Did you
know that, according to the Kauffman Foundation, two thirds, or more than 2,000
U.S. universities and colleges offer at least one course in entrepreneurship? Fortunately
you attend UMBC – a bold institution that not only offers entrepreneurship
courses and a very popular, fast-moving minor in the field, but is also home to
the Alex.
Brown Center for Entrepreneurship.
Markus Proctor, pictured here (news.umbc.edu) designed an Interdisciplinary
Studies (INDS) major which focused on Tech Entrepreneurship and
Organizational Management. The creator of a web-based platform that helps
students keep organized, on task, and up to date with changes in their course
syllabi, launched a company called EduPal which pivited into new directions including virtual reality
and analytics. An Extra Credit staff writer sat down with Markus to
talk about entrepreneurship, his experience at UMBC and some recommendations
for current students.
EC: How can UMBC students approach their
education (course decisions, internship choices, major choices) in an
entrepreneurial fashion?
MP: Entrepreneurship can extend beyond its economic/business definition into
many different areas of our lives because, in simple terms, it's all about
value creation through innovative problem-solving. Students should focus on the
"value-add" of their choices as often as possible whether its
selecting courses, applying for internships, or declaring a major/minor. Before
making rushed decisions, students should ask "how does this create
value for me?" and "how can I confirm my assumptions?". This is
where leveraging resources on campus to make an informed, decisive decision is
critical.
EC: What do you feel has been your greatest
success at UMBC and what resources from UMBC contributed to
that success?
MP: My greatest success at UMBC is building a reputable start-up in the
Baltimore region that has allowed me to meet exceptional people, receive
awards, and fully enjoy the process of learning. There are many resources that
have contributed to that success:
*The opportunity to design my own degree with the Interdisciplinary Studies Department
*The study abroad program which allowed me the opportunity to conduct preliminary, exploratory research in Switzerland
*The Alex Brown Center for Entrepreneurship
*Outstanding administrators and professors supporting me along the way
EC: What experience, course, relationship, or resource at UMBC do you
consider to be the greatest "difference-maker" as a student and
entrepreneur at UMBC?
MP: The Cangialosi Business Innovation Competition was the one experience that made the biggest
difference in my journey as an "edupreneur" and student; I highly
recommend that students participate in this event.
EC: If you could go back and "redo" your first three years
at UMBC, what would you do differently and why?
MP: I would network with more students on campus because we have an
abundance of talent on campus. Who knows what can happen if more students
integrated their talents to solve big problems?
If you are inspired by Markus’s story and
experience, be sure to explore the many events, activities, and tools that the
Alex. Brown Center for Entrepreneurship (Public Policy, Room 115) offers.
KEY LINKS:
The Minor in Entrepreneurship at UMBC
The Shattuck Family Internship Program for
Entrepreneurship, Innovation and Social Change
BONUS LINKS:
Markus Proctor, founder of EduPal, is ready for career as
an entrepreneur Class of
Spring 2016 Graduate Profile
"Five
TED Talks Every Entrepreneur Should Watch" by Jayson Demers on entrepreneur.com
Tarek Antar, Psychology
Examining the Role of Parental and Peer Religious Socialization in the Development of Muslim-American Adolescents’ Religious and National Identities
Mohammed Arafat, Psychology
An Exploration of Muslim-American Adolescents' Perceptions of the Recent Political Climate
Peter Bailer, Chemical, Biochemical, and Environmental Engineering
