From MAILER-DAEMON Fri Jan 23 13:18:21 2004 Date: 23 Jan 2004 13:18:21 -0500 From: Mail System Internal Data Subject: DON'T DELETE THIS MESSAGE -- FOLDER INTERNAL DATA Message-ID: <1074881901@mr4.umbc.edu> X-IMAP: 1059439081 0000000036 Status: RO This text is part of the internal format of your mail folder, and is not a real message. It is created automatically by the mail system software. If deleted, important folder data will be lost, and it will be re-created with the data reset to initial values. From amirac1@umbc.edu Mon Jul 21 10:06:59 2003 Return-Path: Received: from mx2in.umbc.edu (mx2in.umbc.edu [130.85.25.67]) by research.umbc.edu (8.12.8/8.12.8/UMBC-Central 1.11 umbc7 1.1.4.4 $) with ESMTP id h6LE6vHI547765 for ; Mon, 21 Jul 2003 10:06:57 -0400 (EDT) Received: from mx3out.umbc.edu (mx3out.umbc.edu [130.85.25.12]) by mx2in.umbc.edu (8.12.8/8.12.8/UMBC-Central 1.11 mxdel 1.1.2.9 $) with ESMTP id h6LE6iGq023410 for ; Mon, 21 Jul 2003 10:06:45 -0400 (EDT) Received: from webmail.umbc.edu (webmail.umbc.edu [130.85.29.11]) by mx3out.umbc.edu (8.12.8/8.12.8/UMBC-Central 1.11 mxout 1.2.2.3 $) with ESMTP id h6LE6gdl010410 (version=TLSv1/SSLv3 cipher=EDH-RSA-DES-CBC3-SHA bits=168 verify=FAIL) for ; Mon, 21 Jul 2003 10:06:43 -0400 (EDT) X-WebMail-UserID: amirac1 Date: Mon, 21 Jul 2003 10:06:40 -0400 Sender: amirac1 From: amirac1 To: Marjoleine Kars X-EXP32-SerialNo: 00002897 Subject: A midsummer report Message-ID: <3F1FB37E@webmail.umbc.edu> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="ISO-8859-1" X-Mailer: WebMail (Hydra) SMTP v3.62 X-Avmilter: Message Skipped, too small X-Processed-By: MilterMonkey Version 0.9 -- http://www.membrain.com/miltermonkey X-Milter-Key: 1058796719:6608332659a8eefff187bc64c66ba046 X-Spam-Status: hits=-99.7 rating= tests=MIME_LONG_LINE_QP,USER_IN_WHITELIST Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit X-MIME-Autoconverted: from quoted-printable to 8bit by research.umbc.edu id h6LE6vHI547765 Status: RO X-Status: A X-Keywords: X-UID: 1 During my internship at the Maryland State Archives this summer, I was assigned to the Underground Railroad Project. Engaged in a variety of different aspects of historical research, I first began the project by stripping data from the National Intelligencer. In effort to identify run-away slaves and their owners, I scanned a number of these newspapers form the early part of the 19th century. I also noted the location from which the slave ran, and the date of publication, the date the ad was placed, and the various dates through which the ad ran. Then, all of the data was entered into a computer database. Eventually, future researchers will be able to use this information to track the pattern of run-away activity, and hopefully identify specific traffic patterns on the Underground Railroad. Several weeks later, I began stripping data from the Census of 1850, and 1830, both from Charles County. I wrote down all the free-black head of households, and all the ages and names of the dependents within these households. Then I put this information into a computer database to enable future research using this data. Eventually, the project will consist of mainly case-study work, and the computer database will facilitate this work by enabling researchers to more easily find those associated with the run-aways, and identify those areas where free blacks tended to cluster within county districts. More recently I have begun working on two types of case studies. In effort to do this, I have learned to work within Microsoft Access, html, and Ultra-Edit 32. This research can be found on the Underground Railroad Project homepage at, (www.Mdslavery.net.) Using William Still’s work on the Underground Railroad, I also began constructing web pages to allow individuals to access some of the acquired information on specific individuals who ran away from slavery during the first part of the 19th century. Currently, I am working on a case study of the life of Frederick Douglass, concentrating mainly on his life while he lived in Maryland. This construction of biographies, which I have most recently started, has been the part of the research I have enjoyed the most. Following the paper trail, and finding how people are connected to places and each other, is far more enjoyable to me, than the quantitative research I performed earlier. Thus far, I have learned that what excites me about history is the process of telling what I find to someone else. Hence, partly due to my talents, and partly due to my personal preferences, I think I make a better lecturer and teacher, than an isolated researcher. Hence, while I enjoy all the aspects of the work I have done so far, I think a better redistribution on the emphasis of each will serve me better. Also, much of the research I have committed so far has been quantitative analysis. While