Abell Award in Urban Policy

The Abell Award in Urban Policy is given annually to the student(s) who authors the most compelling paper on a policy problem facing the City of Baltimore. The competition invites students to identify a policy problem affecting the city and offer a feasible solution. The top paper can win up to $5,000. For more information about the Abell Award, please check out our website: http://ips.jhu.edu/pub/Abell-Award-in-Urban-Policy.

This year, we're really trying to make sure that students from ALL of the Baltimore schools are notified about this opportunity and we appreciate your help. Over the next week or so, I was hoping you could send an email to students in your department or in relevant student groups and organizations about the program and let them know that entry forms can be found on our website (http://ips.jhu.edu/pub/Entry-Form) and must be sent to abellaward@jhu.edu by Friday, October 18th at 4:00 p.m.

Seminar: “Differences in Timing Perception Due to Aging May Not Entail Difference in Timing Use”

EVENT #4 (HESP)

Seminar: “Differences in Timing Perception Due to Aging May Not Entail Difference in Timing Use”

DATE:  Wednesday, October 2, 2013

TIME:  noon – 1 p.m.

LOCATION: 2208 LeFrak Hall

HOST:  Department of Hearing and Speech Sciences

Guest Speaker

Chris Heffner

Department of Hearing and Speech Sciences/Program in Neuroscience and Cognitive Science

http://hesp.umd.edu/gradprofile/Heffner/Christopher

CONTACT: Matthew Goupell

Goupell@umd.edu

301-405-8552

Workshop: “Charting Collections of Connections in Social Media: Creating Maps and Measures with NodeXL”

EVENT #3 (SOCY)

Workshop: “Charting Collections of Connections in Social Media: Creating Maps and Measures with NodeXL”
DATE: Wednesday, October 2, 2013
TIME: 9 a.m. – 10:30 a.m.
LOCATION: 2115 Art-Sociology Building (Sociology Conference Room)

HOST: Department of Sociology

Guest Speaker

Dr. Marc A. Smith

Chief Social Scientist

Connected Action Consulting Group

Abstract:  Networks are a data structure common found across all social media services that allow populations to author collections of connections.  The Social Media Research Foundation's NodeXL project makes analysis of social media networks accessible to most users of the Excel spreadsheet application.  With NodeXL, Networks become as easy to create as pie charts.  Applying the tool to a range of social media networks has already revealed the variations present in online social spaces.  A review of the tool and images of Twitter, flickr, YouTube, and email networks will be presented. 

CONTACT: Alan Neustadtl

smilex3@umd.edu

301-405-6411

Discussion: “Grassroots Voices: Lessons from Building A Civil Society Movement”

EVENT #2 (CIDCM)

Discussion: “Grassroots Voices: Lessons from Building A Civil Society Movement”
DATE: Tuesday, October 1, 2013
TIME: 3:30  - 5 p.m.
LOCATION: 2212 B Banneker Room, Stamp Student Union

HOST: Center for International Development and Conflict Management (CIDCM)

Moderator- Professor Suheil Bushrui (BSOS)

Baha’i Chair for World Peace

Refreshments will be served.

Guest Speakers

Tal Harris

Executive Director, OneVoice Israel

Samer Makhlouf

Executive Director, OneVoice Palestine

CONTACT: CIDCM

CIDCMinfo@umd.edu

“Individual Behavior and Population Health Disparities: The Affordances Framework for Understanding Population Disparities in Physical and Mental Health”

EVENT #1 (MPRC/AASD)

Seminar: “Individual Behavior and Population Health Disparities: The Affordances Framework for Understanding Population Disparities in Physical and Mental Health”
DATE: Monday, September 30, 2013
TIME: noon – 1 p.m.
LOCATION: Margaret Brent Room, Stamp Student Union

HOSTS: The Maryland Population Research Center, African American Studies Department, and Center for Health Equity in the School of Public Health

Guest Speaker

James S. Jackson

Professor, Department of Psychology

Director, Institute for Social Research

University of Michigan

http://www.popcenter.umd.edu/new_e/event_1369852627115

Tea Time Tech Talks: Technology in the Classroom

Tea Time Tech Talks are informal conversations about pedagogical challenges in teaching in a technologically-enhanced learning environment, co-hosted by the Division of Information Technology and the University of Maryland Libraries. Each talk is mentored by a knowledgeable faculty member or librarian, but the conversation is free flowing and intended to raise as many questions as might be answered.

