Category Archives: Campus News

01/7/15

Student Research Conferences at UM-Flint

Have you written a great paper for class? Conducted a cool research project? Worked with a faculty member as a research assistant? If so, please sign up to present at our upcoming student research conferences!

Why Present? Presenting at conferences not only allows you to interact with other students and faculty, but also allows you to showcase the work you’ve done. Presenting at conferences and getting published goes a LONG WAY in bolstering your resume and applying for graduate schools. Also, presenting your work at professional conferences give you a competitive edge and help you stand out from other students.

What Can I Present? In short: ANYTHING! Whether it’s a paper you wrote for class, a reading you’d like to do, a performance (music, skits, etc), an independent research project, or work you did as an assistant on a faculty’s project. All presentations are accepted!

Where Can I Present? UM-Flint is sponsoring two big conferences this year:

  • Meeting of Minds (MOM) is a collaborative conference for undergraduate students, co-sponsored by UM-Flint, UM-Dearborn, and Oakland University. This year’s MOM will take place at UM-Dearborn on Friday, May 9, 2015.
  • The UM-Flint Student Research Conference (SRC) is a campus-wide event showcasing research and creative activities from BOTH undergraduate and graduate students. Now in its 5th year, SRC will take place on Friday, March 27, 2015 at the Riverfront Residence Hall and Event Center.

Both conferences allow students to do oral presentations, poster presentations, performances, and demonstrations. Additionally, students who present are eligible to have the papers they present published in the journals respective to each conference.

For information about Meeting of Minds or to sign up, visit: www.umflint.edu/research/MOM. For information on the UM-Flint Student Research Conference, visit: www.umflint.edu/research/SRC.

We look forward to seeing your work!

02/14/13

Tuskegee: Could it Happen Again…?

Over 40 years ago, the now infamous Tuskegee Syphilis Study became public, leading to the establishment of laws protecting human subjects involved in research. But can something like Tuskegee happen again?

Join us as we have an open forum with UM-Flint’s Institutional Review Board to discuss federal regulations and the precautions taken to protect human subjects. 12:30 – 1:30 pm in the Office of Research, 530 FH. Refreshments will be provided.

11/1/12

Grant Writing Workshop Comes to Flint Campus

The School of Health Professions and Studies and the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs are pleased to announce an upcoming grant writing workshop. Chris Black will be on the UM Flint campus to share her tips and suggestions for writing a successful grant application. This workshop will be open to faculty, staff, and students who are interested in developing their grant writing skills.

The workshop will be held on Friday, November 2nd at 12:30 pm in Room 4103 of the William S. White Building. If you are interested in attending, please send an email with your name, email address, and university affiliation (faculty, staff, or student) to [email protected].

09/10/12

Welcome Back Students!

This is always an exciting time of year for the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs staff, as we get to meet new students and welcome back those of you who are returning. And now that the semester is settling in, I would like to share information about several terrific student research opportunities available.

Why do research?

Many of our student researchers have directly attributed their academic achievement and career development to their participation in research. Particularly, some benefits of participating in research include:

  • The opportunity to stand out from students without research experience, especially when applying for jobs, graduate schools, professional schools, etc.
  • The chance to engage in “hands on” projects that often go beyond what is learned in the classroom
  • Building close relationships with faculty (especially helpful when students need letters of recommendation, references, etc.)
  • The opportunity to earn wages, class credit, or service hours.

How can you participate in research?

Work as a research assistant: Undergraduates, if you are interested in working on a faculty project, you are invited to join the Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program (UROP). UROP offers opportunities for students to earn wages, use their work study, or earn service hours working directly with faculty researchers. For more information, visit www.umflint.edu/research/UROP under “Student Corner.”

Graduate students can conduct research through the Graduate Student Research Assistantship program, managed by the Office of Graduate Programs. Information for this program is available at: http://www.umflint.edu/graduateprograms/tuition-financial-aid/research-assistantships.page

Present your research: Mark your calendars for several conferences where students can showcase their work:

  •  The 21st annual Meeting of Minds Undergraduate Research Conference (MOM): A conference which provides students from UM-Flint, UM-Dearborn, and Oakland University an opportunity to share their research with through poster, oral, or performance-based presentations. This event is open to students from all majors. If you are interested in presenting your research, getting published in the annual journal, boosting your resume for jobs/grad school, and are interested in learning about other students’ research, Meeting of Minds is for you! The next MOM will take place on Friday, May 10, 2013, right here on campus! Registration will open in early January. For more information, visit www.umflint.edu/research/MOM.
  • The 3rd annual University of Michigan-Flint Student Research Conference (SRC): This campus-wide research conference showcases the efforts of UM-Flint students. Both undergraduate and graduate students of all majors will have the opportunity to present their work at this conference, as well as to get published in the conference proceedings. This year’s SRC will also take place on campus on Friday, April 5, 2013. Registration for this event will also open in early January. For more information, visit www.umflint.edu/research/SRC.

