02-04-2024 EDU - Flipbook - Page 5
The Baltimore Sun | Sunday, February 4, 2024 5
A future in
science
New programs
prepare students for
careers in research
By Linda L. Esterson, Contributing Writer
F
or multiple summers, Nicholas
Peterson worked on volunteer and
paid projects that provided hands-on
experience in archaeology. Originally
aiming for a career in genetics,
Peterson graduated in December from Towson
University with a degree in sociology-anthropology with a concentration in archaeology and a
minor in museum studies. Coursework in paleoanthropology and archaeology fueled his interest
in history and archaeology.
Peterson was one of several students who
participated in archaeological digs at Herring
Run Park in Baltimore through the Baltimore
Community Archaeology Lab at Towson
University. “I absolutely loved being out and
doing field work and investigating these areas
and being able to talk to people about their
experiences with the archaeological history of
the area,” he notes. He also volunteered in the
lab, identifying and digitizing collections of
artifacts.
During the excavation, students found artifacts at the park from indigenous inhabitants
from pre-colonization, colonial sites and from
around the 1940s. Evidence also supported an
emergent township that seemed to be abandoned, Peterson says. The majority of the work
was considered phase 1 surveying, employing
shovel testing, or digging holes, every 15 meters
to search for artifacts and evaluate the layers
of soil and decomposition to show evidence
of possible inhabitation. If cultural deposits or
items of interest were found, they were recorded
with the Maryland Historical Trust for more
involved testing and to prevent development
there. In one area, students found pieces of
stone tools and decayed remains of wooden
posts, indicating that a structure existed on
that spot.
Peterson aims to secure an entry-level field
technician position in cultural resource management, which is the performance of archaeology work to uphold federal and state historic preservation regulations, as defined by
Katherine Sterner, Ph.D., RPA, assistant professor in Towson’s department of sociology,
anthropology and criminal justice and director
of the Baltimore Community Archaeology Lab.
Peterson traveled to different sites for what he
calls “shovel bumming,” or professional excavation, required to evaluate sites prior to construction to ensure no artifacts are disturbed.
He plans to pursue master’s and doctorate
degrees to serve the community in public education.
The Herring Run Park excavation is just one
offering of the lab program, created by Sterner
in 2020 to provide archaeology opportunities in
the greater Baltimore area. Sterner is the only
tenure track archaeology professor at any of the
higher education institutions in Baltimore, she
says, and she aims to bring publicly accessible
archaeology facilities and museums back to the
area. The previous Baltimore Center for Urban
Archaeology, funded by Baltimore City, closed
in 2001. According to Sterner, a few small public archaeology programs exist in the area, but
they are run without institutional backing.
“I wanted to create a program that would
provide support for these already existing programs and give people a better picture of what
the archaeology of Baltimore is,” she says. “I
also wanted a program that would provide a
hands-on training opportunity for students and
paid employment opportunities for students to
work in archaeology that would give them an
edge as they enter the workforce.”
At Anne Arundel Community College, students also are gaining STEM research experience through a new program. The ResearchIntensive Summer Experience (RISE) is a
Students participate in archaeological digs at Herring Run Park in Baltimore through the Baltimore Community Archaeology Lab at Towson University.
two-week, accelerated paid internship program
offered during the summer that pairs students
with faculty mentors in the life and physical
sciences arenas.
Seth Miller, Ph.D., assistant professor in
the biology department at Anne Arundel
Community College and creator of the program, aims to show students the “fun” aspect of
research while they gain hands-on experience
not often provided by community colleges.
“Students are involved in high impact practices and research and are part of the knowledge
creation process,” Miller says. “That opens up a
lot of doors to them.”
Conducting research as an undergraduate,
he says, has been shown to increase retention,
promote persistence and improve grade-point
averages for students.
The program, funded through a donation
earmarked for STEM education, comprises a
few introductory sessions on research concepts
and literature research. Other than attending a
few sessions on data presentation near the program’s conclusion, students work in the lab and
in the field alongside the mentor, generating
ideas, conducting research and collecting data.
The program culminates in a research presentation to a campus audience.
Last summer, projects included a study of
air resistance on falling objects, temperature
anomalies in the Pacific and its effect on fisheries tied to El Niño and La Niña; submerged
aquatic vegetation and its impact on the ecosystem; and Miller’s project, studying fish behaviors based on chemical cues in the water.
Miller aims to provide the opportunity for
students to learn about the powerful impact
of research and acknowledges that research
experiences during his own schooling proved
revolutionary. Two of last summer’s eight participating students changed their majors to be
more research oriented.
The program, open to all students with an
interest in STEM, gives students an introduction to research with the ability to be competi-
tive when they transfer to a four-year program
for their junior year. “We really wanted to
help level the playing field for our students
and give them research experience,” Miller
explains. “They can go into a four-year college
environment and have those skills and have the
experience to be competitive and continue to
participate in research.”
The University of Maryland College Park
also has embarked on a new program that
prepares science-minded students for research
careers. Last fall, the National Institutes of
Health awarded the University of Maryland
a Maximizing Access to Research Careers
(MARC) training grant to help facilitate
research opportunities for undergraduates from
underrepresented backgrounds. According to
Katarina Maisel, Ph.D., assistant professor in
the Sischell Department of Bioengineering at
the University of Maryland College Park, this
constitutes women in engineering and students from marginalized communities – Black,
Hispanic, American Indian, Native Alaskan and
those from disadvantaged backgrounds.
Many of these students experience additional financial burdens while in college and
need to work to help support their families.
The five-year, renewable grant aims to provide
financial aid, covering partial tuition, as well as
a stipend, funding research positions that pay
students while they gain experience.
“It’s career development at the same time as
an actual job,” Maisel notes.
Students with interest in STEM, particularly
chemistry, biochemistry, biology, bioengineering, chemical and mechanical engineering, and
public health may apply to the program. Three
are accepted each year under the grant, and
they work with a faculty mentor for their
remaining three years in school. Other MARC
programs around the country span two years,
but at Maryland, the aim is to enable students to
not only plan and conduct research but collect
the data and complete the study with evaluation
and presentation, preparing them more fully to
work in research careers.
Students also enroll in a seminar style course,
which provides instruction and insight into
research-related topics, like ethical research,
rigor and reproducibility of science, and practical, process-oriented detail like preparing applications for research positions, scholarships and
fellowships, and writing abstracts. The program
also provides exposure outside of the university; this year’s cohort attended the annual
Biomedical Research Conference for minoritized students.
In addition to the seminar course, the first
cohort spent part of the fall semester in different lab rotations in such areas as cardiovascular
research, drug delivery, diagnostics, diseases
and cell types, enabling them to determine a
research project of interest. During this spring
semester, they will begin training with their
faculty mentors, spending about 10 hours each
week in the lab.
The goal for the program is to have the
students conduct the research in year two and
present their findings in year three. At the same
time, the seniors will serve as mentors to the
students who begin the program in subsequent
years.
“We’re trying to build a program that is as
holistic in terms of the preparation for graduate
school as we could think of, making sure they
learn presenting and also writing abstracts, and
how to go about finding the largest scientific
literature to read that will provide the background [they need],” Maisel explains. “It’s going
through the full spectrum of the science.”
Maisel hopes that the program can help support those who are underrepresented in science
to eventually pursue research careers.
“Research has shown that diversity in scientists also drives innovation,” she explains. “We
want to continue innovating in science. We
need diverse perspectives.”
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