All sessions are located in McKeldin 2109 (Terrapin Learning Commons) from 3-4pm on Thursdays; light refreshments will be served and no registration is required.

9/26: Facilitated by Scott P. Roberts, Psychology Department and Ronald A. Yaros, Philip Merrill School of Journalism
”Mobile Devices in the Classroom:  BYOD (Bring Your Own Device or Your Own Distraction)?”

The facilitators represent a range of views on the topic.  Dr. Roberts, along with his colleague Dr. Ryan Curtis, has collected and analyzed performance and behavior data from hundreds of students that supports other studies that indicate digital devices can have a negative impact on learning.   Dr. Yaros is a university innovator in the successful integration of mobile devices and technologies in his teaching.  The conversation should be lively!

"Ways To Fail A Ph.D. Program"

A light-hearted article on "Ways That Students Fail PhD Programs". Not without merit, according to many recent UMD Ph.D. program graduates & faculty. Enjoy!

http://matt.might.net/articles/ways-to-fail-a-phd

EBay Policy Scholars! Apply Now!

SESYNC: Professional Development and Training Opportunities

The National Socio-Environmental Synthesis Center (SESYNC) is excited to offer new professional development and training opportunities specially designed for graduate students interested in conducting research on the complex interactions between human and natural systems.

We are now accepting applications from currently-enrolled PhD students in the natural, social, and computational sciences for a Networking & Proposal Writing Workshop. This workshop will provide graduate students with:

§  introductions to SESYNC, socio-environmental synthesis research, team science, and actionable science;

§  networking opportunities to build professional relationships with other students, particularly those from different disciplines interested in the same types of research questions;

§  training sessions on the methods, challenges, and strategies associated with writing successful proposals, especially those related to the type of work SESYNC supports; and

§  an overview of the two graduate research Themes, for which SESYNC will solicit proposals following the Networking & Proposal Writing Workshop.

The workshop will be held over 2½ days in Annapolis, MD, from January 15–17, 2014. It is intended to maximize progress by graduate students intending to apply to the research opportunities described atwww.sesync.org/graduate-student-themes . Travel to our facilities in Annapolis, MD, accommodations, and food expenses for workshop attendees will be provided by SESYNC in accordance with our travel policies.

Deadline for applications: September 20, 2013

For more information, including how to apply, visit www.sesync.org/opportunites/graduate-theme-workshop .

About SESYNC

The National Socio-Environmental Synthesis Center (SESYNC) is a national research center funded through a National Science Foundation grant to the University of Maryland.

Located in Annapolis, MD, SESYNC is dedicated to solving society’s most challenging and complex environmental problems. We foster collaboration amongst scholars from a diverse array of the natural and social sciences (such as ecology, public health, and political science), as well as stakeholders that include resource managers, policy makers, and community members.

Melissa Andreychek

Communications Coordinator

The National Socio-Environmental Synthesis Center (SESYNC)

www.sesync.org

mandreychek@sesync.org

(410) 919-4990

Institute for Governmental Service and Research Part-Time Position

We are looking for someone to do data analysis and management on a couple of ongoing court-related projects.  The person would be picking up on work done so far, mostly involving merging, mixing and matching of data from multiple secondary data sources and conducting, at least in the short run, fairly simple descriptive analyses. Ideally, we need someone with real experience and knowledge using SPSS for all of the above, though we may have some flexibility in terms of the stat software.

 

We need someone to start ASAP. Minimally, they would need to commit to 15 hours a week, and it could range upwards to fulltime for the summer months, depending on fit and availability.  On these conditions, it could continue part-time in fall. Given the nature of the work required, the weekly work hours and location are negotiable – the priorities are reliable communication and getting the tasks done correctly and expeditiously. 

 

Interested parties should send an email, CV, and contact info to Doug Young at dyoung@umd.edu and he’ll get back to them forthwith. 

SESYNC Graduate Student Theme Proposal Writing Workshop

Graduate Student Theme Proposal Writing Workshop
www.sesync.org/opportunites/graduate-theme-workshop

SESYNC is now accepting applications for its Graduate Student Theme Proposal Writing Workshop.

