Please click on the following link and read the entire post. Please follow the guidelines specified to be considered for funding and as a member of our Maryland delegation.

https://usmlsamp.wordpress.com/2018/12/13/2019-latin-american-and-caribbean-consortium-of-engineering-institutions-laccei-in-jamaica/

Students, WEEF will be releasing the requirements for submitting a paper to participate in this conference. Make sure you check our main PROMISE website for a follow-up post regarding what is needed.

Below is a portion of a published statement by the International Federation of Engineering Education Societies (IFEES):

“IFEES has selected a bid from the Education Promotion Society of India (EPSI, represented by N Sambandam), the Indo-Universal Collaboration for Engineering Education (IUCEE, represented by Krishna Vedula) and the Vellore Institute of Technology (VIT) to host the 2019 World Engineering Education Forum (WEEF) in Chennai (India). WEEF 2019 is scheduled to be held between November 11 and 17, 2019. The tentative theme is Transforming Engineering Education through Disruptive Technologies in the Industry 4.0 Era.”

This Dissertation House is hosted by the Graduate School at UMBC for UMBC students only.

Dates: Tuesday, January 22 to Friday, January 25, 2019.

Location: UMBC, Commons Building, Room 329.

Time: 9 am – 5 pm (each day).

Graduate students who plan to participate should follow the application procedures on the application webpage for the Dissertation House (below). The application period closes on Monday, January 07, 2019. (Please note that there are only 12 to 15 slots for this event, consider applying early). Applications received after January 07, 2019, will be considered for the DH waiting list.

Registration: Please log into myUMBC: https://my3.my.umbc.edu/groups/promise/events/66182, click “Going” at the bottom, *AND* follow the application procedures on the main website for the Dissertation House: https://dissertationhouse.wordpress.com/apply/. The application period to attend the Dissertation House closes on Monday, January 07, 2019.

Event Details: 

• The Dissertation House runs from 9 AM – 5 PM, for four days, Tuesday, January 22, 2019, through Friday, January 25, 2019.
• Students must plan to attend the full session, for each of the 4 days. 
• The daily schedule includes 2 mini-lectures and 5 hours of writing per day.
• Breakfast, lunch, and a snack will be served daily.
• The Dissertation House is free for UMBC’s graduate students.
• There are 12 to 15 spaces available for the Dissertation House. 
• Details regarding eligibility can be found on the application page of the website for the Dissertation House.

Read about The Dissertation House in UMBC’s Alumni Magazine: Byrne, R.  (2011, Fall) “The Write Stuff”, UMBC Magazine. p. 12. (PDF). More information about the DissertationHouse: https://dissertationhouse.wordpress.com/about/

Dissertation House Application Procedures

Both the on-campus setting and the retreat setting provide Dissertation House participants with productive and rewarding scholastic engagement.  Students who participate in this program will spend each day thinking, writing, and sharing ideas about their doctoral dissertations.  Students will learn effective time-management skills; learn how to set small manageable goals, and will meet with a dissertation coach in one-on-one consultations to discuss and address obstacles that might prevent them from completing their degrees.

The Dissertation House period can span either a Tuesday – Friday (9 a.m. – 5 p.m., non-residential) or a Friday – Sunday weekend (includes evening sessions) commitment to focus on the doctoral dissertation.  The Dissertation House activities focus on areas where students typically have difficulty: conceptualizing a topic, writing a literature review, transitioning from a proposal to a dissertation, analyzing data, writing the last chapter, and editing.

Students may apply to attend the next Dissertation House during open application enrollment, by submitting two parts of an application.

PART I:

I. Submit a brief description (maximum of 2 pages, font size 11-12 point 1-inch margins) that describes the project that you wish to accomplish during the Dissertation House period.  Applications will neither be reviewed nor accepted outside of the application enrollment period.

