick-facts/) seeks three Engineering Faculty for full-time, tenure-track positions at the rank of Assistant, Associate or Full Professor. One position in Mechanical Engineering begins Fall 2018 and is focused on teaching the thermal, energy and fluid sciences. Two positions (one in Mechanical Engineering, focused on teaching a common senior design sequence, and one in Electrical Engineering, focused on teaching sophomore and junior-level courses) begin in January 2019. Campbell’s BS in Engineering program (with concentrations in mechanical engineering, chemical engineering and electrical engineering) welcomed its inaugural first-year class in fall 2016. These positions present faculty with a unique opportunity to provide leadership in building an innovative engineering program and the prominence of the new School and University.

Responsibilities

Duties will include: develop, implement and teach project-based engineering curricula; actively participate in the scholarship of teaching and learning; engage in student advising, student organizations, assessment, accreditation activities, and committee responsibilities. Applicants should be interested in contributing leadership toward the development of the engineering program. Candidates must be committed to innovative engineering undergraduate education; dedicated to excellence in undergraduate teaching, mentoring students, and scholarship; and committed to the University’s mission.

Qualifications

Candidates are required to have a PhD in Mechanical Engineering or Electrical Engineering, respectively, or a closely related engineering discipline from an accredited institution of higher education; experience developing and teaching project-based engineering curricula; and knowledge of the current practices and research pertaining to innovative undergraduate engineering curricula.

Applications

Interested applicants should apply online at http://www.campbell.edu/about/employment/ and include a cover letter of introduction, a curriculum vita, and contact information for five professional references. Questions may be directed to Dr. Jenna Carpenter, Dean, School of Engineering [carpenter@campbell.edu].

Campbell University maintains a continuing policy of nondiscrimination in employment. It is our policy to provide equal opportunity in all phases of the employment process and in compliance with applicable federal, state, and local laws and regulations. Accordingly, the University is committed to administering all educational and employment activities without discrimination as to race, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, ethnicity or national origin, religion, disability, genetic information, protected veteran status and any other characteristic protected by law, except where appropriate and authorized by law.

EEO/AA/Minorities/Females/Disabled/Protected Veterans

2018 Summer Horizons Program

• Friday, June 29, 2018
• The 2018 program will begin at 9:00 AM and will end at 11:30 AM. (Registration and Seating will begin at 8:30 AM)
• UMBC Commons Building, Floor 2, Game Room
• Light breakfast refreshments will be provided.
• This event is FREE to the public but (participants must register). 

Are you interested in pursuing graduate education in a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) area? Do you have doubts about the application process, inquiries about next steps, or questions about deadlines?

Our Summer Horizons Program is for you!

• Directions and Parking: http://about.umbc.edu/visitors-guide/directions/
• Google maps link: UMBC Commons Driving Directions
• Parking: If you are not a UMBC student you will need to cover your own parking. Please use the pay to park stations around campus. The nearest one is in the Commons Drive garage, the first floor. Please see the rest of the stations marked with a “P ” letter (metered parking) in this map.

AGENDA

8:30 – 9:00 a.m

• Registration

9:00 a.m.

• Welcome
• Renetta G. Tull, Ph.D., Associate Vice Provost for Strategic Initiatives, Director of PROMISE: Maryland’s AGEP
• Sundiata “Sunji” Jangha, Director Upward Bound Mathematics and Science Center Academic Opportunity Programs, Co-PI, National Science Foundation’s LSAMP Program
• Justine M. Johnson, M.A., Associate Director, Meyerhoff Graduate Fellows Program (moderator)

9:10 a.m.

• Preparing for Graduate Study: Timelines and Choices
  • K. Jill Barr, J.D.,  Sr. Assistant Dean of Graduate Enrollment, The Graduate School
  • D. Michael Suica,  Manager, Recruitment and Admissions, The Graduate School

9:40 a.m.

• Elements of the Graduate School Application: GRE, Transcripts, Letters of Recommendation, Statement of Purpose
  • Renetta G. Tull, Ph.D., Associate Vice Provost for Strategic Initiatives, Director of PROMISE: Maryland’s AGEP

10:00 a.m.

• Understanding Graduate School – Panel of Graduate Students

10:30 a.m.

• Introduction: Justine M. Johnson, M.A., Associate Director, Meyerhoff Graduate Fellows Program (moderator)
• Key Note Speaker:  Freeman A. Hrabowski III, Ph.D., President, UMBC

11:30 a.m. Evaluations and Adjourn

About our Keynote Speaker

Dr. Freeman Hrabowski III 

Dr. Freeman A. Hrabowski, President of UMBC (University of Maryland, Baltimore County) since 1992, is a consultant on science and math education to national agencies, universities, and school systems. He was named by President Obama to chair the President’s Advisory Commission on Educational Excellence for African Americans. He also chaired the National Academies’ committee that produced the report, Expanding Underrepresented Minority Participation: America’s Science and Technology Talent at the Crossroads (2011). His 2013 TED talk highlights the “Four Pillars of College Success in Science.”