The SESYNC Graduate Scholars Program (June 2012–January 2013) harnessed the creative abilities of graduate students from the social and natural sciences to identify and develop SESYNC Themes. Two of these will form the basis of a request for proposals to which graduate students exclusively may apply.

Prior to requesting proposals for the graduate student Themes, SESYNC will hold a Graduate Student Theme Proposal Writing Workshop for students interested in submitting proposals. This workshop will provide networking and training opportunities and activities that may help potential applicants to form synthesis teams, as well as to build professional relationships amongst emerging socio-environmental synthesis (SES) scholars. The workshop also will offer training sessions on SES research and team science, actionable science, and methods, challenges, and strategies associated with writing successful SESYNC Pursuit proposals.

Dates

The workshop will be held over 2.5 days in Annapolis, MD, in early December 2013 or late January 2014 (specific dates are to be determined). Travel to Annapolis, MD, accommodations, and food expenses for workshop attendees will be provided by SESYNC.

Eligibility

Applicants must be currently-enrolled social, computational, or natural science Ph.D. students who have completed at least two years of their doctoral degree.

More Information

To learn more about the workshop, the graduate Themes, and how to apply, visit the opportunity page here: www.sesync.org/opportunites/graduate-theme-workshop


Melissa Andreychek


Communications Coordinator

The National Socio-Environmental Synthesis Center (SESYNC)

www.sesync.org

mandreychek@sesync.org

(410) 919-4990

NSF Law & Social Sciences (LSS) Awards

Link: http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2012/nsf12507/nsf12507.htm

1. STANDARD RESEARCH GRANTS AND GRANTS FOR COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH

2. INTERDISCIPLINARY POSTDOCTORAL FELLOWSHIPS

3. DOCTORAL DISSERTATION RESEARCH IMPROVEMENT GRANTS

4. CONFERENCE AND WORKSHOP AWARDS

5. OTHER GRANT OPPORTUNITIES

I. INTRODUCTION

The Law & Social Sciences Program at the National Science Foundation supports social scientific studies of law and law-like systems of rules. The program is inherently interdisciplinary and multi-methodological. Successful proposals describe research that advances scientific theory and understanding of the connections between law or legal processes and human behavior. Social scientific studies of law often approach law as dynamic, made in multiple arenas, with the participation of multiple actors. The program considers and funds proposals from many disciplinary perspectives, including anthropology, communication, criminology, economics, legal scholarship, political science, public policy, psychology, and sociology.

II. PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

An Overview of Program Components

The Law & Social Sciences Program at the National Science Foundation supports social scientific studies of law and law-like systems of rules. Successful proposals describe research that advances scientific theory and understanding of the connections between law or legal processes and human behavior. The Law & Social Sciences program funds the best proposals submitted within the field broadly defined, regardless of specific subfield, and strives to support an interdisciplinary community of scholars studying relevant topics.

Social scientific studies of law often approach law as dynamic, made in multiple arenas, with the participation of multiple actors. Scholars study mobilization, the creation and implementation of law, and the meanings of rules or laws to both individuals and institutions. The program considers proposals that examine historical, social, cultural and policy-related questions that arise concerning law, and invites proposals relying upon both qualitative and quantitative methods. The program also considers and funds proposals from many different disciplines, including anthropology, communication, criminology, economics, legal scholarship, political science, public policy, psychology, and sociology. The sites for the study of law are multiple and may include appellate and trial courts; domestic and international regulatory offices; federal, state, and local law enforcement; and the variety of settings in which organizations deploy law. Proposals are welcome that address legal processes that extend beyond any single nation, as well as about how local and national legal institutions, systems, and cultures engage transnational or international phenomena.

The Law & Social Sciences program has funded research on a wide variety of topics relevant to social science and legal scholars. The themes identified below are representative of previous awards from the Law & Social Sciences Program, but do not constitute an exclusive listing of relevant topics. Scholars conducting research in social science related to law (broadly defined) that are outside or beyond these major themes are also encouraged to apply for funding.

Crime, Violence, and Punishment: Research develops theories of crime and methods of crime control based upon social science theories. It examines the etiology of violence in the context of domestic criminal behavior, terrorism, and cross-national conflict.