this is a tool that I find very useful in my own research, I am far more interested in telling the narrative. This internship has allowed me to better identify the kind of research I want to perform. Amanda Lea Miracle From kfischer@umn.edu Fri Jul 25 14:31:05 2003 Return-Path: Received: from mx6in.umbc.edu (mx6in.umbc.edu [130.85.25.71]) by research.umbc.edu (8.12.8/8.12.8/UMBC-Central 1.11 umbc7 1.1.4.4 $) with ESMTP id h6PIUxHI1371076 for ; Fri, 25 Jul 2003 14:30:59 -0400 (EDT) Received: from mhub-c2.tc.umn.edu (mhub-c2.tc.umn.edu [160.94.128.45]) by mx6in.umbc.edu (8.12.8/8.12.8/UMBC-Central 1.11 mxdel 1.1.2.9 $) with ESMTP id h6PIUi3o008455 for ; Fri, 25 Jul 2003 14:30:45 -0400 (EDT) Received: from B9LC021 (x94-209-153.ej1202.umn.edu [160.94.209.153] (may be forged)) by mhub-c2.tc.umn.edu with SMTP for kars@umbc.edu; Fri, 25 Jul 2003 13:30:43 -0500 (CDT) X-Umn-Remote-Mta: [N] x94-209-153.ej1202.umn.edu #+HF+LO+NE Message-ID: <015801c352da$dbca1cf0$99d15ea0@B9LC021> From: "Kirsten Fischer" To: "marjoleine kars" Subject: Fw: question Date: Fri, 25 Jul 2003 13:30:43 -0500 MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit X-Priority: 3 X-MSMail-Priority: Normal X-Mailer: Microsoft Outlook Express 6.00.2800.1158 X-MimeOLE: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V6.00.2800.1165 X-Milter-Key: 1059158164:8ba73d1f8dcf8fd1052fc68cd13e2eba X-Avmilter: Message Skipped, too small X-Spam-Status: hits=-2.8 rating= tests=MAILTO_TO_SPAM_ADDR,QUOTED_EMAIL_TEXT X-Processed-By: MilterMonkey Version 0.9 -- http://www.membrain.com/miltermonkey Status: RO X-Status: A X-Keywords: X-UID: 3 Dear Marjoleine, I apologize for being so delinquent in getting back to you! Your e-mail got lost in my in-box, and I only recently came across it again. MJ Maynes, our DGS, has responded to your question (see below). I am now on sabbatical--thank goodness. No more Director of Undergrad Studies until fall 2004. Drew and I are getting married in September; until then we are taking it easy and enjoying a beautiful summer with sailing lessons and an occasional canoe paddle on the Mississippi river. Hope you are doing well, Kirsten ----- Original Message ----- From: "MJ Maynes" To: "Kirsten Fischer" Sent: Tuesday, July 22, 2003 11:58 PM Subject: Re: question > Hi Kirsten, > As for your question, we don't have hard-and-fast rules since we look at > every case individually, and we look at every part of the application file, > and a very strong writing sample, or letters, can counteract some low > freshman year grades or whatever. But I can tell you what the profiles > typically look like: > --a very polished senior paper or MA chapter showing strong analytic skills, > writing skills, use of sources (even if it's not a history paper, though > most are) We don't waive the paper requirement even for international > students. If they don't have anything in English, we ask them to summarize a > paper in English, or translate a chunk. > --strong letters from people who can judge their history-relevant skills > --typically, but not always, GRES in the 600s and 700s on verbal and > analytic, typically lower on math > --undergrad GPA above 3.6 and usually higher, with a good amount of history > --good background in at least one language besides English > --grad GPA where relevant above 3.8 > -- a personal statement that offers evidence of a passion for history, a > somewhat sophisticated notion of what that is, and a reson for wanting to be > at Minnesota in particular > > Hope this helps! > > MJ > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Kirsten Fischer" > To: "MJ Maynes" ; "Kristin Haasl" > Sent: Tuesday, July 22, 2003 2:16 PM > Subject: question > > > > MJ and Kristin, > > A friend of mine at another university would like to know what kinds of > > students we tend to admit (see her message, below). What would be an > > appropriate answer? > > Thanks for your help, > > Kirsten > > ----- Original Message ----- > > From: "Marjoleine Kars" > > To: "Kirsten Fischer" > > Sent: Wednesday, June 04, 2003 10:32 AM > > Subject: hi > > > > > > > > > I have a question for you. Do you have any sense of what kinds of > > > requirements your dept has for admitting Ph.D students? I have several > > > graduate students I would like to recommend UMinn to, partly because you > > > are there and your dept. is strong in colonial generally, but I don't > > > have any sense of what kind of GRE scores my students should have before > > > they even consider Minn. What kind of students are you looking for? > > > Could you give me some idea? It has been so long since I applied to grad > > > school, my sense of the hierarchy of schools in terms of applying is > > > rather fuzzy. These students would be coming in with an MA and would > > > need funding, just to complicate matters further.... > > > > > > MK >