Past Participants

Students who have participated in the Summer Research Initiative have consistently said that they found the experience to be very rewarding. The program deepened their interest in research and allowed them to develop professional relationships and to meet other underrepresented minority students and faculty. They also had fun.

Research topics to be developed for the summer of 2012 will be based on availability of faculty members and specific match between students and faculty research. Examples of past student research projects developed include, but are not limited to:

Maxton Allen and Dr. Kanisha Bond, Government and Politics: "Observing the characteristics of cooperative violent non-stste actors within the United States (1940 - 2009)"

Jaime Herrera and Dr. Laura Dugan, Criminology and Criminal Justice: “Unattributed and Attributed Suicide Attacks for Quarter One of 2008”

I enjoyed everything about the SRI experience because I had the chance to learn a great deal about the graduate school application process, network with very interesting people, and become familiar with the research process. Plus, I took pleasure seeing the sights in the D.C. area. I was lucky enough to be paired next to Dr. Laura Dugan and her graduate research assistant, James Hendrickson, who both worked with the National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism (START) team. My research project focused on the terrorist attacks that occurred worldwide in the first three months of 2008 and tried to answer why a large amount of them were not attributed to any terrorist group. I also worked on improving the Global Terrorism Database (GTD) by verifying the first quarter of 2008 for all correct data for each incident throughout that time period.

It was a great opportunity to learn from the very knowledgeable and experienced professionals of the START team. START held weekly Summer Enrichment Series discussions where a presenter from the team or special guests from other centers of research would present his/her interests or work linked with various topics and current events related to terrorism. There were also bi-weekly meetings which also went well because they were a great way to make sure me and the other interns were progressing properly and to see what other interns at START were doing in their projects. Both of my mentors made sure to guide me while I put my research presentation together and gave me great advice. They definitely introduced me to many ideas pertaining to terrorism and helped me think about my future career. I found the SRI program very informing and rewarding.

Juan Pablo Benabe Vidal and Dr. Jose Contreras-Vidal, Department of Kinesioloy School of Public Health & NACS: "Using an EEG based Brain-Computer Interface (BCI) to Control an Inverted Pendulum:  A look at Balance Control and the Neural Networks Supporting it"

Devon Brunson and Dr. Rochelle Newman & Dr. Nan Bernstein Ratner, Department of Hearing & Speech Sciences: "Maternal Speech in Picture-Book Reading and Language Profiles in Toddlers"

Courtney Fiamengo and Dr. Martha Geores & Dr. Ronald Luna, Department of Geography: "Human Impact on the George Washington and Jefferson  National Forests"

DeMario Hardmon-Fort and  Dr. Odis Johnson, Department of African-American Studies: "Does Neighborhood Context Affect College Entry for Adolescents in Prince George’s County?"

Breanna Jordan and  Dr. Andres de los Reyes, Department of Psychology: "Clinical Interventions for Youth Diagnosed with Anxiety, Conduct Disorder, and Depression: A Meta-Analysis"

Aubry Kyle and Dr. Tony Whitehead, Department of Anthropology: "An Ethnographically Informed Formative Evaluation of the M-PACT Program"

Cristina Rico and Dr. John Wallis, Department of Economics: "Have Procedural Debt Restrictions Helped to Constrain State Debt? An Analysis from 1990 to 2010"

Nadja Shaw and Dr. Meredith Kleykamp, Department of Sociology: "If All We Knew About Veterans Was What We Read in the Newspapers, What Would We Know?"

Christina Velasco and Dr. Kiminori Nakamura, Department of Criminal Justice & Criminology: "How Has The “War On Drugs” Affected Recidivism Patterns?  A Comparative Study Of Two Distinct Drug Eras"

Maria Rodriguez and Dr. Rochelle Newman, Hearing and Speech Sciences: “Comparing Monolingual and Bilingual Infants’ Ability to Recognize Speech in Noise”

When I initially applied to the program I wasn’t sure how it would coincide with my interests, but after taking a Normal Language Acquisition course I became fascinated, almost obsessed with the language development theories and case-studies. While at SRI, I worked in the Language Development Laboratory with Dr. Rochelle Newman of the Department of Hearing and Speech Sciences. I worked daily in the laboratory with the exception of scheduled excursions. SRI allowed me to work with both doctoral, master’s and undergraduate students. Besides acquiring research lab protocol along with methodology from Dr. Newman, I was also able to utilize her students as resources as well.  During my time in the lab I was involved with all facets daily laboratory activities which included: making phone calls; scheduling appointments; serving as a liaison to parents; and conducting trials. Laboratory conditions allowed me to familiarize myself with programs, such as SPSS, where I have had the opportunity to transform raw data into statistical analysis. The experience illustrated the lifecycle of running a trial; everything from contacting the participant’s parents to the final coding of the data. I was amazed at the process of collecting data and its transformation into something that would later be published in a journal.

Even though the program was very intensive and rigorous, it was still enjoyable and informative. My days were comprised of working in the lab and then returning to the dorm in the evening to compile my research project. I did this for two months, having free time only on the weekends when SRI events were not scheduled. For anyone interested in applying, you must be able to uphold the professionalism and dedication that the program requires.

What did I take away from the University of Maryland’s 2009 Summer Research Initiative program? Today, I am not the same naive person that embarked on this journey. SRI has matured me, making me more confident and professional. I have received numerous accolades and support from family, friends, faculty and even the president of my university spoke about my experience during his address. I have most recently had the initiative to reach out to fellow researchers, and obtained an internship with New York University. SRI has been an epiphany in my life, where I have grown both professionally and personally. I highly recommend this program to anyone and everyone who wants to succeed and make a difference in their lives and the lives of others.

Wayne Taliaferro and Dr. Odis Johnson, African American Studies: presented “Teacher and Student Determinants of African-American Dispositions Toward Learning”

This past summer I worked in the Department of African American Studies with Dr. Odis Johnson researching elements of the black-white achievement gap. We examined student and teacher determinants of African-American dispositions toward learning with a focus on anti-achievement identity, aspirations and expectations. As an out-of-the-box thinker, the program gave me the opportunity to fully embrace interdisciplinary approaches. However, while the research portion of this experience was very educational, the most rewarding part of this experience was the individualized attention, mentoring and insight from both my mentor and everyone involved in the program. Not only was I given the chance to sharpen my research skills, but I was regularly engaged about the graduate school process with helpful tools that I would not have otherwise received. Additionally, I had the opportunity to work with eight other scholars from campuses across the nation and form lasting friendships with each of them.