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Annual PROMISE Summer Success Institute: August 17-18, 2012 @ UMBC & The Hotel at Arundel Preserve

2012 PROMISE Summer Success Institute (SSI)

Theme: Pathways to Success

Registration Website (Click here for additional information about SSI attire, venue, directions, parking, and transportation.)

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Dates: Friday and Saturday, August 17-18, 2012

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Features:

  • PROMISE Orientation (For New/Incoming graduate students) Friday, 8/17, 9:00 AM
    • Location: UMBC AOK Library, 7th Floor (NEW Location)
  • The “Success Equation” (All invited), Friday, 8/17, 10:00 AM
    • Location: UMBC AOK Library, 7th Floor (NEW Location)
  • “ Succeeding in the first year, together” (For New/Incoming graduate students) Friday, 8/17, 11:15 AM
    • Location: UMBC AOK Library, 7th Floor (NEW Location)
  • “Dissertation House for Advanced Graduate Students” (Friday, 8/17)
    • Location: UMBC Commons 329
  • “Writing Suite for Postdocs” and “PROMISE Writing Team Annual Meeting” (Friday, 8/17)
  • “Ph.D. Roll Call”  - Features PROMISE alumni, Mentors-in-Residence, Faculty, Co-PIs. (Saturday, 8/18)
  • “Mastering the Graduate School Process: Tips for Having a Successful First Year” (Saturday, 8/18)
  • “Pathways to Careers for Graduate Students: How to network, find a job, and build a career.” (For Continuing graduate students, Saturday, 8/18)
  • “Managing Career Transitions” (For Postdocs, Professors, and Professionals, Saturday, 8/18)

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Location:

Friday, 8/17: UMBC Campus, The Commons, 3rd Floor, and the Library

Saturday, 8/18:  The Hotel at Arundel Preserve http://www.thehotelarundel.com/

 

  • Hotel cost: $109.00/night + tax (Option for participants who wish to stay overnight. Hotel rooms for guest speakers from out-of-town are complimentary.) [$109 rate sold out, 8/16/12.]
  • SSI Conference Registration cost: $Zero PLUS completion of evaluation and assessment materials.
Donation to memorial funds in lieu of registration fees, strongly encouraged:  Dr. Angela Grant Memorial (Math): http://promisetributes.blogspot.com/2010/09/remembering-dr-angela-grant-former.html, Jessica Soto Perez Memorial (Chemical Eng.):  http://promisetributes.blogspot.com/p/jessica-soto-perez-tribute.html
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Transport: Bus Transportation Between UMBC and The Hotel at Arundel Preserve
Saturday, 8/18:
A bus will leave UMBC at 7:30 AM from the front of the Administration Building (near the flagpole, across from the Retriever Athletic Center (RAC)). To reserve a spot on the bus, please email promisestaff@gmail.com with the subject “RIDE for SSI 2012″.The bus will leave The Hotel at Arundel Preserve at 3:30 PM and is scheduled to return to UMBC’s Administration Building by 4:00 PM.

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FRIDAY, AUGUST 17, 2012

UMBC Commons, 3rd Floor (Postdocs, Dissertation House, Alumni Writing Group Only)

and

Albin O. Kuhn Library, 7th Floor Open Area  (New students, continuing graduate students)

Arrive at 8:15 AM for registration and light breakfast refreshments: 

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Concurrent Sessions – Friday, August 17: 9:00 AM: Morning Sessions

Postdoctoral Writing Suite, Dissertation House, Alumni Writing Group, PROMISE Orientation for New Participants

These concurrent sessions will be held on UMBC’s campus in the Commons (Student Center), 3rd Floor and on the 7th floor of the Albin O. Kuhn (AOK) Library, the main library on UMBC’s campus. See full agenda at the bottom of this page.