Named one of the 100 Most Influential People in the World by TIME (2012) and one of America’s Best Leaders by U.S. News & World Report (2008), he also received TIAA-CREF’s Theodore M. Hesburgh Award for Leadership Excellence (2011), the Carnegie Corporation’s Academic Leadership Award (2011), and the Heinz Award (2012) for contributions to improving the “Human Condition.” UMBC has been recognized as a model for inclusive excellence by such publications as U.S. News, which the past eight years has recognized UMBC as a national leader in academic innovation and undergraduate teaching. Dr. Hrabowski’s most recent book, Holding Fast to Dreams: Empowering Youth from the Civil Rights Crusade to STEM Achievement, describes the events and experiences that played a central role in his development as an educator and leader.

Summer Horizons is co-sponsored by PROMISE: Maryland’s AGEP, The Meyerhoff Graduate Biomedical Fellows Program, the USM Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation, and The Graduate School at UMBC.

For additional resources, including access to funding opportunities: Please visit the Institute for Broadening Participation’s website,  “Pathways to Science,”  and fill out the form in the left corner:  http://www.pathwaystoscience.org/. The website has information on a variety of opportunities, which include as an example, a wealth of information on funding and internships through NASA:  http://www.pathwaystoscience.org/nasa.aspx. Our student participants have taken advantage of this resource in the past, and several have had offers for great opportunities. 

Related articles

• President Obama Appoints UMBC President as Chair of National Education Commission(baltimore.cbslocal.com)

Dr. Damon Bradley is a NASA Scientist and an international DJ. He is an example of one who can reach the sky and live the dream. Dr. Bradley,  a DJ and creator of TechnoFist, will be the featured artist at the PROMISE Cookout today, 1:00 PM, Centennial Park, Columbia/Ellicott City, Maryland.

Damon Bradley received his PhD from UMBC. The Computer Science and Electrical Engineering (CSEE) department interviewed him several years ago, when he was a student. Here is a quote from 2012.

“Originally from South Philadelphia, Damon got his B.S. in Electrical Engineering from Penn State. In 2006, Damon came to UMBC and is now a pursuing his Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering. When he’s not studying, Damon works as founder and group leader of the Digital Signal Processing Technology Group at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, takes care of his family, and occasionally enjoys electronic dance music at nightclubs in Washington D.C. and New York City.”

Things have literally “taken flight” since then!

SPACE

Damon Bradley is now Damon Bradley, PhD, and he co-leads projects that will put instruments into space. The NASA website quotes Dr. Bradley:

“Basically, what we’re doing is miniaturizing a 100-year-old radio receiver signal-processing technology,” said ECHOES co-Principal Investigator Damon Bradley, who led the development of the digital signal-processing system for the radiometer on NASA’s Soil Moisture Active Passive, or SMAP mission, which tracks global soil-moisture levels. “ECHOES is essentially a low-frequency radar that uses space-based digital-signal processing, as on SMAP, but for probing the ionosphere as opposed to mapping global soil-moisture levels.”

Goddard’s Shing Fung (left), Mark Adrian (standing), and Damon Bradley (right) are miniaturizing a century-old technology for studying the ionosphere potentially from a constellation of CubeSats. Bradley is holding an electronics board that the team will migrate to the Goddard Geophysical and Astronomical Observatory later this year for testing.
Credits: NASA/W. Hrybyk

MUSIC

On the music scene, The Resident Advisor notes that he has been a veteran of the music scene since the 90’s, but that he started DJ’ing years later.

He started DJ’ing around 2007, playing progressive house for a few parties and UMBC’s student radio station while in graduate school. He returned to his techno roots in 2010 and started DJ’ing techno in 2015 in Washington DC.

From the Resident Advisor:

Damon is the creator of TechnoFist and is also one of the co-founders of SEQUENCE in DC. Currently, he’s focused on exposing the boundaries of techno to as many people as possible, and he does this using the TechnoFist group and TechnoFist podcast he created in 2014 and 2015, respectively. He curates both new and classic techno on TechnoFist which now has over 1,200 members, mostly from New York, Washington DC, and various countries in Europe. Damon has played in various places in Washington DC, including Jimmy Valentines, and Dr. Clocks Nowhere Bar for the Degenerate, Void Archive, and Phonic parties. More recently, Damon joined forces with Ron Jackson, Jacob Knibb, Boss Ross, and Juana to form SEQUENCE, an ambitious underground techno event series that aims to push the Washington DC techno scene as far as possible.