PART II:

II. Please use the following guidelines  for the application:

(1) Summary of the project, including research question(s), data or texts, and method

(2) Amount completed on the project to date

(3) Any obstacles that you are encountering that hinder completion of the dissertation.

(4) Include the following header information with the description:

• Name
• Address
• Telephone numbers (home, office, and fax)
• E-mail address
• Academic Program and Year in the program

Dates/Location: January 22 to 25 (Tuesday – Friday), 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM. Dissertation House will be held in COMM 329 (for Dissertation House) and COMM 328 (for one-on-one sessions).

Application Enrollment Period: Application can be submitted within a designated 2-week period, usually scheduled 1-2 months prior to the next Dissertation House session.  Email applications to promisestaff@gmail.com.  Please use the words “Dissertation House” in the subject line of your email.

Selection Process: Eighteen participants will be selected for participation in the Dissertation House.  The following applicants will have priority:  (1) Applicants who plan to finish the Ph.D. within the next 6 months; (2) Individuals who are working on dissertations and theses rather than a proposal; (3) Applicants who submit earliest; and (4) Individuals who appear most able to benefit from the services offered at the Dissertation House.

If your application is accepted, you will receive an acceptance notice via email and additional details about the Dissertation House.  All students, including those who have not applied or those who are not selected, have the option to participate in the next online challenge, a virtual version of the Dissertation House.

Did you know that there are new PROMISE programs that will focus on faculty diversity in engineering and the biomedical sciences? The PROMISE Academy was funded in October 2018 and bears the official title:

The AGEP Alliance State System Model to Transform the Hiring Practices and Career Success of Tenure Track Historically Underrepresented Minority Faculty in Biomedical Sciences

The PROMISE Engineering Institute is funded by NSF’s Engineering Division, and focuses on preparing diverse engineering graduate students and postdocs for the professoriate, and exploring ways to support the professional development of early-career engineering faculty.

A new landing page has been developed to capture the University System of Maryland’s NSF-funding pipeline professional development programs, based on our #ThinkBigDiversity hashtag: https://thinkbigdiversity.com/

You are invited to attend on November 8, from 4:00 PM to 6:00 PM a writing for publication seminar hosted by the Graduate Student Association (GSA) and PROMISE.

Place: Meyerhoff Building, Room 120

Agenda:

4:00 – 4:30   Registration & Dinner Service

4:30 – 4:40   Welcome

4:40 – 5:30   Panel presentation

5:30 – 6:00   Panel Q&A

The following are topics that will be covered as part of our seminar and discussion:

Please RSVP at the following link: https://my3.my.umbc.edu/groups/promise/events/65426

Professors-in-Training – PROF-iT Series

PROF-iT Series with Dr. Linda Hodges

This seminar is part of the PROF-it (Professors-in-Training) series. Participants will learn how to develop a syllabus, manage time in the classroom, and plan content for the semester.

Speaker: Dr. Linda Hodges, Associate Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs and Director of the Faculty Development Center, UMBC Faculty Development Center.

Linda C. Hodges was Director of the Harold W. McGraw, Jr. Center for Teaching and Learning at Princeton University from 2003-2009 before retiring to Maryland. She holds a doctorate in biochemistry from the University of Kentucky and was a faculty member for over 20 years before transitioning into faculty development. Prior to coming to the McGraw Center in 2001, she was the William Rand Kenan, Jr. Professor of Chemistry at Agnes Scott College near Atlanta, Georgia. During her faculty tenure at two different institutions, she taught a wide range of courses, participated in faculty governance, and served as department chair. In 1999 she was one of 28 faculty chosen nationally to study and assess new pedagogical approaches as a Carnegie Scholar of the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. She has published widely on her work in faculty development, engaged student learning, and effective teaching practices. Her special interests are in pedagogies of engagement and the scholarship of teaching and learning.

Dates: Friday, October 12 and Saturday, October 13, 2018.

Location: UMBC, Commons Building, Rooms: 331 and 328.