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Friday, August 17, 10:00 AM – 11:00 AM:  “The Success Equation”  (Session for All)
In 2012, Renetta Tull and her husband, Dr. Damon Tull, both former professors, developed an equation for success using Dr. Shirley Jackson’s equation for POWER as a basis. The “SUCCESS Equation” has been presented at MIT, and will be published in Optics and Photonics News in September 2012. The equation looks at the momentum of variables such as mentoring and focus, and the workshop has been designed to help graduate students at every level to evaluate practices that can facilitate success.
NEW LOCATION: UMBC Campus, AOK Library Open Area, 7th Floor
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Friday, August 17, 11:15 AM – 12:45 PM:  “Succeeding in the First Year, Together”  (Session for New Students)
Session Leaders:
  • Patrick Valdez, Director, College Access & Success Initiatives, Association of Public Land Grant Universities. Read his article: Patrick L. Valdez (2005), LATINO LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT: PROGRAMS AND CONTINUING CHALLENGES, in David Leon (ed.) Lessons in Leadership (Diversity in Higher Education, Volume 5), Emerald Group Publishing Limited, pp.223-238
  • Jennifer Joyner, Assistant Professor, Economics, CCBC. Professor Joyner specializes on financial literacy.  Along with encouragement, students will receive information regarding managing budgets in graduate school. Joyner was featured on WJZ- CBS News Baltimore for her expo on financial literacy and planning.
Patrick Valdez was introduced to PROMISE by alumna Dr. Frances D. Carter (UMBC, Public Policy) at the 2012 Understanding Interventions conference in Baltimore. Jennifer Joyner works with Dr. Al Starr at the Community College of Baltimore County. Dr. Starr co-leads the Teaching Fellows program that is part of our PROF-it: Professors in Training program. 
 
NEW LOCATION: UMBC Campus, AOK Library Open Area, 7th Floor
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Friday, August 17, 1:00  PM: Lunch Sections:

Postdocs, Alumni, and Dissertation House participants: Skylight Room, UMBC Commons

Graduate Students and guests: “True Grits Cafeteria”, UMBC Campus (Cost $6 + tax)

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SATURDAY, AUGUST 18, 2012

The Hotel at Arundel Preserve, 2nd Floor

Arrive at 8:15 AM for registration and light breakfast refreshments: 

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Saturday, August 18, 8:45 AM: Welcome and Overview

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Saturday, August 18, 9:00 AM – 10: 30 AM: “Your Electronic Self: Pros and Cons of Living a Digital Life in Academia” (Morning Plenary – Presentation and Discussion)
Session Leaders:
Dr. Scott Roberts, Director of Undergraduate Studies and a faculty member in the Department of Psychology, University of Maryland, College Park.  Andrew Roberts, Associate Director, Communications and Marketing, College of Behavioral and Social Sciences, University of Maryland, College Park.
Join brothers Scott and Andrew Roberts as they present research and lead an interactive discussion on digital media. ”As you transition from being students to becoming academic professionals, you are challenged with navigating a new and rapidly changing digital world.  Leveraged correctly, your electronic self can help you to advance in industry and academia alike … but the dark side of cell phones, computers and social networks can be the barrier between you and your career.  We will present the research and considerations on how our devices and profiles can make or break us and discuss how to establish and maintain an effective electronic self.”
The speakers for this workshop were nominated by Dr. Kim Nickerson, Assistant Dean for Diversity, College of Social and Behavioral Sciences, University of Maryland College Park. Dr. Nickerson has been actively involved with Social, Behavioral, and Economic Sciences AGEP community and participates in the NSF Joint Annual Meetings for all AGEP programs. 
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Concurrent Session – Saturday, August 18, 11:15 AM – 1:00 PM:  “Managing Career Transitions”  (For Postdocs, Professors, and Professionals)
Dr. Lydia Villa-Komaroff was one of the founding members of the Society for the Advancement of Chicano and Native American Scientists (SACNAS). Dr. Villa-Komaroff is an internationally recognized molecular biologist. She was a key member of the team, directed by Dr. Walter Gilbert, that first demonstrated
that bacterial cells could produce insulin. This pioneering work is widely cited and is described in the book “Invisible Frontiers: The Race to Clone the Insulin Gene” by Stephen Hall. She is deeply committed to the recruitment and retention of minorities in science.  (Ref: WITI, 2000)
Dr. Villa-Komaroff will lead the session for Postdocs, Professors, and Professionals: “Managing Career Transitions.” Dr. Villa-Komaroff has been a professor, Vice President for Research Administration, and Chief Operating Officer of a company. She has been named one of the 100 Most Influential Hispanics in America by Hispanic Business Magazine.
Dr. Lydia Villa-Komaroff agreed to participate in this workshop after learning about PROMISE at the 2012 Understanding Interventions Conference in Baltimore. PROMISE leaders and alumni also participated a conference that Dr. Komaroff co-chaired at the National Academy of Sciences on women of color in academia. 
 