You can hear more of TechnoFist on SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/technofist

STEM

In addition to being a leader at NASA, and a DJ, Dr. Bradley gives talks around the world. He was a speaker at the recent USA Science and Engineering Festival, where the bio notes that his NASA Digital Signal Processing Technology Group won an award, and that he is an advocate for STEM literacy.

 “The group recently received the NASA Applied Engineering Technology Directorate Win New Work Award for having achieved 10 Internal Research and Development wins over a four-year period while being staffed by only five group members. He has a special passion for inspiring young students in science literacy and STEM. He is also the founder of the National Society of Black Engineers, Greenbelt Space Chapter, which has been running strong since 2004.”

Dr. Damon Bradley. Photo: USA Science and Engineering Festival.

TODAY

DJ Damon Bradley will be the featured artist at the 2018 PROMISE Friends and Family Cookout, today.

• Date: Saturday, May 5, 2018
• Time: 1:00 PM – 4:00 PM
• Location: Centennial Park – Pavilion D, MD
• Address: 10000 MD-108 Ellicott City, MD 21042

The music will go until approximately 2:30 PM, and then graduates will be recognized. (Program pushed up to avoid pending rain.)

Damon Bradley first came to the PROMISE Cookout many years ago, when he was thinking about going to graduate school. He spent time meeting other people, and talking with Dr. Janet Rutledge, who is one of the PROMISE Founders, CSEE faculty, and current Dean of The Graduate School at UMBC. He says that coming back to the PROMISE cookout brings him “full circle.”

DJ Damon Bradley’s participation in the PROMISE Cookout is sponsored by the Graduate Student Development Unit, of The Graduate School at UMBC.

References: 

NASA (2017), NASA Team Miniaturizes Century-Old Technology for Use on CubeSats, https://www.nasa.gov/feature/goddard/2017/nasa-team-miniaturizes-century-old-technology-for-use-on-cubesatsnasa-team-miniaturizes

Resident Advisor Ltd (2018).  Damon Bradley, (DJ Biography),   https://www.residentadvisor.net/dj/damonbradley/biography

UMBC (2012)  Damon C. Bradley, Department of Computer Science and Electrical Engineering: Inspiring Innovation, https://www.csee.umbc.edu/2012/10/damon-c-bradley/

USA Science and Engineering Festival (2018). Damon Bradley, Research Engineer, NASA, Speaker. https://usasciencefestival.org/people/dr-damon-bradley/

PROMISE is proud of Dr. Nandadevi “Nanda” Cortes Rodriguez (UMBC, Biology), former graduate student GA and postdoc for the PROMISE AGEP.  Below, readers will find a copy of the original article featuring Dr. Cortes by Meaghan McElroy, Opinion Editor, published in The Ithacan on September 6, 2017: https://theithacan.org/opinion/qa-ornithologist-works-to-increase-diversity/. Dr. Cortes has since returned to the PROMISE SSI as a “Mentor-in-Residence.” Since this article, and as of April 2018, Dr. Cortes has accepted an Assistant Professor position at Ithaca College. Dr. Cortes is an ornithologist, she studies birds. PROMISE salutes Dr. Cortes!

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Q&A: Ornithologist works to increase diversity

Nandadevi Cortes Rodriguez, postdoctoral teaching fellow in the Department of Biology, is working to increase diversity in ornithology. (Photo by CONNOR LANGE/THE ITHACAN).

Opinion Editor Meaghan McElroy spoke with Cortes about the symposium, diversity within ornithology and the need for more outreach.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Meaghan McElroy: You presented on the need for diversity in ornithology. What were some ways you brainstormed to increase diversity in your field?

Nandadevi Cortes Rodriguez: This whole committee started last year. We are trying to bring people not only from different career choices to the bird world, but also more diverse in ethnicities and other countries. We’re trying to increase that. Ornithology has been known to be the typical white male field, so if you ever go to a meeting, it’s mostly white men and a few white women, but very few people of color. So … we’re trying to make it more welcoming. … We started with this panel. This particular meeting took place in Michigan. We invited people from different associations, from different ethnicities that are working with birds and working with minorities to see what they’re doing to get increased participation in these meetings.

MM: How are people trying to approach that problem?

NC: First we sent a survey. … We asked people, “Do you feel welcome? Do you feel any discrimination against [you]? What are your suggestions? Do you think we should be doing this?” We got a lot of really good feedback. … One thing they suggested in the survey was that we should target elementary schools and middle schools, and just do more outreach. We’re bringing the birds to people, basically.

MM: How did you personally get into ornithology?

NC: When I was doing my undergrad, I was in Mexico. … You had to do four semesters of research in someone’s lab. I spoke with one of my professors and they were studying population genetics in birds, and I thought, “Oh, that sounds interesting, I like genetics. I don’t really care about birds but that sounds fun.” I started studying birds because of my professor. I guess I liked them, because I stayed there for four semesters. And now I’m here doing bird research.