Economic Issues: Research explores the significance of property rules or contracts in legal disputes, claims in social welfare states, and the role of law in labor and migration policies.

Governance: Research examines the deployment of law, including conceptions of what counts as law both cross-nationally and over time. Inquiry in this area addresses how rules have been understood, and the varying format that governing takes in local, regional, national and transnational settings.

Legal Decision Making: Research examines how people and institutions make decisions in the context of particular rules or statutes, and the values revealed in those decisions concerning pressing public issues or criminal justice processes. Research also examines how law is interpreted and reinterpreted by individuals, and how expectations concerning the law influence how people claim rights and responsibilities.

Legal Mobilization and Conceptions of Justice: Research assesses how and when people understand their challenges as legal problems, how individuals choose among systems to pursue justice (e.g., family, communities, non-profit organizations, or state actors), how individuals or groups access justice systems (as well as various equity issues that arise in mobilizing justice), and how well individuals and groups understand justice.

Litigation and Legal Professions: Research addresses the mutual constitution of the legal professions and the world in which they work, and assesses the influence of these professions on public policies and policies. Research also investigates the various forms of litigation and legal services available to people, professionals' understanding of their ethics and responsibility, and issues regarding equity in participation in the profession.

These topics are meant to be illustrative. The Law & Social Sciences Program welcomes all scholarship that advances social scientific understandings of law.

Research can use a variety of methods, including ethnography, analysis of documents, interviews, case studies, surveys, quasi-experimental and experimental approaches, network analysis, and content analysis, or a combination thereof. The methods should be appropriate to the research questions.

Terrorism Research Award

Application Information for 2013-2014 START Terrorism Research Award

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Applications are encouraged from individuals who:

• Are currently enrolled in a doctoral program or have completed a doctoral program no earlier than 2008;
• Have a background in the social or behavioral sciences (including anthropology, criminology, economics, geography, history, political science, psychology, or sociology);
• Are engaged in research related to the START Center's research agenda, including projects examining aspects of:
  • terrorist group formation and recruitment;
  • behavior of terrorist groups; or
  • societal responses to terrorism;
• Have the support of a START investigator, who has agreed to serve as the nominee's mentor for the fellowship year; and
• Have not received more than one previous START Terrorism Research Award (TRA).

Applications from minorities and women are especially encouraged.

Please note: Junior faculty members receiving financial support from START are not eligible to apply for the award. Graduate students on a START-funded research assistantship, however, are eligible and encouraged to apply.

Terrorism Research Award Program

Requirements of Terrorism Research Award Recipients

It is expected that all Terrorism Research Award (TRA) recipients will be actively engaged in research related to the study of terrorism and responses to terrorism during their award year, and that they will use their START TRA funds to support that research, as well as to advance their professional development. Specifically, START requires that TRA recipients:

• Attend the September 2013 START Annual Meeting in College Park, MD, and present a three-minute “quick-fire” presentation on their research;
• Attend the September 2014 START Annual Meeting in College Park, MD, and present both a three-minute “quick-fire” presentation and a poster on the research they have completed over the course of their award terms;
• Participate in eight of ten quarterly START TRA Program Webinars (a series of interactive, online meetings in which TRA recipients present their work and comment on the work of their colleagues);
• Submit quarterly research progress reports to START and to TRA mentors;
• Complete at least one START Research Brief during the award year;
• Meet regularly with START mentor to review progress;
• Acknowledge START funding in any products or publications that result from award-enabled research; and
• Remain in good standing with their home institutions.

Terrorism Research Award

START will award 10 Pre- and Post-Doctoral Terrorism Research Awards for the 2013-2014 academic year. Funds will be paid directly to TRA recipients on a set schedule, assuming appropriate progress. Funds will be disbursed as follows:

• Payment 1: $2,000 to be disbursed on October 1, 2013
• Payment 2: $2,000 to be disbursed on April 1, 2014
• Payment 3: $1,000 to be disbursed on October 1, 2014
• In addition to these payments directly to TRAs, START will pay for TRAs' travel to and participation in the 2013 START Annual Meeting and the 2014 START Annual Meeting.
• Please note that a delay in START's receipt of funding for academic year 2013-2014 may require a shift in these dates.