Synthesis of a PEG hydrogel and collagen mesh to protect surface bound electrochemical aptamer-based biosensors from catalyzed degradation by RNAse
Adnan Baker-Agha and Dhruvil Patel, Chemistry
Nylon-inspired Polymers Containing Reversible Iron-chelated Linkages
Kojo Bonsu, Chemical, Biochemical, and Environmental Engineering
Analysis of Glycolytic Multienyme Complex Formation
Kevin Chen, Biological Sciences
Uncovering the Link Between a Sugar-induced Change in Gut Microbiome and
Metastatic Castration Resistant Prostate Cancer
Nicole Couturier, Chemical, Biochemical, and Environmental Engineering
Monitoring Blood Biomarkers of Immune Responses before and after Therapy in a Mouse Melanoma Model
Lorraine Dell'Acqua, Psychology
An Investigative Analysis of Potential Change in D1-D2 Receptors of Rat Brains
Exposed to Threshold Levels of Particle Radiation
James Raynard Dizon, Chemical Engineering
Testing Nanoparticle-Delivered Antimalarials for Treatment of Lupus
Anna Feerick, Chemical Engineering
Detection of Contaminants within Chesapeake Bay Water, Sediment, and Oysters
David Fialkow, Physics
Characterizing the Mechanical Oscillatory Properties of Nanostructures
Alex Getachew, Interdisciplinary Studies
The Impact of Arts Integration on the Learning Identity of Sixth Grade Students inAnne Arundel County Public Schools
Casey Haines, Biological Sciences
Response of Eastern Bluebirds (Salias salias) to Playbacks of Male and Female
Vocalizations
Jordan Harper, Interdisciplinary Studies
Envisioning a Thriving Democratic Culture
Phillip Hilliard, Computer Science and Electrical Engineering
Automated Analysis and Prediction of Entity-based Sentiment Framing
Mark Horton, Computer Engineering
Human-in-the-Loop Model Improvement and Implementation for Efficient Deep
Reinforcement Learning
Adursh Iyer, Physics and Mathematics
Searching for Gamma-ray Emission from Black Hole Jets
Hannah Jackson, Modern Languages and Linguistics
Second Language Acquisition through Improv
Matthew Kane, Biological Sciences
Cats and Rats vs. the Bahama Oriole: Assessing the Threat of Invasive Species to a Critically Endangered Species
Jeremy Keaton, Music
Writing Chamber Music at Summer Composition Festival
Caroline Larkin, Biological Sciences
Inferring Mathematical Dynamic Models of Tumor Sub-clonal Interactions to Predict Optimal Treatment Targets
Kasey Mannion, Dance
An Exploration in the Development of Contemporary Dance
Cierra McKoy, Biological Sciences
Geographic Variation in the Vocalizations of An Endangered Oriole
Stephanie Milani, Computer Science and Electrical Engineering
Integrating Ethical Reasoning into the Abstract Markov Decision Process Framework
Morgan Miller, History
Giving a Voice to the Voiceless
Rachel Morin, Physics
Microscopic Processes that Shape the High Energy Universe: An Artist View for the Rest of Us
Karla Negrete, Mechanical Engineering
Preparation of Gel Polymer Electrolyte with Enhanced Ionic Conductivity for Zn Based Batteries
Adam Ng, History
Conservative Responses to British Fascism in the 1930s
Howard Nicholson, Chemical Engineering
Therapeutic Drug Monitoring Biosensors
Drue Nixon, Interdisciplinary Studies *Entrepreneurship URA
Ella and Ida Summer Camp
Anna Gifty Opoku-Agyeman, Mathematics, Economics
The Impact of Early Childhood Malaria on Educational Attainment in Ghana
Angela Ossana, Chemical Engineering
Infrared Emission Spectroscopy Techniques
Hye Jin Park, Psychology
The Role of Marital Quality and Parenting in Korean-American Children's Social Problem-solving Reasoning Skills
Rishit Patel, Biological Sciences
Effect of Electronic Liquid Components on Morphology and Electrophysiology of Olfactory Tissue
Alexia Petasis, Interdisciplinary Studies
Confronting Social Issues through Translational Choreography
Zane Poffenberger, Political Science
The Italian State: How do Political Party Manifestos Impact and Shape National Policy towards the Migrant Crisis?