Time: 9 am – 5 pm (each day).

This activity is open to any full-time UMBC employee who is working on a thesis or dissertation, at any university, e.g., UMBC employees who are in the doctoral program at Frostburg University. This activity is also open to UMBC graduate students who are full-time employees, career professionals, or non-traditional returning students.

Dissertation Coach: Dr. Wendy Carter-Veale

Applications are open until September 21, 2018.

To be considered for this DH please complete the following:

Registration: Please log into myUMBC (https://my3.my.umbc.edu/groups/promise/events/62952). Click the “Going” button at the bottom, *AND* follow the application procedures on the main website for the Dissertation House: https://dissertationhouse.wordpress.com/apply/. The application period to apply to attend this Dissertation House will close on September 21st.

Event Details:

• The Dissertation House runs from 9 AM – 5 PM, for two days, Friday, October 12 and Saturday, October 13.

• Students must plan to attend the full session, for each of the 2 days. 

• The daily schedule includes 2 mini-lectures and 5 hours of writing per day.

• Breakfast, Lunch, and a snack will be served daily.

• The Dissertation House is free for UMBC’s graduate students.

• There are 18 spaces available for the Dissertation House. 

• Details regarding eligibility can be found on the application page of the website for the Dissertation House.

Read about The Dissertation House in UMBC’s Alumni Magazine: Byrne, R.  (2011, Fall) “The Write Stuff”, UMBC Magazine. p. 12. More information about the Dissertation House: https://dissertationhouse.wordpress.com/about/

2. Postdoctoral position at CMU in experiments on instrumentation and engineering techniques to develop novel invasive and noninvasive neurostimulation

3. Postdoctoral position in Grover/Chamanzar/Barth labs at CMU in experiments on novel invasive and noninvasive neurostimulation

A postdoc position at the intersection of experimental and computational neuroscience is available working jointly with the labs of Pulkit Grover, Maysam Chamanzar, and Alison Barth at Carnegie Mellon University (Pittsburgh, PA). The team’s goal is to develop advanced theoretical techniques, closely with experimental validation, for invasive and noninvasive neurostimulation for advancing treatment of disorders such as epilepsy, Parkinson’s, and brain injuries. The research project will exploit previously unknown or unexploited biological and physical phenomena that arise from examining the neural system from a combined biological, physical, and information-theoretic/control perspective. The project spans studies on rodents, monkeys, and eventually humans. The role of the postdoc will be to conduct and lead electrophysiology experiments on rodents with novel as well as existing instruments. This is an opportunity to work on a challenging scientific problem in a highly interdisciplinary and vibrant environment. The postdoc will be affiliated with the Carnegie Mellon Neuroscience Institute, and will get the opportunity to work with a team of researchers from various disciplines ranging from Biological Sciences, ECE, BME at CMU as well as clinicians at University of Pittsburgh.

Requirements: PhD in a related discipline (Neuroscience or Biomedical Engineering) with a strong experimental research record. Experience in invasive electrophysical recordings and/or stimulation in mice or non-human primates. Prior experience with patch clamp recording and slice electrophysiology. Experience with in-vivo recording and stimulation will be helpful. Experience with optical (1-photon or 2-photon) calcium imaging is also a plus. The labs are committed to the professional development of the members, making this position a valuable preparation for those interested in academic, industrial or entrepreneurial careers. The position has no mandatory teaching or administrative duties.

The ideal start date is Jan 2019. The position is initially for 12 months with the possibility of renewal. Compensation will be competitive, and commensurate with relevant experience. CMU has competitive benefits (including comprehensive medical insurance) and is an equal opportunity employer.

Candidates should send a CV, a statement of research experience and interests, expected date of availability, and the contact information for three references to pulkit@cmu.edu and mchamanz@andrew.cmu.edu with the subject line “Neuro-Stimulation Postdoc”. Application review will proceed until the position is filled.