BALTIMORE, Md. – Students at Notre Dame of Maryland University will have the opportunity to access funds for academic research with the development of a new Notre Dame Endowed Student Research Fund – the University’s largest-ever fund dedicated solely to student research.
The fund, which currently stands at more than $100,000, will support interdisciplinary research expenses for students. Students will be able to use the funds to cover conference fees, travel, publication, and other necessary expenses to engage in meaningful research experiences. NDMU President Marylou Yam spearheaded the establishment of the fund to promote experiential learning.
“The Notre Dame Endowed Student Research Fund will open doors for students to pursue significant research opportunities beyond the classroom,” said Dr. Yam. “Students at Notre Dame can benefit from participating in research which deepens their learning experience, creates opportunities for them to engage with faculty, and prepares them for advanced study and their future careers.”
Annually, NDMU student researchers present their work in poster and oral presentations at Nancy Kreiter Student Research Day. Students with outstanding presentations receive recognition from a panel of faculty judges, reflecting NDMU’s commitment to developing students’ skills in producing academic research.
Students also have research opportunities with expert NDMU faculty. Dr. Jennifer Kerr, the Dr. Mary Kay Shartle Galotto '64 Endowed Chair in the Biological Sciences, has guided more than 200 students through the research process, as well as helped many of them present at conferences and publish in academic journals.
Most recently, Dr. Kerr and Dr. Sayumi York led a team of 11 students who were co-authors on a national study in Nature Genomics. The NDMU team worked on the project with a Johns Hopkins scientist who is one of the world’s foremost experts in genomics research.
“Students are gaining skills, contributing to national research efforts, and seeing themselves as scientists who can push the field forward,” said Dr. Kerr.
Established in 1895, Notre Dame of Maryland University (NDMU) is a private, Catholic institution in Baltimore, Maryland, with the mission to educate leaders to transform the world. Notre Dame has been named one of the best "Regional Universities North" by U.S. News & World Report.