UBMS Reporter

We added eighteen new students to the program during Summer 2023! We would like to congratulate these students and thank our amazing target schools for their recruiting efforts last school year!

• Sebastian A.- Gov Thomas Johnson High
• Esmerita A.- Gov Thomas Johnson High
• Samara C.- Brunswick High
• Kayla D.- North Hagerstown High | Northern Middle School
• Mai E.- Gov Thomas Johnson High | Monocacy Middle School
• Mariah H.- Frederick High | West Frederick Middle School
• Hazel H.- Gov Thomas Johnson High
• Emma H.- Gov Thomas Johnson High
• October H.- Gov Thomas Johnson High | Monocacy Middle School
• Catherine H.- Bard Early College | Francis Scott Key Middle School
• Jazmel J.- North Hagerstown High | Northern Middle School
• Diego M.- Gov Thomas Johnson High | Gov Thomas Johnson Middle School
• Scarlet M.- Gov Thomas Johnson High
• Luis M.- Gov Thomas Johnson High
• Genesis P.- Tuscarora High | Crestwood Middle School
• Scarlett S.- Tuscarora High | Crestwood Middle School
• Samuel T.- Frederick High
• Joley T.- Mountain Ridge High | Westmar Middle School

We had our first full on-campus summer since 2019, and it was a great one! Check out our summer video highlighting our research, workshops, and field trips.

Our program would not be possible without all the support from our target school personnel, FSU campus faculty and staff, our state and federal government supporters, and our state-wide volunteers. Thank you for your support!

• Summer research internship opportunities provide by the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science: Appalachian Laboratory with special thanks to the Dr. Engelhardt research laboratory
• Facility tour of Cumberland Waste Water Treatment Plant organized by Vince McKenzie
• Summer genetics workshop provided by Dr. Michelle Giglio and Joseph Receveur from University of Maryland Baltimore, Institute for Genomic Research
• FSU Planetarium star show and dome movie presented led by Dr. Jason Speights
• FSU Natural History Museum access provided by Dr. William Seddon

• Summer snack provision from the Western Maryland Food Bank
• Research site access and assistance provided by the Smith Family of Dryfork, WV
• Project expertise provided by Dr. Stephan Godfrey, Curator of Paleontology at the Calvert Cliffs Marine Museum.
• Laboratory and equipment assistance provided by the FSU Biology Department
• Computer laboratory access provided by the FSU Physics and Engineering Department
• Recruiting and application assistance provided target school staff and parents
• Residential living assistance provided by various administrators, faculty, and staff of FSU

A specials thanks goes out to our funding agency, the U.S. Department of Education and all individuals advocating for the continued funding of not only our Upward Bound Math/Science program, but other TRIO programs serving our first-generation/low-income population.

• Daniel A. | Gov Thomas Johnson High | Temple University
  
• Jenna A. | Washington Co Technical High | West Virginia University
  
• Katheryn C. | Indiana Area SHS | Indiana University of PA
  
• Mariama C. | Washington Co Technical High | Bowie State University
• Alphina G. | Charles Herbert Flowers High | Hampton University
  
• Neiamyah G. | Baltimore City College High | Community College of Baltimore County
• Marcus I. | Frederick High | Pennsylvania Western University
  
• Gisselle J. | South Hagerstown High | Hagerstown Community College

A group of UBMS students traveled to Leesburg VA to attend X-STEM NOVA 2023. Students learned from STEM professionals about their journeys to a career in STEM and how their work is applied to make real-world contributions. Then, students tested their engineering skills by constructing their own catapults! Entertainment was provided by engineer and Grammy-nominated artist Roy Moye III.

Students explored the campus, participated in a mock college lecture, mingled at the resource fair, and went on student-led tours.

• UMBC highly values a collaborative campus community.
• UMBC is an R1 Research Institution, ranked among the top research universities in the nation. Students are highly encouraged to participate in undergraduate research.
• All incoming freshmen are automatically considered for a Merit Scholarship.
• Scholars Programs are scholarships based on a student's program of study and academic achievement. Applications are due January 15th.
• Need help? Find student resources at the Academic Success Center.

• Growth Mindset and the Brain
• Everyone is a Math Person: Fighting Math Phobia
• College 101
• Self-Advocacy

If you missed any of these meetings, you can find all the content on our Canvas page!

• Students must submit report cards to be eligible for academic recognition!
• If you earned academic honors or a star student award but could not attend the last meeting, your certificates will be available at the January meeting. After this, certificates will be mailed with stiped paperwork in February.

There is a new quiz available on Canvas for current seniors. Please complete the December 2023 Senior Survey.

Plan to attend one of our virtual meetings on December 5 and 6 from 4:00 - 5:00 PM. We will be learning about financial aid; specifically how to prepare for the FAFSA. The Zoom meeting link will be sent out to Seniors via Remind messaging.

