UBMS Course/Job Descriptions
Inspiring students to take steps confidently in the direction of their academic dreams, and to take challenges that will allow them to grow into stronger, more capable students, the Upward Bound Math Science summer program provides rigorous instruction in mathematics, science, writing and research, as well as college preparatory skills. Students gain confidence in their research, writing, and public speaking abilities, and ultimately take these skills to college, where they can continue to be nurtured.
Course/Project Descriptions
Scientific Writing is offered to UBMS rising juniors and seniors in three one-hour sections on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday mornings. This class is taken in conjunction with students' afternoon Individual Research Projects. In this class they learn the art of writing a scientific research paper, with a focus upon format, grammar, structure, and content. Ongoing editing and revision are major parts of the class. The course also focuses upon SAT Preparation and Latin and Greek instruction as related to scientific terminology.
Each summer, either a Group Research or Design Project is part of the curriculum. The Group Research Project rests on the foundation of scientific research through observation and inquiry. Over the years, projects have involved entomology (insects), toxicology (how environmental chemicals affect human and animal health), mycology (fungus growth), forest bio-products and watershed ecology, which have been intertwined with mathematics, chemistry, technology and psychology. This project aims at developing teamwork and group mastery of content material, experimental design, data collection, statistical analysis and the skill of drawing reliable conclusions through a participatory, interdisciplinary, hands-on, minds-on approach, as well as mastery of content material. Students work in groups of six to eight students, through two to three related research strands; each group’s progress is guided by a Group Facilitator.
The Group Design Project involves innovative invention-based inquiry and group work grounded in real scientific problems. Students take part in a scientific field experience or lecture with a professors or graduate students to learn the scope of their research, along with problems or issues they have encountered in their work. Students take this information to the UMaine Foster Center for Student Innovations, where they work through the process of choosing the most important problems to tackle and then generate ideas for possible solutions to these problems. Student groups then work with Group Facilitators to develop a “works like” or “looks like” model of the invention that they are the most excited about developing. Frequent group presentations are part of the design project. The end results of this project are a collaboratively developed design and a group video that is presented to the entire UMBS population. Group papers are published in A Journal of Explorations, the UBMS in-house publication!
Individual Projects give Math Science students the opportunity to investigate questions they may have about the world around them – how and why things work the way they do. Through experimental research,exploration, or design, mentors help students learn new ways to answer these questions. Students take ownership of the details and course of the research, while mentors guide students on best practices in research within their academic field and in the general scientific community. Individual projects are held Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday afternoons from 1:00–4:00pm. Often, during their second or third summer, students will have the chance to explore research in a university laboratory, under the guidance of graduate students and faculty. Students present their work on the last Monday evening of the summer program at the Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics (STEM) Symposium. Final products also include written work in the form of a scientific paper, based on models from their particular discipline. These papers are staff and peer-reviewed and ultimately published in A Journal of Explorations.
Algebra II/Trigonometryis offered to students who want an in-depth review of Algebra II and Trigonometry in preparation for the SAT, and also for those whoplan to take PreCalculus in the fall. This course strengthens foundations in core mathematical skills, providing an opportunity for mastery of material through traditional and exploratory styles of inquiry.
PreCalculus class is designed to provide rising juniors with an opportunity to master trignometric functions and identities, graphing, vectors, and matrices using traditional and exploratory instructional styles.
Calculus class at Upward Bound prepares students who have completed PreCalculus and are planning to take Calculus in the fall. It is also a class for those who have taken Calculus and want to reinforce core concepts before college.
SAT Preparation functions in conjunction with Algebra II/Trigonometry and Scientific Writing classes. Instructors provide test-taking strategies and the opportunity for students to take practice tests throughout the summer, as well as core content knowledge as related to SAT preparation.
Junior Financial Literacy prepares students for the financial aspects of attending college: familiarization with the FAFSA, financial aid award letters, saving for college, and loan-to-debt ratios based on intended profession. The course also helps students with career choices based on their interests and skills.
Junior and Senior College Visitsallow rising juniors and seniors to explore Maine college options through campus tours throughout summer program.