Application Process

Applicant Materials

Applicants should submit the following materials:

• Completed application form [Pre-Doctoral Terrorism Research Award Application Form | Post-Doctoral Terrorism Research Award Application Form]; and
• A curriculum vitae.

These materials should be submitted electronically to education@start.umd.edu.

Mentor Letter of Support
In addition, mentors should submit a letter indicating support for the applicant and stating a willingness to work with the applicant throughout the 2013-14 academic year. Mentors should email these letters of support directly toeducation@start.umd.edu.

Due Date
Applicant materials and mentor letters of support are due to START by May 1, 2013. Review of Applications will not start until application deadline has passed.

Review and Notification
A review committee will evaluate applications utilizing the following criteria:

• Project's alignment with START research goals;
• Project's capacity to expand START research portfolio;
• Applicant's relationship to his/her mentor (demonstrated in large part through recommendation letter);
• Applicant's demonstrated capacity to complete research;
• Application's clarity of deliverables;
• Application's clarity of research design; and
• Project's demonstrated need for funds.

START will announce its class of 2013-2014 Terrorism Research Award recipients by April 2013. Applicants will be notified of this announcement via email. The period of the 2013-2014 Terrorism Research Award will be from September 1, 2013 through July 31, 2014. Awards are contingent upon DHS approval.

Please note we will not be accepting applications for the Terrorism Research Awards for the academic year 2012-13.

Questions
Questions about the Terrorism Research Award program or the application process should be directed toeducation@start.umd.edu.

Open Forum for Student Feedback on Dean Townshend

Open Forum for Student Feedback on Dean Townshend

BSOS graduate students and undergraduate majors are invited to attend this open forum to provide feedback on Dean Townshend's tenure as Dean. Members of the Dean's Review Committee will be available to hear your praise/concerns/feedback in a confidential setting as a part of the Dean's review process. 

Monday, April 8 3:00-5:30pm 1102 Woods Hall

UMD Geographers Participate in Joint GEO-GLAM/CEOS Workshop on Satellite Observation Requirements for Global Agriculture Monitoring

By Alyssa K. Whitcraft

Drs. Chris Justice and Inbal Becker-Reshef, along with graduate student Alyssa Whitcraft, travelled to Montre- al, Canada in July 2012 to participate in a joint wor kshop between GEO-GLAM (Group on Earth Observations – Global Agriculture Monitoring G20 Initiative) scientists and CEOS (Committee on Earth Observation Satel- lites). The workshop focused on tabulating the necessary satellite observation requirements (spatial resolution, frequency, and timing/duration of coverage) for the GEO-GLAM initiative, whose goal is to reinforce the inter- national community’s capacity to produce and disseminate relevant, timely, and accurate forecasts of agricul- tural production at national, regional and global scales . The small and highly collaborative meeting was hosted by the Canadian Space Agency, and attended by scientists from around the world; in all, the group of sixteen was comprised of ten different nationalities, thereby providing a range of regional perspectives to strengthen a global collaborative network of agriculture monitoring systems.

The workshop was a part of an ongoing international initiative to secure adequate Earth observations for na- tional/international operational agricultural monitoring programs, thereby establishing a coordinated network of monitoring “system of systems” for agricultural produc tion and food security. The two day meeting involved a suite of presentations on regional and global monitoring activities followed by a lively discussion on how to best characterize the wide array of imagery needs into a quantifiable and actionable set of requirements for CEOS and the space agencies to review and implement over the next six years. Dr. Becker-Reshef gave a presentation on the EO perspectives and considerations for implementation of the GEO-GLAM components and on relevant ongoing work at UMD as a part of the GEO-GLAM initiative – including examples from her own research on yield forecasting as well as Ms. Whitcraft’s dissertation research on agricultural growing sea- son calendars and cloud cover probability throughout the growing season. Dr. Justice presented the meeting objectives and helped guide the discussion and synthesize the requirements into a cohesive document. Dur- ing the coming months, these requirements will be strengthened through the addition of spatially explicit articu- lation of imaging timing and resolution requirements, a process that UMD Geographical Sciences is helping to implement and lead.

More information on GEO-GLAM can be found through this press release: http://www.earthobservations.org/ documents/pressreleases/pr_1111_geo_glam.pdf