Dr. Ivan Esparragoza will join Dr. Villa-Komaroff for this special breakout session for postdocs, professors, and professionals. Dr. Esparragoza is a Mechanical Engineer, with degrees from Florida International University, Miami, FL,  and Universidad Del Norte, Barranquilla, Colombia.  Dr. Esparragoza has won teaching awards in the United States and abroad, and is leading international discussions in Engineering Education.  He is one of the leaders of the Latin and Caribbean Consortium of Engineering Institutions (LACCEI), and will discuss ways to allow your passion for teaching and mentoring contribute to tenure, awards, and participation in international initiatives, including upcoming conferences in Austria and Argentina. Dr. Esparragoza is an Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering at Penn State Brandywine.

Dr. Ivan Esparragoza learned about PROMISE during a seminar at the Latin American and Caribbean Consortium of Engineering Institutions in Panama.  Dr. Esparragoza was especially interested in modeling programs that PROMISE sponsors such as Horizons for prospective students, and PROF-it (Professors-in-Training) initiatives. 

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 Concurrent Session - Saturday, August 18, 11:15 AM – 1:00 PM:  “Pathways to Careers for Graduate Students: How to network, find a job, and build a career”  (For continuing graduate students, those who have completed at least one year of graduate study.)

The following speakers will participate in  the session for continuing graduate students:  “Pathways to Careers for Graduate Students: How to network, find a job, and build a career”  on Saturday, August 18. Speakers will share their CVs and talk about their paths, from graduate school to their first job, and to their careers. Participants will be encouraged to take advantage of this unique mentoring and networking opportunity.*

  • Dr. S. Sonia Arteaga, Program Director, Clinical Applications and Prevention Branch, Division of Cardiovascular Sciences, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), National Institutes of Health; Moderator ”Next Generation Social and Behavioral Science (2008)”; On the lead sponsorship team for the “Study of Latinos” – Hispanic Community Health Study (Formerly of The Association for the Study and Development of Community/Capable Community, now known as “Community Science.”)
  • Dr. John S. Davis, II, The Rand Corporation (Formerly part of the Office of Management and Budget at the White House, Office of the President; The Washington Post; IBM; and co-founder of LingFling, Inc.)
  • Dr. Jaron Lockett, National Institutes of Health, Office of the Director (Formerly of the Intramural Research Program for the National Institute on Aging.)

Dr. Christine Barrow, Dean of Sciences, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics, Prince Georges Community College.

*Please consider bringing business cards to share among peers, speakers, mentors-in-residence, and guests. (You can get cards made that say “Graduate Student.” If you have passed your comprehensive exams, proposal, and other doctoral milestones according to the policies of your academic department, you can have “PhD Candidate” written on your card. See this discussion on the forum from the Chronicle for Higher Education for ideas:   http://chronicle.com/forums/index.php?topic=81416.15)
This session was inspired by the 2012 Council of Graduate Schools Report: Pathways Through Graduate School and Into Careers. 
 
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 Concurrent Session - Saturday, August 18, 11:15 AM – 1:00 PM:  “Mastering the Graduate School Process: Tips for Having a Successful First Year”  (For new/incoming graduate students who are about to begin their first experience in graduate school.)

Session Leader: Sundiata “Sunji” Jangha

This session is essential for all new graduate students in every discipline. Using some of the information from Dr. Howard G. Adams’ books on mentoring, Sunji Jangha will take new students through exercises that will prepare them to have a successful year in graduate school. Jangha, an SSI speaker in 2010, returns by popular demand and will share some of his own experiences as a graduate student at Georgia Tech. Jangha is the Director of Math/Science Upward Bound at UMBC. In addition to topics on mentoring from Sunji Jangha’s talks at Georgia Tech, Northwestern University, and MIT, this session will cover the following topics for new graduate students from Dr. Adams’ book:

