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/Trigonometry is offered to students who want an in-depth review of Algebra
II and Trigonometry in preparation for the SAT, and also for those who plan 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 Visits allow 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.
The Individual 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.