MM: How might the general study of birds benefit if diversity was increased?

NC: There are people studying birds around the globe, so I think it’s important to have them talk to each other. You don’t know if a particular group in Canada or the United States are working with the same thing in Asia. Because of lack of communication, they can all do their study, but if they are aware, they can make a better study. I think that increasing diversity in ornithology will allow for better interaction between scientists.

MM: What would the ideal future of ornithology look like?

NC: I think it will be a very inclusive society. We will have people from different backgrounds, different careers, working together. Especially with different careers, there are a lot of bird watchers. A lot of people love counting birds, watching birds. They want to go to these conferences, but they’re very science-y, they feel intimidated by that. But, they would like to know how a particular population of birds is doing because they like those birds or something. We’re trying to bring people who are interested in birds. … The more people know nature, the more aware they are, and they’re more willing to try and save it. … I hope the future of ornithology will look more inclusive. We’re trying to hit these high schools and middle schools and tell them it’s fun to study birds, it’s fun to interact with people that study birds. … We have to get out of our comfort zone. … We should go out and teach people — children in particular — that it’s fun. At least give them a pair of binoculars and see what they can find, or put a bird feeder up in your backyard. That will help.

Post-doctoral Research Associate (Mathematical Biology)

The School of Mathematical and Natural Sciences at Arizona State University (ASU) seeks applicants for a postdoctoral research position in Applied Mathematics or Computational Biology (see department info at https://newcollege.asu.edu/mns).  Given the multidisciplinary nature of the research, a highly self-directed, creative and self-motivated individual is sought.  The position is a one-year full-time fiscal-year appointment with an anticipated start date of 7/1/18.  Salary range is dependent on experience, with associated University benefits.

Essential Functions

Investigate retinal degeneration via mathematical and computational approaches.  This involves creating systems of equations that model aspects of the retina in normal vision and/or degeneration, analyzing such a system analytically and computationally, and interpreting the results in terms of the application.  Expertise in MATLAB, Python, or other similar software package is essential to conduct the computational aspect of the research.  Additional expertise should either be in physiology with an emphasis on the retina or in mathematical biology with an emphasis on population models and multi-scale methods to analyze such systems. Wetlab experiments will not be conducted but collaboration with wetlab experimentalists will be done. Excellent oral and written communication skills required.

Duties and Responsibilities

The duties of this position involve research in applied math or computational biology, and writing grants. Specifically, this individual will:

• Conduct research as required to meet the goals of projects
• Contribute and analyze data for research publications, grants, and grant reports
• Draft manuscripts for publication reporting results of original research
• Draft grant applications for external funding to advance and augment existing projects
• Work as part of research team with graduate students and faculty.
• Supervise research personnel, including undergraduate researchers

Minimum Qualifications:

• Ph.D. in a field appropriate to the area of assignment by the time of appointment.
• Appropriate computational skills to undertake this research.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with and knowledge of multiscale approaches in applied mathematics.
• Knowledge of Python and MATLAB.
• An established track record of research in applied mathematics, computational mathematics/ biology, or statistics and an ability and willingness to learn from and collaborate with researchers in the other two areas
• Experience working with datasets or data analytics.
• Evidence/experience pursing grant funded research.

Instructions to Apply

Email application to mns.dept@asu.edu. Application deadline is May 3, 2018; if not filled, every week thereafter until the search is closed.  Complete applications must include a cover letter that briefly explains the candidate’s interest and fit with the position, unofficial transcripts, CV/resume, personal statement addressing the candidate’s research, statement of teaching experience and philosophy, and at least three letters of recommendation, one of which should address teaching qualifications. Requested material should be in one document. Only electronic applications are accepted for this position.  Please reference Job #12380 when applying.

ASU does not pay candidates for travel expenses associated with interviewing, unless otherwise indicated by the department at the time of call for interview.

ASU conducts pre-employment screening for all positions which includes a criminal background check, verification of work history, academic credentials, licenses, and certifications.

Arizona State University is a new model for American higher education, an unprecedented combination of academic excellence, entrepreneurial energy and broad access. This New American University is a single, unified institution comprising four differentiated campuses positively impacting the economic, social, cultural and environmental health of the communities it serves. Its research is inspired by real world application blurring the boundaries that traditionally separate academic disciplines. ASU serves more than 80,000 students in metropolitan Phoenix, Arizona, the nation’s fifth largest city. ASU champions intellectual and cultural diversity, and welcomes students from all fifty states and more than one hundred nations across the globe.

Arizona State University is a VEVRAA Federal Contractor and an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. All qualified applicants will be considered without regard to race, color, sex, religion, national origin, disability, protected veteran status, or any other basis protected by law. ASU’s full non-discrimination statement (ACD 401) and Title IX policy are located at https://www.asu.edu/aad/manuals/acd/acd401.html and https://www.asu.edu/titleIX.