  • Transitioning to Graduate School
  • Goal Planning Worksheet
  • Sins of Graduate Students
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Saturday, August 18, 1:00 – 3:00 PM : LUNCHEON
 
1) PROMISE: Maryland’s AGEP PhD Alumni and University System of Maryland Professors Serve as “Mentors-in-Residence” and Host Lunch Tables
2) Remarks from visiting deans
3) Operatic Selection by Marvin Carr
4) Recognition of PhD Candidates (Lead: Dean Janet Rutledge)
All PhD Candidates (all schools, all disciplines) will be invited to approach the podium to share name, school, research, and plans for graduation. This is a time-honored “rite of passage” for the PROMISE SSI.
5)  Merengue “Community Building” Activity (Leads: Patti and Gustavo Rozo, Miguel Nino, and Alexis Williams)
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2012 SSI Luncheon “Mentors-in-Residence” 

  • Dr. Karsonya “Kaye” Wise Whitehead, UMBC, Language/Literacy/Culture. Current: Assistant Professor of Communications. Loyola University. TABLE TOPIC: How to Get a Book Contract.  Dr. Whitehead has book contracts with the University of South Carolina Press, and with Routledge. She is also the guest editor for a special anniversary edition of the   Black History Bulletin (ASALH) to commemorate the 50th Anniversary of the March on Washington. Her emmy-nominated documentary films include: Twin Towers: A History and Life Lessons Learned in Last Place: The Zoe Koplowitz Story.  

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Dr. Angela McRae, UMCP, Human Development. (2012 Distinguished Teaching Assistant Award) Current: Lecturer at UMCP teaching undergraduate and graduate courses.  TABLE TOPIC: Maintaining Family/School/Work Balance

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Dr. Patricia “Patti” Ordóñez Rozo, UMBC, Computer Science. Current: Developing Curricula at UMBC Training Centers.  Patti has been participating in PROMISE since she started graduate school at UMBC. She is an extraordinary teacher who has taught several classes at UMBC for the Computer Science and Electrical Engineering Department, and for Continuing and Professional Studies. She has innovative research collaborations with the Pediatric and Neonatal Intensive Care Units at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine.  One of her unique projects includes using her collaborative clinical support decision tool in Colombia, South America and using telemedicine to provide clinical decision support to impoverished areas of Colombia.  Starting August 31, 2012: Dr. Ordóñez Rozo will be Assistant Professor of Computer Science, University of Puerto Rico Rio Piedras. Research: Computing and Medicine. TABLE TOPIC: Returning to Graduate School After Working.
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  • Dr. Alycia Marshall, UMCP, Math Education. Current: Professor of Mathematics, Anne Arundel Community College (AACC), Principal Investigator on a $598,000 NSF grant  for AACC: “Engineering Scholars Program: Increasing Access and Diversity.” TABLE TOPIC: Become a Professor at a Community College
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Dr. Sophoria Nicole Westmoreland, UMCP, Mechanical Engineering. (Former National Graduate Student of the Year for the National Society of Black Engineers.) Dr. Westmoreland is a former LSAMP Bridge to the Doctorate Fellow, and was awarded the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Minority Ph.D. Program Fellowship sponsored by the National Action Council for Minorities in Engineering (NACME).  She presented her research on Capitol Hill in 2010, and after receiving faculty offers within and outside of Maryland, is looking forward to starting her new position this fall. Dr. Westmoreland and colleague, Dr. Alexis Williams, were among the leaders of the online blogging “revolution”  for the PROMISE Dissertation House. Blogging almost daily, Dr. Westmoreland, along with others, regularly encouraged students to finish their dissertations.   Current:  Assistant Research Professor, U.S. Naval Academy, TABLE TOPIC: The Academic Job Interview
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  • Dr. Karen Watkins-Lewis (Psychology Faculty, UMBC @ The Universities at Shady Grove) TABLE TOPIC: The Power of Being Published
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Dr. Stacy Nicholson, Maryland Chiropractor, TABLE TOPIC: Avoiding Consequences of Stress
 
 
 
 
 
Luncheon roundtables were inspired by alumni of PROMISE from UMBC, College Park, and UMB who wanted to mentor and share experiences with new and continuing students.
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SSI 2012 Agenda