We are accepting applications for new students and summer staff! If you or someone you know is interested in joining UBMS, complete an application on our website.

Frostburg State University will be closed from December 22 - January 1. We will be back to work on January 2. We hope our students enjoy their winter break!

There is no Saturday meeting in December. The next meeting will be on Saturday, January 13, at 10:30 AM at the C. Burr Artz Library in Frederick, MD.

High School Mascot: The Kavemen, with a "K". Why? Because I grew up in a small farming community just outside of Boise, the capital of Idaho, in a town called Kuna (pronounced Q-nuh); it is the indigenous word for "the end" because long ago the railroad originally ended in that town. Alas, we suffered from what we jokingly called the Kuna "K" Konspiracy, wherein every business in town had to get creative with their names. eye roll​

What's worse, the girls on sports teams were referred to as "Lady Kavemen". Not Cave-women. Lady. Kavemen. Ugh!

Favorite Club/Activity: In school my favorite activities were Drama, Newspaper, and Cross-Country. These days I love hiking, kayaking, reading, and creative writing.

College and Degree: I have a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature with a minor in History and a Master of Arts in English Literature. Both of my degrees are from Boise State University, which has the only football field in the nation which is colored blue.

What I love about this job: As many of you know, I love to teach mainly because I get to discuss all kinds of random factoids. I love being able to share my info with all of you, and help you feel more secure as students. I want my students to always feel comfortable asking questions and hopefully start down a path toward being a lifelong learner.

When I'm not at work I... Am writing! I am currently close to finishing the first draft of my first novel, which is an adult portal (parallel worlds) fantasy. My next book will be a YA contemporary murder mystery. I am really enjoying learning the craft of creative writing and have a great group of writer friends from all over the country (and Canada) who meet every Sunday to write together via Zoom. We call ourselves the Chaos Gremlins. ;P

Education makes me... Excited! I am a perpetually curious person and I love to go down learning rabbit holes. The best part of teaching is that I get to turn my interests and research into great/fun lessons for all of my students. :)

High School Mascot: I was a Westmar Wildcat (no clue what species of feline this would be, and this always annoyed the biologist in me).

Favorite Club/Activity: I enjoyed volunteering as an elementary school math tutor as a high school student as well as fishing, camping, gardening, and spending a lot of time outdoors. In college, I was part of the Wildlife & Fisheries Society and even competed in college quiz bowls. Now, I am primarily focused on gardening, crocheting, volunteering in my community with children and animals, and I still enjoy spending some recreational time outdoors.

College and Degree: I attended Frostburg State University where I received my Bachelor of Science in Wildlife and Fisheries Management and a Minor in Biology. I did a semester at University of Maryland, and then I transferred to West Virginia University where I completed my Master of Science in Wildlife and Fisheries Resources. My research there was focused on electrofishing methodologies and sensitive fish species found in the Greenbrier River.

What I love about this job: I love the long-lasting relationships I develop with program students and families. I get to watch students grow from young 8th graders to successful college graduates. I love celebrating successes with students and their families all along the way.

When I'm not at work I... am herding children! I have been an Allegany County foster parent for ten years, so that keeps me busy. I also enjoy spending time on our family farm on the Dryfork River and exploring what the lurks underwater for old-times sake!

Education makes me... hopeful. In a world where so much seems to go wrong, I find it impressive to watch what science is making possible.

High School Mascot: Golden Tornado... the football team's introduction before every game sounded like a tornado warning you'd hear on the radio claiming a tornado was headed straight for our stadium. The pun went right over my head and I thought it was just a test of our weather alert system until senior year. *face palm*

Favorite Club/Activity: In high school I was a dedicated marching band member. I played mellophone (similar to a trumpet, but bigger). Our band was incredibly competitive, so nearly all my spare time went into rehearsals for the Tournament of Bands competition series. A unique experience for me was captaining the debut of our "band guard" - a group of musicians who switched back and forth from playing instruments to performing with the color guard all within the same field show.

College and Degree: I attended Fairmont State University where I earned a Bachelor of Science in Psychology. I actually started school as a biology major/chem minor and swore I wouldn't change my major like so many people told me would happen. After a few semesters, I struggled to see myself in a bio/chem career, but didn't want to stray too far from my STEM background. An academic advisor suggested psychology, which was the perfect discipline for me to apply my love of science in a more community-oriented career.

What I love about this job: connecting with our students! I love learning about your experiences and seeing where your passions lie. A passion of mine is helping students grow into their best selves!

When I'm not at work I... stay busy! I could never be satisfied by one hobby, so I'm usually involved in several projects at any given time. I perform in a community theatre group, take dance lessons (from home on YouTube when the budget is tight), paint, garden, work on my fixer-upper house, and go hiking with my dog Declan.

Education makes me... curious. I aspire to be a lifelong learner! There is so much in the world to discover and I want to explore as much as possible.