Senior Seminar is designed to prepare rising seniors for their senior year, including Bridge eligibility deadlines, the college application process, and financial aid processes. Major portions of the class include college essay writing, developing a resume and brag sheet, as well as filling out a UMaine system college application.
Job Descriptions:
The Scientific Writing Instructor works closely with students as they complete their Individual Research Project papers and posters, instructing and encouraging students through the writing and revision process. This Instructor teaches three sections of class on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday mornings, and is available for individual student meetings during project times on Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday afternoons. SAT Preparation and Latin and Greek vocabulary instruction are incorporated into the class.
UBMS hires two Mathematics Instructors to teach Algebra II/Trignonometry, PreCalculus, and Calculus throughout summer program. Each class is offered for one hour, Monday, Wednesday, and Friday mornings, with concepts reinforced during Academic Weekends.
The Financial Literacy Instructor teaches class Tuesday afternoons to Rising Juniors, preparing them to be more financially literate pre-college students.
The Senior Seminar Instructor teaches class Tuesday afternoons to Rising Seniors, directly preparing them for the college application process. In conjunction with this class, this Instructor takes Rising Juniors and Seniors on college visits throughout Maine each Friday afternoon of the program.
Group Facilitators guide groups of 5 – 8 students through Group Research or Design Project completion. Facilitators guide students through their research and design, encouraging positive group dynamics and equal group member contribution. Facilitators advise students on writing and revision, sourcing peer-reviewed journal articles, clarifying scientific concepts, processing content material lectures, reviewing concepts, and help students delegate responsibilities, run statistical tests, and interpret their results towards development of sound conclusions. Group Facilitators also help groups answer the questions, "How do we write a collaborative paper?", "How can we get all this done in five weeks?", and "What makes a good presentation?"
Three afternoons/week, Group Facilitators, as well as select Graduate Students and Professors, serve as Individual Project Mentors for 3-4 individual students. Based on academic major or professional experience (biology, engineering, physics, computer science, psychology, mathematics, ecology, etc...), mentors work closely with students with similar academic interests, helping them each to develop a research project or an exploration representative of academic inquiry for that discipline. Mentors communicate with the Individual Project Coordinator to obtain lab space and project materials. They assist students in following the research/exploration through to completion, taking an active role in guiding the research process, helping students revise their papers and posters, and ensuring they have a thorough conceptual understanding of their projects.Facilitators/Mentors communicate closely with the Math Science Director, Individual Project Coordinator, Scientific Writing Instructor, other Facilitators/Mentors, Language Instructor, and Residence Life team to make sure all staff invested in each student's academic and social development/achievement throughout the summer always have the most pertinent information needed to make good decisions regarding that student.
TheIndividual Project Coordinator(IPC) assists with student placement in University of Maine laboratories, community sites, and with "in-house" mentors, which are Group Facilitators that serve as afternoon mentors. The IPC provides oversight during the summer as students are choosing projects (first afternoon that academics begin), performing their research and completing projects, culminating with the annual STEM Symposium. The IPC begins work before summer program to locate mentors (upper-level undergrads, grad students, and professors, as well as occasional off-campus mentors) that have not yet been found to match student interests. It is important that the Coordinator read student and staff feedback from the previous summer prior to beginning work.
Th IPC maintains organized records (Google Documents) of the individual project process, including student project interests, potential mentors, student project proposals, student location on campus during summer, project progress and supply needs.This person purchases supplies for students’ individual projects, returning receipts to the main office; supplies are stored in the morning and delivered to students after Community Meeting or during Individual Project time, or are ready for them to use in their research space on project afternoons.The IPC maintains a dialogue with students, mentors, the Scientific Writing Instructor and Residence Life staff regarding student progress by speaking with them directly at least once weekly. About mid-way through the summer, this person begins to locate potential STEM Symposium judges. The Individual Project Coordinator creates the student presentation and judging schedules. He or she also leads poster preparation and presentation workshops throughout the summer and on the second academic weekend, preparing students for the Symposium.The Individual Project Coordinator is a critical link representing Upward Bound Math/Science to the university community and is often the first person related to Upward Bound that faculty or graduate students meet.