Raj Purohit, Chemical Engineering
an Aspergillus nidulans PodB Mutant to Express High Levels of Recombinant GFP
Mia Rickenbach, Theatre *Entrepreneurship URA
Create Freedom
Victoria Rottman, Environmental Science & Geography
The Effects of Stream Contaminants on Terrestrial Ecology
Joy Roy and Eric Cheung, Biological Sciences
Centralizing Gene Expression Patterns with Mathematical Databases
Jeremy Rubin, Mathematics and Statistics
Data Analysis to Understand the Key Roles of Histone Methyltransferases in the Modification of Chromatin to Regulate Gene Expression
Scott Sainz, Theatre
Alternative Theatrical Lighting Control System
Arman Setser, Physics
Quantum Error Correction Using A Gradient-based Optimization Approach
Miles Smith, Mechanical Engineering
Multidisciplinary Piezoelectric Energy Harvesting Research for Wind Turbine Monitoring Systems
Kristina Soetje, Environmental Science, Visual Arts
Species Abundance and Richness Outcomes of 2018 Mudslide Deposits on Montecito, California Beaches
Meredith Sperling, Mechanical Engineering, Mathematics
The Role of Remote Sensing Technology in Improving Wind Power Predictions
Ariana Taj, Biological Sciences
Prostate Specific P53 Knockout Model
Aline Thompson, Gender and Women's Studies
Red Streaks Under a Silver Sun: Queer Resistance in “Mirror’s Edge”
Manos Tzortzakakis, Chemical Engineering
A Calorimetric Approach to Structure-Reactivity Correlation in Epoxide Cross-linking Reactions
Maxi Wardcantori, English
Translating Chastity: Representing Shakespeare’s Women on Contemporary Stages
Mia Wessel, Chemistry and Biochemistry
Synthesis of Gadolinium-containing Dendrons for Enhanced Magnetic Resonance Imaging of Cancer
Linda Wiratan, Biological Sciences
Effect of Jasmonic Acid Analog Induced Defense on Circadian Rhythm in Arabidopsis
Briana Yancy, Geography and Environmental Science
Nesting Habitat Requirements of the Critically Endangered Bahama Oriole
Want to be a URA Scholar? See: ur.umbc.edu/ura or aprilh@umbc.edu for more information.
Internal Medicine Practice in Kensington, Maryland seeking a full-time Medical Assistant to join their team.
Competitive salary, benefits, and great practical experience for recent undergraduates interested in pursuing a career in healthcare.
Responsibilities include:
· Triage patients: taking BP, pulse, height, weight, vitals
· Administer vaccines, EKGs, spirometry and other outpatient procedures
· Calling patients with their blood work results, responding to concerns/queries from patients and pharmacies
· Will work under the direct supervision of physicians
Requirements:
· BS, Biological Sciences, HAPP, or related field
· Strong verbal and written communication skills
· Ability to multi task and prioritize work
UMBCworks Job ID: 9298778
Application Deadline: June 30, 2018
]]>Shiona Wijesekara is an Economics and Mathematics major who will graduate in May, 2019. She is a current URA Scholar.
Title of your research project: Determining the Impact of the REACH Initiative on High School Students. We are evaluating the pre and post impact of the mentoring program by surveying the high school students involved in the program.
Who is your mentor(s) for your project? Mario Santo Domingo. The previous Research chair of the program found him and he has concentrated his research in behavioral psychology , so the ample knowledge was thought to be helpful for the project.
How did you become interested in this project? I have been an active mentor on REACH for the last 2 years and very fascinated by the multiple layer contribution of the program. So I wanted to get a statistical reading that shows me the extent of the contribution of the program to college readiness, breaking the gender gap in STEM and exposing the participants to STEM options.
What has been the hardest part about your research/what was the most unexpected thing about being a researcher? Gathering a consistent amount of data because the programs participation fluctuates every week.
What has been the most rewarding part? I was planning in walking into pure economics research but working on this project, I realized that I want to explore behavioral research from an interdisciplinary social science perspective.
How will you disseminate your research? URCAD presentation- April 24, 2019!
What is your advice to other students about getting involved in research? If you have the chance to get involved in research do it! You will come out with ample of knowledge and a very unique experience!
What are your career goals? To become a researcher in Educational Economics or Environmental Economics.
Have mentor-led research and want to be featured as a UMBC Researcher of the Week? Email: aprilh@umbc.edu
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Earlier last month, the Career Center invited student organizations to participate in their annual Reverse Career Fair. This was a great opportunity for students to showcase their skills learned outside of the classroom to the wide array of employers that attended. It was also a unique way to connect with employers, as students were the ones to receive a table and representatives from companies would be the ones walking around. While they were walking around, employers had the opportunity to judge each organization by these four select criteria:
Did your booth represent the purpose/objective of your organization?
Were the accomplishments of your organization clearly defined?
Were the student representatives articulate and engaging?
Did your booth have an element of appeal that attracted the employer?
And the employers decided that the UMBC Game Developer's Club was the winner of the Best Booth Contest, winning a $200 cash prize for their student organization account! Some of the nice things that employers had to say about the students in this club were that they were "engaged, articulate. Good understanding of industry. Able to answer all questions with enthusiasm." Others mentioned their display, stating, "great display, great discussion. I asked a lot of questions and their answers were honest and informative" and that they "loved their interactive graphics." The Career Center congratulates the Game Developer's Club and all of the other student organizations that came out and helped made this event a success.
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