While these events aren’t taking place until next semester, we encourage you to start thinking about presenting now!

Develop your skills: Office of Research and Sponsored Programs will be hosting a variety of skill-building workshops throughout the year. To see our full lineup, please visit: http://www.umflint.edu/research/workshop_schedule.htm.

Stay connected: There will be many more developments in the upcoming months. Stay connected with the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs by joining us on Facebook (under UM-Flint Office of Research and Sponsored Programs), following us on Twitter (www.twitter.com/UMFlintResearch) or visiting our blog at: /research/.

As always, you can learn more about our programs and opportunities by visiting our website, www.umflint.edu/research, under “Student Resources.”

We hope you take advantage of the support services in place for you. We’re here to serve you. Have a great year!

08/14/12

Departmental Name Change

Effective August 1, 2012, the Office of Research is now called the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs.  We continue all of our functions, but the name has been changed to accurately reflect the full range of services we provide.

04/26/12

Winter RCAC winners

Congratulations to the following faculty who received awards from the Research and Creative Activity Committee:

*Amelia Biehl (Economics) – $8,446 for her project entitled Did the First-Time Homebuyer Tax Incentives Increase Housing Demand?

*Danielle De La Mare (Communications & Visual Arts) – $8,835 for her project entitled Interracial Communication Competence Among White Pre-Service Teachers

*Ami Pflugrad-Jackisch (History) – $11,103 for her project entitled Remembering Gender: Women, Politics, and Memory of the American Revolution in the Nineteenth Century

*Rajib Ganguly and Michele Stark (Computer Science, Engineering, and Physics) – $14,974 for their project entitled X-Raying Mass Outflows from Quasars

04/16/12

2nd annual Student Research Conference a Success

We’re happy to announce that the 2nd annual Student Research Conference was a huge success! In total, close to 100 undergraduate and graduate students (double the amount of the first year) came together for a day of oral and poster presentations. It was truly a celebration of the many contributions students make to research.

There were many hands involved in making today so special. First, thanks to Mary Deibis for all of her hard work.

Special thanks to the following individuals and departments for making today’s event possible:

Dr. Ruth Person
Dr. Gerard Voland
Dr. Vahid Lofti
Dr. Terry Van Allen and the Office of Research staff
Dr. Mary Jo Sekelsky
Associate Provost Chris Waters
Brad Maki and the Office of Graduate Programs staff
Maureen Thum and Laura Staudacher of the Honors Program
The Riverfront Event Center Staff
Epoch Catering
Marilyn Christensen and the Printing Services staff
Melissa Storch and the Mediated Classroom Service staff
Jan Worth and Sandy Alberto of the Thompson Center for Learning & Teaching
Jennifer Hogan and the University Relations staff

Additional thanks to today’s volunteers:

Erin Kingsley
Nina Chaney
Sue Montenegro
Endia Santee
Patty Tracy
Dr. Amy Gresock
Kathy Bloink
Tracy Wacker
Sandy Alberto
Dr. Heather Roebuck
Dr. Denise Dedman
Dr. Monique Wilhelm
Jameel Amoudi
Andrea Yinger
The many departments who loaned out easels

Finally, thanks to all the students and faculty for all of your hard work and efforts.

Join us again next year!

02/11/12

New Statistical Consultant

The Office of Research is pleased to announce that Mr. Dave Childers will be on the U of M Flint campus to provide statistics support to faculty, staff, and students working on research projects.  Dave is a part of the Center for Statistical Consultation and Research (CSCAR) team in Ann Arbor, and will be available for appointments on our campus the SECOND WEDNESDAY of each month.  To schedule an appointment to see Dave, please contact our office at 810.762.3383 or at [email protected]

12/8/11

Research and Creative Activity Recipients

Congratulations to the following faculty who received awards from the Research and Creative Activity Committee:

*Jie Song (Chemistry & Biochemistry) – $12,634 Theoretical Investigations of the Adsorption during the Gasification of the Biomass

*Jessica Kelts (Chemistry & Biochemistry) – $3,000 Effect of Vitamin D on Breast Cancer Cells

*Frank Miskevick (Biology) – $19,699 Molecular Analysis of Hydrocephalus using Zebrafish as a Model System

*Kevin Tang (Biology) – $19,709 Phylogeny of the Surfperch’s (family Embiotocidae)

*Stephanie Carpenter (English) – $2,345 Many and Wide Separations: Research toward a Novella about One of Margaret Fuller’s former students at the Green Street School, 1837

*Erica Britt (English) – $4,706 Vehicle City Voices: An Oral History and Linguistic Survey of Flint, MI

*Suleyman Luda (CSEP) – $7,800 Target Tracking in 3D Wireless Sensor Networks

*Dana Dyson (Political Science) – $19,733 Transformation of School Governance: the influence of School Leadership Characteristics on Organizational Change in Michigan School Districts

Congratulations to Jessica Kelts (Chemistry & Biochemistry) for receiving an additional $7000 from the Bryer Award.