Time
  • Friday, August 17 @ UMBC
  • Commons, 3rd Floor
  • Albin O. Kuhn (Main) Library 7th Floor
  • Saturday, August 18 @ Hotel
  • Ballroom, 2nd Floor
8:15 AM Light Breakfast (Commons and Library)
  • Registration
  • Breakfast
  • (8:45) Welcome and Opening 
9:00 AM
  • PROMISE AGEP Orientation(All invited) Host: Dr. R. Tull –  NEW LOCATION: Library 7th Floor Open Area (Changed from Commons 331)
  • Alumni Writing Group Host: Dr. Jennifer Bacon – Commons 332
  • Morning Plenary: Professional Development Seminar (Part I)
  • Speakers: Dr. Scott Roberts, Andrew Roberts
  • Title: Your Electronic Self:  Pros and Cons of Living a Digital Life in Academia
10:00 AM The Success Equation(All invited)Speakers: Dr. Renetta Tull with Dr. Damon TullBased on a talk given at MIT, and an upcoming article in “Optics and Photonics News”, Renetta and Damon Tull will discuss variables in an equation for success that can be used to examine progress in graduate school.NEW LOCATION: Albin O. Kuhn (Main) Library – 7th Floor Open Area
  • Morning Plenary: Professional Development Seminar (Part II) with Scott Roberts and Andrew Roberts
  • (10:30) Successful Mentoring: Academic Genealogy

Lead: Dr. Shawn Bediako, UMBC, Psychology

  • (10:45) PhD Roll Call

Lead: Dr. Idalis Villanueva, UMCP, Bioengineering
11:15 AM “Succeeding in the first year, together” (New Students)
  • Patrick Valdez, Director, College Access & Success Initiatives, APLU
  • Jennifer Joyner, Assistant Professor, Economics, CCBC

NEW LOCATION: A. O. K. Library – 7th Floor Open Area
Breakout Sessions
  • New Students (1st year in any graduate program):
    • “Mastering the Graduate School Process: Tips for Having a Successful First Year”
    • Location: Washington Room – 2nd Floor
  • Continuing Students (1 or more years in a graduate program):
    • “Pathways to Careers for Graduate Students: How to network, find a job, and build a career”
    • Location: Ballroom – 2nd Floor 
  • Postdocs, Professors, Professionals:  
    • “Managing Career Transitions”
    • Location: Baltimore Room – 2nd Floor
1:00 – 3:00 PM Lunch 
  • New students + Cont. Students: True Grits Dining Room
  • Postdocs: Skylight Room
  • Alumni Postdocs & Writing Group: Skylight Room
  • Cost: $6 + tax – All you can eat buffet
 Lunch Program
  • PROMISE: Maryland’s AGEP PhD Alumni and University System of Maryland Professors Serve as “Mentors-in-Residence” and Host Lunch Tables
  • Remarks from visiting deans
  • Operatic selection by Marvin Carr (UMBC GEM Fellow, Gates Fellow, MS in Systems Engineering from UMBC, current PhD student in Systems Engineering at George Mason University)
  • Recognition of PhD Candidates – Moderator: Vice Provost and Dean, Dr. Janet Rutledge, UMBC
  • Merengue Community Building Activity – Leads: Patti Ordonez-Rozo (UMBC) and Gustavo Rozo, Miguel Nino (UMBC), Alexis Williams (UMCP)
  • Adjourn
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About the Summer Success Institute (SSI)

About PROMISE: Maryland’s AGEP 

Orientation: UMBC’s President, Dr. Freeman Hrabowski talks about PROMISE: http://www.youtube.com/user/PROMISEagep/featured

Follow @PROMISE_AGEP on Twitter for articles, advice, and up-to-the-minute information.

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Please stay tuned to this page for regular updates on speakers and logistics.

Last update: August 16, 2012

The primary sponsor for the 2012 PROMISE AGEP Summer Success Institute is The National Science Foundation, Division of Education and Human Resources, Directorate of Human Resource Development, Alliances for Graduate Education and the Professoriate (AGEP) “PROMISE Pathways”  grant #1111217 . Co-sponsorship is provided by The Graduate School at UMBC, The University of Maryland College Park Graduate School, and The University of Maryland Baltimore Graduate School.


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Posted: June 29, 2012, 7:25 AM

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